Stretching Your Travel Budget: 5 Simple Money-Saving Tips

Traveling on a budget, in my opinion, is not merely about implementing ways to spend less money. Instead, it should be about having as much satisfaction as possible while spending less.

The truth of the matter is that traveling is not that as expensive as you probably think. With these 5 easy and simple money-saving travel tips, you will be able to stretch your spending budget without sacrificing your travel plans.

Prepare well in advance
When I say "prepare well in advance", I mean doing your research at least a month before your planned departure. If you have a destination in mind, you better plan before traveling there. You will benefit a lot from a simple online research. Search for deals and discounts that are valid in the area. It also pays to prepare a simple itinerary in order to make a good use of your time. For instance, choose an accommodation that is close to the places you want to visit. That way, you will reduce the time and money spent on transportation or moving from one place to another. If you don’t do your homework, your hard-earned travel money will be gone in no time!

Traveling during off-seasons is better
Traveling during off-seasons means getting better deals on pretty much everything. This is a undeniable fact! You’ll get cheaper airfare, hotels, museum tickets, tours, and the like. Low season travel period also denotes that less travelers visit a destination, which allows you to haggle and negotiate better deals and service from agents and guides.

Walk and take the public transportation
Forget about taking the taxi. Riding the local transportation system of buses, trams, and trains is always cheaper. Walk whenever possible too. Not only is it free, you also discover a lot more!

Stay with a friend or do Couchsurfing 
If you have a relative or a friend (of a friend) living nearby your destination, don’t hesitate asking them if you could be hosted. Alternatively, if you don’t know anyone in the area, your next bet is Couchsurfing. Don’t be an extreme cheapskate, though. Since you’re getting a free bed, you can share some money on groceries and other basic expenses your host covers. This option is cheaper than staying in a hostel. 

Stay away from souvenir stores
Most people are often get caught up and spend on unnecessary souvenirs like key chains, magnets, etc. It does not hurt to buy a thing or two, but you better set a mental rule about spending less on such overpriced stuff. Personally, I prefer buying postcards and sending them to my friends because it is much more personal. 

What about you? How do you stretch your budget when traveling? What are your personal money-saving travel tips? Share yours!