My husband and I both love to travel. In fact, one of our favorite things to do on the weekend is to drive around to random areas near where we live and explore. One of these trips included our very random trip to Scranton by way of Wilkes-Barre in Pennsylvania.
I recently spoke about how to save money while planning a trip, but what if you cannot afford to travel? What if traveling is not so much saving money while planning for it, but having enough money to go on a trip, period?
The truth is, while my husband and I love traveling, we are far from rich and are often limited by our finances. However, we’ve been learning how to appease our love for traveling without spending a lot of money that we honestly do not have.
So how do you travel on a budget? How do you satisfy the travel bug in you without necessarily spending thousands and thousands of dollars? I have some tips for you that have worked for us in allowing us to travel more, even though we’re on a strict budget.
[bctt tweet=”Tips for Traveling on a Budget” username=”chickenandbliss”]
TRAVEL DOMESTICALLY:
Now, this may not seem as fun as jetting off to the Maldives and having Instagram stories and a tan to show for it. However, we’ve really loved getting the opportunity to travel to areas that we didn’t even know existed almost right in our backyard.
For example, before my husband mentioned it, I never considered going to Annapolis. I didn’t understand why going to the capitol of Maryland would be fun let alone worth going for our honeymoon. Needless to say, I relented and I am glad I did because we seriously had so much fun.
You would be surprised how many exciting things you can do and places you can go that are right in the United States. Not only is it fun to explore different cities, but it’s way cheaper than traveling to Italy. If you’re looking for a way to travel while on a budget, traveling domestically is definitely the way to go.
PLAN DAY TRIPS
Before we got married, my husband and I would go on day trips often. We didn’t want to stay in a hotel together due to our personal convictions, so we often opted to visit places such as Harrisburg and Wildwood, NJ – places we could easily go to for a day and then come back in enough time for service the next morning.
Since being married, my husband and I still do this because we find it’s an inexpensive way of still seeing new things and exploring, without the hassle of renting a hotel or booking a flight. It also gives us an excuse to explore other cities nearby where we live and learn more about the history of the area.
[bctt tweet=”Consider planning day trips and traveling domestically!” username=”chickenandbliss”]
PLAN A STAY-CATION:
Want to get away, but don’t quite have the budget for it? One of the most underrated trips is ones that you can take right in your own city! Rent a hotel and explore places in your area that you’ve never seen before.
For example, I’ve lived in Philadelphia pretty much my entire life, so the desire to visit historical sites around the city wasn’t really there for me. Why would I spend money to see Independence Hall, when I’ve heard the history surrounding it for years? However, for me I’ve learned that knowing the history of my city is one thing, but actually getting to see the different artifacts and experience the different festivals is another. Besides, for every cheesesteak I’ve eaten and every water ice I’ve had, there’s something I haven’t seen and a place I could still explore.
PLAN AHEAD:
This is probably self-explanatory, but when planning a trip it is important that you plan ahead of time. This has been a huge money saver for us because while spontaneous trips are fun, if it’s not within your budget at the time, it can feel more like a burden than an enjoyable trip. For example, my husband and I randomly decided to visit Allentown last month and although it was fun getting to see some of the sites, most of the museums were closed and we couldn’t really afford to go out to dinner there that night. We did get to go to the fish hatchery near there, but that’s about it.
However, if we planned ahead of time, we could’ve budgeted it and even planned some sort of itinerary so that we could enjoy some of the museums during that time. We could’ve saved ourselves some gas by just putting in a bit more forethought into our spontaneous trip.
Planning ahead of time gives you the opportunity to budget it, so that you know you can afford to enjoy yourself while there. It’s a win-win when you think about it.
CONSIDER GOING ON A ROAD TRIP:
While you will spend some money on gas, depending on where you’re traveling in the US, it might actually be cheaper to just drive than it is to go on a plane. Granted you’d get there faster on a plane, but part of the experience of a road trip is the long drives to your destination. Create your own Spotify playlist, bring your favorite snacks, and enjoy the drive!
PACK YOUR OWN FOOD:
If you plan on doing a road trip across the country, I would highly recommend that you pack your own food in a cooler for the drive. My parents would always do this when we traveled growing up and although I would complain about it because I preferred fast food over turkey sandwiches, my parents were very smart in doing this. Not only did it save money, but it eliminated the temptation to buy whatever was on the road because we were hungry.
Those are my tips for traveling on a budget. What are some of yours?
