Five Tricks I Use To Travel Cheaper

Travel can be expensive, but it can also be affordable, and hitch hiking round the world with a tent, or on a backpacker budget, isn’t the only way to do it on the cheap. I’ve traveled the wold as a twenty-something backpacker, a forty-something digital nomad, and everything in between. Here are just a few ways to shave hundreds of dollars off the price of every trip.

Honey

You may or may not be familiar with Honey. It’s a handy little app that helps you save money almost every time you shop online, by automatically searching for (and applying) coupon codes as you check out, to ensure you have the best possible deal.

What many people don’t realize is that Honey works on travel comparison sites like Expedia and Hotels.com. You should be using these comparison sites anyway, to make sure you’re getting a great deal on your travel purchases, but Honey can quickly search for and apply any coupon codes available, to make sure you’re definitely getting the best of the best when it comes to travel deals.

If Honey can’t find you a deal, you may still get a ‘Honey Gold’ reward. Which is simply points to use towards gift cards at Amazon, Groupon and many other places. Don’t forget you can sign up for alerts at many travel comparison sites, if you have a particular destination in mind. If you get an alert on a deal and return to the website, as long as you have the Honey app installed it will re-search for any new discounts and apply them at checkout.

If you shop online (and with the holiday season approaching), it’s probably worth installing this app anyway. You’ll save small on many purchases, but the big savings are often on the big purchases, like travel. Join Honey here.

Groupon

I love Groupon for travel deals. They have some of the best deals available both on accommodation and on package travel deals. And they work with the Honey app, so every time you book through them you’ll have any extra discounts applied automatically (plus the chance to earn some more of those Honey Gold rewards).

Other discount sites like Wowcher & Living Social also have travel deals, so they’re worth checking out, but I’ve found all my best travel brgains on Groupon.

Go no frills

I totally get that some people like luxury when they travel. If that’s you, then go for it (but still use the sites above — they can knock a lot of dollars, euros or yen off luxury travel destinations). If you like your experiences less luxurious, go no frills, every time. The difference between the low cost airlines and the luxury ones is considerable. The difference between a cheap hostel, motel or Air BnB and a 5 star hotel is often huge.

The main objections to no frills airlines seems to be the fact you have to pay extra for food and baggage. This doesn’t bother me. I travel so light I haven’t needed more than carry-on baggage for years, so never have to pay the premium on that. And I’ve travelled for extended periods of time, too. I figure you don’t need any more clothes for a six month trip than you do for a one week trip. You may not want to spend too much of your precious travel time in a foreign laundromat, but I promise you, you’re not going to carry six months’ worth of dirty clothes with you. You ARE going to wash them regularly.

Oh, and the food thing? Have you tasted airline food? Why would you pay extra for that? Bring your own, or buy some at the airport. The sandwich you buy at the airport café just before you board is usually going to be fresher and taste better than the food on board (unless you’re in first class). Trust me on this.

Be flexible

Flexibility is key with getting great travel deals. Get up for the 4 am flight out. Stay up for the 3 am flight home. Take a train, or a bus. Hitch a ride on a sail boat home (I talk about how I did that once in this article). Go out of season, if you can. Shop around with an open mind and you may be surprised at how affordable amazing experiences can be.

Be flexible with destinations, too. If you just love to travel and don’t have a specific destination in mind, check where the deals are going first, then look at what there is to do in when you get there. That’s how you end up seeing parts of the world you might never have considered otherwise.

Use your credit cards strategically

If you use a credit card and you’re not earning rewards points you can cash in for flights and hotels, you may be missing out. If you use your card regularly and rack up plenty of points, you’ll find it’s possible to pay for one or more trips a year almost exclusively with points earned by strategic credit card use.

I’m going to be responsible here. DON’T apply for credit cards unless you can use them sensibly. DON’T run up credit card debt whatever you do (it’s by far the most expensive form of debt you can have). ONLY charge to your credit card what you can afford to pay off in full at the end of the month.

If you’ve got all that covered, consider using credit cards to travel for free. Chris Guillbeau is perhaps the master of travel hacking using credit cards, miles and points. He looks into it all in detail in this blog post.

While we’re on the topic, strategic credit card use can help save you money while you travel too. Look into specific overseas spending cards that tend to offer better exchange rates, low (or no) foreign transaction fees, and sometimes even low (or no) interest on foreign cash withdrawals. Generally the Mastercard foreign exchange rate is better than the Visa rate, but check before you travel. These things change.

Travel is a luxury. But it’s an affordable one. It can help you expand your mind, build your character and even slow down time. Don’t miss out on it just because you don’t have a huge budget for it.

Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links. I explain exactly what that means over at my blog, here.