A Luxurious Travel Experience On A Budget

Most people like traveling, but often the cost becomes the main obstacle. Still, there are ways to reduce it and get a luxurious travel experience on a budget. Simply take a little time to plan your trip beforehand. Using our tips, you will be able to learn how you can save on travel, accommodation, food, and entertainment.

Planning your next vacation time and want it to be something special? And you don’t want to rob a bank to afford it, right? In such a case, it’s important to start planning your future trip in advance. A month or a bit more will give you enough time to prepare everything, especially if you do it for the first time and have little experience in many things. This time is enough to buy cheaper airline tickets, find budget accommodation, and get a visa if you need it.

Saving on flights

It’s great if you can be flexible when planning your departure. Even minor changes in travel dates can save you a substantial amount of money, especially if you buy tickets for the whole family. It’s a good idea to travel in the middle of the week, avoiding weekends. Direct flights are usually more expensive than those that require transfers. Small changes can save hundreds of dollars on each ticket. Also, take time to check the flights and prices on specialized sites. As a rule, they allow you to select dates with the cheapest rates to any place in the world. Once you've secured those savings, consider pre-booking your ground transportation for a hassle-free arrival. For instance, you can easily book Budapest airport taxi services online to ensure a comfortable and stress-free start to your Hungarian adventure.

Traveling off-season

Of course, many destinations are particularly good at certain times of the year, and at the same time, they become extremely expensive. This makes it worth trying to travel to such places shortly before or immediately after the peak of the season when the weather is still enjoyable, but the prices haven’t yet grown or have already dropped and the place is not extremely crowded.

Choosing some unusual place

It’s clear that the most popular tourist destinations are the most expensive. Everyone wants to go there. But if you feel you can’t afford it, choose another place with similar attractions. For example, if you can’t afford to go to Paris, there are lots of cities in Europe that are quite cheap for tourists but have equal charm and appeal. Budapest, Athens, and Prague would become really great options.

The less popular directions are not only much cheaper but are also more convenient for traveling: fewer people, no queues, and more local authentic flavor.

Alternatives to expensive hotels

• Family hotels and mini-hotels
• Hostels
• Guesthouses
• CouchSurfing
• House-sitting
• Work away
• Renting an apartment​

It’s not a secret that prices for accommodation in some famous hotels are not always justified. Moreover, if you plan to spend most of the time out of it, exploring the city, nature, enjoying the beach, etc., why should you pay more for the extra conveniences you hardly use?

When searching for appropriate and affordable holiday rentals you can find many low-cost alternatives to expensive hotels:

Family hotels and mini-hotels. They offer rooms sometimes three times cheaper than large branded hotels. They can be found on Hotels.com and TripAdvisor.

Hostels. These are the economy-class accommodations for tourists.

Guesthouses. They usually look like cheap hotels and offer really good conditions for staying in.

CouchSurfing. This is a very helpful service allowing you to find the local people who are ready to give you a place in their home to sleep.

House-sitting. If you want to use this way to find accommodation, you have to find people who can leave their homes for tourists while they are away, with the condition that you will look after houseplants or animals.

Work away. In this case, you get accommodation and meals in exchange for some help with the house.

Renting an apartment. It can be cheaper than staying in a hotel in many cases, especially if traveling with a family.

Quite a lot of options to choose from, right? As you can see, some of them even offer free accommodation, which is a great option if you want to spend most of your money for some other things, like sightseeing, souvenirs, or good food.

Independent excursions

The excursion packages offered in hotels or by popular tour operators are very expensive. Instead, look for free tours. They are usually organized by enthusiasts who really know and sincerely love the place where they live. Couchsurfing can help you find not only accommodation but also local people who are ready to show the city. Besides, look for online guides to this or that place and you will know what is worth your attention and learn how to get there. This way you won’t have to hire a guide.

Inexpensive food and drinks

Even if you stay in a hotel, you can save on giving up their breakfast. An average hotel breakfast is in most cases much more expensive than a full meal at a local cafe. When dining in restaurants, you should choose a standard menu with a fixed price. In addition, avoid cafes and restaurants in the center of the city or in other popular places with crowds of tourists. Walking away from the center just a little, you will get a chance to eat the same tasty food at prices decreased many times. Besides, the local beer and wine are often cheaper and tastier than the imported ones you find in the hotel minibar.

As you see, there are many ways to get a luxurious travel experience on any kind of budget. It requires only a bit of planning ahead and, sure, some good luck.

Related Article:

• The Best Luxury Travel Destinations
• 6 Luxurious Experiences That Should Be On Your Bucket List