Travel Tips

27 Ways to Save Money While Travelling

Travel can be expensive. Keeping costs down on the road can make a huge difference to your bank balance and even prolong your trip! Here are my favourite tips and practical ways to save money while travelling regardless of your budget!

Ways to save money while travelling


27 Ways to Save Money While Travelling

Travel and Transport

  • Try and avoid expensive “express” trains to and from the airport. There is usually always a cheaper (albeit slower) alternative. It may be a bus or a commuter train but it will nearly always get you to the same destination (somewhere central) for a much lower price.
  • Check whether it’s easier or cheaper to book any internal travel before you arrive. For example, the Japan Rail Pass can save a huge amount on train journeys but it’s cheaper to buy one outside of Japan. In other countries, like India, train seats sell out weeks and even months in advance so it pays to plan!
  • Don’t pay for seat selection on flights unless you absolutely have to have that extra legroom or a window seat. Once boarding finishes, you can usually grab a better seat if the plane’s not full! Sometimes asking nicely at the airport when you are checking in/dropping your bags can help too!
  • Don’t get ripped off by taxi drivers – make sure they are using a meter or agree a price before you get in. Knowing roughly how far you’re going/the ballpark price for a ride helps – I always get quoted an extortionate amount in Bangkok but a quick white lie along the lines of “I live here so I know how much it is” usually works. Or, just use Uber – it’s amazing and is way cheaper than taxis in many parts around the world.
  • Pick up a local public transport card. Many cities around the world have smartcards that you can top up with value and use on the transport network. These are great because you don’t have to buy individual tickets every time, saving you time queuing. They also tend to offer discounts over single tickets! I make sure to pick one up everywhere I go as these make for great souvenirs too! Examples include Oyster in London, Rabbit card in Bangkok or Ventra card in Chicago.
Bullet train - Ways to save money while travelling
Booking travel in advance can help save a LOT in some countries

Food and Drink

  • Street food! Tasty, authentic and CHEAP. Don’t miss out on sampling some local delicacies at a fraction of a price of posh restaurants. Whatever you do, try and avoid McDonalds. You’re better than that!
  • Try and avoid eating somewhere where many tourists congregate. Chances are the food prices will be way higher and the food doesn’t tend to be as good either. Don’t be afraid to explore alleyways and quieter districts.
  • If you see loads of locals eating somewhere, this is the place to be! Locals know best and the prices won’t be aimed at tourists!
  • Cook once in a while – simple meals won’t cost a lot to make and you can even share the duties with fellow travellers!
  • Stock up on snacks for your journey – in some countries, you might be on the road for hours at a time without a stop! 7-Eleven and Circle K in Asia, for example, are on practically every street corner and are a great place to get food, water and even alcohol. Way cheaper too!
  • Try to avoid expensive food at airports. Alcohol and restaurant food is usually ridiculously overpriced. Fortunately, chain cafes are not too bad and the prices are not too different from those on the high street.
Market stall - Ways to save money while travelling
Markets are a great place to pick up ingredients for a cheap homemade meal or try some street food! It’s one of the best ways to save money in an expensive destination!

Money

  • Shop around if exchanging your money into a local currency. And never exchange money at the airport. You will get absolutely ripped off. Banks tend to be better, but there will also be currency exchange places with good deals in many countries. My advice: check xe.com for the latest interbank rates and then take off a few pennies/cents/baht/yen off that for a rough estimate of what you should be getting on the high street.
  • Grab a specialist card before you leave to save on ATM withdrawal and conversion fees. I use Revolut, a prepaid multi-currency card that’s accepted globally and converts your money into local currency at perfect interbank rates. No ATM fees (there is a monthly limit) and you can pay for stuff anywhere that accepts Mastercard too!
  • Alternatively, there are debit and credit cards that are designed for travellers in mind. In the UK, Halifax Clarity is a popular choice, while if you’re in the US check out this post for a handy guide.
  • Cash is king in many countries. Make sure you always have some on you to pay at street stalls and for tips.
  • Haggle – you can get a great deal by bargaining with locals. Be respectful and fair – haggling is like an art form but can be very useful when buying stuff in certain countries. Don’t just do it for the sake of it though – if something is super cheap when converted into your currency, is it really worth saving another 50 cents? That money could make a big difference to the locals.
Market square - Ways to save money while travelling
Don’t be afraid of haggling – it’s expected in some countries like Morocco.

