What’s the cheapest way you’ve traveled
Posted by Professional-Rip7276@reddit | Shoestring | View on Reddit | 28 comments
I need to know the cheapest ways people have traveled to different locations and staying in places for cheap as well. I really want to go to NYC this summer for Pride but I’m a broke poor college student lol so I wanted some tips. any is appreciated :)
Beneficial-Purple642@reddit
Check out the HomeStay website for (sometimes cheaper) accommodation. Join BeWelcome and see if you can find a local host. Trust your gut. BeWelcome is amazing, but it’s volunteer run and from time to time fake hosts end up on there. Opt for those with a profile picture and at least one review (as a host or guest).
CompetitivePop-6001@reddit
Honestly, buses + hostels + way too much walking got me through my broke travel era 😭 NYC during Pride sounds so worth it though, book early and be flexible if you can
PrestigiousHeron827@reddit
Honestly the cheapest combo I’ve done is: • budget flight (book early + be flexible with dates) • personal item only (no luggage fees) • stay in a hostel or split an Airbnb with friends • use public transport/walk everywhere
For NYC specifically, hotels + subway pass will save you a ton. Also lock for free pride events, there’s a lot going on that doesn’t cost anything.
RecordingLow890@reddit
Book early, use public transport and check the cheapest way of using it (weekly/ daily tickets may be worth it. check flights on skyscanner and compare to bus travel if it’s not too far. Stay in unpopular locations (airport, Newark etc.) but check if there is public transport and concider the cost of transport vs the savings from you accommodation. Use students discounts. Eat instant ramen or Taco Bell. Plan your trip and ask Gemini to help you plan and cut costs.
roleplay_oedipus_rex@reddit
In my 20's I did about 15 or so courier gigs that allowed me to travel to and spend up to a few weeks in the following: Argentina (12x? I don't even remember I lost count), Brazil (3x), Peru, Russia (during the World Cup!) and France.
Flights were paid for, accommodation was paid for and I made as much as $800 so basically there were a bunch of free trips.
Otherwise, the cheapest I've done it was by backpacking and staying in hostels but as I wanted to experience all that I could at each place it still wasn't very shoestring. I basically never cooked also.
I've couchsurfed on the website and with friends, hitchhiked in some places and maybe some other stuff I'm forgetting.
PrimaryDurian@reddit
That's fascinating. How did you get international courier gigs?
roleplay_oedipus_rex@reddit
I did it for two different companies although just one time for one of them. Both I was referred to by friends.
darkvince7@reddit
Hitchhiking and couchsurfing. Can’t get any cheaper.
Drejk0@reddit
I got off of the couchsurfing website when they started charging around covid, so not sure what that website’s status is not but I came here to mention it. There are also other long distance self-powered traveler websites, warm showers for cyclists comes to mind, that could help provide insight into lodging.
Colonelmann@reddit
House/petsitting coupled with airline points
icandoit45@reddit
As a former broke college student my method was to take the bus (not sure where you’re coming from but these go to NYC from DC, Philly and Boston usually) either greyhound or one of those low cost buses. You need to book these well in advance for some of the lowest prices. If you don’t have someone to stay with consider an Airbnb or motel/hotel in NH and take the ferry or bus across. Many people do this for Comicon and it saves them money. When you’re in town there’s lots to do for free or low cost. Can point you to some of that but one of my favorite low cost days is taking the Staten Island Ferry to and from. Seeing the statue, grab a hot dog and cold beer (I hear the bars on the ferry are slowly coming back). Then walk the Brooklyn bridge, get pizza and and ice cream and take a $4-5 ferry ride back across. There will be a lot of walking so pack light and carry minimal during the day. Bring really comfy walking shoes.
Jadedslave124@reddit
I’ve stayed in a KOA cabin for cheap cheap. Also it had bed bugs. The ER visit for my small children with hundreds of bug bites was not cheap.
Big_Cap_6037@reddit
Hitchhiking
Xtratech_Official@reddit
If we're cutting costs as much as possible, you're going to be best served traveling and surviving as if you'd been displaced. To this end, churches and other charity organizations often give out food on specific days. Look up some of the places where you're going if you anticipate needing food. Also, while some people have mentioned walking and hostels, if you do have vehicle for this trip I would suggest using it for housing as well. Back to those churches, they make great parking lots to park in overnight and nap in. Traveled the whole west coast stopping at churches to sleep a bit and pick up food as I went. The main cost there became gas (which is a major costs).
