Travel Tips

I frequently pay for airline flights using points & miles I’ve built up using travel credit cards. Here are my favorite travel rewards credit cards to help you save money traveling!

I’m sure you’ve already heard about travel rewards credit cards by now. It basically means collecting points and miles on special credit cards and exchanging them for free flights or hotel stays later, saving you tons of money on travel.

I mean, who doesn’t want to travel for free?!

On our recent trip to Antarctica, Anna and I flew round trip from New York City to Buenos Aires, Argentina for only $294 in taxes.

Using our credit card points — we saved $2,269 on that flight!

There are a lot of travel credit cards out there, all of them with different rules. Some are better than others for collecting travel rewards and free flights.

I think everyone should be using at least one good travel credit card (or possibly many) in order to spend less on travel. It’s one of my top travel tips after over 10-years of traveling the world!

I created this guide to help you navigate which travel credit cards are worth getting.

Travel Credit Card Guide For Beginners

Quick Answer: Best Travel Credit Cards In 2021

Card

Description

Bonus points

Details

Best Overall Travel Credit Card

Chase Sapphire Preferred®

For travelers who need flexible points but want a low annual fee. The best of both!

100,000

LEARN MORE

Best Premium Travel Credit Card

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Higher fee, but more perks. For people who travel a lot. Difficult to get without great credit.

60,000

LEARN MORE

Best Miles Credit Card For Beginners

Capital One Venture Rewards®

Great travel credit card for beginners who want to learn. Hotel bonuses too.

20,000

LEARN MORE

Best Airline Rewards Credit Card

American Express® Gold Skymiles

Gives you priority boarding & double points with Delta.

70,000

LEARN MORE

Best Business Travel Credit Card

Chase Ink Business Preferred®

For business owners. Awesome points bonuses for travel and office expenses.

100,000

LEARN MORE

Important Travel Credit Card Features

We’ll get to the juicy stuff in a second (I promise!), but first, it’s important to understand what makes a credit card good for travel rewards (plus collecting points & miles).

When picking a travel credit card, you must define what your needs are.

Are you looking for flexibility? Something with a low annual fee? The ability to transfer miles to your airline of choice? Free lounge access? Priority boarding? Extra luggage allowance?

Here are some key credit card features you should be aware of moving forward.

INTRODUCTORY OFFER – When signing up for a new credit card, companies offer a large points bonus to help entice you to apply. You usually need to spend a certain amount on the card in the first few months to receive the bonus. The larger the bonus, the quicker you’ll be able to get a free flight.

ANNUAL FEE – Most travel credit cards charge an annual fee. Sometimes the fee is waived for the first year depending on the card. If you don’t use all the credit card’s benefits, and it just sits in your wallet unused, the bank makes money off you by charging that fee. However if you take advantage of all the benefits, they usually outweigh the fee.

LOUNGE ACCESS – Some travel cards give you discounts or completely free access to premium airline lounges (free food, coffee, showers, beer, comfortable seating, etc.). If you travel a lot, this is an awesome perk.

PRIORITY BOARDING – Some of the airline branded travel credit cards give you free priority boarding, like the Delta Skymiles Card. You can also get free checked bags on the airline.

POINTS MULTIPLIERS – You can multiply the number of points you receive on certain cards by using them for specific types of purchases. For example, 2X points at gas stations, or 3X points at restaurants. Paying attention to these offers helps you earn more miles, quicker.

FREE FLIGHT CREDIT – Some travel credit cards give you free credit when you use the card to purchase of flights, or a free companion ticket (so a friend can fly for free with you). This can save you lots of money on flights.

GLOBAL ENTRY CREDIT – Some travel cards will reimburse you for the $100 Global Entry fee when you pay for it using their card. If you don’t have Global Entry yet, this is a great perk!

FREE HOTEL STAYS – Some travel or hotel credit cards will give you a free night stay at certain hotel chains when you spend a certain amount of money on the card.

Top Travel Rewards Credit Card Reviews

1. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

CURRENT OFFER

100,000 Bonus Points after spending $4,000 within the first three months.

ANNUAL FEE

$95

What I Like About It

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is always listed as one of the best travel credit cards for new travel hackers due to a generous 100,000 point sign-up bonus and flexibility for using your points. The 100,000 Ultimate Reward points which can be redeemed for over $1250 worth of travel when booking through Chase’s travel portal.

You can also transfer your points to the following airlines: United, Singapore, British Airways, Korean, Southwest, or Virgin Atlantic. Plus, this card offers great travel & car rental insurance if things go wrong on your trip.

Extra Benefits

• 5,000 extra points when you add an authorized user
• No foreign transaction fees
• 2x points on travel & dining purchases
• Trip cancellation insurance
• Travel accident insurance
• Car rental insurance

2. Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card

CURRENT OFFER

60,000 Bonus Points after spending $4,000 within the first three months.

ANNUAL FEE

$550

What I Like About It

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card has a very high annual fee, but also some really great travel rewards for people who travel a lot. You get a $300 travel credit every year, so it basically brings the annual fee down to $250. My favorite perk is free Priority Pass membership (worth $100) that gives me and 2 guests free access to over 1,000+ airline lounges!

Your points are worth more when redeemed through the Chase Travel Portal too. At 1.5 cents each, those 60,000 bonus points are worth $750 in free travel. You can also transfer your points to the following airlines: United, Singapore, British Airways, Korean, Southwest, and Virgin Atlantic.

This card isn’t for everyone though. Unless you travel a LOT, you’re probably better off with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and its lower annual fee.

Extra Benefits

• Free Priority Pass Lounge Membership
• No foreign transaction fees
• 3x points on travel and dining purchases
• $100 application credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre-check
• Lost luggage reimbursement
• Car rental insurance
• Travel accident insurance

3. Capital One Venture Rewards® Card

CURRENT OFFER

100,000 Bonus Points after spending $20,000 within 12 months.

ANNUAL FEE

$95

What I Like About It

The Capital One Venture Rewards® Card is a great card for travel hackers. First, you’ll earn a massive 100,000 point bonus if you can hit the $20,000 spending target. But you’ll still earn 50,000 miles if you only spend $3000 in the first 3 months. Then you earn 2X points on EVERY purchase without having to worry about special categories. Transfer those points to any of Capital One’s 10 different airline partners. Super easy & flexible!

If you don’t want to keep track of spending spreadsheets or stay up to date on all the latest deals, this is the card for you.

Extra Benefits

• $100 rebate on Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fees
• No foreign transaction fees when traveling
• Use your points on 10 different airlines
• Earn 10x points when you book your hotel on Hotels.com/venture

4. Delta Skymiles American Express® Card

CURRENT OFFER

70,000 Bonus Points after spending $2,000 within the first three months.

ANNUAL FEE

$99 (waived first year)

What I Like About It

The American Express® Gold Skymiles Card is a great credit card if you fly Delta a lot, like me. It offers a hefty 70,000 point bonus that’s worth $970 in free travel. Then you get 1X points on any purchases, which can be redeemed on Delta flights or 30+ airline partners.

If you travel a lot, I think the American Express® Platinum Skymiles Card is even better (with things like free priority boarding, and complimentary upgrades with status). But if you’re a beginner, the Gold is good one to start with.

Extra Benefits

• No foreign transaction fees
• First checked bag free (worth up to $60)
• Earn 2X miles on purchases with Delta
• Free car rental insurance

5. Chase Ink Business Preferred® Card

CURRENT OFFER

100,000 Bonus Points after spending $15,000 within the first three months.

ANNUAL FEE

$95

What I Like About It

The Chase Ink Business Preferred® Card is awesome if you’re a business owner. It offers a massive 100,000 point bonus that’s worth over $1000 in free travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards. Then you get 3X points on any travel expenses and certain regular business expenses (like online advertising, shipping, and phone) too. Transfer those points to 5+ different airline partners.

Extra Benefits

• 5x points when buying office supplies
• 25% more value when redeeming points on the Chase travel portal
• No foreign transaction fees
• Free cell phone protection up to $600
• Points can be transferred to 5+ airlines

Understanding Your Credit Score

Does applying for a lot of credit cards hurt your credit score? Yes, but not much. You can safely open a new credit card every few months without drastically harming your credit score.

Sure, it may go down a few points, but should bounce back quickly as long as you aren’t doing anything else to harm it. That said, some of the travel credit cards I’ve mentioned above will only approve you if you have good credit history.

Plus if you don’t keep a balance on your travel rewards credit cards (which is what I recommend), and own a bunch of them, your debt to credit ratio will actually look great.

My credit score is 804 even with a bunch of travel credit cards under my name! This is because I pay them off every month and don’t keep a balance.

You can check your credit score (for free) here.

My Best Travel Credit Card Tips

While I use travel credit cards to collect points and miles for free flights on a regular basis, I wouldn’t consider myself an expert in this subject. Others are FAR more hardcore about it than me!

That said, I still wanted to share what I do to collect as many points and miles as possible, so you can cash in on those free airline flights ASAP.

Collecting Points & Miles

There are a lot of myths and misunderstandings out there about points & miles if you’re someone who doesn’t use them. I know, because that was me for years! It was confusing, and seemed like a scam or a waste of time.

But using points & miles to snag free flights and hotels, when done right, is basically like getting free money.

You DO NOT need to spend tons of extra money you don’t have to build up a good collection of points & miles.

How To Multiply Your Points

If you want to save money on travel using credit cards, you need to do a little research. For example, on my Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card, I get 3x points on travel and restaurants. So that’s the card I use for those purchases.

You can also do your regular shopping from online airline portals to multiply your points. So, maybe your kitchen toaster is broken. Instead of heading to Walmart, visit Evreward.com and search deals on Kitchen Aid products — discovering a 2X Delta Skymiles bonus by purchasing a new toaster through Delta’s shopping portal instead.

I’m not spending more than I normally would, I’m just putting my regular purchases on a specific card to reap the extra travel rewards.

You can basically put almost anything on credit cards. Your phone bill, your utilities, your groceries, gas, even your taxes! All that spending adds up every year.

If you pay off your credit card bills every month, like a responsible adult, and take advantage of each credit card’s benefits, you’ll come out on top — with at least a few free flights and hotel nights in the process.

Why would anyone say no to free money?! The credit card companies are assuming you won’t take advantage of all their offers, or won’t be responsible with that large credit limit sitting there.

But you can beat them at their own game, and travel for free in the process.

What About The Annual Fee?

Yes, most travel credit cards have an annual fee attached to them. But in my experience, the benefits outweigh the annual fee (if you actually take advantage of them).

For example, let’s look at the American Express® Gold Delta Skymiles Card. Yes, there’s a $95 annual fee (waived for the first year). However you also get a $50 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase with your new Card in the first 3 months.

Plus your first checked bag is free on Delta flights, saving you up to $60 per round-trip flight. So if you fly more than twice a year, this alone covers the annual fee. And those 30,000 bonus miles are worth $410 in free travel too!

More Travel Credit Card Resources

If you really want to dive into the deep end of saving money with travel cards, here are some sites that go into extreme detail on all the different ways to maximize your points & miles for different cards.

• The Points Guy
• Nomadic Matt

Happy Traveling!

