How to Travel Frugal on a Tight Budget

Traveling can be fun and exciting at times but often costly as well. The average traveler usually has to take many things into consideration before starting the journey from home such as airfare, accommodation, food, water, transportation and so on. However, if your budget is a tight one and you still would like to enjoy a good amount of the best of the world, you can do so by considering some frugal practices that will help you save on cash while making your visit to another nation a fruitful and memorable experience. Depending on how lengthy your trip will be and where you are coming from as well as other factors, you can end up spending from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

Therefore, here are some proven ways to beat the cash grind while you spend quality time in another part of the world away from home. Following these frugal methods will help you go easy on your wallet as you enjoy your travel.

1. Choose a cheap flight.

At certain times of the year, cheap flights are available to travel. Most times you can get cheap flights operating during the weekdays, though some airlines differ and will keep their prices up throughout the week. Still, you can board a budget airline that charges much less than the usual amount than other airlines charge to fly to your destination.

There are various ways to find cheap flights operating from your destination and landing in your desired location. One way is for you to use top search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing to identify such airlines that carry cheaper flights than others. If you prefer, you can click on expert flight search engines such as:

• Skycanner
• Momondo
• AirFare Watchdog
• JetRadar
• Cheapoair
• AirWander
• Google Flights
• Kayak
• Expedia

Compare the prices of the above flight search engine sites and see what is out there that you can afford.

2. Travel in a group.

Most often, many people travel to their destination to learn more about the country and visit their favorite historical sites. By traveling in a group together, you can get a travel discount on your airfare. To find a suitable group that you can travel with, you can check around in churches, universities, clubs and other places. Chances are that you will always find enthusiastic people who are planning a trip to the same country you are heading to and traveling around the same time that you are going. Your next step is for you or the group leader to then get in touch with the airline and let them know that you are all traveling as a group and so you would like a discount on the airfare.

Group travel package deals can help you save a bundle on airfare and benefit you in other ways. Another way by which group travel benefits you is by helping to keep you safe. Take for example, if something should go wrong while you are away from home, members of the group can sound the alarm and even help you to adjust. It is even better when you have a tour guide around who knows the travel perks and the areas you will visit because he or she can give good advice if things seem to be getting out of hand. Other ways group travel can be beneficial is that you are able to meet new friends, visit the historical sites together, help you get to your inland destination easier and if you have parents back at home worrying about you, the group’s presence can be a great reassurance to them.

3. Plan for cheap transportation when you reach your destination.

Traveling on a daily basis in the country you are visiting can cost a bundle and this will add up to plenty of money if you are staying for two weeks or more. Therefore, before leaving home to catch your flight, carefully budget your ground transportation costs beforehand. Ways in which you can beat the transportation cost is by taking the bus instead of renting a car or even taking a taxi, buy or rent a bicycle to get you around and if you are in walking distance from your desired historical location, you can try hiking there instead of taking the public bus.

4. Travel light.

Traveling with plenty of luggage will increase your airfare. Therefore, instead of traveling with plenty of luggage, you should consider taking only a few things that you will definitely need. You should try bringing only your sneakers to wear when visiting the sites and a dress shoes just in case you are invited to a luxurious dinner by the locals. You should also try packing just enough clothes that you will need to change into when the time comes. Taking along lots of unnecessary items like football gear, hair products and so on, can cost you a pretty penny and even lower your chances of finding enough money to pay to visit important local locations.

Other benefits of traveling light are that you have fewer things to worry about, less physical work that involves carrying your items around, less standing in long lines for the airport service people to check your stuff and there is less chance of you leaving anything behind. Travel light and enjoy your stay away from home better.

5. Use a luggage scale, preferably a digital scale.

Airlines today are charging by the amount of luggage you take onboard and this is when a digital luggage scale comes in handy for you. This type of scale will accurately weigh your luggage so you do not go over the weight limit and have to pay more travel fee to the airline. Owing a portable digital scale will not only serve you on your vacation trip better, but on every trip you make outside your country because you will be saving a ton of dollars on heavy bag fees over time.

A digital luggage scale is a great investment to have, especially if you are a travel enthusiast. It is extremely accurate and is worth its weight in gold because of the incredible saving options it offers you. After weighing your luggage from home, take the scale along with you to on your vacation. Just in case you may want to carry away a few souvenirs from your visit, you can use it to weigh what you are carrying back home so you do not overspend on returning plane fee.

Trusting your instincts and being frugal when traveling to another country on a tight budget is the way to go if you are serious about saving money. Your trip will still be a pleasant one and you will have plenty of memories to share with your friends and other family members back home.