{"id":8021,"date":"2023-10-05T01:50:48","date_gmt":"2023-10-05T01:50:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/how-to-travel-on-a-budget\/"},"modified":"2023-11-03T08:43:48","modified_gmt":"2023-11-03T08:43:48","slug":"how-to-travel-on-a-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=8021","title":{"rendered":"How to Travel on a Budget"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Last Updated<\/strong>: 9\/4\/23 | September 4th, 2023<\/p>\n

Travel has become really expensive. Post-COVID, the entire world seems to be traveling again and prices just keep rising. I am astonished at how high they have gotten. But it\u2019s a product of rising costs and out of control demand. Everyone just wants to travel. We\u2019re all looking for an escape.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, it\u2019s not all bad. Airfare has started to go down again, there are more deal-finding websites online<\/a>, free walking tours in more cities, and more opportunities to bypass the traditional travel infrastructure and connect directly into the local way of life via the sharing economy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As we navigate the post-COVID world of high prices, I want to share some tips and tricks on how to travel on a budget this year!<\/p>\n

1. Change Your Mindset<\/h3>\n

Changing your mindset might not be a traditional budget tip, but it\u2019s important nonetheless. Constantly remind yourself that travel is<\/em> possible while taking concrete steps to make it a reality. Action begets action \u2014 even if it\u2019s just baby steps.<\/p>\n

Start with a \u201cyes, I can\u201d mindset<\/a>. Don\u2019t think \u201cI can\u2019t travel\u201d \u2014 think \u201cWhat\u2019s one thing I can do today to make my trip closer to reality?\u201d<\/p>\n

Life is a mental game. Do one thing every day that gets you closer to your trip and you\u2019ll find yourself building unstoppable momentum.<\/p>\n

2. Come Up with a Savings Plans<\/h3>\n

Unless you\u2019re Bill Gates, we all need to save more money. But how do you do that? While life is expensive, I do believe there are always ways to save a little more. There\u2019s always something you can cut. A little bit of savings adds up a lot over time.<\/p>\n

First, start by tracking your spending. Write down everything you spend money on for a month. Groceries, rent, eating out, Netflix \u2014 everything. You can\u2019t figure out where to save if you don\u2019t know where your money is going.<\/p>\n

Next, start a savings account specifically for travel. That way, you\u2019ll have a dedicated space for your travel fund and you can watch it grow. That progress will keep you motivated. Even if it\u2019s just a few dollars a week, every penny counts. The more you save, the more you want to save.<\/p>\n

Finally, start cutting. Maybe it\u2019s going to Starbucks, maybe it\u2019s saving on gas by carpooling to work or cutting back on eating out. We all have things we can cut. Find yours.<\/p>\n

Here are some posts on how to save money:<\/p>\n

3. Score a Flight Deal<\/h3>\n

One of the things that people always tell me holds them back from traveling more is the cost of flights. But, let me tell you, there\u2019s a lot of deals right now.<\/p>\n

All the airlines are trying to fill planes and are offering a lot of deals for summer and fall travel right now. After all, they need to make up for a lost year and are desperate to get people on planes.<\/p>\n

The key to finding a cheap flight is to be flexible with your dates and your destination. If you have your heart set on \u201cParis in June\u201d you\u2019ll be forced to pay whatever the flight costs. But, if you open that up to \u201cFrance in the summer\u201d \u2014 or even \u201cEurope in the summer\u201d you\u2019ll be able to find much cheaper flights since you\u2019ll have a lot more wiggle room to test dates and destinations.<\/p>\n

I like to use Google Flights<\/a> and Skyscanner<\/a> to browse my options. I type in my home city and then pick \u201ceverywhere\u201d as my destination. I then base my plans around where I can fly to for the least amount of money.<\/p>\n

Both websites also let you sign up for price alerts so you\u2019ll get an email if the price for your ideal trip happens to drop.<\/p>\n

And if you really want to find amazing flight deals, consider joining a flight deal site like Going<\/a>. It\u2019s the best website for finding flight deals from the US and has saved me a fortune over the years. It\u2019s not free, but new users can get 20% off a Premium membership with the code NOMADICMATT20<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Other helpful flight deal sites are:<\/p>\n