I hope you learned how to save money off your next trip with the help of a travel rewards credit card! We regularly get a few free flights per year this way or pay for Business Class upgrades without too much extra work.

Once you get into it, you might become addicted, and end up with a whole wallet full of travel credit cards like me.

But if you do it right, you’ll save a ton of money, and end up with an excellent credit score too. Good luck! ★

This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.

Travel Tips Guide

It’s now been 10-years since I sold everything and left the United States to travel the world. These are the best travel tips to help you save money and have a great trip.

Curious about how to travel the world? I’ve been traveling around the world for many years as a digital nomad.

And I have tons of useful travel tips to share from my journey.

My traveling started when I quit my job and took a one-way flight from Miami to Guatemala, leaping nervously into the unknown and leaving much of my old life behind while embarking on an epic adventure around the world.

The experience has been a wild ride — traveling to over 50 countries, meeting countless people, and I’ve learned a ton since I first left!

Having adventures like hitchhiking across America, camping alone in Greenland, trekking through Afghanistan and much more — the world has been an amazing teacher.

I eventually turned writing about my journey into a successful travel blog, and continue to travel on a regular basis as part of my dream job.

But to celebrate my travelversary (travel anniversary) each year, I update this guide with a collection of my best travel tips to help you save money, stay safe, and inspire others to get out there and explore our world.

And feel free to share your own favorite travel tips in the comments at the end!

My Best Travel Tips: Ultimate Guide

Tips For Making Travel Easy & Fun

1: Patience Is Important

Patience is my top travel tip. Don’t sweat the stuff you can’t control. Life is much too short to be angry & annoyed all the time while traveling. Did you miss your bus? No worries, there will be another one.

ATM out of money? Great! Take an unplanned road trip over to the next town and explore. I know it can be hard sometimes, but just take a deep breath and remind yourself that it could be worse.

2: Wake Up Early To Avoid Crowds

Rise before sunrise to have the best attractions all to yourself while avoiding large tourist crowds. It’s also a magical time for photos due to soft diffused light, and it’s usually easier to interact with locals getting ready for their day.

Want those postcard Instagram travel shots? You need to get out there before everyone else shows up. Sketchy areas are less dangerous in the morning too. Honest hardworking people wake up early; scammers and criminals sleep in…

3: Observe Daily Life Around You

If you really want to get a feel for the pulse of a place, one of my favorite travel tips is to spend a few hours sitting in a park or on a busy street corner by yourself just watching day to day life happen in front of you.

Slow down your train of thought and pay close attention to the details around you. The smells, the colors, human interactions, and sounds. It’s a kind of meditation — and you’ll see stuff you never noticed before. You’ll really absorb the destination this way, and remember these moments long after you leave.

4: Laugh At Yourself Sometimes

You will definitely look like a fool many times when traveling to new places. Rather than get embarrassed, laugh at yourself. Don’t be afraid to screw up, and don’t take life so seriously. Relax!

One time a whole bus full of Guatemalans laughed with glee when I forced the bus driver to stop so I could urgently pee on the side of the road. Returning to the bus and laughing with them gave me new friends for the rest of the journey!

5: Slow Down To Enjoy Your Trip

Please don’t try to cram 6 countries into 6 weeks of travel. All the good stuff happens when you really take the time to explore. You’ll learn about activities that aren’t in your guidebook and meet people who are eager to show you around.

I can honestly say that NONE of my best travel experiences happened within the first few days of arriving somewhere. Spend more time in fewer places for maximum enjoyment. I promise you’ll have a much better time!

Along with that, I highly recommend renting a car when you travel to foreign countries. Sure, it can be a bit scary to drive somewhere new, but it really opens up your opportunities for adventure! Plus its a lot of fun.

6: Volunteer Occasionally

Make it a point to volunteer some of your time for worthwhile projects when traveling. Not only is it a very rewarding experience, but you’ll often learn more about the country and its people while also making new friends.

There’s a great site called Grassroots Volunteering where you can search for highly recommended volunteer opportunities around the world. Just be very careful with voluntourism and do your research, as there are many scams out there too.

7: Take Lots Of Epic Travel Photos

Pay attention to this travel tip. You may only see these places & meet these people once in your lifetime. Remember them forever with plenty of photos! Don’t worry about looking like a “tourist”. Great photos are the ultimate souvenirs.

They don’t cost anything, they’re easy to share, and they don’t take up space in your luggage. Take plenty of photos of yourself with other people too, they’ll be more important than your postcard shots later. Just remember that once you get your shot, it’s important to get out from behind the lens and actually enjoy the view.

Take Better Travel Photos

Want to improve your photography? Check out my top travel photography tips to improve your photos!

Click Here For Free Guide

8: Don’t Get Discouraged

Nothing is impossible. If you are having trouble going somewhere or doing something, don’t give up. You just haven’t found the best solution or met the right person yet. Don’t listen to those who say it can’t be done.

Perseverance pays off. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told what I want to do isn’t possible, only to prove it wrong later when I don’t listen and try anyway. What’s the worst that can happen? Failing isn’t the end of the world!

9: Break Out Of Your Comfort Zone

Challenge yourself to try things that normally give you anxiety. The more you do this, the more that anxiety will fade away. Not a hiker? Go on more hikes. Have trouble talking to strangers? Talk to everyone. Scared of weird food? Eat the weirdest thing you can find.

The reason this works so well while traveling is because everything is already so different, what’s one more new/uncomfortable experience? No one knows who you are out here, you can totally reinvent yourself.

10: Keep An Open Mind

Don’t judge the lifestyles or customs of others if different from your own. Listen to opinions you don’t agree with. It’s arrogant to assume your views are correct and other people are wrong. Practice empathy and put yourself in someone else’s shoes.

Embrace different possibilities, opinions, religions, customs, and interests. Ask questions. You don’t have to agree with everyone, but you may be surprised what you’ll learn from the people you meet during your travels.

11: Get Lost On Purpose

If you want to see the parts of town where real people live & work, you need to go visit them. The best way to do this is on foot — without knowing exactly where you’re going. Write down the name of your hotel so you can catch a taxi back if needed, then just pick a direction and start walking.

Don’t worry too much about stumbling into dangerous neighborhoods either, as locals will generally warn you before you get that far. And you never know what amazing things you’ll find around the next bend…

Travel Planning Tips

12: Be Flexible & Don’t Over Plan

I cringe when readers ask how many days they should spend traveling in a particular country or city. The truth is I have no idea what you’ll enjoy or who you’ll meet. I thought I’d rocket through Nicaragua in a week or two, but ended up living there for 4-months because I liked it so much.

My advice is to pick a starting point, 1 or 2 must-do activities, and an ending point (or not). Then just let the universe determine the rest. Be flexible and open to change your plans if you learn about something along the way!

13: Learn A Few Foreign Words

There’s no need to be fluent in order to visit a foreign country. However, one tip I’ve learned is to master a few phrases in the local language can improve your travel experience. Hello, please, thank you, nice to meet you, excuse me, sorry, and “can I take your portrait” are some of my favorites.

Not being able to communicate while traveling can be frustrating, but remember that this is your problem, not theirs. Raising your voice doesn’t magically help Mexican’s understand English. Try hand signals, images on your phone, or Google Translate!

14: Take An Extra Credit & ATM Card

Having your bank card details stolen can suck, but especially if it happens when you’re visiting a foreign country. If your card gets frozen, stolen, or the ATM machine eats it, you’re screwed! Unless you happen to carry backup cards…

An important travel banking tip is to pack a 2nd bank account/debit card plus a backup credit card, which you keep separate from your wallet. This way, if your wallet gets stolen, or your ATM card gets declined, you are still able to have access to money during your travels.

15: Write Down The Address Of Your Hotel

Sometimes, after a long flight playing games on your smartphone, your battery could end up dead. And if you didn’t write down the address of where you’re staying, how will you tell/show the taxi driver?

As ridiculous as it sounds, I’ve done this a few times and it’s awkward. Falling asleep or forgetting to charge my phone. I’d also recommend writing down your hotel room number somewhere after you check in.

16: Read A Book About The Country

Before you travel to a new country, I recommend reading a good book about it, to learn more about history and culture before you arrive. This could be as simple as a Lonely Planet guidebook, or maybe a popular novel by a local author.

Your on-the-ground travel experience will feel much more fulfilling if you already know some details about the area you’re visiting. Don’t worry, you’ll still discover plenty of new stuff, but you’ll have a foundation to start on.

17: Splurge A Bit While Traveling

I’m a huge fan of budget travel, as it allows you to travel longer and experience more of the fascinating world we live in rather than waste your hard-earned money on stuff you don’t need. In fact you can travel many places for $50 a day with no problems.

That said, living on a shoestring budget gets old after a while. It’s nice (and healthy) to go over your budget occasionally. Book a few days at a nice hotel, eat out at a fancy restaurant or spend a wild night on the town. Enjoy yourself!

Useful Travel Packing Tips

18: Pack Ear Plugs & An Eye Mask

This travel tip should actually be #1 on the list. I love my earplugs! Muffle the sounds of crying babies, drunk Australians, barking dogs, honking horns, dormitory sex, natural gas salesmen, and more. A traveler’s best friend. These are my favorite earplugs for comfort & effectiveness.

A comfortable eye mask is another wonderful investment to cure jet-lag. If you’re looking for other gift ideas for travelers, make sure to check out my ultimate travel gift guide for those travelers in your life (or, just a treat for yourself!)

19: Take A Scarf Or Sarong With You

I happen to use a shemagh, but sarongs also work great. This simple piece of cotton cloth is one of my most useful travel accessories with many different practical applications.

It’s great for sun protection, a makeshift towel, carrying stuff around, an eye mask, a wrap for conservative countries, and much more. I can’t tell you how many times a scarf has come in handy for me on my travels around the world.

20: Bring Your Own Water Bottle

If you haven’t noticed, humans are destroying the planet with plastic waste. Constantly buying bottled water when you travel is incredibly bad for the environment! But tap water isn’t always safe everywhere either…

My advice to both save money and help save the environment is to pack a filtered water bottle on all my adventures. This way you can re-use the same bottle thousands of times, and never pay for expensive, wasteful bottled water again!

21: Pack Less Stuff In Your Backpack

You don’t need 1/2 the gear you think you do to travel anywhere. We’ve all done it. It’s a right of passage for travelers to slowly become better at packing less. My first backpack was 70-liters packed full, my current bag is only 40-liters.

As a full-time vagabond, everything I own fits in my travel backpack. If you’re not sure about packing something, you don’t need it. It’s also possible to buy most things at your destination country if you discover you need them.

22: Carry Spare Passport Photos

Obtaining visas for certain countries can be a real pain, and some can require multiple passport sized photos. Have you ever tried to find a place that shoots passport photos in Tajikistan? It’s not easy!

Before you leave your home country, get a bunch of passports sized photos (10?) printed up and bring them with you, just in case. It will save you a lot of time and hassle in the long-run.

23: Bring An Extra Camera Battery

There’s nothing worse than being in the middle of a perfect photo opportunity, but powerless to capture it because of a dead camera battery! When I first started traveling, this happened to me more times than I’d like to admit.

These days I don’t go anywhere without a spare battery for my camera, charged up and ready for action. That way you’re always ready for epic travel photography situations like cotton-candy sunsets, wildlife encounters, or postcard-worthy street scenes.

