Go Backpacking

  • About
  • Travel Tips
    • Accommodations
    • Budgeting & Money
    • Adventure Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Gear & Gadgets
    • Packing Tips
    • Travel Blogging
    • Travel Insurance
    • Trip Planning
    • UNESCO Sites
  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Botswana
      • Egypt
      • Ethiopia
      • Morocco
      • Rwanda
      • South Africa
      • Tanzania
    • Asia
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Japan
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Nepal
      • Philippines
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
      • England
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Portugal
      • Spain
      • Switzerland
      • Turkey
    • North America
      • Canada
      • Costa Rica
      • Cuba
      • Guatemala
      • Mexico
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
      • United States
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • French Polynesia
      • New Zealand
    • South America
      • Argentina
      • Bolivia
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Peru
  • Advertise
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Travel Tips
    • Accommodations
    • Budgeting & Money
    • Adventure Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Gear & Gadgets
    • Packing Tips
    • Travel Blogging
    • Travel Insurance
    • Trip Planning
    • UNESCO Sites
  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Botswana
      • Egypt
      • Ethiopia
      • Morocco
      • Rwanda
      • South Africa
      • Tanzania
    • Asia
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Japan
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Nepal
      • Philippines
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
      • England
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Portugal
      • Spain
      • Switzerland
      • Turkey
    • North America
      • Canada
      • Costa Rica
      • Cuba
      • Guatemala
      • Mexico
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
      • United States
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • French Polynesia
      • New Zealand
    • South America
      • Argentina
      • Bolivia
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Peru
  • Advertise
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Travel Tips
    • Accommodations
    • Budgeting & Money
    • Adventure Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Gear & Gadgets
    • Packing Tips
    • Travel Blogging
    • Travel Insurance
    • Trip Planning
    • UNESCO Sites
  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Botswana
      • Egypt
      • Ethiopia
      • Morocco
      • Rwanda
      • South Africa
      • Tanzania
    • Asia
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Japan
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Nepal
      • Philippines
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
      • England
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Portugal
      • Spain
      • Switzerland
      • Turkey
    • North America
      • Canada
      • Costa Rica
      • Cuba
      • Guatemala
      • Mexico
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
      • United States
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • French Polynesia
      • New Zealand
    • South America
      • Argentina
      • Bolivia
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Peru
  • Advertise
×
Home » Budgeting & Finances

9 Ways to Save Money When You Travel

Modified: Jun 1, 2019 · Published: Apr 6, 2012 by Mark Wiens |

Saving Money when You Travel (photo by f-r-a-n-k)
Saving Money when You Travel (photo by f-r-a-n-k)

Table of Contents

  • 1. Think Before You Buy
  • 2. Couchsurf or Stay in Dorm Rooms
  • 3. Don't Use Guidebooks, Use the Internet
  • 4. Use Public Transportation
  • 5. Search for Great Deals Online
  • 6. Go to Free Attractions
  • 7. Know the Local Purchasing Power
  • 8. Cook Yourself
  • 9. Travel Slowly

1. Think Before You Buy

This may seem kind of obvious, but when you stop to think before you buy, you really do avoid a lot of impulse purchases.

Think about why you need to buy it, what will it be good for, and how useful it will be next year.

Will it be one of those items that sit in a box forever?

Only buy things you really need or things that you'll really cherish.

2. Couchsurf or Stay in Dorm Rooms

Accommodation can be one of the largest expenses when you travel, so being able to cut down on the cost of sleeping can be extremely beneficial.

Couchsurfing is a great way to save on accommodation and a great way to meet new people.

If you stay in a hostel make sure to get a bed in the dorm room for the cheapest rates.

Also, remember to always ask for a discount or for the best rate - you never know what kind of discount you may get!

3. Don't Use Guidebooks, Use the Internet

The internet has opened up an incredible world of information and ideas. Just about everything is available online and it's easy and fast to access.

With so many people writing and blogging, there's barely a need anymore to lug around a giant expensive travel guide when everything is available with a few internet searches.

Along with great information, you can also find online coupon codes for saving money when you travel.

Public Transportation in the Philippines
Public Transportation in the Philippines

4. Use Public Transportation

Sure, taking the bus is often more hassle and more challenging than just hopping in a taxi, but traveling is all about the adventure!

Taking the local forms of transportation is not only more exciting but it also normally is the cheapest way to get around.

