Travelling the world can be expensive and when you are on a tight budget, it can be quite difficult to afford everything. While you might have budgeted for certain parts of your trip such as your meals or your hostel stays, you can’t always be prepared for the unexpected costs because they are exactly that – unexpected.
To help you with this, we have put together a guide on how you can stick to your travel budget and still have a great trip including everything from tracking your expenses to staying in hostels when you’re there. Keep reading if you’d like to find out more about sticking to your travel budget.
Set A Budget
The first step in sticking to your travel budget is to set one for yourself. This won’t be easy but a good place to start is on how much money you have in your bank account right now. Of course, you aren’t going to want to spend all of your money on one trip, but it is a good way of gauging the maximum amount of cash you have to spend on this trip. Once you know how much you have, work out how much the most expensive parts of your trip will set you back. Next, you’ll add in some extra cash for unexpected expenses and you’ll have your final budget. Write this figure down so that you know how much you have to stick to on your trip.
Track Your Expenses
Once you have set your travel budget, you’ll need a way of tracking how much you are spending, The good news is that there are some great apps that can help you to track your spending when you are abroad. This is perfect for those who struggle with remembering how much they have spent all day and it can give you a good idea of how much you have for the rest of your trip. Take a look at some of the popular apps and you should be able to find one that suits you for your trip.
Drive Yourself To the Airport
While you might have added the cost of your flights and your transfers once you get there into your budget – have you thought about the cost of getting to the airport for your departure? This can actually end up costing a lot of money especially if you live far away from the airport. A good way to stick to your budget and know exactly how much this is going to cost you is to book a space in the airport car park and drive yourself there on the day. Most airport car parking sites will give you a discount for booking online like birminghamparking.com and parking at Birmingham airport is very cost-effective.
Try this out and you will be able to add it into your travel budget before you set off and make sure that you are sticking to your plans.
Stay In Hostels
If you are planning on travelling around when you are on your big trip, you might want to think about staying in hostels. While hostels can be dirty and cramped at times, it can be the most effective way of sticking to your budget and making sure that you stay on track. Use websites like Booking.com to find the best possible deals on hostels as you travel and make sure to read the reviews. This will help you to stay on track and stick to your budget as the cost of hotels can amount to a lot over time.
Cook Your Own Meals
Another great way to stick to your travel budget when you are away is to cook your own meals. You might be tempted to go out for meals with people that you meet or to try out the local cuisine, but this is going to eat into your budget and cause you problems. To fight this, think about staying somewhere that allows you to cook your own meals. You could even make yourself some packed lunches to bring on any trips that you go on. This will save you a lot of money in the long-run and help you to stick to that tight budget that you set yourself at the start of your trip.
Shop Around
If you want to stick to your travel budget, then you need to be willing to shop around. Never just buy the first thing that you find in a shop as it might be overpriced and cost more than you can afford. Shop around as much as you can when you are travelling and make sure to haggle if you can. Some countries are more open to haggling on prices so do some research on this before you go. This way, you can get the right price for the item and make sure that you are sticking to your tight travel budget.
Travel With Others On A Budget
One of the biggest problems for travellers on a tight budget is the fact that the people they are travelling with don’t have such a budget. When your friends want to go to the best restaurants or do lots of activities, it can be a little overwhelming and cost you a lot of cash that you haven’t budgeted for. This is why you should always try to travel with people who are on a similar budget to you. This will give you more opportunities to find cheaper alternatives and still have a great time together.
If you are travelling with other people, make sure to tell them about your strict budget before you set off.
Travel Insurance
Our final tip for travellers on a budget is to make sure that you have travel insurance before you set off. Although this can be expensive and something that you might not use – it is better to be safe than sorry. The cost of medical treatment abroad can be extremely expensive, and it will definitely eat into your budget if you have to visit the hospital unexpectedly. You should be able to find a comprehensive travel insurance policy online and it shouldn’t cost you too much. Make sure to do this before you set off on your trip if you want to be covered for anything that might happen when you are there.
Final Verdict
It is clear that it is extremely possible to go on a travel adventure on a tight budget. As long as you are willing to set your budget and plan for all of the costs that you will have, you should be able to have a great time. Think about how you will track your spending when you are on your trip and make sure that you are not going over your budget.
Follow all of the advice that we have given you in this article and you should be able to travel on a tight budget. Travel is meant to be fun so make sure to focus on this and don’t let yourself get too bogged down on your spending. Have a great trip abroad, save yourself some cash and you’ll be able to travel again in the near future!