Space_Panther_99@reddit
Walking
carlyemac@reddit
Depending on where you live, you may be able to find a cheap flight (under $100). I see flights from ATL where I am at all the time through Spirit and Frontier for like $50-60. Accommodations tend to be the most expensive thing in NYC, so I would suggest looking in some of the outer boroughs. Queens or even Jersey City are nice and quiet and easy to get to everywhere else by train. And the way they are doing the metro these days is scan to pay with your phone or card and it’s $3 a trip. After 12 trips in a 7 day period it’s free, so it’s pretty cheap and easy to get around by train if you use the same payment method every time.
valeyard89@reddit
Cheapest was sometimes using ff points/hotel points. has definitely saved me easily tens of thousands over the years.
Nowrongbean@reddit
Sticking my thumb out
crispydeluxx@reddit
Walking, hitching or taking the bus. Have slept in train stations and bus stations and the airport overnight to save money
wanderlust_m@reddit
1) Stay: On the outskirts of the city with good access to public transport. NYC isn't cheap but getting an AirBnB room somewhere in a New Jersey town 30 minutes away but right on the NJ transite might be more affordable even than a hostel in the city. Of course, better if you can crash with a friend.
2) Food:
Grocery store is your friend.
You can eat really cheaply in New York if you do good research and stick to primarily pizza, bagels, food carts/trucks and neighborhood food (delis/grocery store deli counter, takeout-only places, hold-in-the walls catering to locals in non-trendy areas).
3) Travel:
Travel light when flying - learn to last a week with a back-pack or small duffel/very small carry-on. You'll avoid luggage fees. Can also get away packing stuff in your jacket pockets, etc. And sometimes it's easier and more cost-effective to buy stuff like toothpaste and shampoo at the destination and avoid extra use of luggage weight/space.
When looking for flights, check nearby airports and cost/length of public transport to get where you need. For example, maybe it'd be cheaper for your to fly into Philadelphia rather than NYC and take the bus or train in.
Book trains well in advance. Not sure where you're coming from, but Amtrak can be quite affordable to NYC if booked in advance.
Pack your own food for the airport/bus/train to avoid crappy overpriced options on the way.
DetectedNo2404@reddit
Cheaper countries like SEA and CA, but flights can still be expensive.
If you're already going somewhere, doing a few days stopover somewhere on the way. Though it can make flights more expensive for some reason.
If you're a resident somewhere, travelling locally/domestically in your free time.
In expensive places like Europe, staying in hostels and basing where/when you go off hostel/train/flight prices, which can vary a lot by the day and area (though maybe for trains that's just in the UK).
ChestChance6126@reddit
The cheapest stretch I ever did was basically building the trip around food and sleep costs. I’d stay somewhere simple or split a place with people, then eat like a local instead of chasing must try spots. Bakeries, small delis, street carts, stuff like that end up being way cheaper and honestly feel more like the city.
For NYC specifically, I’d lean into slices, bagels, and halal carts. You can eat well without spending much, and half the fun is finding those random spots that end up being better than anything you planned.
NotYetThere32@reddit
Train, and by foot
Ninja_bambi@reddit
Sleep rough...
conanmagnuson@reddit
In my mother’s womb.
delightful_caprese@reddit
NYC has hostels, book now since they won’t get cheaper.
You could try a site like Trusted House Sitter but sits in NYC are competitive and it would be better if you have other sits under your belt and good reviews. Anyway that’s how I’ve managed to stay for free in LA and Arizona, pet/house sitting in exchange for a place to stay.
lucapal1@reddit
That depends a lot on where you start, where you are going and what you want to do there...
In terms of transport? The cheapest I have done it is walking ;-) Followed by hitching lifts, and then probably by bus.
For accommodation,if you don't know anyone to stay with for a few days for free? The cheapest tends to be a dorm bed in a shared room at a hostel.
Occasionally I've slept outside on a bench,or in a bus station for example,but that's maybe not a great idea in NYC.
Food? If you are in a hostel, they often have a kitchen.Go to the market,buy food there and cook for yourself.
anothercar@reddit
Find a friend in the destination city who's willing to host you for free