15 Travel Money Saving Tricks So You Can Travel More
When I traveled to Barcelona I paid 58 euro for my flight and accommodation (I stayed 3 nights). In 2015 I stayed a whole month in New York and only paid two nights and I've managed to stay for free in Venice and London! And in 2016 I traveled to Paris and only paid 30eur return. How did I do it?
In today's post I'll share 15 Budget Travel Tips so you can travel more often on a budget and save money with the bank Bunq thanks to their ZeroFx feature that allows you to save up to 3% during your next holiday. A lot of people still think travelling is expensive (and it can be depending on your location etc) but with the tips below I'll show you that those who seek, find and that you can travel to many more places than what you originally thought.
Watch my video below where I talk about it or continue reading below to see how to can travel more and on a budget! Here's a summary of the budget travel tips I will discuss
- Travel in January
- Couchsurfing
- Discount Codes
- Save up to 3% on your next holiday with Bunq
- Travel Discount Sites
- Newsletters from Airlines
- Bla Bla Car
- Travel By Bus
- Google Flights & Skyscanner
- Fly from alternative airports
- Visit 2 Destinations for the Price of 1
- Travel with a carry on
- Airbnb
- Interrail Global Pass
- Hitchhiking
1. Travel in January
January comes right after December which is the peak when it comes to Holiday and spending. So therefore a lot of airlines and hotel's prices are much lower making it an ideal period to travel! So next time, cut on the spending in December and travel more and cheaper in January
2. Couchsurfing
With Couchsurfing you can stay for free with locals. The first time I couchsurfed was in 2010 in Venice and it was such a cool experience. You get to experience what it's like to be a local and hear about their lives. When you look for a place make sure you read the reviews. And if you're a women staying with a man make sure the reviews are both from men and women.
3. Discount Codes
Lately I've been looking and booking my accommodations mainly via Booking.com. That's because I've been loving to stay at design boutique hotels and love the fact that I can filter on my personal preferences.
Save $25 next time you book with them by using the discount code link below.
You’ll get US$25 after you check out. Use this link to book
4. Save up to 3% on your next holiday with Bunq
Bunq is a full mobile bank that gives you more flexibility when travelling but also helps you save! Thanks to their ZeroFx feature you can save up to 3% on your holiday. Normal banks charge extra fees when you pay with your card abroad but they don't! Plus the cool thing is that each time you pay you'll see the currency converter and how much you saved exactly when you paid.
5. Travel Discount Sites
I subscribed to the newsletters of the following travel discount sites so I can check daily/often what travel deals they offer. Plus it gives me inspiration on where to travel next when I spot a cool destination on a budget
https://jacksflightclub.com
https://ticketspy.nl
https://www.fly4free.com/flight-deals
https://www.groupon.nl/getaways
https://www.elitedaily.com
6. Newsletters from Airlines
I subscribed to the newsletters from Ryanair and KLM so that when they have budget deals I'm the first to know. Ryanair often has budget deals to their destinations and KLM has their World Deals.
7. Bla Bla Car
If you prefer to drive to your destination check out Bla Bla Car. You can become a passenger to a destination or if you're the driver you can offer the seats and earn your gas money back.
If you're driving and are a talker you can even indicate your preferences. Or if you prefer silence that's also something you can communicate before.
8. Travel By Bus
If you prefer to drive to your destination check out Bla Bla Car. You can become a passenger to a destination or if you're the driver you can offer the seats and earn your gas money back.
The time I only paid 30eur return for my trip to Paris I travelled by bus. If you have the time (since it takes longer than the train and plane) travel by bus as it's much cheaper.
In Europe these companies drive to a lot of destinations
http://www.ouibus.com
https://www.flixbus.nl
And in the States I used Peter Pan Bus to travel to Pawtucket to visit my family
https://peterpanbus.com
If you're driving and are a talker you can even indicate your preferences. Or if you prefer silence that's also something you can communicate before.
9. Google Flights & Skyscanner
10. Fly from Alternative Airports
I flew a lot of times with Ryanair and that means I had to fly from Eindhoven which is an alternative airport. Public transportation goes often and is well organized in the Netherlands but that's not the case everywhere. If you're trying to save money when travelling, flying from an alternative airport can be a great option as a lot of budget airlines fly from there such as Ryanair, Transavia, Wizz Air etc.
I love this idea as it allows me to make the most of my holiday by visiting two destinations at once. And a lot of other airlines are picking up on this trend by offering the same stopover deal.
11. Visit 2 Destinations for the Price of 1
Did you know Icelandair offers free stopovers which means 2 destinations for the price of 1? That's right! Let's say you're travelling to New York with a stopover in Iceland. You can choose how long you want to stay in Iceland without paying extra! It can be 24hours up to a whole week.
I love this idea as it allows me to make the most of my holiday by visiting two destinations at once. And a lot of other airlines are picking up on this trend by offering the same stopover deal.
12. Travel with a Carry On
A lot of low cost airlines charge extra for your luggage so try to travel as often as you can with a carry on. But this varies for each airline! Some only allow you to bring a backpack and even charge for the carry on. So travelling light is not only better for your back it also saves you money!
That's also one of the reasons why I focus so much on capsule wardrobes because with 10 items you can create up to 30 different outfits allowing you to minimize on weight while maximizing on style.
13. Airbnb
The time I only paid 58eur total for my trip to Barcelona I stayed with an Airbnb. During my stay I stayed with a Cuban lady who was also a student in the city. She told us it was hard to get a job as an immigrant so she earned her money via Airbnb. That made my day because not only was I loving Barcelona, thanks to my stay I was also helping a local to earn her money so she could study and live.
If you want to book an Airbnb you can filter so it matches your preferences and nowadays they also offer cool tours and experiences in several cities.
Get €35 off your first Airbnb trip! Who said being a good friend didn’t have its rewards? www.airbnb.nl/c/jocyf13
14. Interrail Global Pass
I've never used the Interrail Global Pass but it's definitely on my bucket list! What is it? It's a train ticket that you can buy for the amount of days you want and that allows you to travel in all of Europe on your own pace. Let's say you start in Paris where you stay 2 days, then you can continue to Bordeaux for 1 day, then you go to San Sebastian for another day and so on.
This type of travelling does make it more spontaneous and you'll get to see so much more of the scenery along the way. And let's not forget that travelling by train is also good for the environment.
15. Hitchhiking
It's not something I would necessary recommend to others but it's definitely one thing I did in Mexico to save money: hitchhiking! I did it with two locals and speak spanish fluently which made it easier. Plus it's something I always wanted to try!
When I travel I love to do things that scare me because it increases my self confidence. And now when I'm scared to do something I can remind myself of this crazy thing I did in Mexico :-)
Travel & save money with Bunq
- Save up to 3% on your next holiday thanks to their ZeroFX feature (no more extra fees when paying with your card abroad)
- Withdraw up to 10 times from the ATM machine with no extra costs
- Create up to 25 different accounts so you can easily budget for your trip and create different categories such as Food, Transport, Shopping etc
- If you're travelling with friends create a joint account so you can pay from one account.