traveling on a budget

March 28, 2018

You are seeing this correctly, two travel posts in a row! I wanted to be sure I’m writing and responding to requested posts before the “busy season” with photography happens.

One of the questions or comments we get a lot is that traveling is too expensive. While that is true and trust me—we totally live on a tight budget, there are ways to travel without spending your life savings.

  1. 1. Flights. We are American Express Delta sky miles members, so we do get miles when we use our credit card or travel with Delta [if that’s something you’re interested in, send me an email and we can chat more, plus I may have a referral code for you :)]. If credit cards aren’t your thing which I completely understand, I suggest being super flexible about your flight needs. Check different days of the week, different airports and all kinds of different airlines. My only caution on the “cheaper airlines” is to triple check the added costs and the layovers. It may seem to be too good of a price and that’s because they’ll charge you ridiculous amounts for checking bags, picking seats and sometimes even food and drinks. Also, some of those airlines can have upwards of three layovers!

    2. Accommodation. We always look at both options [Airbnb vs. hotels] when taking a trip. Sometimes a hotel is having a great deal because they want to fill the rooms, or it’s off season and the prices are very reasonable. You can sign up to get email alerts when the hotel chains you like are having deals. You can also sign up for hotel point systems free of charge so that if you do happen to stay there, you get points for your next stay. Why not, right?! Airbnbs are a great option as well. It does take a little searching and researching to make sure it’s a legitimate place. We make sure to check the reviews and see how well the host communicates with us. If you get a bad vibe, trust your gut and move on.

    3. Eating. I don’t know about you, but we like to eat. Traveling normally means a lot of good food! If you’re trying to save here, there are a couple ways to do that. Many times, we will get takeaway breakfast or lunch, it’s much less expensive, and we get to eat wherever, meaning we can take in it’s sights. There are lots of blogs or websites out there that list all the good hole-in-the-wall eateries that won’t be over priced in a big city. That’s my next piece of advice: try not to eat at a restaurant in the middle of a touristy spot. Go off the beaten path to find where the locals are eating.

    4. Transportation: We are big fans of public transportation! If you’re in a city that has a good public transport system, take advantage of it! It’ll save a lot if you don’t have to pay for a cab, or rent a car. If you don’t feel comfortable, or need other alternatives, try to avoid taxis. In most cities they are very expensive. We have found that Uber is a less expensive option.

    5. Activities. Spend some time doing research on what sights you want to see. Make a list and then go to the websites if possible. A lot of times, different museums or attractions have deals, coupons or even days where it’s free entry. Many museums in Europe are free as well. By knowing which ones are free, or offer deals on certain days, it’ll allow you to pick the ones you want to pay full price for.

Those are some of my basic tips for budget traveling 🙂 I’d love to hear from you if you have other questions! I’ve also linked below some of my travel must haves in case you’re interested!

 

 

 

comments +

  1. Kerry says:

    Really great information and great for people who don’t know where to start when they travel.

  2. Heather says:

    Awesome tips! Will definitely be incorporating these into my future travels!

  3. Gabrielle says:

    Yay! Love these tips so much!

  4. Amanda Canton says:

    Ooh just what I needed! I need a vacay <3

  5. Hope says:

    Great info! We love to travel, and the point about takeaway breakfast is a great one. Usually we do the same, and if we stay at an Airbnb with a fridge, we might even go to a local market and stock it there 🙂

    • kkelliephoto@yahoo.com says:

      Yes for sure! We do that too if we stay at an Airbnb. Always a great tip to scope out the local markets 🙂 Thanks for reading along!

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@katelynkellie

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