24: Always Pack A Lock

I always pack a small combination lock as well as a thin steel cable when I travel. It comes in handy in many situations, for example if you’re staying at a hostel with lockers, or if you need to lock your bag to something for some reason.

I’ve locked my bag to bus seats, to a tree while at a swimming hole, to a sink in a sketchy hotel room, etc. I’ve also used them to lock a rented scooter up, or a bicycle. It’s not perfect, but its better than nothing.

25: Bring Good Travel Shoes

You’re going to be walking a lot when you’re traveling, especially if you want to save money. So invest in a good pair of travel shoes (I really like these ones) that are lightweight, multi-use, and very comfortable.

I like to bring a pair of good sneakers, as well as a pair of sandals. If I’m going to be doing a lot of hiking in the mountains, I’ll also pack a pair of hiking boots.

26: Packing Cubes For The Win!

Trying to keep a suitcase or backpack organized while you travel is a big headache, unless you use
packing cubes. These little zippered bags allow you to keep your underwear separate from dress clothes, or dirty clothes from clean ones.

I’ve been using these packing cubes for years and absolutely love them! They take up very little space, but make finding your stuff so much easier. Another option is compression bags, which push all the air out leaving even more room for more stuff.

Money Saving Travel Tips

27: Book The Cheapest Flights

Flying can often be one of the most expensive parts of an international trip. But with practice, you can learn how to book super cheap flights and save tons of money. For example, by booking 2-3 months in advance.

Sign up for cheap ticket alerts, keep an eye on mistake fares, and take a look at alternative airports that might be near your final destination. Read my free guide to finding cheap flights and learn all the latest tricks!

28: Go On Free Walking Tours

One great money saving travel tip is to join free city walking tours when you first arrive. These tours allow you to orient yourself in an unfamiliar city, scope out some good photography locations to return to later, learn facts about the city, and maybe make some new friends too.

Just keep in mind that the tours are free because the guide is expecting a tip at the end, so don’t be cheap and make sure to thank them for their time with $5-$10. It’s a wonderful way to save some money while traveling!

29: Eat Local Food Frequently

Taste a bit of everything when you travel, especially if you don’t know what it is. Ask local people for recommendations. Eat street food from vendors with big lines out front. Eating street food is an awesome way to save money while you travel!

I’ve only been very sick twice in 9 years of constant travel. Don’t be scared of the food. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with popping into McDonald’s if you’re feeling homesick, but why fly across the world to eat the same stuff you can get at home? Live a little!

30: Avoid Expensive Hotels & Resorts

You don’t need to stay at expensive hotels while traveling. In fact, you can save hundreds, or even thousands of dollars on your trip by staying in more budget-friendly accommodation, like hostels, local guesthouses, or Couchsurfing — an online community of people who share their couches with strangers for free.

Sleeping in backpacker hostels can also be beneficial to your wallet, as renting a dormitory bed costs a fraction of what a hotel would. $30 a night versus $100 a night really adds up! Plus it’s a wonderful way to meet fellow travelers.

31: Cook Your Own Meals

One of the benefits of staying in a rented apartment or hostel is these types of travel accommodations usually have a kitchen. Do you eat out every night when you’re home? Do you think the locals do? Of course not.

One of the reasons travel is so expensive is because we often eat out all the time because it’s convenient. You’ll save a lot of money if you simply visit the supermarket and prepare some of your own meals while you’re traveling. It’s fun to shop at foreign supermarkets too!

32: Use Travel Credit Cards For Rewards

It took me a while to get into travel hacking, but now that I have, I use it all the time! Basically, by using certain travel rewards credit cards for your bills & expenses, then paying the off right away, you can collect thousands of points & miles that can be redeemed for free flights, hotels, and more.

I’ve saved thousands of dollars on free flights this way over the years. In fact, just last year my wife and I paid under $300 for two round-trip flights from New York to Argentina — saving over $2000.

33: Eat Away From Tourist Attractions

Restaurants that are conveniently next to popular tourist attractions are ALWAYS overpriced. If you want to save money on food, try walking a few blocks away to eat at a normal restaurant, not one geared for tourists with inflated prices.

Also beware places where the menu is written in multiple languages for tourists — these are also going to be overpriced.

Helpful Travel Safety Tips

34: Don’t Be Afraid Of Other Countries

The corporate news media loves to report on tourists getting killed or kidnapped. Because it’s sensational and gets clicks. However, the world is not nearly as dangerous as the media makes it out to be. Keep an eye out for sketchy situations but don’t let that be the focus of your whole trip.

Use common sense and you’ll be ok. Understand that “if it bleeds, it leads”. Most people in foreign countries are friendly, trustworthy, generous, and willing to help you out. This goes for women too. I realize I’m not a woman, but I’ve met plenty of experienced female travelers who agree.

35: Always Get Travel Insurance

No one ever thinks they’ll get sick, injured, or robbed while traveling. But it happens when you least expect it. During my travels, I’ve sliced up my head on a volcano, contracted Dengue fever, and lost my laptop to thieves.

With good travel insurance you don’t have to worry about huge hospital bills or stolen gear when it eventually happens. For all kinds of trips ranging from a weekend up to a few months long, I always recommend picking up a travel insurance policy with SafetyWing.

Get Travel Insurance

Protect yourself from injury, illness, or theft. SafetyWing offers affordable travel insurance that covers COVID-19 too!

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36: Wear That Sunscreen!

I can’t tell you how many times I was outside blissfully enjoying the sun during my travels, and then got badly sunburned, ruining the rest of my week. Wear sunscreen every day, even if its cloudy out, or you’ll regret it later because you can’t sleep — or worse, end up with skin cancer or other problems.

Especially when you’re traveling to places near the equator, or at high altitudes, wearing sunscreen is key. And remember to pack your own, because it can be very difficult to find in some countries where it’s not widely used. This is my favorite sunscreen after trying everything out there — one application lasts a very long time!

37: Stash Extra Cash For Emergencies

To cover yourself in an emergency, make sure to stash some extra cash in a few different places. I recommend at least $200-$400 dollars worth. If you lose your wallet, your card stops working, or the ATMs run out of money, you’ll be glad you did.

In some countries, cash is more important than in others. Make sure to do your research beforehand, and bring plenty of it if required. Preferably crisp, new, $20 USD bills.

Some of my favorite hiding spots for cash when I travel are inside my toiletry bag, around the frame of a backpack, or if you’re extra paranoid — sewn behind a patch on your bag!

38: Back Up Your Files & Photos!

When my laptop computer was stolen in Panama, having most of my important documents and photos backed up saved my butt. I’ve met many travelers who’ve had a hard drive fail on them, losing thousands of priceless travel photos.

In addition to photos, keep digital and physical copies of your passport, driver’s license, birth certificate, health insurance card, serial numbers, and important phone numbers ready for an emergency. Backup your files & photos on an external hard drive as well as online with software like Backblaze.

39: Treat Your Body Well

Travel can throw your body out of whack. When you’re moving from place to place it’s difficult to maintain a workout routine, and many of us slack off. Or we don’t sleep enough. Or we eat too many cupcakes. I’m guilty of not flossing my teeth.

Remember to be nice to your body. Get enough sleep, stay hydrated, eat healthily, use sunscreen, and exercise often (check out this body weight routine, no gym required!). And, yes, flossing too I guess.

40: Get Your Vaccinations

Getting sick in a foreign country is never fun, and some countries have a higher risk of certain diseases than your own. Do your research and learn which travel vaccinations you might need for the areas you’re planning to visit, and make sure to get your shots well before you leave on your trip.

Solo Travel Tips

41: Travel By Yourself Occasionally

While traveling with friends is a lot of fun, solo travel is when you’ll REALLY learn about yourself and what you’re made of. Traveling solo forces you to figure things out on your own, meet new people, and tackle unfamiliar situations. 

You’re also free to pursue the activities and experiences that you truly want to have while traveling, with no objections or limitations from others holding you back. It’s a wonderful way to learn new life skills and increase your confidence.

42: Get Off The Beaten Path

I know it’s cliché, but you should still attempt it. Seek out interesting and unusual places that don’t see much tourism while travelling (or traveling). Many memorable travel experiences have happened to me in areas that are not easy to visit.

By all means, travel to popular sites, but don’t rule out other locations just because they’re not on the tourist trail. Although please realize that just because an area is remote or dangerous doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have a life-changing experience.

43: Stay In Touch With Loved Ones

Remember to call your family & friends from time to time. Maybe surprise them and go old-school by sending a postcard (it’s in the mail, Mom!). Travel isn’t lonely, far from it. You constantly meet other people.

But traveling solo means many of those new relationships are fleeting. Someone is always coming or going. So maintaining a strong connection with the people who know you best back home is important for your mental health.

44: Make Friends With Locals

Make it a point to avoid other travelers from time to time and start conversations with local people. One of my best travel tips is to make eye contact and smile more. Maybe stop to ask for directions. This is a fast way to make new friends.

Also, check out websites like MeetUp.com or CouchSurfing.org and similar good travel websites to see what kinds of activities are going on nearby, and join one. Take the time to hang out with locals who actually live in the country you’re visiting. People enrich your travels more than sights do.

45: Listen To Podcasts For Long Trips

Podcasts are awesome. It’s like your own personal radio station full of shows and music you always want to listen to. I never thought I’d actually look forward to a 10-hour bus ride. But with podcasts, it’s possible (well, as long as the seats are comfortable)!

Time will fly by as you listen to incredible storytelling, fun music, or fascinating interviews with experts. Here are some of my favorite podcasts that I play regularly:

• This American Life
• The Moth
• Tim Ferriss Show
• Radiolab
• Smart Passive Income

46: Say Yes More Often

Be impulsive and say yes when someone randomly invites you to meet their family, try a new activity, or explore a place you didn’t know existed. You never know what you’re missing unless you say yes!

It’s these unexpected and unplanned situations that add spice to your travels and always turn into the best stories later. Accept the kindness of strangers when you travel — you’ll have plenty of opportunities to do so.

47: Visit The Local Tourism Office

Most large towns and cities have a local tourism office, and it’s a great place to visit if you’d like to get some ideas for things to do in the area. Tell them what you’re looking for, and they’ll be happy to help.

Whether it’s free activities nearby, family-friendly spots, or even local festivals and events that may be going on at the time, the tourism office is there to point you in the right direction.

Travel Tips For Flying

48: Get A Comfortable Travel Pillow

I have a hard time sleeping on planes, and I know I’m not alone. Along with packing a pair of earplugs like I mentioned earlier, I also recommend splurging on a comfortable travel pillow like this one to help me fall asleep easier on long international flights.

49: Follow The Business Travelers

Hate long security lines at the airport? Try to get in line behind business travelers, because they travel often and will know what they’re doing. Stay away from families, because they take forever to unpack and get through security.

Trust me on this one, I travel with a baby now, and everything takes a bit longer! I wish it didn’t, but it does. I apologize in advance if you get stuck behind us in line!

50: Stay Hydrated

The recirculated air in planes is super dry, and sitting there for hours can dry out your body quickly. Most people don’t drink enough water anyway, and flying makes it even worse. This contributes to jet lag too.

