Planning a trip is one of the things that can inject the excitement back into life.
When work is starting to get you down and nothing quite seems like it’ll serve as an adequate remedy, putting the time in to research your next adventure can really lift your spirits.
One of the most important elements of those plans is budgeting, and whether you love putting numbers down on paper or hate it, we’d strongly recommend doing it sooner or later.
Here are some essential travel finance tips for budgeting your adventures!
Plan well ahead
Getting caught out without enough money to realise your travel dreams is one of the most disheartening moments you can experience.
That’s why it’s important to plan your trip well ahead, and that includes the budgetary aspect. Make sure you’ve got enough money to travel well in advance.
If you don’t think your salary or savings are going to cover your trip expenses, then you can always turn to online loans for a quick and easy way to get a cash injection.
Just make sure you’ll have the means to pay the loans back afterwards!
Create a strict holiday budget
Budgeting is important in all walks of life, but it’s especially important when you travel, so make sure that you create a thorough and strict holiday budget before you travel.
Try to include every single expense and eventuality you can think of, from food to travel to toiletries and everything in between.
It’s better to slightly overestimate costs than underestimate them; after all, everyone prefers being left with a little extra money to having nothing at all!
Still, if you can be exact and accurate, it’ll help enormously when it comes to budgeting for your trip.
Travel during off-season
If you want to save a little money when you travel, then taking your trip during the tourism off-season can be an excellent way to do so.
Travel during the off-season months (which can vary depending on where you’re going) is often cheaper, as tourists are less numerous and both travel companies and tourist attractions want to entice visitors.
Make sure you shop around extensively when you’re looking for things like travel packages, accommodation, and things to do when you get to your destination.
You’re sure to find something a little cheaper if you’re travelling during less busy times.
Book well in advance
It’s not just budgeting that you should do well in advance of your trip. You should also make sure you’re booking whatever you want to do months before you actually travel.
It’s a general rule of thumb that the closer you get to the time when you’re leaving for your destination, the more expensive things will be to book.
Admittedly, this isn’t always true; the rule is somewhat flexible when it comes to booking hotels, for instance. However, it pays to book things like travel and tourist attractions early.
This way, you’ll not only save money, but also prevent disappointment!
Look for free things to do
Wherever you happen to be travelling to, there are almost certain to be free attractions available that could save you a bit of money.
Why not take a walk around a local park, for instance, or simply stroll through the city streets and see what you can spot? It’s all there for the taking.
Make sure you research free attractions and locations when you’re looking into what you can do for your next adventure. You’ll be glad you did when you have the time of your life without breaking the bank.
Do as little shopping as possible while you’re there
If possible, try to optimise your packing “loadout” so that you don’t have to do any shopping when you arrive at your destination.
By that, we mean take as many items of clothing as you think you’ll need, and then pack spares so that you’re not caught short at a critical moment.
Pack whatever medication you’ll need so that you don’t have to buy anything from costly pharmacies, and try to bring your own toiletries as well.
In doing so, you’ll ensure that you don’t have to spend money on things you can easily bring from home. Speaking of which…
Self-cater
This is, perhaps, one of the most important holiday budgeting tips we could possibly offer. Where possible, try to self-cater your trip rather than spending money on restaurant meals and takeout.
Self-catering is an easy way to save money when you travel, because by bringing and preparing your own food, you’re circumventing restaurants that can often be extraordinarily expensive, especially in city centres.
Of course, self-catering means that you’ll need to pack more when you travel, and it might not be appropriate for long-haul flights or faraway destinations. Food can spoil, after all!
Use public transport where you can
If you’re the kind of person who tends to use Uber to get where you need to go, you’ll know that the expenses can start piling up pretty quickly.
That’s why it’s important to opt for public transport where possible when you travel. If your destination has a robust public transport network, make sure that you’re making use of it when you can.
You’ll often find that public transport is significantly cheaper than taxis or rideshares, and what’s more, many cities’ public transport networks will often have stops right next to the attractions you want to visit!
Chat with locals
You may find that the locals in the area you’re travelling to are friendly, and if they are, make sure to chat with them to find the best places to save money on your trip.
This will, of course, involve learning the local language (assuming you don’t already speak it, of course), but you should probably be doing that to a certain degree anyway to get the most out of your trip.
You never know – you might strike up the friendship of a lifetime, and you’ll likely learn some valuable money-saving tips in the process too!
