Taking Your Travel Budget Farther Than You

“How do you travel so often?” “Do you even work?” “How do you afford all the trips you take?”

I assure you I’m not a trust fund baby, I do work a full-time job, and my secret is planning and knowing where to look. I’ve taught myself how to choose my destinations, time my travel well, and be prepared for all costs, so I don’t have to make emergency arrangements. I’ve gathered the best possible tips on traveling in style without breaking the bank.

Choose Quiet Periods

Your travel money will take you much further if you decide to go during the off seasons. Airlines and hotels will automatically put their prices up as soon as the first group of tourists set off. Let me tell you. It is really not all that different than peak seasons. It’s less crowded, and every once in a while you might run into a place that is closed for the season, but tourism is so significant now that is a rare sighting. AND those that decide to stay open will offer a good discount for those that turn up. BONUS: If you have a good Trip Advisor profile or are a social media influencer, you can probably sweet talk your way to an even better deal.

Improve Your Backpacking Skills 

If you want to see some of the popular places and can’t afford the accommodation, you might decide to go backpacking. This isn’t my forte, but it can be done in moderation. There are several hostels and AirBnB accommodations available around the world.  Travel off the beaten path and check out the UNESCO Heritage Sites. You will be able to save a fortune on your trip. For example, staying just outside major cities like Paris, Rome, or even Los Angeles and taking the public transportation can half your total vacation cost.

Learn the Languages

I have repeated this time and time. It is so so so useful if you get in with the locals. You will undoubtedly have an advantage over other tourists. Get tips on how to get to the main attractions, save money on travel, and you might even get invited to stay with your new friends when you come back! Before you visit a new country, learn some basic phrases. Duolingo is an app that is free and fun to use, so you have no excuses. I (try to) do 10 minutes a day, and by doing so, I have picked up more on my French. Oui.

Stay Off the Beaten Path

Stay away from the popular destinations. I touched on this earlier, but there are so many stunning places in the world to explore, such as the Grand Canyon, Azerbaijan or some of the newest European countries, like Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Think out of the box, and then think out of their box. You don’t have to go where the crowd is; your custom and money will be more appreciated by locals if they are not used to tourists in the region.

Learn How to Spot Deals

To start hunting for great travel packages, you will need to find coupons, discount apps, and third party websites. You can often save money if you book a vacation as a package, instead of paying for your tours separately. You can get Sri Lanka Luxury Tours for less than you would think if you know where to look and search for discount offers. Search once, search again and then look one more time. Deals are always changing, and you never know when prices could drop. If something seems to good to be true, book it. Don’t wait. Chances are it won’t come around again.

PRO TIP: Use incognito windows so travel websites cant track your Internet movements. Rates go up if they see you’re checking travel websites. Ugh….

If you want to save money on traveling the world, you need to change your mindset. Instead of following the flock of tourists around, style your own vacations and learn how to spot the best dates, deals, and destinations.

Daily Cup of JOJO is a part of some affiliate programs, meaning if you click and/or make a purchase from this site I may make a commission from it which I will use to buy unnecessary wall art, my Netflix subscription, and add to my scotch collection I haven’t started yet.