It's an unfortunate reality that travelling does cost money (if not, you'd never see me again!). But it doesn't have to cost as much as you may think. I've amassed countless money saving tips while travelling, and thought it was time I shared some of my favourite with you.
Be sure to keep an eye out, as I'll be posting more of my money saving tips soon! In the meantime, why don't you share you're own.
- Cook: Depending where you're staying this might not always be an option, but if you have access to a kitchen, use it! Of course, you need to give yourself chances taste the local foods, but doing this three meals a day in certain countries can really burn a hole in your pocket. It's all about striking up a nice balance. If you can't actually cook for yourself, another alternative is pre-packaged meals from grocery stores. They'll cost you more than if you'd prepared them yourself, but a pre-made salad from M&S will still cost you less than if you had bought it from the cafe next door.
- Did someone say free wifi? Gone are the days where you needed to fork out money for any sort of travel sim. With the utter abundance of free wifi spots in most major cities around the world, you'll generally find that you're able to stay in contact with your loved ones without any cost - Skype, FaceTime and What's Ap have all made our lives just that little bit simpler.
- Off-peak = on budget: Never thought of hitting up Europe in anything but the summertime? Think again. While certain activities are only on the cards at certain times of the year, travelling out of peak season can really stretch your budget. Flights, hotels and attraction are all generally cheaper outside of the peak tourist season. (A bonus perk is the fact that you'll also be less inundated with other tourists!).
- Walk (yes, those things, they're legs): This may seem like a redundant point, but choosing to walk over using even public transport can save you heaps. Obviously you can't do this everywhere, so it's all a matter of being critical. Do I need to take the subway when the walk is only 20 minutes? The answer will probably be no. It's midnight and I don't want to walk alone? Yes, that's where you probably should. You'll soon learn how to make the right choice.
- Pre-packed snack attack: It happens to the best of us - you're in the middle of tourist-ville (a.k.a around the top tourist attractions) and you've suddenly been hit with massive I-can't-even-take-another-selfie hunger pangs. Problem is the food has all of a sudden gotten a wee bit pricey (a bottle of water is going to cost me $6?!). The best way to avoid this is to load up your bag with cheap supermarket snacks as soon as you arrive somewhere. Personal favourites are little bags of nuts mixed with chocolate chips - an instant energy boost.
Be sure to keep an eye out, as I'll be posting more of my money saving tips soon! In the meantime, why don't you share you're own.