Traveling is gaining a lot of popularity within younger generations and many people admit feeling better when they spend their money on experiences instead of material goods.
Also read: Which Hawaiian Island should you chose for a surf trip?
One of the main thing preventing people from traveling as much as they would like to is because of how expensive it can be. It is true, traveling is expensive…
The good news is, there are several ways to reduce these costs and end up traveling for a long time without going bankrupt or coming back home to huge debts.
1. Go long term
At first, we might think that traveling for longer period of time will turn out to be much more expensive than your usual 2 weeks holiday. This could not be any more inaccurate.
Assuming time is not a issue, you really should not cut your travel short based on money alone! Not being on a tight schedule will allow you to experience a whole different pace of traveling that will be way more sustainable and not nearly as expensive, if such is your will.
New opportunities will become available like volunteering or working abroad which not only will make you save a lot but you might also be able to earn some money while traveling!
Traveling long term will make you connect with the local culture on a whole different level and make you feel like an actual local!
2. Stay in hostels
Instead of renting an expensive Airbnb or hotel room, stay in hostels with shared facilities. They are usually much cheaper and packed with young adventurers which is perfect to make new friends!
If sharing a dorm is not your thing, most hostels also have private rooms that usually turn out to still be cheaper than a hotel.
3. Volunteer
Volunteering will allow you to work a moderate amount of hours per week in exchange for accommodation and, sometimes, food.
You will not need a working visa as you are not officially employed. Therefore, you can volunteer pretty much anywhere in the world!
Not only will you end up saving on accommodation but it also is a very good way to meet fellow travelers. Most hostels offer volunteering positions and if you want to find different gigs, have a look at Workaway, a leader in linking hosts and travelers all around the world.
4. Pick your destination wisely
Obviously! You will get 10 meals in India for the price of one in Tahiti…
Not every destination will give you the same value for your money. Have a look at the cost of living and exchange rate of the local currency to see if your money is worth what it should be.
You can then chose the destination that fits your budget.
Try our WaveFinder search engine to find cheap surfing destiations!
5. Go on a Working Holiday Visa
Some countries have partnerships between them and accept young foreigners to come and work abroad for a limited amount of time, usually up to 1 or 2 years. Most of the time, working holiday visas are only available for travelers from 18 to 30 years old to offer them the chance of discovering amazing places while working a little bit to fund their journey.
Working abroad will allow you to actually earn money while traveling as well as setting deep roots wherever you decide to settle.
Your eligibility to a Working Holiday Visa depends on your nationality. A Canadian can get a visa for Australia while a Brazilian cannot. Make sure to look on the immigration website of the country you want to visit to see the countries list.
Many places offer Working Holiday Visas. Some of the most popular are Australia, New Zealand, Canada, United Kingdom and Japan.
6. Book your flight(s) carefully
Flights will be one of your three biggest expenses, along with food and accommodation. If you can manage to save money on them, you will be able to free up some cash for the rest. Use websites like Google Flights or Kayak that keep track of the daily prices and make sure to buy at the right time.
If you are gonna travel for more than a month, consider buying a one way ticket as you never know where the journey might take you. Rebooking a flight or changing the return date can end up being more expensive than simply getting a one way ticket.
7. Cook!
As mentioned above, food will be one of your major expenses. The good thing is you have control on how much you spend on it. Most hostels (if not all of them!) will have a shared kitchen that can be used by all guests.
Instead of eating out on every meal, try and make a communal dinner with some fellow travelers. Not only will you save money but you will make some amazing encounters in the process!
8. Be open to all opportunities
During your trip, you might end up meeting other travelers with whom you’ll get along so well you will not want to go apart! If this is the case, why not join them and travel together for a bit! You will end up sharing costs for accommodation, transport and food as well as having great company.
Whenever you feel like it, you can just split ways and keep going on your own. This is the beauty of traveling. No commitment, no plan, no worries…
9. Hitchhike
This one really depends on where you are but there are some places that do have a strong hitchhiking culture.
If this is the case, get out of your comfort zone and put your thumb up! You will meet amazing people who will be very open minded and ready to chat. You will also save a lot of money on transportation! Once again, make sure to do this in places that are “hitchhiking friendly”. Do a bit of research online or talk to other travelers about it.
10. Be selective
You have three weeks off and want to see all of Asia?
3 days in Thailand
4 days in Vietnam
4 days in Japan
3 days in Sri Lanka
and so on…
Yes, you will end up seeing every Asian country, but you will also max out your credit card pretty quickly and not deeply enjoy any of it. Many people make the mistake of wanting to see as many things as possible in the short period of time that they have. It will work as long as you have good funds and a lot of energy.
A more sustainable way of traveling is to move around less, while enjoying everywhere you go, more. Make deeper connections, soak in the culture and move on when you are ready for what’s next. Your wallet will also feel better 🙂