Phone and Internet

  • Get a local sim card – roaming fees are really not the way forward. As long as you have an unlocked phone, local sim cards are cheap and often give fantastic bonuses for topping up – like free internet or some international minutes. Remember, if you are from the EU, there are no roaming fees in 28 EU (and a couple of other) countries. Yay!
  • Avoid paying for Internet – coffee shops, cafes and restaurants often offer free wi-fi. They will tend to advertise that fact too but if you can’t see a sign, just ask! Otherwise, just wait till you get back to your accommodation! Or, better still, put the phone away and look up – there is a wonderful world out there!
  • If you need fast and stable connection for working on the move, coworking spaces are great and can now be found all over the world. Definitely cheaper than paying for your own set up too!
  • Use Skype – it’s fantastic for keeping in touch with friends and family back home and while Skype-to-Skype calls are free, calling landline numbers/mobiles is way cheaper than using your phone. I top up my Skype credit once in a while and it lasts for ages. Very handy if you need to urgently speak to your bank, for example – you will probably be on hold for ages but Skype credit means you won’t mind too much.
Coffee shop - Ways to save money while travelling
Coffee shops (especially big chains) will usually have free reliable wifi!

Accommodation

  • Hostels/Airbnb/Couchsurfing – don’t be afraid of using these. You will save a lot of money, make new friends and get a feel for how the locals live. Hostel staff can point out secret places, great street food stalls and help you book tours and even onward travel. Airbnb is great for bagging rooms and even whole apartments and mixing it up with locals while Couchsurfing lets you stay with people for free. They might even show you around! Do your research and get out of boring, samey hotel rooms!
  • Free accommodation – if you are travelling for longer periods of time, enquire about working at hostels/guesthouses. You could get yourself free board for working reception, cleaning or serving in the bar. Definitely worth a try if you fancy staying somewhere longer!
  • Book in advance – the earlier you book, the cheaper the place is likely to be. Keep an eye on comparison websites such as Hostelworld,  Agoda and Booking.com.
Guesthouse - Ways to save money while travelling
Staying in hostels and guesthouses can be just as luxurious as some hotels! I had this place all to myself in Danyang, South Korea for a ridiculously low price.

Tours and Activities

  • Free walking tours are one of my favourite ways to explore a new city. The tours – usually run by locals – are a great way to get familiarised with a place and provide loads of information on history and key sights of the area. You simply tip the guide what you think the tour was worth in the end! These are available in many places around the world.
  • Group discounts – try and get a group of people together who want to do the same activity. There are usually plenty of willing people in hostels who will want to check out that waterfall everyone recommends or go on a day trip to a nearby town. You might get better rates for bringing a few people along plus it’s a great way of meeting new people and sharing the fun!
  • Shop around – many companies will be offering exactly the same trips, and some will be willing to offer you a discount or throw in a freebie. Check online for reviews to make sure they are a good company to go with.
  • Some cities offer special tickets giving free or discounted entry to a number of attractions. Chicago’s CityPASS and I amsterdam city card are good examples. If you love sightseeing, this could be great value for money.
Free walking tour - Ways to save money while travelling
Free walking tours are a popular way to explore a new place without breaking the bank!

Do you have any other tips for saving money on the road? Let me know in the comments!

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About Author

Hi! I’m Lexx and I love travel, fitness and anything active. 48 countries and very much counting. Partial to a craft beer and a good bakery.

20 Comments

  • sreestours
    January 18, 2018 at 4:45 am

    Very useful tips. like your blog. Saving money and safety rules are main criteria while traveling across the world.

    Reply
  • Scarlett Begonias
    January 20, 2018 at 7:29 am

    I need to take advantage of more of the free resources you suggested. Free accommodations would be the coolest! I love it, great tips! 🙂

    Reply
    • Travel Lexx
      January 26, 2018 at 7:41 pm

      Thank you! Worth trying them out!