Day after day, you'll notice that taking local transportation is one of the best ways to save money while traveling.

5. Search for Great Deals Online

Just like searching for travel guide information online, the internet is the best place to search out great travel deals.

From airfare to booking accommodation, you can normally find deals and specials straight from the tips of your fingers.

A Bookit promo code makes it possible to search through all sorts of travel discounts and sales.

Free attractions like the view of the city!
Free attractions like the view of the city!

6. Go to Free Attractions

One of my favorite ways to save money when traveling is to go to attractions that are free.

While many famous sites and museums cost money to enter, there are still plenty of free places to visit in every city around the world.

You may need to change your idea of what an attraction actually is, but there are lots of opportunities.

Take walks, people watch from a cafe - think and do things that locals do.

7. Know the Local Purchasing Power

In order to save money when you travel it's important to know your purchasing power.

Buying a meal for $5 in the United States is a great deal, but in Thailand $5 for a meal is expensive.

If you know your purchasing power in the country you visit and stick with the local way of life, you'll be able to make your money last much longer.

Don't travel with the monetary mindset of your home country - switch to local budget thinking.

Cook your own meals!
Cook your own meals!

8. Cook Yourself

Depending on which country you are traveling through, eating out can cost lots of money.

Shopping at the local market or supermarket and cooking your own meals can translate to huge savings.

Of course, part of traveling is enjoying great food at restaurants, but stick with your budget and determine a meal plan that balances eating out and cooking yourself.

9. Travel Slowly

If you're on a long term trip around the world, make a point to travel slowly.

When you travel quickly you'll find that you spend lots more money - not just on transportation, but having to spend on all kinds of spur-of-the-moment expenses.

When you travel at a slow pace, remaining in a single location for a week or weeks at a time, you have the opportunity to space out your expenses and spend less overall.

These are just a few suggestions, but there are many ways to save a little money when traveling.

If you choose to make some of these saving tips a habit, your traveling adventure will last as long as possible!

___________

This post was written by Mark and brought to you by CouponCodes4u.

Related Stories

  • Rice fields, Bali (photo: Jamie Fenn).
    Savvy Savings Tips for Your Next Vacation
  • Travel maps and camera
    How To Save Money for Any Vacation You Want
  • Remote work station in Vietnam (photo: Samantha Eaton)
    The Tax Details Travel Bloggers Need to Know
  • RV
    How To Buy a Great Motorhome With a Tight Budget
76 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

About Mark Wiens

Mark was raised in central Africa before migrating back to the U.S. for University. After graduating, he decided to continue traveling the world. On Migrationology, he shares the cultural side of travel from a slow-paced local perspective that often revolves around his love for eating all forms of food. Join him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter @migrationology.

Comments

  1. Zara says

    April 06, 2012 at 3:14 pm

    Good tips! Especially the "don't buy guidebooks, use the internet!" one. EVERYTHING is on the internet now a days, I don't see why someone would still spend money on guides...

    • Dave says

      April 07, 2012 at 12:15 pm

      I think the maps in paper guidebooks are still useful, but to save money and weight, I broke my addiction to them in 2009 after arriving in Colombia.

  2. Seth says

    April 09, 2012 at 6:12 pm

    A lot of European cities have museum passes that pay for themselves after a 3 or 4 museums. They're a tremendous value.

  3. find more says

    February 13, 2013 at 6:36 pm

    There are a few types, mainly fine, regular,
    or rough. Comb the excess oil through the dampened hair,
    making sure to cover the ends of the hair. Though addressing these underlying causes is very important in order to prevent hair fall, coconut oil can
    also help to an extent. When choosing a treatment for your own hair,
    pick something organically grown or natural as opposed
    to something fabricated. As a hair growth stimulant, you
    can add 10 drops of rosemary oil, 10 drops of sandalwood oil and 10 drops of lavender oil to 50ml of carrier oil
    and massage it into your scalp.

Dave at Ahu Ko Te Riku on Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile.

Hi, I'm Dave

Editor in Chief

I've been writing about adventure travel on Go Backpacking since 2007. I've visited 68 countries.

Read more about Dave.

Footer

back to top

About

  • About
  • Archive
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

Follow Us

Contact

  • Contact
  • Work With Us
  • Submissions

Copyright © 2025 Go Backpacking

76 shares
  • 52
  • 22