25+ Cheapest Ways To Travel | Travel More & Spend Less

We all know that traveling can be expensive. But knowing the cheapest way to travel can help you save a great deal of money. Traveling around the world with little or no money sounds like a distant dream, but it is possible, and you can do it responsibly without breaking the bank.

It is being said that there are some expenses that you shouldn’t compromise on (e.g. travel insurance), but there are tons of ways to travel cheaply around the world, and there are ways you actually can travel for free.

Why don’t people travel?
Can I travel cheap?
What is the cheapest way to travel?
Conclusion
Editor’s Recommendations

Why don’t people travel?

One of the most common excuses for not traveling is that you don’t have enough money. While traveling the world can be an expensive pastime, creative travelers can find many inexpensive ways to see the world.

If you’re on a budget and want to satisfy your wanderlust, rethink your travel style. Just because one type of trip is cheaper than you are used to, it doesn’t mean you are having a subpar experience – you are just having a different experience.

Can I travel cheap?

Cheap travel is all about using helpful apps and websites that will save you money, find ways to cut your expenses, and even make money while you travel.

It’s about finding value and cutting your expenses while still being able to afford to do what you want.

When you travel for free, you can take advantage of free accommodation, transportation, and activities that are already there and cut your costs to zero. Here you are sacrificing comfort and convenience in order to extend your travels for as long as possible.

Travel doesn’t have to be expensive. With the right budget and attitude, you can make your travel dreams a reality. Even if you don’t earn a lot or are in debt, there are still plenty of options for going overseas.

What is the cheapest way to travel?

Getting a job overseas, using student discount cards, and skipping destinations with expensive visas are some of the proven cheapest ways to travel and achieve your desire to see the world while maintaining with little or no money.

Some of these ways to travel cheap works more effectively if your travel destination supports your budget.

This signifies that these cheapest ways to travel are only possible if you are going to certain places. Let us look at the various cheapest ways to travel;

Skip destinations with expensive visas
Travel in the off season
Get a job overseas
Teach English Overseas
Do WWOOFing and work on a farm
Use the sharing economy
Cook your own meals
Get rail passes
Sleep in large dormitories
Use Student and Other Discount Cards
Get City Tourist Cards
Sell your services
Use Travel hack and free flights
Take night trains to save money on accommodation
Make Google your best friend
Find out the prices of everything beforehand to avoid fraud
Be ready to feel uncomfortable
Take Advantage of Work Travel
Stick to one region at a time
Go where your currency is strong
Factor in budget for pre-travel expenses
Try to book the accommodation in person
Use the service app
Visit Friends
Swap houses
Avoid roaming charges with a T-Mobile tariff

Skip destinations with expensive visas

The first is the first: you have to decide where you want to go. Americans are fortunate that our passport allows us to visit so many countries around the world with little hassle, but there are others that charge a hefty fee just to get a tourist visa, like Russia and Nigeria.

Travel in the off season

While off-season deals offer cheap rates for travel destinations once the weather turns favorable, those brave enough to tread the less-traveled route of off-season travel can expect to endure less desirable weather at deliciously low prices.

In many travel destinations (like Ireland and Greece), some attractions, restaurants, and even hotels close during the off-season – but that doesn’t mean you can’t plan a great vacation during this time of year.

Plan ahead to make the most of your off-season getaway. Buy a good guidebook and check the website of each place you want to visit ahead of time to make sure it is open.

Dress appropriately, especially when dealing with freezing temperatures. And focus on the positives. Paris may be cold in November, but you don’t have to wait forever to visit the Eiffel Tower.

Get a job overseas

Not making enough money doing your job? Why not get a job abroad? There are many options in the world as long as you aren’t picky – and after all, this is not a career you’re just starting out, just a way to make money traveling.

Working abroad is often discounted as an option because it seems difficult. It is not. Just be open. These jobs don’t require advanced degrees or a lot of work experience.

Teach English Overseas

One of the best ways to make money traveling is to teach English overseas. You can make a lot of money teaching. All you need is the ability to be fluent in English and possibly a TEFL degree, depending on the country you are working in.

The world longs for teachers, and this is a very sought-after job. Many companies in Asia even pay for your overflight.

In addition, there are many websites and services that you can use to teach virtually. As long as you have a great Wi-Fi connection, you can help people learn English from anywhere in the world!

Do WWOOF-ing and work on a farm

WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. It is a platform where you can work on a farm for free aboard.

You have to pay to get to the farm, but once you get there, everything else is covered. It will definitely help you travel cheaply, have a unique experience, and meet a lot of cool people.

Use the sharing economy to find cheaper accommodations, fancy guides, ridesharing, and home-cooked meals with local chefs.

You can bypass the traditional travel industry by sharing economy websites and accessing local people with their own resources and skills to become a small tourism business with cheaper prices.

In addition, the locals know where to find offers. They know which supermarket is the cheapest, which stores have the best sales, and where to find the restaurants and bars with the tastiest food at the lowest prices.

Talking to them directly gives you access to that knowledge.

Cook your own meals

The best way to save money on the go is to cook all of your own meals. If you do couch surfing, your host will likely have a kitchen, as will many hostels, campsites, and guest houses.

Just because you’re traveling doesn’t mean you have to eat out every meal. You won’t ruin your trip to Paris if you don’t eat out one day. There is simply no reason to spend a lot of money on food on your trip.

Get rail passes

Rail passes (like Eurail) are a great way to save money when it comes to training travel. If you’ve been touring the region for a while, rail passes are likely to be one of the cheapest ways to travel, a lot cheaper than just booking individual trips.

If you book individual trips, you can usually save around 50% of the cost of a train ticket by booking early. However, this will set you on a fixed timeline.

