Despite all the hassle in the world, travel remains one of the best ways to break the routine and invest in your own health and education. A 2013 survey found almost 90% of respondents reported significant drops in stress levels just after two days of travelling.
'Even though I'm always busy when I travel, whether it's sightseeing, taking photos or just exploring a destination on foot, I know I'm the calmest and most relaxed when I travel,' says Jacintha Verdegaal, founder of travel and lifestyle blog Urban Pixxels.
However, post-pandemic travel has its own trends. Offers are still quite limited while the tourist flow is growing. This creates extra costs and makes trips on a budget even more difficult to pull off. What can we do? Let's look into some ideas for your trip budget planner that could help you save some money and go on a new journey even quicker.
Be really early or last minute
When it comes to booking transportation and places to stay, there are two viable strategies. You either look for your options really, really in advance. This can get you cheaper and more varied choices. Or you can grab last-minute deals, which may be outrageously affordable, but, before the pandemic, were regarded as quite risky.
However, in this new world, 80% of bookings are made within just a fortnight of departure, a recent study by Trip.com Group has found. Last minute trips are becoming the new norm, as every day the situation may change drastically, and many agree that planning further than one month ahead is a very bad bet on the money. But at least now, if you get stuck in an airport for days on end, your friends can transfer you any sum of money to pay for lunch or a new ticket in just a few seconds.
It is also worth noting that some airlines and accommodations do not display all their possible offers at once to manage their booking flows and may drag out making their deals available. So if you have a pay-on-the-spot or fully refundable deal, it may be worth checking back on your options occasionally.
Go off-season
Off-season is not only cheaper; it means fewer people around the place in general. For many cities, like Rome or Paris, the infamous crowds and over-tourism could be a real deal breaker. But even during the tourist season, you can still find affordable places if you go off the most-threaded routes – countries like France offer a wide range of options if you go beyond the capital.
Choose top places you'd like to go to wisely
Everyone has heard of tourist traps, but still, people try their luck – and often at the expense of their trip budget. Some prefer not to investigate the top attractions they put on their lists not to kill the joy of new experience. However, reading a few comments on travel websites or guides while planning a trip can really protect your wallet.
Say, going to the top of the Empire State Building in New York sounds great, but there are huge lines, and prices start at $44 for adults. Suppose you take into account all the skyscrapers in NY. In that case, free views of Manhattan are very available, or at least you could get a better deal combining panoramic viewing with lunch at a rooftop restaurant.
Pack lightly
Don't take too many things. Choose only those clothes items that you need for your trip – and if you go by plane, aim for cabin luggage. Suitcases that are too big will weigh heavy on your travel budget if you go by the Ryanair low-cost. They will also create annoying fuss and additional concerns at the place where you may be staying. Not every hostel has a nice locker, after all.
Also, checking your destination to determine whether some items can be purchased there is a good idea. Toiletry that rinses off well in the local water, appropriate sunscreens and mosquito repellents are available at the spot and are often a better choice. While such things as your hair drier may just not work in the country, you are going to – due to a different voltage in the power network.
Pills, however, may not be available, so getting some medication with you (the one which would not cause trouble at the border) could be a life and budget saver.
Pick the right travel pals
Why would a trip budget planner include the company you choose for your voyage? We will not discuss the romantic side of travelling together, where you pay for everything (68% of couples say that travel is necessary to maintain a healthy relationship), but rather a situation when deciding between solo travel and picking a friend.
Naturally, going together with someone will help reduce accommodation expenses, but you must also consider your and your friend's lifestyles. If your pal is a disco queen or loves spontaneous shopping, it will be hard for you to stay away from those activities and thus keep within a budget. At the same time, if you know anyone who can travel cheaply, you might want to go with them to pick up some tricks and maintain your discipline.
And if you are travelling with your pet, we have some useful advice for you.
Scale down accommodation
Airbnb is going through a crisis, affecting trips on a budget, but not necessarily negatively. Hostels have really upped their game, while some chain hotels may also offer excellent deals. But one rule will always remain intact: the closer it is to the city centre and tourist hot spots, the more expensive it will be.
Therefore, we recommend giving hotel aggregators a second chance and applying a wider radius to your scoop. A convenient transport hub nearby is better than a view on crowded streets that never sleep – for your vacation budget and health.
Look into public transport options
When considering how to travel on a budget, local transfers may be looked over (thanks, Uber). Still, many places offer tourist passes that can save both your money and time – there are no traffic jams on the railways or underground.
Some cities, like Antwerp or Bern, are nice to get around on bicycles. In other places, like Venice, public boats can provide more or less the same experience as private gondolas.
Take meal decisions
If you are staying at a hotel, one thing to most surely skip is breakfast. You can get a better meal without hassle elsewhere than at your hotel. Even buying a pack of muesli and consuming it along with a local baguette in your room may provide a better experience of the place than the general idea of a continental breakfast.
Eating local food is an experience many travellers are after. Surveys found that some tourists travel solely for gastronomy, and others consider local food a by-product of their cultural experiences. Indeed, there are those who'd rather go after something familiar.
It would be best to decide how vast your food experience should be and where you will take your own meals. Supermarkets and markets make up an interesting perspective on the area you are visiting and, in most cases, are agreeable with any vacation budget. Also, refilling your water bottle at the hotel is not just budget-friendly but green.
Deprioritize souvenirs
There is a problem with souvenirs. Most of them are made in China. While local products, especially purchases at tourist spots, may be ridiculously expensive. Your vacation budget should have a firm policy on souvenirs: the fewer, the better. Your baggage space is limited. Your friends won't like them. Or worse – they already have something like that and keep it away from view (because they don't like it).
Actually, plan your trip budget
Yes. Budget your trip. Write it down. Make it your pet project – while this may sound too controlling and over-adulting, having your trip mapped out in front of you will do two magic tricks:
1) it will help to avoid overspending
2) it will help to reduce unplanned spending
Perhaps, one of the most frustrating parts about budget travelling is that, in the end, the finances never turn out as neat as anticipated. This is usually because something got lost from the scope as we were trying to juggle our plan in our heads.
So yes, an actual travel budget can be an excellent support to the collection of spots and routes on your Google.Maps, while vacation planning is enjoyable, we promise you.
Have Plan B in case of emergency
While the best tip is to budget your trip and keep to it, there is one thing which should never be played down. This is your own security and safety. A Plan B should always be considered in vacation planning. That is to say: avoid dangerous places and questionable activities but also do have medical insurance.
But if you still run out of money, we have you covered. With Profee, you can get (financial) help from your friends in under 3 minutes. It is a fast and reliable way to earn money from abroad or overseas, even without a bank account. Profee is a top-secure remittance service with minimal fees that provides international money transfers. Depending on your account, you can send various amounts of money – enough to help escape almost any tricky situation.