Before getting on an airplane I recommend you pre-hydrate by drinking a liter of water mixed with some re-hydration salts. Just don’t use you water filter with these, or it will get clogged!

Bonus Travel Tip: Travel More!

If there’s one thing I’ve noticed over the past 10 years, it’s that many people back home love to tell me how lucky I am while making excuses why they can’t travel.

It’s too expensive. They can’t get time off work. Who will feed their pets?

When I suggest solutions to these “problems”, they still don’t take action. Why? Because they’re often hiding behind the true reason: they’re scared.

Unfortunately most people who wait to travel the world never do.

You don’t need to sell all your worldly possessions and become a homeless vagabond like I did. Just get out there more than you do now. Start with a weekend in a different state. Then maybe try a week in the country next door.

The new car, remodeling project, and the latest iPhone can wait. If you truly want to travel more, you can make it happen. Career breaks are possible. You have friends who would love to watch your pets.

It’s a big, beautiful, exciting, and fascinating world out there.

Explore some of it now, rather than later. ★

How Am I Able To Travel So Much?

Learn To Travel The World

Interested in learning how I travel all the time? Check out my popular budget travel resources page.

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Travel Tips

Want to travel the world for a while? Or just take an epic vacation? You don’t need to be rich, but you’ll need to get creative about saving money for travel. Here’s how I did it.

There’s a popular myth floating around that travel is an expensive hobby. Certainly people who travel a lot must have rich parents, lucrative lottery winnings, or work high paying jobs?

Normal people can’t afford to travel! It’s far too expensive for the rest of us… right?

Don’t worry, I understand where you’re coming from. I used to think that way too. As an American who didn’t even know what a hostel or GAP year was, I thought international travel was only for the rich and privileged.

But after traveling the world extensively for the past 10-years, I’m here to tell you world travel is possible for the rest of us too.

After countless emails from readers asking about how I’m able to travel the world constantly, I wanted to share some useful tips about how I learned to save money for traveling.

Here’s everything we’re going to cover (if you want to skip around).

Saving Money For Travel In 2022

First, a little background. before I was earning a living as a blogger like I am now, I had to save up on my own so I could afford to travel.

It didn’t come naturally either. In fact I used to be horrible at saving money.

When I quit my job in 2010 to embark on a year long adventure in Central America, I wasn’t rich. I was living in South Florida earning $28,000 a year working as a photographer for used car dealerships and nightclubs in Miami.

Incredibly glamorous, I know!

Even with my very average (American) income, and living in a pretty expensive area of the country, I managed to save about $7000 in 12 months by transforming my lifestyle and living below my means.

I learned how to spend less, save more, and earned extra cash on the side.

It wasn’t easy, and required plenty of hard work and sacrifice, but if I could do it, I’m confident you can too. It doesn’t matter if you want to travel for two weeks or two years, the process is the same.

Here’s my simple formula that will help you save money for your next trip.

1. Become Financially Responsible

This isn’t intended to sound judgmental, and I understand this advice has turned into a bit of a cliche these days. But, be honest with yourself.

What did school really teach you about financial planning? For many of us, not much.

Money management is a learned skill – but most of us don’t master the basics until we’re adults — if ever. I was clueless for a long time.

If you want to save money for travel, now is a good time to revisit those basics, and maybe iron out a few of those bad financial habits we all acquire along the way.

Remember that this is a marathon, not a sprint.

You are making a significant long-term commitment that’s sometimes going to be really hard to stick to. Saving up enough money for travel, or anything for that matter is tough on the soul and demands sacrifice, which is why so few people succeed. The right mindset is everything!

How much do you want this? Because nobody else will make it happen for you.

It’s YOUR responsibility the whole way.

Equally importantly — how many times are you willing to try and fail until you’ve successfully learned all the habits and strategies that will put the required amount in the bank to get you traveling?

Good. I think you’re ready for this then! (Just don’t expect it to be easy.)

“You don’t have to be rich to travel well.”

Eugene FodorFounder of Fodor Travel Guides

2. Start Tracking Your Spending

Money itself isn’t stressful. Neither is effective money management. Not knowing what your money is doing? Being afraid to check your bank balance? That’s where all the stress happens.

The solution to this is simple.

Put aside a day this weekend, buy your favorite bottle of wine (you’ll need it), and go through all your accounts to find out EXACTLY what your finances look like, down to the dollar.

Tracking expenses is an important part of learning where you can cut back, or even eliminate your spending.

I know, you’ve probably heard this before. But have you actually done it? On a regular basis? It’s a powerful way to identify how much money you piss away every month on random crap you don’t need.

Write it ALL down. How much do you spend on food each week? Don’t forget to include groceries, eating out, bottled water, and snacks. How much do you spend on entertainment? Movies, books, music, sports tickets, dates, etc.

What about vices like alcohol, cigarettes, and coffee?

What are your monthly bills? Rent, mortgage, utilities, car payment, insurance, credit card interest, cell phone service, gym membership, student loans, etc. Don’t forget miscellaneous shopping either. Video games, clothes, pet toys, etc.

Now, grit your teeth and look it all in the face. You may be surprised at how much you’re spending. Little things tend to add up. This isn’t an easy thing to do, I know.

That’s why you might need that wine.

But it becomes a lot easier if you approach saving with the right attitude. You’re not here to judge yourself or wallow in regret. Take your feelings out of the equation because they’re not needed.

This is simply about awareness. You’re looking your financial situation right in the eye and saying, “OK – this is where I am. This is where I need to be.”

If you’re like me, building this kind of awareness, and tracking everything, takes time. That’s the nature of habits – you don’t suddenly change your behavior overnight.

USEFUL TIP: Track your spending like a pro with this free expense tracking app from Mint.

3. Budget Ruthlessly

There are two types of budgeting you need to do here. The first is budgeting your trip. The second is budgeting your life.

First, you need to work out how much your trip is going to cost you. If you know what you’re doing, your travel budget can be as low as $50 a day.

The amount is going to vary wildly depending on where you want to travel, and how thrifty you are. But for long-term budget travel, I usually recommend planning to spend at least $1500 per month.

So that means to backpack around the world for 6-months, you should have at least $9000 in your bank account before you leave. See my Travel Banking Tips & Guide for more info.

If you choose wisely, your accommodation can cost next to nothing. Cheap flights can be easy to find if you follow these simple tips – and so on.

If you want all my best advice for ways to save money on travel, start here.

You’ve got 16 months before you leave? Great! Your monthly savings goal is 1/16th of that total – and you need to budget successfully to put that amount aside every month, more or less, until you hit your target.

Now the big question becomes – how are you going to hit that target?

First step: create a running budget, assigning strict numbers to recurring expenses – and stick to it religiously. Some expenses are fixed, for example, your rent (although, keep reading below for one way to lower it).

Other expenses are flexible, like the money you spend on food every month, or socializing. The trick with these is to make sure you always know how much of your budget is left, so you’re not a victim of “phantom expenses” that nibble away your hard-earned savings without you being aware of them.

Going shopping? Decide in advance how much you can afford to spend, and use the calculator on your phone to total everything up as you walk round the aisles. Going out with friends? Withdraw cash, and leave your cards at home so you can’t blow your budget.

Budgeting effectively isn’t scary. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. When you have complete control of your money (and not the other way round), your confidence will soar. Now you will have a way to go travel and you’ll work even harder towards your goal.

USEFUL TIP: Check out this set of free online budgeting classes to master the basics.

4. Reduce Unnecessary Spending

Grab a piece of paper and draw a vertical line down the middle of it. At the top left, write “NEEDS” – and at the top right, write “WANTS”.

Now place everything you spend money on into one of these two columns.

Be as brutally honest as possible. Do you need Netflix right now? Do you need that cappuccino you always have on your lunch break? What about those beers on Friday night? How about new clothes?

Consult the spending diary that you’ve hopefully been using. How many of those daily entries were things you actually needed? Will your life end without them?

Once you’re finished, look at the “WANTS” column – and write down how much they cost, next to each item. Now total them up. That’s how much you can instantly start saving every month if you cut all these out.

The final step here is simply to stop buying those things you don’t need. I know, it’s harder than it sounds.

Our extremely effective and profitable marketing industry will try its best to convince you to buy that Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino. Don’t let them win.

It’s time to take control of your finances right now!

5. Develop Habits That Save You Money

How about getting up a little earlier, skipping the bus and walking/riding a bike to work instead? Ever heard of ride-sharing? What other daily expenses can you replace with money-saving habits?

What skills can you learn that will cut your daily costs?

I’ll give an example. By cooking your meals instead of buying them prepared, you can save thousands of dollars every year. Which is exactly what I did when I was saving money for my own travel adventures.

You don’t have to give up excellent coffee and tasty avocado toast — just prepare them yourself and save money.

Cooking for yourself, especially lunch & dinner, can save somewhere between $6 and $11 per meal – so if you previously spent all your time eating out, you’d save between $125 and $230 every week just by cooking.

It’s a skill that puts decent money in your pocket. Plus, it’s fun too!

6. Cut Accommodation Costs

This is extreme – but also extremely effective. If the place you are renting (or own) costs a lot of money, how about taking on a roommate to share the rent and bills? What about two roommates?

If that’s not an option, and you’ve got a year or more before you hit the road – why not move into a smaller apartment, or a cheaper neighborhood? This is one way I was able to save money for my trip.

By moving into a cheaper neighborhood on the outskirts of Fort Lauderdale in Florida, sharing a small house with 2 other roommates, I was able to save hundreds of dollars on accommodation every month rather than living in the much more expensive city of Miami.

Other travelers I know moved in with their parents for a few months to save money. Or they rent out their homes and move somewhere cheaper. Obviously, these aren’t ideal situations, and may not even be options for everyone, but I just want to open your eyes to the possibilities.

Sometimes you need to think outside the box to make your dreams come true. And drastic measures can be uncomfortable, but effective.

7. Sell Your Crap

If it’s worth good money and you can’t travel with it, then is it really worth hanging onto? In my case, I took a long, hard look at my car one day, decided to sell it, and bought a used folding bicycle to replace it.

Instant injection of much-needed cash! Not only from the sale, but also from canceling my auto insurance and no longer needing to buy gas.

Instead, I purchased a public bus pass. Sure, my commute was longer. Riding my bike to the bus stop in the rain kinda sucked. But you know what? I was dedicated. I was determined. Wearing a poncho and riding in the rain isn’t the end of the world. Other people do it, why can’t I?

In addition to my car, I also sold my DJ turntables, sports equipment, and some furniture I really didn’t need. Everyone’s “crap” will be different. But we all collect it in one form or another.

USEFUL TIP: Sites like Ebay & Craigslist, or even Amazon Trade-In can help you sell your stuff for extra cash to build up your travel fund.

8. Other Ways To Save

No, simply quitting avocado toast and frappuccinos isn’t going to pay for 6-months of international travel. But, when combined with other money-saving lifestyle changes, it CAN add up to make a big difference.

Stop Going Out

Instead of spending too much money at a club or movie theater, invite friends over to your place for a movie night. Get outside and go on a hike.

Cook More At Home

Now is a good time to learn the art of cooking. It’s entirely possible to buy low-cost, healthy ingredients, and cook your own tasty meals at home.

