Yes, You Really Can Travel The World on a Budget!

Traveling the world is one of the most incredible, fulfilling things you can do in life. But if you don’t have a ton of money, you might think that it’s out of your reach. And it’s true, traveling can be expensive. But there are ways around it which means you can see places you’ve always dreamed of without much at all. If you want to travel but don’t have a lot of money saved up, here’s how you can go about it.

Look For Discounts

When booking travel, transportation or anything else- don’t pay full price unless you absolutely have to! Lots of sites will offer discounts for new and current Uber users, for example, which will get you to the airport cheaply. Or you might be eligible for certain discounts on fares and tickets depending on the job you work, or if you’re a student.

If you sign up with a chain of hostels, they might offer you discounted prices on plane or coach tickets. Be sure to shop around, utilize deals and discounts, and you could knock hundreds off the price of your trip. You can often get travel fares cheaper if you book early, so it pays to be organized. Have a plan in place early on, and then get everything booked and paid for at a reduced rate. This also gives you time to save what you can towards other things before you leave.

Work While You Travel

Working while you’re away allows you fund your travels, and can also give you a whole lot of new experiences. You could look for programs which offer free food and accommodation in return for completing a certain amount of hours work. If you’re a freelancer, it’s easy to work while you’re away; all you’ll need is your laptop and maybe one or two pieces of equipment. Blogging, writing, Youtube, design work- these are all things you could consider. You could sell your travel photos to a site like Shutterstock which could earn you a little money from something you’ll already be doing – taking pictures of your adventures!

If you get yourself established before you leave and you know you’re already earning a bit of extra cash with your craft, you can use this to supplement your traveling fund. Even if you’re not relying on this solely to fund your travels, it can be a useful extra source of income when you’re on a tight budget. And it’s something you can easily fit in for a few hours each day. If you’re on the road, on a plane journey or a long coach trip, you can pull out your laptop and monetize your skills!

Consider Backpacking

Backpacking is a humble way to travel, and doesn’t require much money at all. As a backpacker, you’ll be staying in hostels which are significantly cheaper than hotels, or maybe even camping in a tent or a hammock. You’ll be traveling on foot and using public transport which will keep costs right down. You’ll be shopping at markets, eating delicious street food or eating at inexpensive cafes.

You won’t get a five-star luxury experience in fancy restaurants and with tons of shopping, but you get to see the world in the most spectacular way. The main cost will be purchasing your pack and any essential equipment, but once this is out of the way it’s an inexpensive way to see the world. You could even hire backpacking or hiking equipment instead of purchasing it if you wanted to go down that route.

Go on an RV Road Trip

The great thing about an RV road trip is the vehicle provides both transport and accommodation rolled into one. Once you’ve paid for the RV hire, you’re good to go- all you need is fuel. You can stock up on food from grocery stores and eat well without spending much. You can camp in campsites which offer RV hookups for things like electricity, or just out in the wild providing you’re in a safe and legal place. You get to be out on the open road, seeing the sights and visiting the places you’ve always wanted to go to. There are websites online which offer RV hire from regular people instead of companies, which works out a little cheaper.

If you want to travel but the thought of not having much money is holding you back, try to make it work. You can always earn more money. You might not always have the opportunity to go out, travel and be free.

Have you ever considered traveling on a budget?