How to Travel Cheap: A Complete Guide to Budget Travel in 2024

If I hadn't learned how to travel cheaply, my travel resume would be nonexistent. I never would've started this blog. I never would have this career.

There is a fine line between not being able to afford to travel and learning to be resourceful while traveling. I know people that have spent $10,000 on one-week trips. I also know you could travel to many places for under $1,000. If there's one thing I've learned about budget travel through the years, keeping it affordable is a mindset. And I probably know what you're thinking,

"It's easy to give this advice when you've always had money to travel" 

I've either been pitied or envied my entire life, and to extremes on both ends. When I first started traveling, my mother was in and out of jail, my dad was a school bus driver & custodian, and we were living with my grandparents. My parents had recently filed for bankruptcy, we rolled quarters for gas, and I worked at an ice cream shop making $6/hour getting paid under the table. I had always dreamed of traveling but only knew two people who had ever left the United States. One of them was my aunt, who mailed me postcards from each exotic destination. She was an inspiration, and I wanted to be just like her when I grew up.

When I started this travel blog, I had learned to travel on an extreme budget and travel hack for cheap flights. It's a funny thing to get comments from the internet about being a trust fund baby on the same day you're picking your homeless mother up from jail.

Watching my parents struggle with money made saving money almost like a challenge for me. I ended up attending community college and transferring to Michigan State University. I started this blog in college with the hope of someday traveling the world. I worked 3 jobs in college and managed to save $10,000. After graduation, I turned down a full-time job offer to travel the world for a year with my boyfriend. We spent 90 days in Europe and spent $3,440 visiting 20 countries, all flights included. I wrote a blog on how we did that, which you can read here.

A decade later learning how to travel cheap has turned into a career, which is insane to think about. 45 countries and 49 states later, I still love traveling on a budget even if, yes, I can afford a lot better travel now. So if you're that person out there dreaming of traveling but not sure how, I hope this blog helps. You can do it!

How to Travel Cheap in 2024

1. Be flexible with travel days

I  think we've been taught to travel wrong our entire lives. It's always been to take the time off, then look at flights and book. The problem with this model is that if you commit to days first, you are then married to those dates for flights. So if flights are expensive, you're shit out of luck. Here's the thing, ALL flights are refundable within 24 hours of booking. If you find a flight deal, book it. Ask for the time off the next day. Being flexible with travel dates has flown me from Wyoming to Italy for $500 round trip, Michigan to Portugal for $260, Denver to Thailand for $600.

If you can, avoid traveling during peak times. Flights are always cheaper during Christmas, spring break, etc. If you have to travel during these dates, still be as flexible as possible. For example, if you have March 12-19th for spring break, my flight search history would look something like this:

March 11 – 18
March 12–18
March 12–19
March 12–20
March 11–20
Etc.

You'd be surprised how many times I've saved hundreds of dollars on a round-trip flight by adjusting my departure or return date by a single day.

2. Add cost-effective activities to your itinerary

We save the most of our money by choosing free cost-effective activities, such as hiking. And yes, you can still save money while traveling even if you don't enjoy the outdoors! If you fill your trip with admissions tickets, front-row seats to concerts, museum visits, and eating at every Hard Rock café, you're going to be cashing out a lot of money.

For example, a trip to Las Vegas for two could include:

Cirque Du Soleil tickets ($300)
Amusement park rides ($78)
Friday cabana rental ($732)
Gambling ($500)
Club admission ($20)
Total in activities: $1,630

Or, if you want to experience Las Vegas on a budget, it could look like this:

Red Rock Canyon ($15)
Kayak Tour ($200)
Pinball Hall of Fame (25-50 cents per play)
Zip Line ($40)
Las Vegas Comedy Club ($36)
Total in activities: $301

3. Travel in groups

My most inexpensive trips are typically with a larger group where we can split accommodation, food, and car rentals. On a recent trip to Costa Rica, our small bungalow, which was less than a half-mile from the beach and had a private pool cost $1,500 for the week. It slept six, and we had five people, making the total cost just $301 per person for 7 days.

In Colombia, our group of 11 split a 17-person mansion on the side of a three-thousand-foot cliff for $11/each per night.

"But I don't have anyone to travel with."

^^^ This is the biggest comment I hear when I recommend traveling in groups. If you are having trouble finding enough people to go with, join a travel group or community. In 2015, we booked a trip to Iceland with four strangers after posting about the cheap $300 tickets in a Facebook community for my University.

