Never let money be the excuse for not being able to travel. In life, it’s all about priorities. If you prioritize traveling and sincerely make it a goal to explore the world then you will find the money for it. The same goes for time. We make time for people we love and care about. We have a thousand excuses and reasons for not meeting with people who we are not close to or love as much.
If you look deep into your lifestyle and spending habits, you will find ways to save money. It may require selling your car and taking the bus or it may be something as simple as not drinking coffee every day. You will be surprised how inexpensive travel can be if done right. When I first started traveling, I always wanted to stay in fancy, expensive hotels, eat at the most popular restaurants and take part in all the touristy activities (aka – tourist trap). This resulted in my trips being VERY expensive. Instead of taking 3 trips a year, I could only travel once a year.
However, I’ve come a long way from all that and have learned so much about traveling affordably so I can take as many trips as possible. Here are 5 of the valuable travel
Make use of Public Transit
Taxies are expensive. They might be convenient but if you to be a budget traveler and travel often, then make use of public buses and trains. Major cities usually have connections from the Airport. You will save A LOT of money.
Ridesharing options, where available are a bit cheaper but they cannot be compared to the cost of using public transit. You can be the better judge of when you’re on a time crunch and have to use a taxi but generally speaking, plan ahead and save money.
Walk…Everywhere
Walking is immensely underrated. Let me be honest with you, where you have to go is less than 1-hour walk then you should walk. You should be walking because :
- It’s healthy for you. You’re probably eating a lot of junk and the best way to stay in shape is to burn calories by walking
- You will actually get to experience the city up close
- It’s free
- You will not get stuck in traffic
Cook your own meals
Eating out is a travel expense that adds up quickly. Besides being expensive, it is also very unhealthy. Cooking your own meals has saved me so much money especially in countries where food is expensive.
Next time you book your accommodation, make sure it has a kitchen or basic cooking gear. Then, once you arrive at your destination head over to the local grocery store and buy some essentials (food, butter, bread, etc). Ta da. You’ve just saved a lot of money.
Make use of Masjids
Masjids are the biggest blessing a Muslim traveler can ask for. Masjids are your safe haven, a blessed pit stop as you travel the world. Best of all, it’s free.
As you travel, find Masjids that are close to you. Wind down, recharge and then continue on your journey. Make fresh wudu. offer your obligatory or voluntary prayers and always make sure you donate some money, no matter how small. Imagine, on the day of judgment, reward coming from all over the world for you. And you never know which charity you do will go a long way.
Fly on budget airlines
Flying on budget airlines is the absolute biggest money-saving tip I can give you. Budget airlines like Ryanair, Easyjet, Norwegian Air and many more. If you are patient, you will be surprised at how much money you can save when you fly on budget airlines. You can sometimes save more than 50% by traveling on budget airlines.
Yes, you will not get a meal on the flight and the chairs may not recline but it’s ok! Trust me, you’ll survive. I have flown on many many budget airlines and have no problems. Whenever I do experience bad service I just think about the hundreds of dollars I am saving.
Pack Light
Packing light is an art and you will get better at it the more you travel. The benefit of traveling light is you save money in more ways than one. Here are two reasons.
- You don’t pay for checked-in luggage (especially if you are flying with budget airlines)
- You only have enough luggage that you can carry on you, this makes taking public transit and walking easier, resulting in you saving money.
If you love traveling and exploring new places then gone are the day of excuses. If you can implement these tips you will find yourself saving a lot of money and being able to travel a lot more.
If you have more ideas and suggestions on how to save money when traveling, let’s connect on Instagram or Facebook and continue the conversation.