18 unique ways to travel on a budget

This might be extreme for some people but you can CAMP! How much does it cost to find a phenomenal spot in the woods and set up a tent, sleeping bag or hammock?
There are of course designated camping spots but the ultimate choice is up to you
Camping to me has to be one of the largest budget travel tips I can recommend!

Hostels are cheap hotels. The room that you’ll be in will likely have multiple people, usually at least 4.
Hostels are great, though I must tell you. You should be on the defense if you decide to leave your shampoo in the bathroom. I may decide to use it.

Who doesn’t love a cheap hotel? These come in handy when you don’t want to deal with a hostel and want to have your own room temporarily.

I think you should always do this actually. The local cousine is a memory best served locally. Meet people around the city and find a beautiful local restaurant to dine in.

The first time I used public transportation outside my home country I was quite startled with the stereotype of pick pocketing but I assure it goes away with time. As long as you don’t get pick pocketed of course. Always be aware of where your valuables are.

Who knows where all the cheap things are? The locals! They can assist you with nearly everything when it comes to cheapness. Just try to avoid asking the people that look like CEOs of course, since they may… Do the opposite.
If you want to find some efficient traveling gear, check this out.

Taxi’s have the large stereotype of being VERY expensive. So expensive that the price may not even be real. By that I mean when they see that you’re a tourist… The price may all of a sudden change. This doesn’t ALWAYS happen… But I assure you that it does happen. I’ve had numerous taxi drivers deliver me a wicked bill for a few minutes of driving.

If you want to try for even more cheap prices you can look for over night flights
Of course Fridays and Sunday’s are usually the most expensive days of the week to fly out on.

This one certainly won’t be for everyone but it definitely works.
You work, usually by farming (overall agriculture) or with animals in exchange for a free (relatively) place to stay.
I’ve done this a few times and it can range from great to dreadful…

This one may seem extreme but I assure you it’s so much fun
Okay sure the stereotype of hitchhiking isn’t very wonderful, yes it can be dangerous.
I’ve hitchhiked thousands of times all over the world and can tell you I’ve only had a few occasions where I ran into difficult situations. Most of the time hitchhiking has lead me into some of the best memories of my life.
My personal favorite thing about hitchhiking is meeting locals

If you love animals or the overall thought of taking care of someones house in a foreign land this would probably suit your needs.
You can use this website to find a way of taking care of someones house in exchange for a free place to stay.
All-in-all this would definitely save you some money for your budget travel life

This can be a difficult one. If you really form a nice profile and are able to arrange a few people to let you stay with them. Then garner some good reviews your off to the races and will probably be able to effectively use this website
Though it can be difficult at first and the website seems even more difficult to use after COVID began. With the addition of the obvious
Not needing to spend money on somehwere to stay can totally help when it comes to budget travel. Remember to be courteous to people who are helping you though. Help them with something or buy them a meal in exchange.

This is a favorite of mine. I love gathering a bunch of friends, hitting the grocery store and seeing what local foods we can make ourselves.
There’s a lot to gain and a lot to learn with this method. Good luck! 🙂
Of course don’t forget, if you don’t have cooking supplies available, don’t bring food that you need to cook! I myself have done this on more than one occasion…

This is probably my least favorite on the list.
You can use and abuse your credit card points along with milage to cheapify your traveling expenses.

This can be a fun one and exceed the world of budget travel.
You could work as a bartender
a language teacher
work with tour guides and utilize your language to translate.
You can work at hostels in exchange for free stay, just try to make sure you’re applying to the expensive hostels ;).
You could try to work on a cruise ship.
A favorite of mine which I’ve done is busking. This is when you play music on the streets for tips.
If you have qualifications as a nurse, you can get a job as a nurse in many areas.
You could work as a waiter
Figure out what you have experience in and try to find a relative field in the area. Try to capitalize on the fact that you have experience in the field and try to apply in person to places.

If you’re going to be in a place for a while, you might as well get a local SIM card if you can. Even if your phone cannot go through the local SIM process, you could buy a throwaway phone in order for this to work.
This would make it very easy keep up communication with local friends.
More info

Especially when it comes to airports, avoid ATMs in airports at all costs
Try to minimize the use of ATMs because the fees will eat you up like a poker rake on steroids.
In the long run this will be incredibly helpful for budget travel.

The center of each city usually encompases the most expensive places.
Each step outside of the center things usually get cheaper and cheaper
Best of all, you meet more and more locals the further out of the center you go!
Shopping inside the center of a city can destroy the concept of budget travel in one quick swoop if you’re not careful.
For example in NY, everything is expensive right? Well ONE street out of the center and you can find delicious pizza for $1 a slice!

Here is a complimentary video of me budget traveling Hawaii (at least for a brief period of time)