Shop Around

Did you compare prices while grocery shopping last week? Did you buy the cheapest toilet paper? Are you shopping at places like Costco & Amazon?

Cut Your Landline

I can’t remember the last time I used a landline. Cellphones work just fine. Switch to the cheapest provider, with the cheapest plan possible.

Ditch Your Cable

TV is a waste of time. Stop paying to live vicariously through shows, and make your own life more exciting. The internet is full of free entertainment!

Quit The Gym

No need for a gym membership when you can go running, hiking, or practice bodyweight exercise routines outside while enjoying nature!

Slash Your Shopping

No, you don’t need the latest smartphone. No, you don’t need new clothes every month. No, you don’t need the latest video game release. No, you don’t need 5 different shades of lipstick.

Reduce Your Utilities

Turn down your air conditioning and use a fan or wear a sweater. Unplug electronics when not in use. Take shorter showers.

9. Make Extra Money On The Side

Everyone wants to earn more money, right? Well, it doesn’t grow on trees, but there are opportunities to earn extra money even if you already have a full-time job.

Find a “side-hustle” that you can work part-time. Maybe as a waiter, bartender, supermarket cashier, etc.

For example, I worked as a nightclub photographer 4 nights a week, putting up with drunk entitled douchebags in Miami Beach.

I also built up a small online business selling ebooks about nightclub photography while working from home.

It doesn’t need to be an amazing job! Just something to boost your income a bit. Do some research, and figure out what kinds of part-time positions match your skillset & talents.

Selling arts & crafts on Etsy. Stalking garage sales & re-selling on eBay. Watching people’s pets on Rover.com. Tutoring English students online. Babysitting. Video transcription. Selling blood plasma.

The only limit is your imagination!

USEFUL TIP: Check out my complete guide for learning how to make extra money from home.

10. Review Your Current Employment

Not earning enough money from your current job? Maybe it’s time to ask for a raise (as long as you can prove you actually deserve it). What makes you an important asset to the company?

Alternately, why not attempt to re-negotiate? Ask if there’s any way you can cut back your hours, or work from home a few days a week, so you can use that time you would normally spend commuting… on your side job.

If those aren’t options, you can start looking for another employer who pays more. Train in your spare time for something that pays better.

You’re not a slave to your job — if you don’t make enough, shop around and find a better place to work.

I know I’m making it sound easier than it is… but I never promised this would be easy. It’s not.

11. Earn Money As You Travel!

This is a nice short-cut. If you can actually earn money as you travel, you won’t have to save quite as much. This is what I did. Before I began traveling, I’d built a small online business selling eBooks about topics I was knowledgeable on.

I managed to squeeze a money-making opportunity from my limited free time – which reduced the amount I needed to save for travel, as I could also earn income on the road.

Because I was earning about $1500 per month from my online business, I left on a backpacking trip around Central America with only $7000 in the bank — confident I could continue working from my laptop.

However selling ebooks is no longer how I earn income. These days I make a good living from my travel blog. But that took a few years to accomplish.

How can you earn money online? Well there are all kinds of ways.

• Affiliate Marketing
• Freelance Writing
• Graphic Design
• Computer Programming
• Work as a Virtual Assistant
• Online Language Translation

Now, I don’t know what skills & experience you currently have. But there definitely options out there!

Saving Money Won’t Be Easy

Saving money doesn’t come naturally to most people. Nearly half of Americans don’t even have a $400 emergency fund.

The formula is simple. Live below your means, and save the rest.

Yet implementing this formula is not always easy. There are social pressures. We’re bombarded by marketing. Our willpower is lacking. We make excuses and lie to ourselves.

Others may have additional roadblocks — like obligations to support loved ones, student loans, debilitating injury, chronic disease, or a lack of job opportunities where they live.

If that’s the case, it may just take longer to reach your savings goal.

Following through is the difficult part. I know, I’ve been there. If this was easy, everyone would be doing it.

Helpful Resources To Get You There

To help you start saving money for travel, I’ve included some of my favorite resources below. These are useful tools for learning how to track your spending, budget your life, save money fast, or earn extra income.

• YNAB – Excellent budgeting software & system to help you get out of debt and save money.
• Mint – Popular free app for tracking your finances and managing your money.
• I Will Teach You To Be Rich – My favorite book about becoming financially responsible & independent.
• Remote Job Directory – Wonderful resource that lists websites for finding a location independent job.
• The $100 Startup – Inspiring book that highlights 50 people who built their own businesses with minimum investment.
• The 4-Hour Workweek – The book that convinced me to enter the world of online business and entrepreneurship.

One Last Piece Of Advice…

As you’ll discover when you’re traveling, things rarely go exactly to plan.

The ability to think on your feet and adjust your trajectory on the fly is an important skill for travel, and life.

Expect many course corrections. Don’t be surprised when obstacles get in your way. Life is messy and the best-laid plans have a habit of fraying at the edges or falling apart completely.

That shouldn’t matter though – you’re committed to this, right? You’ll find another way to get there. The specific plan you choose isn’t important… the destination is everything.

Best of luck – and I hope to meet you out there chasing your travel dreams! ★

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READ MORE TRAVEL TIPS

I hope you enjoyed my guide on how to save money for travel! Hopefully you found it useful. Here are a few more wanderlust-inducing articles that I recommend you read next:

• This Is How I Get Paid To Travel
• Advice For Students Who Want To Travel
• 50 Best Travel Quotes For Inspiration
• How To Make Extra Money This Year
• How To Become A Digital Nomad

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Have any questions about saving money for travel? Any other suggestions? Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter to share!

This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.

How To Find Cheap Flights

Cheap Flight Travel Tips

Travel doesn’t have to be expensive, but airline tickets often are. Here’s how to find the cheapest flights possible and get the best airline deals on your next vacation.

[su_note note_color=”#DCEFF5″ text_color=”#333333″ radius=”3″ class=””]
COVID-19 UPDATE:
Flying from the US has become a bit more complicated with COVID-19, however there are still many countries accepting American tourists.
[/su_note]

Flying can be expensive if you don’t know how to book cheap flights.

Plus, there are so many different airfare search engines and comparison sites these days, along with new airlines popping up — and others that suddenly disappear.

How do you find the cheapest tickets available for flying to your next destination?

After 10 years of traveling the world professionally, I’ve learned a few tricks and budget flying tips that will help you save money on your next flight — so you can arrive at your destination for a reasonable price.

So pack your bags and let’s go find some low-cost flights!

How To Find Cheap Flights In 2020

1. Use The Best Flight Search Engines

Using a good airfare search engine is one of the easiest ways to find the cheapest flights possible. These sites search for tickets across many different airlines, and offer helpful tools like price prediction, price maps based on destinations, fare alerts by email, and more.

It’s a good idea to check multiple flight search engines before you book a ticket though. You never know which site may have the best price for flights.

Some search engines offer better deals than others — so here are my top 5 that I use (in order) whenever I’m searching for my next flight.

My Favorite Cheap Flight Comparison Sites

• Skyscanner (my #1 choice for cheap flights)
• Momondo (similar to Skyscanner, but not quite as good)
• Kiwi (includes connecting flights to find deals)
• JetRadar (searches many budget airlines)
• Google Flights (Google’s attempt at a flight search engine)

Generally, my first stop is Skyscanner when searching for cheap flights.

When I find a good deal, before I book it, I’ll also double check the other sites to ensure I’m getting the best price.

2. Get Error & Discount Fare Alerts

In addition to searching on multiple flight search engines, I also recommend you set up fare alerts for each one.

Punch in the details about your intended destination, a range of dates, and let the website alert you via email when prices drop.

There are also a few secret airfare hunting websites that scour the internet for the best deals possible, doing all the digging work for you.

Join Flight Deal Newsletters

Scott’s Cheap Flights is a great service I use that hires a whole team of people to look for hidden airfare discounts. You can try them out for free to see if its worth getting a paid subscription (spoiler alert, it is!).

Browse Error Fare Alert Websites

What is an error or mistake fare? Basically, airlines frequently make mistakes when they price out certain routes.

But if they advertise that price, and you buy a ticket, they have to honor the price even if it was hundreds of dollars cheaper than it should have been. Score!

Mistake fares don’t often last long, because the airline will fix it as soon as they realize their mistake. There are websites out there that track these mistakes, and share them with you when they happen. For example, listing a flight from New York City to Paris for $50 instead of $700.

If you check these sites regularly, or sign up for their newsletters, you can get lucky and score some huge flight deals that other people may never see!

• SecretFlying.com
• TravelPirates.com
• Fly4Free.com
• AirfareWatchdog.com

3. Find The Cheapest Days To Fly

Search the Cheapest Dates for Flying

There are many theories out there about when are the best days or months to fly for the cheapest airfares. It’s not an exact science, but in general the following hold true:

Book A Few Months In Advance

For international flights, booking 2-8 months in advance will land you the best airline deals. For domestic flights, booking 1-3 months in advance results in the cheapest flights.

Best Days To Fly

The best days to depart seem to be Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday because they’re off-peak with less passengers and lower airfares.

Early morning flights or red-eyes (overnight) will usually be cheaper too.

Another way to save money on tickets is by flying during the off-season, or shoulder seasons, when there will be less demand. For example? Iceland in the Fall/Winter, or Mexico in the Summer.

The easiest way to figure it out though, is to get a visual guide on which days are the cheapest for your particular destination. Here’s how to do that!

• STEP 1: Visit the Skyscanner website or download their app
• STEP 2: Enter your departure & arrival cities
• STEP 3: When choosing a date, select the “Cheapest Month” option so you can browse all dates. Hit “Search flights” to easily find the cheapest flights.

If you need to travel during a certain month, you can also search by month, to see which day has the best price.

4. Join Major Airline Newsletters

The best airfare deals are often available on the airlines’ own web sites, and many come in the form of promo codes and special offers.

Signing up to the airline’s newsletter gives you access to these deals, sometimes as big as 50% off the published fares!

Some airlines require you to be a part of their loyalty program to sign up for these special newsletters. Here’s a list of some of my favorites:

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• American
• Delta
• Hawaiian

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• JetBlue
• Southwest
• Spirit

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• United
• Virgin America

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If you sign up for a bunch of airline newsletters like this, I recommend using your email filters to automatically move the emails into a specific folder so your inbox doesn’t get overrun.

5. Book Tickets In January & February!

Learn When to Book your Flights

Some of the cheapest airline tickets I’ve seen are made available during the month of January & February. Round trip flights from the United States to Europe or Africa for under $500!? Yes please!

You don’t need to travel during those months, it just means booking your tickets then.

Airlines seem to love offering cheap flights at the beginning of the year. Probably because people are out of money after the holidays and they’re trying to boost demand.

Keep this in mind when planning your travels next year, and set aside some cash to book your summer vacation flights during the early months of January or February.

6. Check Alternative Airports

If you happen to live near a few airports, remember to check the fares for each of them, as well as alternative airports or large hubs near your intended destination.

Sometimes traveling by bus to or from a different airport can save you a lot of money on flights.

In the past I’ve saved a few hundred dollars choosing a $10 bus ride to New York rather than flying directly out of Boston. It takes longer, so you’ll have to weigh the opportunity cost.

