How to Travel on a Tight Budget

By Irina Netova

Who doesn’t love traveling? Who doesn’t want to visit new places? As the famous phrase goes: “Traveling is the only thing you buy that makes you richer”! I couldn’t agree more. Every place that I have visited has enriched my life and has made me see the world in a better way. Unfortunately, traveling isn’t always cheap, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be too expensive either. Nowadays, there are so many ways to travel, even on a tight budget.

The first thing you should think about when you decide you want to go someplace new is how you’ll be getting there. You can either take a plane, bus, train or your own car. With plane tickets you have a bigger choice. There are so many websites to choose from, but the best ones in my opinion are Kayak.com and Expedia.com. They always have the best prices. With busses and trains you don’t have that big of a choice, Greyhound busses and Amtrak trains are the most popular and they are both pretty comfortable and affordable, too. And if you are not going too far away and you’d like to take your own car, that’s always a great idea too.

The next important thing you have to decide is where you’ll be staying. Hotels are always an option but they’re rarely cheap. Hostels on the other hand are affordable and always fun if you don’t insist on the luxury and the privacy that hotels offer. In a hostel you'll be sharing a room either with 4 or 8 other people, but that is usually not too bad and you’ll end up making new friends for sure. Another great option you have is Airbnb. It’s very popular nowadays. People let you rent their apartments or just separate rooms in their houses. You can see everything online, including availability and pictures, and you can book anything you like that fits your travel plan. My favorite Airbnb stay was in New York. My friend and I rented a room in a big house and every room in the entire house was rented by other students too. Some were from Germany, others from Ireland and there were Americans too, who were simply on a road trip.

And finally the last but not least – the food! It’s important to check in advance where local restaurants are located, because nobody wants to spend a fortune on food. People use Yelp surprisingly a lot these days, so you can easily find a place that has typical food and drinks but isn't too expensive. And the best part is that hostels and Airbnb are usually in very good locations, close to restaurants and bars so you always have a few options.

So even on a tight budget you can still travel. You can plan a trip and not spend too much but still visit the places you’d like to visit. Go! Travel! Explore!