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Your budget travel guidebook

With the money, you save up on food, go and see more of the place you are visiting. In the end, memories are more important than we have eaten on a trip.

The travel industry has changed significantly over the last few decades. We have witnessed an unprecedented increase in the number of international holidaymakers. Unlike the 20th century, billions of people now travel abroad for their dream holidays. Fortunately, the planet earth provides a wide range of interesting travel destinations that will meet anyone’s needs. From natural wonders to buzzing cities and authentic towns, there are so many things one can do. Travel is also different in terms of how we get to our destination and what we do there. 

Such a major growth in the tourism industry was mainly sparked by an increasingly affordable means of transportation. Flights, as well as bus and train connections all around the world, have become more extensive and significantly cheaper. For instance, traveling through air was a luxury only enjoyed by so very few people only three decades ago. 

Today, low-cost airlines provide frequent and easy connections between cities around the world for almost nothing. Europe is one of the most advanced tourist markets and its transportation infrastructure is fully adapted. Companies like Wizzair and Ryanair sell tickets for a bargain! One can easily get a one-way ticket from the United Kingdom to Spain for 10 Euros, or sometimes even for a cheaper price. The story from a Sheffield blogger claimed that he took a flight from his hometown to Essex through Berlin, costing less than a train ticket

Another factor is the growing popularity of hostels and shared spaces in general. These kinds of accommodation tend to be much more affordable, providing a place to stay mainly for full-time travelers and young people. Therefore, one can now get on a 10 Euro flight and stay at a hostel costing sometimes less than 10 Euros. 

Manage your expenses
Despite the travel becoming more and more affordable, one needs to try a lot to make it as efficient as possible. Luxury travel is still a thing and some areas are simply not served by low-cost transport links. On the other hand, many of the world’s most visited and famous tourist destinations are extremely expensive. For instance, living costs in London, Paris, New York or Rome are not even comparable to cities in Eastern Europe, Asia, or other parts of the world. Therefore, people visiting leading tourist destinations from all over the world should be particularly cautious about how they spend their money. 

Moreover, our travel expenses really depend on what we do during the trip. If you are a person who loves spending money in casinos and enjoying luxury roulettes, you will surely not manage to execute a budget trip. However, every habit has a more affordable alternative, even gambling, but for real. First and the most important step is to avoid brick and mortar casinos at all costs. Canada is an expensive country and gambling venues there are not any different from the general national trend. Instead, try out online roulette, one of the most celebrated digital casino games in Canada, or any other type of online casino games. With online casino games, you can set a limit on how much you can spend, not exceeding the set amount. Moreover, they tend to be much more affordable than physical venues across the country. 

Wherever you are planning to go, there is always a way to make the trip affordable. Thanks to the growing travel industry, cheap accommodation, food, and travel options are available practically everywhere. Yet, the prices are quite different from one another. In this article, we will explore how international and domestic travel can be made affordable. 

Choose your destination wisely 
The first step to planning and executing a great budget holiday is choosing the destination.  For many people, the dream destination is the place they have always wanted to see whilst for others, it is someplace they love. However, many others are not as decided. They do not exactly know what they want to see but are sure that they want to have a pleasant break. If you are one of those and have the flexibility of choosing, make sure to look at domestic destinations as well. Sometimes, we miss out on amazing travel destinations within our own countries because we simply never look for them. This is important because traveling domestically can be much simpler, easier, and significantly cheaper than taking an international trip. Yet, this should always be put into a wider context. For instance, travelers from expensive countries, like the United Kingdom, almost always choose to travel internationally, saving a lot of money. For an average Brit from the rural area, taking a trip to one of the major UK cities can be much more expensive than a full-on holiday to Spain, Italy, or any eastern European country. 

Look at the travel options – consider everything
Depending on the destination you chose, look at how you could possibly get there. If it is close enough to where you live, especially in Europe, make sure to look at the bus network, notably “Flixbus”. They provide reliable services across almost the entire continent at extremely affordable prices. They have both short and long-distance bus services. Other companies also operate within particular regions. Yet, for many, taking a train is a much more pleasant experience. Some countries offer affordable train journeys, especially during off-peak hours and in second class compartments. Overnight trains tend to be cheaper than daytime express ones or flights in Eastern Europe and Asia. For instance, an overnight train from Budapest to Warsaw is 19.99 Euros one way, whilst flights are often a similar price or more expensive. Trains carry a major benefit of providing city center to city center services. In simple terms, you enter the train station in the middle of the city and wake up in the heart of another one. On the other hand, flights, especially cheap ones often land in secondary airports to save up on airport use charges. For example, if you fly to London Luton airport for 10 Euros on Wizzair or Ryanair, then you will have to take a one hour train to the city that will set you back by more than what you paid for the flight. 

However, land transportation is not always an option. When traveling long-distance or in a hurry, flying can be the only option. Make sure to start searching for the flights on one of the general ticket browsing websites. Skyscanner is one of the best options since it unites practically all airlines around the world. If you have the flexibility and can travel anytime within the summer period or a particular month, try using the “cheapest fare” search tool on Skyscanner. It will give you the cheapest fare for the service you are looking for within the asked time period. If you are not as flexible, Skyscanner will still provide you with the best flight combinations that can be found on the internet. 

If the flights still seem too expensive, look for manually arranged combinations. Simply find the most affordable flight out of your local airport and check if flights from that city to your dream destination make any difference in terms of the price. Many people take multiple flights and save up hundreds of Euros. Remember, direct connections on full-service airlines are always significantly more expensive than a single or two stop ones. 

Accommodation – hostels are not as bad 
Depending on your budget and the needs, hostels can be a great way to save up money and meet many amazing people from all around the world. One of the main elements of saying at the hostel is how much social interaction you can have with other guests. Prices are not even comparable to hotels or guesthouses and hostels often cost as little as 10 Euros per person per night. 

If hostels are not exactly for you or if you are on a family trip, make sure to look at the short-term apartment rentals. Airbnb is a great platform for those looking for apartments for holidays or business trips. They are often much cheaper than booking a hotel, especially if you are traveling with others. Moreover, Airbnbs come in a whole diverse range with studios, one-bedrooms and large luxury apartments available on the platform. 

Hotels are usually the most expensive means of accommodation while on a trip. Nevertheless, if this is your only option or if you love the hotel soaps too much, a nice room can still be found at an affordable price. When searching on Booking or any other platform, make sure to indicate a more vague location instead of identifying the very center of the city. For example, if you are going to Berlin, hotels outside the central area will be much cheaper than in the very heart of the city. Yet, getting around in well-developed cities is not difficult as public transit is usually vast and frequent. 

Food, sightseeing – save up on food and see more 
Food is an important part of any holiday. When we visit countries or regions we have never been to before, exploring the traditional cuisine and unique dishes is absolutely crucial. However, eating pasta in front of the Colosseum can be a luxury as traditional food restaurants in major tourist centers usually are extremely expensive. 

Surely let yourself try something good out a few times. However, for regular food for lunch and breakfast, go grocery shopping. Every country has a cheap grocery shop chain with offers selling out for a bargain. For example, the British Tesco offers regular discounts on food and is generally quite cheap. 

With the money, you save up on food, go and see more of the place you are visiting. In the end, memories are more important than we have eaten on a trip.

Content Writer - ForexNewsNow.com | + Posts

Born in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, Beka Kakabadze holds a degree in macroeconomics from Tbilisi State University. He currently works for a financial news agency "ForexNewsNow.com". 

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