A lot has to be saved to make a long (er) trip and you want to stay away from all that savings for as long as possible. Recently we gave some tips for saving for a world trip , but there are also plenty of ways to save money during your trip! How can you travel as cheaply as possible? We give you some “cheap travel tips”.
Cheap travel tips: Do not eat / drink at tourist attractions
Sure, drinking a cup of tea while looking out over Asia’s largest stupa, Bouddhanat, or drinking a beer with a view of the Great Wall of China or Angkor Wat is great, but also very expensive. Of course we were sometimes guilty of it, but it is wiser to walk a few meters. Then you will notice that the prices are significantly lower. And hey, you can also view that cool attraction with your own bottle of drinking water in your hand !?
Travel by land as much as possible
Everyone knows that flying is expensive. However, during a longer journey it is sometimes more convenient to catch the plane. We also flew a number of times, because in Sri Lanka you do not come without flying and from Kuala Lumpur to Kathmandu by land? That is almost impossible to do. Nevertheless, we managed to spend as little money as possible for these airline tickets. From Kuala Lumpur to Colombo and back we flew for less than € 200 in pairs. We booked these tickets via Air Asia . However, traveling by land is (almost) always cheaper. In Asia, you often pay no more than a few euros for a bus ticket. Another advantage of traveling by land is that you see much more of the environment in this way.
Hoarding at hotels
After a few months of traveling, we learned that it is really not necessary to take soap or shampoo with you, for example. You often don’t even have to buy it at all during your trip. When you sleep in a fine hotel, there will often be some bags of shampoo and soaps ready for you. Of course you don’t leave the stuff you don’t use, but take it with you in your backpack. So you have something for that hotel where no stuff is ready for you. The same goes for toilet paper, toothpaste and toothbrushes, by the way. We now have quite a collection ????
Book tours
Everywhere you go while traveling you will have the choice between hundreds of different tours. Tours to waterfalls, to the highlights of a city, a cooking course, a trekking and so on. Tours are often a big drain on your budget and that is why we prefer to go out ourselves. You can also walk around for a few hours to look for the hidden gems. Or how about renting a scooter or bicycle? Booking a tour is not always necessary. For example, we recently did not do a tour to Halong Bay in Vietnam , but we took the local boat to Cat Ba island. A saving of a few tens per person and super nice.
Slow travel
It is not always possible, but for us it is really the best way to travel: Slow travel. Where you stay in one place for as long as possible. This way you not only really get to know the destination, you also spend less on transport. In addition, after a few days you really know where to find the cheapest shops and restaurants. Easily saved money and it is also nice to travel.
Withdraw money
Debiting money in Asia, for example, can sometimes be a problem. At some machines your debit card does not work, at other machines you have to pay a considerable “fee” for debit card payments. It is therefore best to look for the bank with the lowest “fee”. This often amounts to about two euros per transaction. The tip? Pin the largest amount possible in one go instead of a smaller amount every day. After all, you pay for every transaction. You can also save a few euros every month.
Local food
Of course, after a few weeks of eating rice or noodles almost every day, we were sometimes ready for something else. A few times we ate “western” and yes, we spent a lot more money than if we ate at a street stall or a local restaurant. And the best food? Right, we really didn’t eat that at the more expensive restaurants. In my opinion, the best food is often the cheapest food. Restaurants where you sit outside on plastic chairs or stools and where you can often drink your own drinks. A sign of pad thai on the street with a bottle of Chang from the supermarket a few doors away. Delicious!cheap travel tips
cheap travel tips
Walk when possible
A number of times we rented a scooter or a bicycle to discover more of the area. For a few euros you already have a scooter or a bicycle for a whole day, but nothing is as cheap as just using your own legs !? We took very long walks and thus discovered places where not every tourist comes. A great way to ride off the beaten track and it won’t cost you anything. Except for some muscle pain and a few blisters then ????
Bargaining
We are both not really champions in it, but almost everywhere in Asia (and the rest of the world) it is completely normal to bargain, especially in markets, but also in some stores. In Sri Lanka we even sat down at a restaurant and were immediately told that we could get a discount. Why would you pay more than necessary? Don’t go too far though. Between the Do’s & Don’ts in Kathmandu I already said that a few cents for the locals is a lot and what does it mean for us? Not that much! Think in advance what you want to spend and indicate this. Is it too much tug-of-war? Then just give in (if the difference is not too big of course) or search further.
Water refill
Especially when you travel to warm areas, such as Southeast Asia, you will drink a lot of water. A bottle of water quickly costs fifty cents and that taps quickly every week. Fortunately, there is a point at many destinations where you can fill your empty bottle of water with safe drinking water for a small fee. This way you save a few cents per bottle of water.
Bargaining on accommodations
I have just mentioned haggling. Not only can you haggle on souvenirs that you want to buy at the local market, but you can also haggle on accommodations. Especially in Asia during the low season, owners are only too happy when someone rents a room for a few days. Are you planning to stay somewhere a little longer? Please indicate this when checking in and there is a good chance that some of the price will go off.
