Kristina Harms
Traveling across the world is on many people's bucket list but, to do this requires money and usually lots of it. So, what if I told you there were ways around that expensive price tag. The average cost per person to go on vacation is around $1,200 and this price can vary dramatically depending on where in the world you plan on traveling to. As someone who plans to travel to as many countries as I can, I was curious about not only the ways to cut down on cost, but also how the travel industry affects the economy in general. According to the U.S. Travel Association “Travel is among the top 10 industries in 49 states and D.C. in terms of employment.” This not only proves the importance of travel on our economy but, it is basically saying that travel is necessary for our society and the societies we visit around the world. Without further ado, here are my tips on how to travel on a budget.
The first money saving tip is to travel during the off season. I know you might want to visit Hawaii to get away from the snow back home, but so does everybody else. Traveling during high traffic times of the year is when the airlines raise prices dramatically. The best time to travel during the year is the month of January. According to Kelly Soderlund in Where to go 2019 “January historically is the cheapest month to fly for both domestic and international destinations, with domestic airfare 31 percent lower on average than peak summertime booking prices.” The overall money this would save you could make the difference when deciding if you can afford the trip.
The second money saving tip is to stay in hostels. Hostels are a great alternative to expensive hotel rooms. Hostels range from around $20 to at most $100 dollars a night depending on the city you’re staying in. This is a drastic difference from the going rate of a hotel room which can cost around $200 to $300 per night. These costs can add up quickly when staying for multiple nights at a time. So, the cutting of the cost in more than half, will be a large money saver in the long run. Hostels also usually have complimentary breakfast for their guests. This is yet another perk of the hostel and eliminates the cost of one of your meals for the day.
The final money saving tip I have for you is to shop at the local grocery stores. Wait just a minute, just hear me out. According to the World Food Travel Association “By our estimate, visitors spend approximately 25% of their travel budget on food and beverages. The figure can get as high as 35% in expensive destinations, and as low as 15% on more affordable destinations.” This means that a large sum of the expenses you face on travels is due to the fact that you’re eating out for all of your meals. Instead, shop at the local grocery store and cook some of the meals yourself. You can still get an authentic dish from that region but with the perk of a much smaller price tag.
Overall, money should not be a deterient when wanting to travel. There are so many different ways you can cut down the price and I only touched on a few of the bigger cost cutting techniques. Whether you cut down on the cost through the food bills, the airfare, the cost or some of the many other techniques, you will always be able to find a way to save.
Work Cited
Draper, David, et al. “45 Travel Hacks That Can Save You $$$!” Hostelworld Blog, 29 Aug. 2018, www.hostelworld.com/blog/travel-on-a-budget/.Greenspan, Rachel E. “How to Travel for Free: 6 Ways to Vacation for Cheap.” Time, Time, 1 Feb. 2019, time.com/5466091/travel-for-cheap-free-budget/.
Soderlund, Kelly. “When to Go 2019.” Tailwind by Hipmunk, 14 Jan. 2019, www.hipmunk.com/tailwind/when-to-go-2019/.
“This Chart Will Help You Find the Cheapest Month to Fly to 60 Different U.S. Cities.” Money, money.com/money/5482931/this-chart-will-help-you-find-the-cheapest-month-to-fly-to-60-different-u-s-cities/.
“Tourism Statistics - Participation in Tourism.” Tourism Statistics - Participation in Tourism - Statistics Explained, ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Tourism_statistics_-_participation_in_tourism.
“Travel Facts and Figures.” U.S. Travel Association, www.ustravel.org/research/travel-facts-and-figures.
“What Is Food Tourism.” World Food Travel Association, worldfoodtravel.org/what-is-food-tourism/.
Many people want to travel to different places in their adult life, but get deterred by the price tag. As mentioned in your post, cutting costs is important while traveling on a budget and can be done by staying at hostels instead of hotels, flying when flights are the cheapest, and cooking your own food instead of eating out. In addition to these, one can save money on traveling by driving instead of flying if it is possible. Flights are often the most expensive part of traveling and even though long hours on the road can be tiring, it is much cheaper than flying. Some people also have to travel for work, which can add up quickly if these budgeting tips aren’t taken into consideration.
ReplyDeleteIt's very hard to travel these days due to many peoples budgets not allowing them. So I found this post really interesting! Going when flights are the cheapest is always a great idea but I didn't know there were more ways to save when you are at your destination. But like Nolan said above wouldn't alternate travel routes such as road trips be even less expensive? Just food for thought, but overall I really enjoyed this post about cheap traveling.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very great guide on how to travel cheaper as many of us will be starting to take vacations without our parents soon, and are not sure about how to budget when travelling. That infographic is also very interesting in showing that finance is the thing that is holding most people back. I think it’s good to know how to cut down on the biggest expenses that come with vacationing for the future.