      Reply
  • Angie (FeetDoTravel)
    January 20, 2018 at 7:29 am

    I think you have pretty much covered all tips here for saving money and I have nothing more to add! Overseas ATM fees are a real issue and we go to great lengths to avoid them, we have recently opened accounts with Monzo and Starling who are both banks which are app based; Monzo has £200 free withdrawals a month and Starling don’t have a limit at this stage. So far so good. Great list, pinned! #feetdotravel

    Reply
    • Travel Lexx
      January 26, 2018 at 7:19 pm

      Thanks Angie – I’ve heard about Monzo but I am with Revolut who are awesome. I heard Monzo’s free withdrawals are ending soon though so you might want to check that!

      Reply
  • California Globetrotter
    January 20, 2018 at 4:33 pm

    I’m terrible at haggling and I’ve heard it’s pretty extreme in Morocco. I’ll go around saying 5 dolla, 5 dolla! haha Great tips otherwise, many of which we definitely follow! #FeetDoTravel

    Reply
    • Travel Lexx
      January 26, 2018 at 7:05 pm

      It depends on the vendor but as long as you don’t haggle for the sake of it, you’ll be fine. The locals enjoy it too!

      Reply
  • Shona
    January 24, 2018 at 1:22 pm

    There are some great ways to save money while travelling in here. Shopping around for decent exchange rates is one that can make a big difference to how much the trip costs in the end. Having lived in Asia for many years, determining the price with cab drivers became second nature. No one needs those expensive surprises!

    Reply
    • Travel Lexx
      January 26, 2018 at 7:41 pm

      Yeah using common sense and intuition usually does the trick! Love how it’s often cheaper to get currency in Asia than before you travel!

      Reply
  • Stephanie (1AdventureTraveler)
    January 24, 2018 at 2:59 pm

    Great tips on ways to save money, plus I like how you included links to find out more information on a particular tip. There are some tips that I have not used and will have to pin this for later use. I always like the free walking tours and in some US cities, the National Parks offer these free tours. Happy you shared these tips! #feetdotravel

    Reply
    • Travel Lexx
      January 26, 2018 at 7:39 pm

      Thanks Steph – free walking tours are so fun aren’t they!?

      Reply
  • Kelly
    January 25, 2018 at 5:04 am

    Fabulous advice Lex. Many of your money saving ways we already use but there are a few in that list I hadn’t thought of. Thanks for sharing this awesome info.

    Reply
    • Travel Lexx
      January 26, 2018 at 7:04 pm

      Thanks, Kelly!

      Reply
  • Ruth
    January 25, 2018 at 5:22 am

    There are a lot of excellent travel tips in here. If you are traveling in Europe by train, buying tickets in advance will save you tons of money. A lot of tickets are on sale 90 days before the travel date. Same think with accommodation. If you book a little bit ahead, you have more choices. We travel with no fee credit and debit cards. Also, we check our bill every time we go to a restaurant. You have no idea how many times we have been overcharged by mistake. #feetdotravel

    Reply
    • Travel Lexx
      January 26, 2018 at 7:03 pm

      That’s really useful, Ruth! I do tend to check the bills usually but sometimes they are not properly itemised in which case it’s tough to know if you’ve been overcharged!

      Reply
  • Tracy
    January 26, 2018 at 12:10 pm

    Great tips- the train from the airport in Brisbane or Sydney is so expensive- we had a taxi and it cost less than us catching the train to our accommodation! My husband who loves trains was so disappointed! But why pay a fortune for an express train!

    Reply
    • Travel Lexx
      January 26, 2018 at 7:02 pm

      Ah there is a bus I always use from Brisbane Airport – it’s so much cheaper and doesn’t even take that long. Plus they take you direct to your hotel!

      Reply
  • James
    January 26, 2018 at 7:08 pm

    I strongly agree with you on the SIM with free roaming in Europe. I’m on the Vodafone SIM at the moment which includes Albania, Bosnia and Turkey – very useful! One thing I always try and fail at is buying drinks for girls, it’s my weak spot!

    Reply
    • Travel Lexx
      January 26, 2018 at 7:38 pm

      Haha ah boy problems! I should really have included that on the list! I do try and only do that when I am in Asia or somewhere cheap 😀

      Reply
  • Qeemat
    December 27, 2018 at 2:13 pm

    In general, stay away from restaurants that are located at some great scenic site. I know, it’s very romantic to be sitting eating supper in some gorgeous place, but you pay for it, mainly in higher prices and lower quality of food.

    Reply

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