First of all, let's
get something out of the way: this post is not sponsored. I'm saying
this because I'm getting ready to recommend a few
services/products/things-to-make-traveling-better and I want you to
know that they are things I love through my own research, not because
anyone asked me to like them. Now for the fun bit: how to travel
cheaply.
I'm a single girl
with a part-time job who has no debt and pays her own way through
life. That means I'm pretty free to travel. It also means I don't
have a huge budget. When I go places I'm not throwing it all on a
credit card. And though I work a lot of hours in a week, it's still
not officially full-time. Some people ask me then,
“How can you
afford to travel?”
Guys, it's all
about priorities, cutting corners where you can, and splurging on the
good stuff. I don't buy designer handbags, color my hair, get
manicures, or keep up with the newest iPhones. I go places.
Have a travel
budget – if you've set aside money for your madness you won't
feel a bit bad about paying for it when it comes. Nothing like pesky
spending-guilt to ruin your trip. Saving even ten dollars a month
goes a long way toward those spontaneous road trips which seem to
annually pop up.
Travel with
companions – there is something to be said for traveling by
oneself but when it comes down to traveling on a budget, the more
companions the merrier. Gas-budget, lodgings, and other expenses will
be cheaper and cheaper the more people you're splitting the tab with.
Plus, who ever prefers traveling entirely alone? It's fun to go solo
now and then – even to split up in the city where you're staying.
But at night it's nice to have people to crash with.
Share a meal –
my favorite way to get to
experience more food in a short weekend is to share
meals/treats/drinks with my friends. Not only is this cheaper, but it
allows for a wider array of foods you can try. Order several
appetizers and share around, or split a more rare and expensive
entree.
Skip a meal –
alternatively, you can cut your food expenditure a little by warping
your time schedule. Wait to eat breakfast later and dinner earlier.
This way you can cut out lunch without feeling too uncomfortably
hungry. A decent breakfast replacement to hold you over till lunch is
a whole milk latte from a good coffee-shop. Explore the coffee scene,
skip breakfast.
Book rooms on
Airbnb – Charleston was my
first time using this service but I have to say that my experience
was 100% pleasant. Rooms/flats/homes rented on this site are often
far cheaper than booking a hotel room, plus you have more of an
option to experience your destination as a local. Our 2-night stay in
a beautiful room-over-garage flat cost each of my traveling
companions and myself just $45. To stay in an upper middle-class golf
course neighborhood with all the ease and comfort of staying in a
“friend's home” felt amazing.
Walk more than
you ride – save on public
transportation, Uber rides, gas, and parking fees (or tickets, if you
are like me and are the world's worst parallel parker) by walking
your chosen city. This happens to be my go-to mode of transportation,
but it also happens to be cheap. I like to find a long-term parking
spot in a residential area or a fairly cost-effective parking garage
and explore the city on foot. If your dinner reservation is half a
mile away on cobblestone streets, just carry your heels and wear
flats which you can later pack away in your purse. I love the freedom
and spontaneity of traveling on foot. When walking, I can veer into
any shop/home/museum I want without worrying about the availability
of a place for my car.
Research how the
locals do it – spend a little
time beforehand researching the places you want to go. Are there more
cost-effective ways to achieve the same end? For instance, in NYC if
you want to see a perfectly decent view of the Statue of Liberty, you
can take the free Staten Island Ferry. But no one tells you that and
if you walk up to the ferry building you'll have to run a gauntlet of
pleasure-boat advertisers telling you just how awful the (excellent,
clean, timely, and free)
ferry will be. Know where you want to go and how to get there and you
won't be easily duped by tourist traps.
Ask for
recommendations – I like to
tell store clerks that it is my first time in a given city, or ask a
stranger for dinner recommendations. Most times you'll receive a
broad range of insider-information, suggestions at various
price-points, and a few other pieces of intelligence which will
probably come in handy. If a local suggests a thing in strong enough
terms, chances are you can't go wrong trying it. If you're still
unsure, cross-check their intel on a review site like Yelp. Your
local is probably right in the opinion they offered. Inversely, if a
local suggests you avoid a certain part of town, restaurant,
intersection, or attraction, for the love of all that's reasonable
just obey them.
Skip tourist
attractions – when it comes to
the things everyone assumes tourists like to do, either choose wisely
or skip them altogether. Some of them will be worth it, like Top of
the Rock in NYC. Others, like paying for a carriage ride in Central
Park or standing in line to see that thing you didn't really care
about anyway are disposable. Make a list of the must-sees and find a
different way to accomplish the other things. I promise that most
times, there is a way to explore a city without paying someone to
dance attendance. You have a map? You have feet? There's your walking
tour.
I
hope that all of these tips will help build your love of traveling. I
know they aren't revolutionary ideas but I hope they help someone
out. Travel doesn't have to be as expensive as everyone says. Grab a
pod of friends, pick a destination, and start planning your next
awesome trip.
I love this! One of my goals for next year (because I'm already thinking that way ha) is to travel more, while I have the time! The hardest part for me is getting a friend who has a vehicle at disposal (since I share a car, I can't exactly take it for more than a day) but I'd really love to road trip to Boston and DC again. (And also New York, because duh.)
ReplyDeleteAlso, walking really is the only way to enjoy a city. I'm so glad you included that! We went on The Freedom Trail a few years ago, for example. It would not have been half as fun if we had driven it & missed the cute hidden Italian restaurant that we ended up returning to for some of the best food of my life, for dinner that night. You find gems when walking that you miss in a car. And it's EXERCISE. ;)
Also I kinda hate you right now for giving me the travel bug again. XP
I've almost always travelled with my family, but someday I hope I can travel on my own if I cannot persuade any sister to come. Do you have any particular ways/sites to research how the locals do it (talking to strangers isn't my thing)? I totally agree about tourist traps, partially because I'm not a huge city person, anyway. If it isn't historical, high culture, or shopping, in a city, I don't have much use for it (i.e. amusement park type things or "cool" but unattractive buildings).
ReplyDeleteI am uncertain about Airbnb; I only want to rent if absolutely no owner was around which is what I thought it was at first.