ReplyDeleteThe majority of people have "travel the world" somewhere on their bucket list. But most people believe that traveling can cause you to sacrifice other financial responsibilities or wants. But that's not always the case. You do have to put a substantial amount of money away for saving for a trip but there are ways that can help cut down the cost. These tips are very realistic and easy to do. Some of the tips can even cause you to be more immersed in the culture of the location you are staying in.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you chose to cover this subject since I too wish to travel a lot in my future. Money has always been something that kept from fully committing to travel though because trips can cost up to 5,000 dollars. I think it's important that people are able to travel and escape their home for a bit and learn about new cultures. I think that traveling off season is very due able since things will be cheaper, less crowded, and less HOT typically. It's also very smart to buy your own groceries. I never considered it because I figured the cost of individual ingredients and then taking the time to cook was less pleasant that just going out. But cooking traditional dishes could actually be quite fun! Hostels will also allow you to be more integrated into the culture you're visiting so this savings tips not only help you save money but also help you learn more about other cultures.
ReplyDeleteAs a fellow travel enthusiast I was intrigued by your blog post. I have all these grand plans of travelling but often am discouraged when I look up merely the price of airfare, much less food, entertainment, excursions and more. This travel guide gives me hope and reasonable ways to cut down on my travel desires. The chart showcasing why people decide not to travel gives good insight into people's lives and what they feel they would need to sacrifice to go on vacation. It would be interesting to note too at what age most individuals choose to travel at and compare it with their financial status at the time.
ReplyDeleteI personally really enjoy travelling as well! I think that travelling is so important in seeing different parts of the world and experiencing different cultures, but the prices are so high and it is discouraging. I enjoyed your blog post because it really gave good tips in order to cut down on spending during trips. I really enjoyed the part about making your own meals. My family does this often and we rarely go out for breakfast of vacation because it is so easy to make things by ourselves. It just seems like there are so many ways to save money while travelling that I'd never even considered. It's cool to see that you can make travelling really as expensive or inexpensive as you want.
ReplyDeleteI too wish to travel a lot in my future, however the big costs of savings and investing seemed to put a pause on those plans, especially with the high price tags that come with travel. Your post makes it seem like its a more approachable goal. For some of the hacks, my family also makes an effort to make some of our own meals. And the January vacation time, though seeming daunting now with our obligations to school, seems like a good time to travel when we are adults. Also, it would be interesting to see how traveling by plane vs. road trips would affect the cost of a trip.
ReplyDeleteI like this post because it applies to many of the people that read it. I wanted to read it because I do need tips on travel. Especially at this point in our lives, many people want to go on vacations with their friends, but we don't have the money to be able to do that. This post helps lessen that cost so that more people can afford to go on a vacation. I know that I will definitely be using some of these tips in the future.
ReplyDeleteI plan on travelling my last summer before college-the whole "senior trip" thing- so this was a quick, and important read for me as I want to explore Europe with some friends. I never really would have thought of hostels, but now that you mention them, I know they are popular alternatives, especially in Europe, where there are probably more tourists in a given area than natives. I also never would have considered shopping at grocery stores for food. I know the consumption part of it all most likely adds up to be just as much as the travel fees in some cases, so that idea is one that I hope I remember in the future. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThis was intersting. Traveling on a budget can be hard to do, but if you cut down on lots of expenses, like fancy hotels, or going out to eat Im sure you can travel at a lower price. When I go on vacation somewhere, we usually don't go out to resteraunts every night, and buy food at a grocery store, making sure we stay in a place with a kitchen to cook. This saves lots of money. I think the plane ticket is the most expensive thing during the whole trip. When I went to China we flew buisness class, and the ticket was like at least 12,000 dollars per person.So expensive! If you are traveling in the united states, the easiest way to save money is probably driving, even though it would take much longer.
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to travel more often but the cost of traveling is so high that it's challenging to do so. I like the tips you give because they aren't elaborate or challenging to do, they are small changes you can make when traveling that allows you to travel more often at a lower expense. Once I am financially stable in the future, I want to make it a priority to travel more because I think the experience of visiting new places is important. Meeting new people and experiencing different cultures is something that people can benefit from. Reading about these tips puts things in perspective as many people travel at such high costs which can be reduced easily.
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