7. Try Flying Budget Airlines

Use Budget Airlines for Discounted Flights

In addition to searching the major airline booking sites, check which budget airlines (low cost carriers) fly to your intended travel destination. You may be surprised at just how cheap these flights can be…

Budget airlines are able to charge less for flights because they don’t offer all the fancy services of the major airlines (or they charge extra for them). Things like free checked bags, snacks, drinks, extra legroom, etc.

Budget Airline Example Fares

NEW YORK CITY (JFK) – ROME (FCO) for $429 roundtrip with Norwegian Air.

LOS ANGELES (LAX) – BANGKOK (BKK) for $446 roundtrip with Air Asia.

Some budget airlines don’t allow the big meta flight search engines to include their fares in search results, requiring you to visit the airline’s official website.

Cheap tickets on budget airlines are often non-refundable and can’t be changed — plus they may fly to smaller airports outside the main city, requiring additional travel time on the ground.

United States

Southwest
JetBlue
Porter
Allegiant Air
Frontier
Spirit
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Canada

Air Canada Rouge
Air Transat
Swoop
West Jet
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Europe

Norwegian
LEVEL
EasyJet
Eurowings
Ryan Air
Wizz Air
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Asia

Air Asia
Asiana
Jetstar
Scoot
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Africa

FastJet
Mango
Kulula
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Latin America

Volaris
Viva Aerobus
Interjet
Spirit
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Of course there’s far more than this, and Wikipedia has an excellent list of low-cost carriers around the world.

8. Pick The Cheapest Destinations

Compare Prices by Destination

The more flexible you are, the better your chances of discovering cheap flights. So try picking your destination based on where the deals are!

Some websites make this easy like the Skyscanner Inspire Map.

You are presented with a price map for different destinations based on your departure airport.

Flying to a random location can be a lot of fun too, and you may end up discovering an area of the world you hadn’t planned on visiting.

Flexibility and spontaneity can save you money on flights.

9. Use A Good VPN Service

One sneaky way airlines attempt to make the most profit is by charging different fares for people in different countries.

For example, booking domestic flights from outside the country will often be more expensive than booking inside the country.

Prices may change based on where the transaction is completed, or the “point-of-sale”. However you can beat them at their game using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to hide your location or pretend to be somewhere else.

I use Private Internet Access VPN because it’s easy, affordable, has a smartphone app, and doesn’t slow down my connection.

While using a VPN can save you money on flights, it’s a myth that airlines use website cookies to mess with your fares. Going “incognito” on your browser won’t actually do anything… trust me, I’ve tried.

10. Hitchhiking On Airplanes?

Hitchhiking on Airplanes is Free!

Did I ever tell you about the time I hitchhiked on an airplane? Sure — I know this isn’t practical for most people.

I just thought you’d like to see a unique way I was able to score a free flight once! And to check if you’re still paying attention… haha.

Just like searching for the best deal on flights, hitchhiking on an airplane requires a mix of patience, flexibility, and a little luck too!

11. Book Flight Legs Separately

For long-distance flights, it can pay to book different legs separately rather than all at once. I discovered it was about $200 cheaper for me to fly from Boston to Copenhagen, followed by Copenhagen to Dublin on a budget airline, rather than book a multi-leg trip from Boston to Dublin all at once.

You may even save money on the same exact itinerary, just booking each section independently. Or by booking two one way tickets instead of one round trip. Spend 30 minutes experimenting and see what you come up with.

Remember though, it’s important to keep an eye on arrival & departure times for these flights to give yourself enough time to transfer. Otherwise you might miss your flight!

12. Fly Free With Credit Card Miles

Become a Travel Hacker!

It took me a few years to get into travel-hacking (using points & miles to redeem for free flights), but now I try to recommend it to others whenever I can!

Last year my wife and I traveled to Antarctica, flying to Argentina for only $294 roundtrip. We were able to do this because we’d quickly built up a collection of airline miles that covered two(!) round-trip flights from New York, saving us over $2000 USD.

When you sign up for the right travel rewards credit cards, and use them wisely, it’s easier than you might think to save up enough miles for a free flight — you only pay for taxes.

13. Open-Jaw (Round The World) Tickets

An open-jaw ticket is a round-trip airline ticket where the destination and/or the origin are not the same in both directions. Meaning you fly to one city, then travel to another city (or country, or many) before returning home.

These are also sometimes known as “RTW Tickets” or “Round The World” tickets.

With this option, you can visit many different cities during your trip, but it costs much less than booking all the flights separately. OneWorld is a great resource for booking a RTW ticket.

14. Don’t Wait Until The Last Minute

So you’ve finally found the cheapest flights available for your destination, but you heard somewhere that if you wait and book at the last minute — the flights could be cheaper. Don’t do it!

Sure, very rarely the prices might drop if you wait. But it’s FAR more likely that they will increase!

Research shows that booking your flight 3-months in advance seems to be the optimal time to get cheap flights.

This is due to the airlines reducing the price in order to drum up demand — because the airplane is basically still empty. However once it starts filling up, they are able to raise them as people get increasingly desperate for the last spots.

More Useful Tips For Booking Flights

• Flying on a one-way ticket? You may be asked for proof of a return ticket before boarding. This is the dreaded Proof Of Onward Travel Rule.
• Make sure to check out SeatGuru.com to find the most comfortable seats on a particular airplane model and airline you’re going to fly with.
• Have some random question about flying, airlines, or routes? Ask the people over in the FlyerTalk forum for advice (they’re all flying nerds!).
• Did your flight get delayed or canceled? You may be eligible for compensation — up to hundreds of dollars through Compensair.

Enjoy Your Next Cheap Flight!

So, there you have it. These are the tactics & resources I personally use to find the cheapest flights around the world.

In fact, I recently scored round-trip tickets from Boston to Dublin, Ireland for only $614 using these techniques.

Flying doesn’t have to be expensive if you know how to find the best deals and are willing to put in the effort.

Flexibility combined with spending an extra 30 minutes searching can save you hundreds of dollars. ★

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Packing Guide

Check out my travel gear guide to help you start packing for your trip.

Book Your Flight

Ready to fly? Here’s how I find the cheapest airline flights.

Rent A Car

Discover Cars is a great site for comparing car prices to find a deal.

Cheap Accommodation

Learn how I save money booking hotels & vacation apartments.

Protect Your Trip

Don’t forget travel insurance! Protect yourself from possible injury & theft abroad. Read why you should always carry travel insurance.
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This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.

Important Reasons to Study Abroad

Travel Tips

The benefits of studying abroad for students in college are numerous, and traveling overseas for school doesn’t have to be as expensive as you think.

I’m a big supporter of travel as an educational experience. I can tell you first-hand that I’ve probably learned more in 8 years of international travel than I have from 4 years of higher education.

Every student should try to incorporate some world travel into their lives. It opens up new possibilities and shows you a world impossible to understand from books alone.

Not only will you grow as a person, your new knowledge of how the world works is attractive to employers who prefer to hire employees with international experience over those without.

Unfortunately I never took a semester to study abroad in college. Like many people, I assumed it was expensive, I’d fall behind in credits, would have difficulty with the language, and was nervous of the whole idea.

The closest I came was an exchange program in Hawaii, and 3 weeks of Spanish language school in Guatemala — also great experiences.

At the White House to Promote Study Abroad

White House Summit

Well last December I was invited to Washington DC by The White House in partnership with Hostelling International USA for the White House Summit on Study Abroad & Global Citizenship. The summit was an opportunity for senior administration officials, travel bloggers, and media professionals to discuss U.S. government initiatives and strategies for encouraging American students to study, volunteer, and work abroad.

Why is the US Government interested in getting kids to study abroad?

Sadly only 10% of current American college students will ever study abroad. American students aren’t as global-minded as their peers from other countries. It’s time to change this!

During the White House summit the State Department announced the creation of a new U.S. Study Abroad Office that will manage study abroad scholarships for American students and institutions, as well as promoting benefits of study abroad to students, parents, faculty, and education administrators.

They want to make it affordable & accessible to students of all backgrounds.

Learning Spanish in Guatemala

Best Reasons To Study Abroad

If you’re thinking about studying abroad, but aren’t sure how to convince your parents (or yourself!), here are some of the best reasons why spending a semester or year overseas is the smart (and fun!) thing to do. Also don’t forget to Read Practical Advice For Students if you Dream Of Traveling.

#1 Improve Employment Opportunities

Want to impress potential employers? Companies around the world continue to invest in the global market, and prefer to hire employees who have international experience. Not to mention knowledge of a 2nd language. Your resume will stand out from everyone else applying for the same position.

#2 It Can Be Cheap

Living in a foreign country often costs the same (or less) than living in the United States. Especially if you go somewhere other than Europe. Depending on your school, tuition fees may remain the same. Additionally, there’s funding available (grants & scholarships). In fact some countries allow you to study abroad for much less than school in the United States.

#3 Personal Development

Break out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself with uncommon experiences that make you reconsider (or strengthen) your values. Get a better sense of who you are and what’s important. Discover what you want out of life. Become a more independent person. International travel shows you what you’re really made of.

#4 Learn Foreign Languages

Language teachers say being totally immersed in a culture that speaks the language you want to learn is the quickest and most effective way to learn it. Mastering a foreign language opens up all kinds of new opportunities. As globalization brings the world together, it’s important to be competent in more than one language.

#5 Aquire New Skills

When you study overseas, you can take courses you don’t have the opportunity to take at home. In addition to university classes, you can explore new hobbies or sports that aren’t as popular (or even possible) to practice. Traveling outside your home country is an education in itself, learning to interact with & navigate through a culture different from your own.

#6 Forge Lasting Memories

Most students who’ve studied abroad claim their time overseas was the best year of college. You’ll meet new friends who will want to share their culture, ideas, and learn about yours. Create lasting memories and develop life-long friendships. You may even find your future wife or husband!

#7 Experience Different Cultures

Immersing yourself in a totally different culture is powerful. You’ll experience things like trying different foods, celebrating traditional customs, and learning the history of another country. A person’s culture reflects deep perceptions, beliefs, and values that influence their way of life. You’ll gain an understanding of this that can’t be taught with books.

#8 Expand Your Worldview

Previously held beliefs about foreign countries will change once you’ve been abroad. However you’ll gain a completely new perspective on your own country too. It can be surprising just how much you know is slightly biased, based on where you’re from. It’s also a unique opportunity to educate others on your country, dispelling their stereotypes about you!

#9 Earn Money!

You can actually earn income while you study abroad overseas. We are pretty damn lucky that English is the international language of business. It’s an important language that many foreigners want to learn. You can get paid for teaching, interpreting, or translating English while you’re studying abroad.

Quotes From Others

Still not convinced? Here are some quotes from friends and readers about their own study abroad experiences around the world.

What About High School?

Not in college yet? No problem! You still may be able to travel overseas for classes or volunteer projects as a high school student. Not everyone goes to college either, so this might be your best chance to explore some of the world before getting a job. Many high schools have summer study abroad or volunteering opportunities, you just have to ask about them. Check out some of the resources below too.

Study Abroad Resources

One of the big issues with encouraging more students to study abroad is access to useful and relevant information about the topic. While there are many different programs available, you need to know where to look. I’ve put together this list of study abroad resources to help you make it happen.

