Travel Hacks to Save You Money When Exploring the World

The world has many must-see locations that you should absolutely visit as soon as possible. However, there’s only so much tourism that one can handle until it starts to get boring. Whether it’s the constant queues to see something popular or the huge crowds of tourists ruining your experience, there’s also an argument to be made to actively avoid any of these expensive and crowded locations and instead, explore the less travelled path.

It’s actually one of the best ways to save money when exploring the world, and in this article, we’re going to show you a couple more travel hacks that you can utilize to save money when you’re travelling around the world.

1. Don’t plan, be spontaneous

This sounds like horrible advice on the surface, but here’s the thing; a lot of things you plan will have set costs and your expenses will be laid out in front of you. It gives you an idea of how much you’ll be spending when you travel, but being spontaneous means that you’ll learn how to stretch your money. For instance, instead of planning to visit a certain restaurant or food market for dinner, roam around the city and look for lesser-known spots that the locals are attracted to. This will give you a better holiday experience (especially if you love to travel and embrace new cultures) and can save you a lot of money.

2. Follow the locals

Locals know best when it comes to travelling. They know the best places to eat, they know all the places to get a good drink and they know all the entertaining spots around town. If you can’t muster up the courage to speak to the locals, then make sure you pick places to eat at and visit depending on where the locals go. Instead of following the crowds of tourists, follow the crowds of locals.

3. Consider your finances

Some credit cards such as the Transferwise card can make it very easy to spend in other currencies without paying huge transfer fees to your bank. This is one of the simplest ways to save money when you’re abroad, but it does take a little research to understand exactly what you’re getting. If you’re travelling on a very regular basis, then it’s certainly something you want to consider using, but if you only travel a couple of times every year, then you may want to just stick to your current cards.

4. Look for alternate forms of accommodation

There are many ways to find accommodation. Most holidaymakers will pick out a hotel or a holiday home to rent, but here are a couple more recommendations to help you save money.

• Airbnb – One of the best ways to get cheap accommodation is to look on Airbnb. You’ll find plenty of inexpensive rooms and homes to rent for a short time and you’ll also get to communicate and interact with some of the locals. Some Airbnb locations are in prime areas where locals gather, which can enhance the experience further.
• Couchsurfing – If you’re the adventurous backpacking type, then Couchsurfing is one of the best ways to find accommodation. You’ll interact with locals, make friends and generally pay nothing to stay at someone’s home. Although the term Couchsurfing implies you’ll be sleeping on a couch, some people that offer Couchsurfing actually have bedrooms for you, not just a couch!
• Hostels – The cheaper version of a hotel. Hostels generally involve shared rooms with bunk beds, but if all you’re doing is sleeping then you don’t need much more and you’ll spend most of your time outside.
• Unique accommodation – Unique accommodation generally implies anything that is unique to the country you’re visiting. For instance, a good example of this is Japan’s capsule hotels. These are popular single-room hotels that provide you with everything from TV and Wi-Fi, and some of them are quite literally capsules that give you just enough space to sleep and sit in. Some capsules are much larger and provide more amenities, but the basic capsule hotel is cheap, easy to access and a unique experience.

5. Don’t be afraid of the food

Many foreign countries charge a premium for western food because it’s somewhat of a unique experience for the locals. If you’re visiting a country with drastically different tastes to yourself, then you may want to consider trying the food out so you pay less money to feed yourself. Try new things, experience different foods and be adventurous with your taste buds so that you’re not limited!