If you don’t want to be tied to a tight schedule, rail passes can save you a lot of money while still getting the flexibility you need.

Sleep in large dormitories

Large dorm rooms are the cheapest paid accommodation out there. If couch surfing isn’t your thing, this is the next best way to save money on a sleeping place.

The bigger the dorm, the cheaper it will be. While a 4 to 6-bed dorm will give you more privacy, a 12 to 18-bed dorm is a bit cheaper.

In the long run, this will add up. As long as you have earplugs, opt for the larger door to keep your budget going.

Use Student and Other Discount Cards

Are you a student, teacher, or under 26? Welcome to the world of 50% discount attractions and a wide variety of discounts. Get a student/teacher/youth card and save a lot.

Even if you’ve recently graduated, you can probably get by with your expired ID (as long as it doesn’t have an expiration date). Always ask if there are any student or youth discounts available, as this is an easy way to save big money while traveling.

Get City Tourist Cards

If you are planning to see a lot of attractions in a city, get a city tourism card. These offer you discounted and/or free access to the most important sights and museums as well as free public transport.

It is an amazing way to save money on attractions that not enough people are using. Just go to the local tourist office to find out what maps are available. They can help you answer all of your questions and make sure you save as much money as possible.

Sell your services

Do you need cash? Use Craigslist, TaskRabbit, Upwork, or Gumtree to find people who have a few things to do around the house and get paid to help them out. This way, you can make money while traveling without committing to a long-term job.

If you have a skill, sell it additionally. Offer haircuts to fellow travelers, make money and offer online services such as editing or advice. The sky is the limit here! You can also help people learn their native language through apps like Duolingo.

Use Travel hack and free flights

There are so many ways to earn free flights these days. Sign up for a few travel credit cards, earn miles, and then fly for free.

If you sign up for both an airline card (e.g., a United airlines card) and a general rewards card such as the Chase Sapphire or AMEX card, you can combine the two-point credits and get a cheaper one faster Flight received.

By earning points and miles through credit card rewards, smart everyday spending, online surveys, bonuses, and other methods, you can earn tons of miles before you even leave for your trip.

You can go much further in the world when you take away the cost of flights and some accommodations.

Take night trains to save money on accommodation

Do you travel from one destination to another or over long distances within a country? Consider taking the night train instead of staying overnight.

You save money and have more time to explore the next day in one fell swoop.

Make Google your best friend

Gone are the days when buying guides prior to a trip was a requirement for local survival. There are tons of free blogs (uh, you’re reading one right now) that offer incredible tips on destinations around the world.

So, skip the bookstore and stick to your free tips and travel advice.

Find out the prices of everything beforehand to avoid fraud

How often do you hear stories about people who showed up at their destination unprepared and were instantly betrayed by a taxi driver? It happens every minute, 24 hours a day.

Remember, knowledge is power. Talk to friends who have been before you or do your research online to find out how much taxis should cost from the airport, so you don’t get overpaid.

Be ready to feel uncomfortable

Flying business class is the dream of everyone, but if you want to fly cheaply, you have to be okay with feeling uncomfortable. The cheap seats and inconvenient flight times, such as early departures or red eyes, are often best when you want to save a lot of money.

Take Advantage of Work Travel

If you’re flying anywhere on your company’s penny, make sure that each of these flights is booked in the system with your frequent flyer number. That way, you’ll earn points to fly freely while your company does all the heavy lifting.

It is even better to extend a work trip by a few days so that you can incorporate your own travel experience into a trip that has already been booked by your employer.

Stick to one region at a time

When planning long-term travel, choosing destinations that are close to each other or in the same region can significantly reduce your transportation costs between locations.

It can be tempting to hop continents when you’re finally free but think about how you can better use that money to get incredible local experiences instead of blowing it all up on air travel.

Go where your currency is strong

Getting more bang for your buck while traveling (literally) is one of the easiest ways to cut daily expenses in your country of choice. So, choose wisely.

Choose your destination based on where your dollar (or your local currency) goes farthest during the time you plan to travel.

The exchange rates obviously fluctuate constantly due to the economy. So do your research while you decide where you want to go. Historically, destinations like Southeast Asia, India, Central America, and Eastern Europe for Americans have had better exchange rates for travelers.

Factor in budget for pre-travel expenses

Sometimes getting to a specific destination is cheap, but then we realize how much equipment we need for the actual activities once we get there.

Make sure you budget this ahead of time, so you don’t get stuck preparing and spending a fortune on gear closer to departure. Tropical travel is always a great way to go, as you don’t have to pack a lot.

Try to book the accommodation in person

In some destinations, you may find it beneficial to buy and book accommodation in person rather than online (not to mention some locations in more remote locations may not necessarily be available online).

Use the FlightView app

FlightView is an app that automatically detects flight delays and hotel price drops based on your inbox reservations and offers you lower prices or refunds so you don’t have to bother. This app is a must for frequent travelers.

Visit Friends

Do you have a friend in another country or someone you know who is studying abroad? Take advantage of the free accommodation and local tour guide by visiting. It can be one of the cheapest way to travel.

Swap houses

If you don’t have friends who live in other countries or in desirable destinations to visit, some of your friends may be.

Make a call on Facebook to say you’re doing a home exchange and want to see if anyone knows an interested party. You might be surprised where you end up.

Avoid roaming charges with a T-Mobile tariff

If you travel frequently between the US and international destinations, switching to a T-Mobile plan can save you a ton of money on data usage and roaming charges abroad

Conclusion

With a little advance planning, flexibility, and the right mindset, nothing can stop you from traveling cheaply, as you have been armed with the cheapest ways to travel.

Cheap travel is as good for your soul as it is for your wallet. It puts the joy of discovering a new place over the desire for a “luxury experience”.