Bureau Of Education & Cultural Affairs – The ECA mission is to increase mutual understanding between people of the United States and people of other countries by means of educational and cultural exchange that assist in the development of peaceful relations.

Institute of International Education – IIE’s mission is to advance international education worldwide by managing thousands of scholarships, exchange and leadership programs for students around the world. Search for programs on their study abroad search engine.

Fulbright Scholarship Programs – The Fulbright Program provides grants for international student exchange. It’s the largest U.S. exchange program offering opportunities for students and young professionals to undertake international study in 140 countries worldwide.

Gilman International Scholarship – The Gilman Scholarship aims to diversify the kinds of students who study abroad and the countries and regions where they go by offering awards to U.S. undergraduates who might otherwise not participate due to financial constraints.

National Security Language Initiative – The National Security Language Initiative for Youth program provides merit-based scholarships for eligible high school students and recent graduates to learn less commonly taught languages in summer and academic-year overseas immersion programs.

Centers For Interamerican Studies – The CEDEI was created to promote mutual understanding between the peoples and countries of the Americas by promoting academic and cultural exchange. They offer college credit programs, language immersion, and volunteer opportunities in Ecuador.

Broadreach – Broadreach offers summer adventure, community service, and study abroad programs for middle school, high school and college students in 40 different countries around the world.

Chris Stevens Initiative – The Stevens Initiative is a multilateral public-private endeavor designed to achieve the largest-ever increase in people-to-people educational exchanges between the U.S. and the broader Middle East.

SPI Study Abroad – The SPI program helps high school students build cultural awareness, self-confidence and independence through an authentic and meaningful experience abroad with language immersion and local homestays.

Greenheart Cultural Exchange – CCI Greenheart offers cultural exchange programs in the U.S. that connect Americans with international students. A nonprofit cultural exchange sponsor that blends service learning and volunteerism to create compassionate and conscious global citizens.

The Peace Corps – The Peace Corps sends Americans abroad to tackle the most pressing needs of people around the world. Peace Corps Volunteers work at the grassroots level for sustainable change that lives on after their service.

Spread The Word

Convincing my fellow citizens to travel overseas is a big passion of mine. If you’re passionate about travel, please help me spread the word about the many different opportunities available for students to study abroad!

Together we can show students & parents that study abroad programs don’t have to be expensive, are not as scary as they sound, and will improve future employment opportunities. Not to mention all the wonderful memories. ★

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Did you study abroad? What was your experience?

This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.

Travel Tips

Cheap travel accommodation is available around the world — no need to pay for expensive hotels. Check out these affordable (and free) sleep options to save money traveling.

One of the biggest travel myths out there is that you need to be independently wealthy to see the world. This is simply not true.

Travel can be very affordable when you learn how to book cheap airline flights and use alternative options for cheap overnight accommodation.

Travel is only expensive if you choose to make it that way.

Fancy hotel chains have massive PR budgets to spend on marketing, so we assume those are the only options out there.

But in reality, there are many cheap, and even free places to sleep when traveling.

So I wanted to share my experiences and tips to help inspire you to find cheaper travel accommodation options during your own journey, and save some money!

Best Cheap Accommodation Options

1. Budget Backpacker Hostels

COST: $5 – $30 per night

Backpacker hostels are a popular option for the budget-minded traveler. Rooms & bathrooms are shared by multiple people which helps keep costs low. The average hostel room can hold 4-10 individuals, often furnished with bunk-beds. Personal lockers are available for securing your belongings. A very basic (toast and cereal) breakfast is usually included too.

In addition to being cheap, hostels provide a highly social atmosphere for fellow travelers to interact with each other. A communal kitchen and living area helps facilitate this. Many backpacker hostels have a few private rooms for those who want a little more privacy along with the vibrant social scene.

Backpacker Hostel Tips:

• Avoid hostels that don’t provide lockers for your valuables
• Earplugs & an eye-mask will help with late night noise & light
• Booking.com and HostelBookers are good sites to find a hostel

As a solo-traveler, meeting new people and saving money is a priority for me. So I frequently use hostels when I’m traveling. If you don’t mind sacrificing a bit of privacy & dealing with some extra noise, backpacker hostels are great.

2. Local Guest Houses

COST: $10 – $80 per night

A guesthouse or budget hotel provides a simple, affordable room without the perks or service of a bigger luxury hotel. Compared to a hostel, you receive a decent sized private room but much less social interaction. All for a slightly higher price. Kitchens may or may not be included. Breakfast may or may not be included.

Just like hostels, the quality these places can vary widely. In some locations hostels are just not available. But there will be plenty of cheap guesthouses around.

Guest House Tips:

• Always ask to see the room first
• Make sure windows & doors are secure
• Booking.com is a good site to search for guesthouses and cheap hotels.

Choosing a guesthouse or cheap hotel over a hostel really depends on my mood. If I’m feeling sociable and don’t have a ton of work to do, I get rent a hostel bed. But sometimes the privacy of having your own room is worth the extra expense of a hotel.

3. Short-Term Vacation Rentals

COST: $10 – $80 Per Night

If someone has a spare room in their house or a whole apartment they are not using, they may rent it to travelers on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

These vacation apartments usually come fully furnished and include a kitchen — all for the price of a budget hotel.

One of the big benefits of staying in an apartment is how it can feel like a home-away-from-home. Interaction with neighbors helps you appreciate what it’s like to live in the country, if only for a short time.

Vacation Apartment Rental Tips:

• Choose places with a history of good reviews from past tenants.
• Research the apartment’s location & transportation options.
• Airbnb is a great site for booking short-term apartment rentals.
• If you plan to stay a month or longer, try negotiating a lower price with the owner.

AIRBNB COUPON CODE! Have you ever considered short-term apartment rentals? It’s a great way to save money! Click here to learn how to get $35 off your first booking.

I’ve rented a handful of short-term apartments on my travels, as they’re a wonderful way to slow down and live like a local. For example I lived next to the beach in Playa del Carmen for 3 months and it only cost me about $10 a night.

4. Local Homestay Experience

COST: $10 – $50 per night

If you’re interested in learning more about someone’s culture when traveling to a new country, homestays can help you do just that. This is when a family rents out a spare bedroom for extra income and a chance to teach you about their lifestyle. A homestay usually includes breakfast and maybe dinner too.

Homestay arrangements are typical with many language schools, but these days any traveler can book one. You don’t need to know the language to reap the benefits of a homestay either. It might be challenging, but it’s also very rewarding.

Homestay Tips:

• If your host doesn’t speak your language, use sign language and draw pictures to communicate. It works surprisingly well.
• Check if your homestay includes meals, and how many
• Be open-minded and willing to learn from your local hosts
• Search Google for “homestay” plus the country’s name to pull up different homestay websites

I once spent 3 weeks in a Guatemalan homestay living with a local Mayan family while learning Spanish. You are welcomed like a member of the family and experience a foreign culture on a whole different level.

5. Volunteer / Work Exchange

COST: Free – $30 per night

Rather than pay for your accommodation, why not work for it? There are countless opportunities to volunteer your time, labor, or expertise in exchange for room & board all over the world. Some examples include farms, schools, shelters, hostels, lodges, ranches, and even sailboats.

Work exchanges can teach you a new skill, provide insight into a foreign culture, and benefit a good cause while you travel. Not to mention helping you save money at the same time.

Work Exchange Tips:

• Check on how many hours of work are required, and if meals are included
• Some organizations charge a small fee to cover costs associated with hosting you
• WWOOF, WorkAway, and HelpX are good sites to search for volunteer opportunities

In Nicaragua, I lived in a schoolhouse for a few days while volunteering to build cook ovens for families in a town without electricity or running water. It was fun, emotionally rewarding, and I didn’t have to pay for food or accommodation.

6. Wild Camping & Campgrounds

COST: Free – $20 per night

If you really want to get close to nature while you’re traveling, you can’t beat camping in the wilderness. Most of the time it’s free, but if you camp in popular tourist locations you may have to pay a bit.

With a tent or camping hammock, you can go absolutely anywhere and will always have a place to sleep, allowing you to experience remote areas that other travelers might avoid due to lack of accommodation.

Camping Cheap Accommodation Tips:

• Try to avoid camping on posted private property
• Make sure you have a water source nearby
• Keep food away from your shelter, preferably up in a tree
• Respect the environment and leave no trace

I’m a big fan of camping. In fact I often travel with a camping hammock when I’m in adventurous destinations. I’ve had many great travel experiences that included some camping.

7. House Sitting & Pet Sitting

COST: Basically Free

Homeowners around the world need someone to look after their house while they’re on vacation or away for work. You can be that person. House sitting enables you to live quite well for a few weeks or months in someone else’s place, in exchange for keeping an eye on it.

Sometimes there are pets to feed and play with, plants to water, and other chores. But having a whole house to yourself, for free, is usually worth the minimal effort involved.

House Sitting Tips:

• Provide solid references, maybe house sit for a friend first
• Ensure your responsibilities are written down & agreed to
• Be flexible. You never know when & where an opportunity will pop up
• TrustedHousesitters is a great site for locating housesitting jobs

I once spent 2 weeks housesitting in the woods of New Hampshire in the winter. My main responsibility was to keep a wood-fire going 8 hours a day to prevent pipes from freezing. But a network of cross-country ski trails out back kept me busy too.

8. Couchsurfing With Strangers

COST: Basically Free

If you’re not aware of CouchSurfing.org, you should be. It’s a very large (5 million strong) community of people from all over the world who open up their homes & apartments to travelers for free. They may have a whole spare bedroom or just a couch for you to crash on.

Why do they do it? To meet interesting people. To share their culture. To find adventure partners. After a hosting experience, both the host & traveler can leave a reference about one another. This vouching & verification system works well to prevent misuse of the site.

Free CouchSurfing Accommodation Tips:

• Provide tons of information on your profile to gain trust
• Send out personalized CouchSurfing requests, not generic ones
• Make time to chat or do something fun with your hosts
• Join local CouchSurfing meetups to get your first references
• HospitalityClub & WarmShowers have similar communities

I’ve been both a surfer and host through CouchSurfing, and constantly meet the coolest people. The misconception that CouchSurfers are all freeloaders & bums is simply not true. The community is made up of many ages, backgrounds, and income levels with fascinating stories & knowledge to share.

9. Home Exchanges

COST: Basically Free

This only works if you already own your own home! Basically, you swap houses with another traveler. Maybe they live in France, and want to spend a month living in Utah. You own a house in Utah, and want to spend a month living in France!

Swapping homes is a great way to travel for practically free. First, become a member of a home exchange network for about $150 a year. After a few nights on vacation, your membership has paid for itself!

Home Exchange Accommodation Tips:

• Check out HomeExchange.com or HomeForExchange.com to sign up and start swapping with homeowners.
• Very similar to housesitting, only another home owner is house sitting for you at the same time!

10. Churches / Monasteries / Temples

COST: Free – $50 per night

If you belong to a particular religious group, and even if you don’t, many different religious centers offer free or cheap temporary housing. It could be at a Catholic Church, an Islamic Mosque, Jewish Synagogue, Buddhist Monastery, or a Sikh Temple.