4. Be flexible with the destination

Again, we have been taught to plan trips wrong. Instead of

Choose a destination > take time off > book tickets 

It should be

Research tickets to various locations & dates > Book whatever is most cost-effective > Take time off 

If you are looking to have a tropical vacation, don't let Tulum win you over right away. The Caribbean and Central America are filled with tropical paradises like Tulum but at half the price.

Most of the time, when I start planning a trip, I'm not 100% sure of the actual destination. I'll research current flight prices, accommodation, etc., to a handful of locations that pique my interest and note what each one will likely cost. Only once I have gathered that information do I make a firm decision.

For example, I might start planning a trip with the intention to go to Paris, but flights to Paris are sitting around $900. I then search Amsterdam and those flights are $600 round trip. Boom, I am going to Amsterdam!

5. Know the conversion rate

Credit and debit cards are widely accepted worldwide in today's travel world, which is a blessing and a curse. The need to carry around huge wads of cash or traveler's checks is gone, but that also means we are less aware of how much we are spending on trips. It's easy to get carried away "swiping" only to be utterly shell-shocked by your credit card receipt when you get home (trust me, I've been there).

One of the most significant ways to avoid credit card shock is to understand and know the conversion rate. For example, if you are in France and your café bill comes to 40€, know that after the current conversion rate, that is actually $48.

There is also a common misconception about countries that are "cheaper than the United States." The misconception isn't that these places don't exist (they do), but sometimes not as much as people expect. Travelers jet away to Mexico and spend money in Cancun without paying attention to price under the assumption it is cheap, only to realize that the prices in the touristy area – which caters to U.S., Canadian, and European travelers, aren't actually that affordable.

Also, know where to convert your currency and how foreign transaction fees work. For example, converting money at the airport has the worst conversion rate and the highest fees. Here is another blog I wrote on the best and worst places to exchange currency for a trip.

6. Earn miles (and use them)

Did you know being loyal to an airline is actually the best way to travel cheaply? The only credit card I have is a credit card that earns me airline and travel miles. I use it for everything: utility bills, photography equipment, travel, groceries, subscriptions, etc. It's money that I would be spending anyway, except now I am getting beneficial air miles from it.

Most major airlines and credit cards also have incentives for signing up. When I originally signed up for mine when I was 18, the requirement for 50,000 bonus miles was to spend $3,000 in 3 months. Even as a college student, I met that threshold (thank you, expensive college textbooks) and used my bonus miles to pay for my second visit to Australia in 2018. Almost any adult with monthly bills (rent, mortgage, utilities, phone payments, etc.) can quickly fulfill the three-month spending limit.

Shortly after getting my bonus miles, I paid for the following flights:

Montana – Florida
Florida – Costa Rica
Costa Rica – Wyoming

For a total of $240, taxes and fees included, thanks to my air miles. And that didn't even come close to spending half of the total miles I had in my account at the time. Three years later being loyal to United Airlines, I have 300k+ miles in my account, enough for numerous round-trip tickets anywhere in the world. I also frequently get free upgrades to first class because of my loyalty. For Thanksgiving last year, we bought $240 round-trip tickets to Michigan. I was upgraded to first class and because we were on the same reservation, so was my husband. We were also upgraded on the return flight. That means we flew round-trip from Montana to Michigan first class for under $250.

You also get free checked bags & carry-ons being a credit card member, even if you book the most basic economy fare.

7. Avoid touristy areas

As mentioned above, touristy areas can be expensive. They can also lack authenticity. Restaurants and shops around the main square of Florence, Italy, are going to be pricey and somewhat gimmicky. However, take the train an hour to a small Italian coastal town with one hotel. You'll find vast plates of pasta for 5€, incredible hospitality from the local families who will sit and eat at the table with you, and sometimes, even a free wine fountain.

8. Explore new accommodation ideas

I preached about Airbnb all over my blog seven years ago as the "new way to stay." It was affordable, new, and exciting.

Today it's one of the most popular ways to stay. Everyone knows Airbnb, and it's not necessarily as affordable as it once was. Many times it is now more expensive than a hotel if you aren't booking at least six months ahead of time. I still recommend searching Airbnb for obvious reasons, but my other go-to accommodation/camping resources include

Hipcamp.com (glamping and camping)

Harvest Hosts (overnight stays for RVs & vans)

Couchsurfing (local stays)

Sekr (free camping)

Hotwire.com (hotels)

9. Buy affordable travel gear

I credit a lot of my money-saving to staying within budget when it comes to gear. What good is it to have the latest version of every backpack, camera, and suitcase if it limits my ability to afford to use them? Our first backpacking backpacks were bought off eBay for $40/each and latest us our entire three months in Europe. I just bought my first on-brand down puffer climbing jacket last month in an end-of-season sale, and I've never owned an REI tent simply because I can't justify the expense even when we spend so much in the backcountry. One day I would love to afford all the nice gear, but right now, we're doing just fine without.

