I saw a post a while ago about someone asking for frugal trips, since I'm a tourism student who likes to travel a lot I decided to put together a list of frugal travelling tips and tricks. disclaimer: I'm in no way an expert on this topic, i'm just stating what I know. Also some of these things might only apply to europe, since that's where I live. But feel free to correct me or add to this list.
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accommodation: Good budget options for accommodation are:
- Couch surfing is amazing since it’s completely free. I’ve personally never used this website but I’ve seen great reviews. Other than a place to stay it also offers weekly events which is a nice opportunity to meet your fellow travelers.
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Air B&B: I think nearly everyone is familiar with this concept. But basically you rent out a room, a floor, or someone’s entire apartment out for however long you’d like.
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Hostel: Some might be scared by the concept of sharing a room with a dozen strangers, but hostels can often be very nice. A lot of hostels have options where you’ll have the ability to choose to be in smaller rooms where there’s only room for 3 people. And if you’re lucky you’ll be the only one staying in that room (happened to me)
Flight tickets:
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Always search for flights in incognito or private browsing mode to see the lowest prices.
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try not to stick to certain arrival or departure date, instead look for tickets a few days later or earlier, this might save you a lot of money.
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Use search engines to look for tickets, although I’d also recommend to not only use search engines. Sometimes you might find a great deal just by googling for your tickets. And also not every airline is included in these search engines. (feel free to recommend more engines) for the Netherlands: cheaptickets.nl
worldwide: skyscanner, tripadvisor, momondo
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Budget airlines: if you’re flying from one European country to the other or domestic.
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Budget airlines might be for you. It should be obvious, but this comes with compromises such as less leg room and no “free” food/drink on-board (which by the way, is normally covered in your higher-priced ticket with full-service airlines). some tips on booking with budget airlines:
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Check what airport you’re flying to, budget airlines usually don’t fly on big airports in the middle of a city, instead they fly on smaller ones slightly outside of the city. Which shouldn’t be a huge problem since most airports have bus transfers.
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Check their luggage policy. Carry-on luggage is usually free but you might have to pay for checked luggage. Some airlines (e.g. Ryanair) will charge hefty fee if you’re over.
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Read the fine print. The best example is that Ryanair WILL CHARGE A FEE if you do not print your own ticket or adhere to their strict luggage weight and dimensions. A warning of this fee is clearly stated in all capital letters in the first sentence of your e-confirmation. In a nutshell, always read and follow instructions!
Recommended budget airlines:
USA: jetblue, allegiant air, spirit airlines Europe: Ryanair, Easyjet, Wizz Air, Wow air, Vueling
Other than that, just use common sense for things like food. try to eat at cheap places or even better buy food at the grocery store and prepare this at your accommodation. This is also a great way to give something in return to your Couchsurfing hosts if you share your food with them.
Feel free to correct me or add to this list! :)
sources: me, thriftynomads.com
January 20, 2017 at 02:21PM