The religious accommodation is going to be very basic, and depending on the place, might only be an option for people who have no other choices available. Some religions won’t allow unmarried couples to stay together either.

Religious Accommodation Tips:

• While you don’t need to belong to the religion, it helps.
• Don’t take advantage of people’s religious hospitality and stay too long.
• To search for monasteries that offer accommodation, check out MonasteryStays.com
• Sikh temples, called Gurudwara, offer both free accommodation & food.

11. Overnight Transportation

COST: Ticket Price

A wonderful way to save some money on accommodation costs is to travel at night. Sleeping on trains, planes, buses, and boats take practice to master.

But when you get good at it, you’ll be able to wake up refreshed and ready to explore your new surroundings. Well, maybe after a shower…

Overnight Transportation Tips:

• Choose a seat/location with a lot of legroom
• Bring earplugs, an eye-mask, water, and something warm
• Secure your valuables to yourself
• Befriend your neighbor so they’ll wake you before your stop

I always try to book overnight transportation to save some money and make a long trip less boring. It took time, but I’ve become pretty good at sleeping on buses, planes, and one time the deck of a cargo boat.

12. Sleeping In Public Places

COST: Free

Booked an early flight, bus, or train ride and don’t want to pay for a hotel room you’ll barely use? Just sleep in the terminal/station. If you have luggage and look relatively clean, you probably won’t be bothered by security.

Transportation terminals have bathrooms, food, and are usually open all night. If you’re lucky, you might even get free WiFi. In fact there is a whole website dedicated to sleeping in airports.

Sleeping in Public Tips:

• Find an area away from heavy foot traffic
• Bring earplugs, an eye-mask, water, and something warm
• Secure your valuables to yourself
• Stake out a good spot early, before others start looking

I’ve spent my share of nights in airports & station terminals. In Hong Kong I actually spent 2 nights in the airport because I was tired of moving around, too cheap to pay for a hotel room & taxi fares, and thought it would be fun. It was. With free WiFi, I got a ton of work done too.

13. Squatting In Buildings (And Caves)

COST: Free

Squatting is when someone lives on property that’s owned by someone else without their permission. You’d be surprised how many people do it.

Estimates suggest that 1 in 7 people are living as squatters!

This includes shantytowns where families build shacks on land that they don’t own. However, in many countries squatting is illegal.

Squatting Accommodation Tips:

• Squat the Planet is a good source for more information on the squatting community (yes, there is one).

I once spent a very interesting night squatting inside a Spanish cave with Romanians! It was pretty cool.

Yes You Can Travel Cheaply!

The point I wanted to make is that cheap travel accommodation is possible. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on expensive hotels to see the world.

A week’s stay in a hotel might cost $700, a week’s stay in a hostel might cost $140, and a week’s stay with Couchsurfing hosts will cost you $0.

Big difference, right? Travel is only expensive if you make it that way.

If you’re open-minded, there are plenty of cheap accommodation options to take advantage of while traveling. ★

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READ MORE BUDGET TRAVEL TIPS

I hope you enjoyed my guide to cheap accommodation when you travel! Hopefully you found it useful. Here are a few more wanderlust-inducing articles that I recommend you read next:

• Beginner Safety Tips For Travelers
• How To Find Cheap Airline Tickets
• Should You Get Travel Insurance?
• Travel Jobs That Let You Work Abroad
• My Top Money Saving Travel Tips

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This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.

Travel Tips

Travel banking overseas can be expensive. Learn how to avoid ATM fees, get the best exchange rate, protect against fraud, and save money while traveling abroad.

Avoid International Bank Fees

The best way to obtain local currency overseas is to withdraw it from an ATM. It’s quick, easy, and you’ll get a great exchange rate. But did you know you’ll be charged $5-$7 every time you withdraw money from a different bank’s ATM?

Often both your bank and the bank that owns the ATM will charge you a fee.

When you are traveling for a long period of time, this can add up to hundreds of dollars! Let’s say you withdraw money 3 times per week while on the road (I’m not a fan of traveling with tons of cash).

This will cost you a whopping $780-$1092 after a year of travel — easily enough to continue traveling for another month.

Choose the right bank, and you will pay $0 in ATM fees from now on.

Travel Friendly Debit Card

With a Charles Schwab Investor Checking Account you’ll never have to fork over your hard earned cash to greedy bankers again. Schwab will refund all of your ATM fees, even those charged by other banks, anywhere in the world.

I’ve been using their account for a few years and absolutely love it.

This bank doesn’t play games with you like many others I’ve dealt with in the past. Customer service is great, there are no minimum balances, online banking is easy, and everything is free.

A new account with them includes a Schwab One Brokerage Account, but there are no problems (or fees) if you decide not to use it. It’s possible to set up free online transfers with other banks too.

Not From The United States?

If you don’t live in the USA, you can’t open an account with Schwab. But I know many travelers who use an HSBC Checking Account. It’s an international bank, and they have ATMs all over the world.

Unlike Schwab they will charge you a fee for using another bank’s ATM (remember the 2nd bank may also charge you).

Use 3 Accounts For Safety

International financial fraud is on the rise, and plenty of travel horror stories involve drained bank accounts. Planning for worst-case scenarios is a smart thing to do.

UPDATE: My checking account was recently drained of $680 via ATM withdrawals in South Korea while I was hitchhiking across the United States. I’ve never been to South Korea, and my card was never stolen.

That’s why I always recommend having 3 bank accounts while you travel.

#1: Personal Checking Account This account is used for personal reasons, like paying bills, and anything not travel related. It can also be used as an emergency backup should your Travel Checking Account get compromised on the road. This ATM card is locked in a hostel/hotel safe or hidden within my backpack at all times.

#2: Travel Checking Account This account is used for travel expenses, including withdrawing money out of ATMs. I never keep more than about $1000 in this account at any one time. If your ATM card details are stolen, or you happen to be the victim of an Express Kidnapping, it shouldn’t completely halt your travels. The thieves may get some money, but losses are minimized, and you’ll often be refunded by your bank soon.

#3: Savings Account An Capital One 360 Savings Account is where the bulk of my travel money resides. There are no ATM cards to steal, and my account balance earns interest. When my Travel Account gets low, I can easily go online and replenish it. This account is also linked to my Personal Checking Account, should I need to transfer funds if my Travel Account is compromised or I’m waiting for a replacement ATM card.

The redundancy built into this system keeps me prepared for many different scenarios while traveling — including bank fraud and lost or malfunctioning ATM cards.

Travel Rewards Credit Card

Another way to save money and provide some security while you travel is to carry a credit card. International exchange rates are cheapest when paying with a credit card, and it’s a great backup to have in case of an emergency.

Many cards also include basic travel, theft, and auto rental insurance.

Not to mention the possibility of snagging free flights & hotel stays with airline miles if you use your card often. Personally I use a Captial One VentureOne Card for travel, but I’m definitely not a credit card expert.

To learn more about finding the perfect travel credit card, here are some of my favorite cards to collect points & miles.

Protect Your Cash

Cash is what I use most while traveling internationally because it’s accepted everywhere. But the problem with cash is that it’s not traceable, so if it’s stolen you’ll never see it again. Taking proper precautions when carrying cash is a must.

Many travelers hide extra cash inside money belts that are worn under their clothing, but I’ve never been a big fan. These removable pouches are uncomfortable and it’s easy to forget them somewhere.

Instead I have secret pockets sewn into my pants & shorts. They are a lot cheaper to make ($3-$7) then buying fancy travel pants with a similar feature built in.

It’s also wise to hide a stash of emergency cash in your luggage somewhere.

My favorite places include:

• Hidden in some dirty socks
• Inside travel toiletry kits
• Under your shoe inserts
• Sewn behind a patch on your backpack

Dummy Wallet

In particularly risky locations, you can also carry a dummy or mugger’s wallet. This is a cheap 2nd wallet that’s filled with about $20 in local currency, an old driver’s license, some receipts, and an expired credit card. It’s used as a decoy, so if you’re ever mugged, you can throw it at the thieves and run away. Helpful against pickpockets too.

The tactic is best used in cities with high crime rates — I’ve carried one before in Guatemala City, Managua, and Tegucigalpa. Luckily I’ve never had my wallet stolen though.

Best Exchange Rates

Anytime you exchange foreign currency, you are paying a small premium to the people providing the service. How much you pay depends on the method you use to exchange it. Some are a lot cheaper than others.

Exchange with Travelers: While this is definately the cheapest way to exchange foreign currency, it’s not something you’ll be able to do all the time. Usually when leaving or entering a new country, you’ll find fellow travelers heading in the opposite direction. This is a great opportunity to trade currencies with each other. There are zero fees involved, unless one of you can’t provide exact change…

Use a Credit Card: Credit cards will give you the best exchange rates — slightly better than using an ATM. The problem is you can’t use them everywhere. Depending on where you’re traveling, many businesses only except cash.

ATM Machines: Using your debit card to withdraw cash from an ATM is the next best thing to a credit card. Exchange rates are very competitive, and ATMs are available all over the world. Insert the card from your home bank, and instantly receive local currency to use as cash. Exchanging money using an ATM is both super convenient, and relatively cheap. Plus if your bank refunds any ATM fees (like mine does) it’s the best option out there!

Currency Exchange Booth: This is one of the worst options for exchanging your money. You’ll often see these places at airports or bus terminals. They offer terrible rates, and there is always a commission of some sort tacked on. Even if their sign says “No Commissions”, the exchange rate they give is padded to make a tidy profit off your ignorance.

Money Changers: If you thought currency booths were bad, these guys can be even worse. You’ll find them hanging out around international land borders. Sometimes it’s an outright scam. Taxi drivers will take you to the country’s border, where you’ll need to get out and jump into another taxi, but this 2nd taxi won’t take the last country’s currency. If you’re not prepared, this can force you to use the local money changer who just happens to be waiting with an absolutely horrible deal. If you find yourself in this situation, make sure to count the money you receive twice, and check for counterfeit bills before you hand over your cash.

Always know the exchange rate for the country you are traveling to. Check online before you go at https://www.xe.com/ or if you use a smartphone, download this free currency exchange app: http://currencyapp.com/

Tips for Fraud Prevention

Credit & ATM card fraud is a reality. Following a few simple rules will help protect you from disaster.

Avoid Public Computers: All over the world you’ll find internet cafes where you can rent a public computer to manage your online banking. It’s relatively easy to instal a key logger on these machines, which will track every keystroke you make, giving a hacker all of your login details. If you must, make sure to use a secure password manager like Last Pass.

Call Your Bank Before You Travel: Let your bank & credit card issuer know what dates you’ll be in certain countries. This will help them identify & block any fraudulent activity on your account. It’s also important if you want your cards to work when you get there!

Keep Eyes on Your Credit Card: When paying by credit card overseas (especially at restaurants & bars), never lose sight of it. Don’t let anyone “take it out back” to swipe the card. If the machine is not near you, ask to accompany the cashier to avoid card skimming scams.

Don’t let all of this scare you too much though. International travel is a relatively safe activity, despite what you watch on the evening news. The key to having a great time is to be prepared for all of these possible scenarios. Chances are you’ll have nothing to worry about.

Stay smart, protect your hard-earned money, and travel longer. ★

This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.