41 Ways to Save Big for Travel

Though they say that the best things in life come free, travel ain’t cheap. So either they’re lying, or travel just isn’t that great. Never mind, they’re definitely lying. There’s just no way travel isn’t awesome.

Related: What on Earth is a Travel Exercise Bank?

Money is a significant barrier to travel for many people. That being said, there are tried and true ways for you to save money before and during travel so that you can extend your travel experiences that much farther. Keep on scrolling to find out our top tips on how to save for travel!

Before your trip

1. Take shorter showers.
2. Only run full loads of laundry.
3. Charge your devices at school or work.
4. Turn off the lights religiously.
5. Turn down the thermostat and wear more/less clothing.
6. Only heat/cool the area that you’re occupying.
7. Sell your car. You won’t need it when you’re travelling the world.
8. Take public transit, rideshare, bike, or even walk to get around.
9. Ditch the memberships that you never use (yeah, I’m talking about your gym membership). Instead, get some exercise by jogging or biking to run errands!
10. Cook and eat at home. Restaurant food is much more expensive and less healthy than what you could make yourself.
11. Reduce meats and sweets. Eating less of these will be good both for you and your wallet!
12. Stop the Starbucks habit. Your morning coffee could be setting you back more than 20 dollars a week.
13. Sell your junk. Your great aunt’s taxidermy pig? Probably should get rid of it.
14. And buy somebody else’s junk second hand! Textbooks, shirts, furniture, and much more can be bought for a lower price at a thrift store.
15. Borrow or rent things you won’t always need. A library card is a must if you’re a bookworm, and you’ll almost always be able to borrow or rent a neighbour’s lawnmower or toolbox.
16. Curb impulse spending. One of my favourite ways to do this is to ask myself 3 questions: Will I actually use this? Will I regret this a year from now? and If I left and came back in a week, would I still buy this? If the answer to any of those questions is no, I walk away.
17. Opt for nights in instead of nights out. Instead of going to a club or a cafe, host a dinner party, or stay home and watch a movie.
18. Put your savings into the bank. You might earn a few dollars of interest, which honestly isn’t much, but still counts as money.
19. Cut coupons to save on your groceries and toiletries.
20. Cut out your bad habits. Smoking and drinking excessively are as bad for your wallet as they are for you.
21. Work part time or freelance. Tutoring, transcription, ghostwriting, babysitting, and landscaping are all good at earning you a small but solid sum of money.
22. Downsize if you think that your home has too many more amenities than you’d ever need, or even want.
23. Get a roommate or two or three if you don’t want to downsize.
24. List your home on Airbnb or join the Couchsurfing community.
25. Get a new credit card for some free money, but don’t use them to spend more!
26. Wait for sales to buy things that you really need but can’t be found secondhand.

For your trip

1. Travel during the off-season.
2. Be flexible with your schedule. You never know what might happen, be it a free ticket, last minute deal, or clerical error!
3. Travel light. Avoid getting slapped with overweight baggage fees, plus there’s less to lose when you have fewer things with you.
4. Don’t fly round trip, instead book two one-way tickets.
5. Use budget airlines.
6. Book with a tour operator. Less fun but also less expensive.
7. Choose a country with a weaker currency to get the most out of your conversions. Southeast Asia tends to be a pretty good choice for this.
8. Work while you travel. WWOOF or teaching English are two popular options.
9. Use Airbnb and Couchsurf or stay in a hostel.
10. Use free nights to your advantage. A lot of museums and other fun activities have these.
11. Get around on public transit instead of taxis.
12. Take overnight buses, trains, and planes.
13. Eat like a local. Street food and small restaurants will generally be safe and clean if there are locals eating there.
14. Find the free WiFi. If your accommodations don’t have it, look for a McD’s or Starbucks.
15. Don’t eat at restaurants all the time. Buy some groceries and have a picnic or a nice home-cooked meal.

Money doesn’t grow on trees (dumplings don’t fall out of the sky, according to my mother), but with our tips and tricks, you won’t need money to grow on trees or dumplings to fall from the sky! We hope you’ve enjoyed this post; as always, please give us a thumbs up and a share down below and we’ll see you next time. Happy travels!