With that being said, I am a full supporter that you should splurge for what is important to you. Great gear can be worth the cost.

10. Keep a clear vision of trip momentums

During my first couple of trips, I found myself thinking I needed all these insane momentums to remember the trip only to realize I usually never saw them again after I got home. They're probably still packed away in a dusty box. When I travel these days, I keep my intentions clear. I want one item that isn't necessarily cheap but that I know I will use and love. Learning how to travel cheap doesn't mean you can't spoil yourself. Find something you love and buy it, but don't get carried away swiping for tiny knickknacks and touristy sweatshirts in every store.

Also, know when to barter. Many countries use and accept bartering as a standard. In countries like Mexico, Colombia, or Morocco, know that the first price isn't always the actual price. I've had shop owners come down as far as 50% simply by bartering on certain products.

11. Be conscious of food and drink

There are certain countries and destinations where food and drink are incredibly affordable (Bali, Thailand, Colombia, Bosnia...etc.). There are also a lot of places where that isn't the case.

Eating out is one of the easiest ways to spend money without noticing. I am guilty of this, too. One $7 drink doesn't seem like a lot, but it all adds up over time. If you've ever found yourself wondering where all your money went while traveling, it's probably best to track down your food and beverage charges on your latest credit card statement.

If you are traveling and eating out three times a day with two alcoholic drinks, the math might look something like this:

Breakfast: $8
Lunch: $15
Dinner: $18
Two Drinks: $15

Total: $56/day

Now, I know you've got to eat while traveling. I love food. LOVE IT. I'm not saying the best way is to starve yourself. Which brings me to…

12. Cook + shop locally

Trying local snacks is probably one of my favorite things about traveling internationally and a big factor when learning how to travel cheap. We always try to raid a local supermarket or fruit stand to buy anything that sounds local, unique, and delicious during the first days of a trip. This includes alcohol. In Portugal, there are bottles upon bottles of wine for less than a Euro. If you want to try the local beer, grabbing a pack at the store will typically be 50% less than at the restaurant.

If you enjoy cooking and have access to a kitchen, research a recipe local to your region and spend the night shopping and attempting to create the local dish. I've discovered so many delicious recipes that are staples in our household today because we learned about them overseas. It's one of those things that you learn, and it sticks with you forever.

13. Don't go into debt for trips

I've preached about how much I love my credit card above; now it's time to be the devil's advocate.

Knowing how to travel cheap comes with a clear vision of what you can (realistically) afford. There are so many luxurious and adventurous trips I could take right now on my current line of credit, but I don't. I try to keep my total credit card usage at about 5% of the maximum. Credit card companies are notorious for approving customers for lines of credit they can't afford because, in the end, it makes them more money.

Putting your trip on a credit card will quickly ensure you overpaid for your trip when adding up taxes and fees after you've finished paying it all off.

14. Play the "find a restaurant without an English menu" game

Learning how to travel cheap also doesn't mean sucking the fun out of everything about a vacation. I love a nice meal out just as much as the next person, especially when traveling. If in a tourist location, I'll typically wander the streets away from the main square until I find a local restaurant with no English menu displayed along the street.

I've always enjoyed the meals in the tiny hole-in-the-wall joints more than a Bubba Shrimp. These off-the-beaten-path restaurants usually have a couple of significant perks.

Family owned – and the whole family is usually working. Even when we don't speak the language, we'll spend most of our time laughing and bonding through food.

Cheap – some of the best food I've ever had was the cheapest food I've ever had
Large portions – No one should expect me to watch what I eat when traveling. I want it ALL…and dessert.
Unique – There are many meals I've had where I'm not exactly sure what I ate (again, language barrier), but it tasted delicious! As someone who once lived off only pizza and pasta, travel has expanded my tastebuds and showed me how many insanely good flavors are hidden throughout the world.

How to Travel Cheap: The Best and Worst Budget Countries in 2024

To some up this incredibly long and drawn out post, here are some of the best and worst countries for cheap travel (in no particular order):

BEST
1. Vietnam
2. Bali
3. Romania
4. Estonia
5. Bosnia
6. Thailand
7. Colombia
9. Cambodia
10. Slovakia

WORST
1. Switzerland
2. Iceland
3. Australia
4. Denmark
5. Canada
6. United Arab Emirates
7. Norway
8. Japan
9. Maldives
10. New Zealand