Raise your hand if you're one of those people who've made a New Year's resolution to be more spontaneous and travel more. After all, travelling the world is like living life in fast-forward: the number of people you meet, the things you do, the stuff you learn, it's all about fifty times more than in real life. Isn't it?
But, what to do if you’re someone who works full-time for a minimum wage? Should you ignore your travel dreams? The answer is no. You only have to learn a few simple tactics to feel financially secure when travelling.
Here are my 12 personally tested ideas on how to save money when travelling the world. I know that to some of you, these tips will probably be obvious and well-known. However, if you're new to travel I'm confident enough that you'll appreciate them. So, let's begin!
1. Use an Incognito Browser When Purchasing Flight Tickets Online
Last year, when I was looking for a cheap flight from Manchester to Beijing I noticed something very shocking. I experienced what I now call the rising price effect. In short, major airlines use your cookies (small data files stored on your browser that track your activity on a particular website) against you.
Yes, your search history for flight tickets is being monitored by airlines and the more you search for the same ticket over and over again, the bigger price they offer to you. So, if you want to avoid price hikes when shopping for flight tickets, always use an incognito browser. Also, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are usually the cheapest days to fly.
2. Make Multiple Stop-Overs
Another tip for saving money on flights is to fly indirect and make multiple stop-overs along the way. These days, many airlines offer stop-over opportunities which is a cheap way to add a new stamp in your passport and explore a new country or city for no additional cost.
Personally, I’ve used the stop-over opportunity many times in the past and greatly enjoyed it. For example, when travelling to Beijing once I had a 12 hour long stop-over in Amsterdam and it was a great opportunity for me to get a glimpse of a new city. Don't forget that sometimes stop-overs can be very tiring, especially if you're travelling for more than 26 hours. So, use them wisely.
3. Bring Your Own Airport Snacks
Let's face it, airport food and drinks are expensive. And the food you buy is not very healthy either. If you're interested in reasons why you should avoid airport food at all costs (and bring your own instead), have a read over Julie Wilcox's article here. She's very good at explaining the dirty secrets behind airport food industry.
When I travel I like to take a few home-made snacks with me. Home-made granola bars, nuts, dried fruit, are all good.
4. Travel like a Minimalist
Don't overpack. I'm really serious about this. The more suitcases you have, the more you have to pay and lose. You really don't need to bring that full gym kit, five pairs of high-heels and that mega-sized shampoo.
5. Always Go for Local Food
I always prefer eating local food when travelling because it's almost always cheaper and it can be a wonderful opportunity to try new things that you might not otherwise be exposed to. The most unusual food I've tried? Once I ate a scorpion in China! Would you be interested in hearing this crazy story?
6. Do Your Own Research about the Place You are Going to
Avoid hiring a tour guide and instead, do your own research about the place you are heading to. Trust me, self-education will save you lots of money and you'll learn and know about the place in much more detail. Lonely Planet's website is a good place to start.
7. Always Pay in Local Currency
If you're travelling internationally and paying with your credit card, you’ll be frequently asked whether you want to pay in your home currency (Euros in my case) or in the local currency. Always choose to pay in local currency. Why? Because no currency conversions mean no additional costs.
Here's my story:
My boyfriend and I visited Turkey a few years ago and we were scammed and ripped off at the local Turkish Bath.
For those of you who haven't travelled to Turkey, it has three working currencies: the Turkish Lira (which is the official currency of Turkey), US Dollars and Euros (not official, but widely accepted). So, technically you can pay in either the Turkish Lira, US Dollars or Euros for things and services. Sounds convenient, right? But here's the thing: you can get easily scammed.
Back to my story, when in Turkey my boyfriend and I went to explore the Turkish Bath and the person at the reception asked us in which currency we would like to pay for the service. As my boyfriend had Euros in his pocket, and the guy at the reception suggested us to pay in Euros, as he is more than happy to calculate a quick conversion rate from Euros to the Turkish Lira, we paid in Euros. And guess what?
The guy used an incredibly sneaky conversion rate and we paid the triple price in Euros compared to what we would had paid in the Turkish Lira. We only found out about this when we got back to our accommodation and started counting where a huge chunk of money had disappeared. So, learn from our mistake. Always choose to pay in local currency. Wherever you are.
8. Research Museum Pricing Policies
I don't know if you knew this already, but many museums around the world, especially those in Europe offer free or discounted pricing for visitors. For example, when my boyfriend and I travelled to Paris, France we didn't pay for any of the museums.
In Paris, famous museums like the Louvre are FREE all year round for people under 26. So, when travelling always do your research about the place you're going to. It might have lots of free activities to offer.
9. Use Airbnb
Airbnb is a website that lets anybody to put their spare room up for rent. For hosts it's a great opportunity to earn extra cash, while for travellers, to stay at cool and cheap places while in a foreign country.
I recommend using Airbnb if you want to save money on accommodation and meet new people.
My story:
Last summer my boyfriend and I wanted to explore Geneva, Switzerland but, as you guys probably know, Switzerland is a very expensive country. So, instead of paying tons of money for a hotel room in Geneva, we both decided to use Airbnb and look for a cheaper accommodation option.
And we found it!
A lovely French woman accepted our request through Airbnb and welcomed us to stay at her house in a small French town near the Swiss border. We paid 40 € for two nights at her house instead of 100 € for a night at a hotel. Success!
Also, before booking your room through Airbnb always read reviews about the hosts to avoid disappointment.
10. Use Apps to Call and Text Back Home
Don't make international calls from your mobile phone. Just go to a coffee shop such as Starbucks, connect your phone to a free Wifi and interact with your family through Skype, WhatsApp, Google Hangouts, Viber, etc. You will save tons of money.
11. Use Social Media to Hunt Travel Deals
Just go follow and like your favourite travel sites, agencies and airlines on social media for noticing and getting the best and the cheapest last minute deals.
12. Pretend You’re Married When Booking an Al-inclusive Vacation Packages
OK, I know that this might sound a bit odd, but trust me it works. When booking an all-inclusive holiday package you can write a short message to the hotel staff and let them know that you and your partner just got married.
The hotel, chances are, will offer you a free meal, a free massage or some other type of freebie. Personally, I haven't tried this trick yet, but many close friends of mine have, and 9 times out of 10 they received some good treatments. So, I guess it's worth giving a try.
To conclude, these are my practical and personally tested ideas on how to save money when travelling the world. I hope, you'll find them useful.
If you've some additional tips on how to travel on a budget, please share them below. I might use them as I'm heading to London next week.