Traveling on a Budget

This goes without saying, but budget, budget BUDGET!

Find out how much you can spend
 In my last post I talked briefly about budgeting. Realistically, you should always have a budget. By doing so you won't live pay check to pay check. You can plan for emergencies, a night out and of course vacations. I would classify the above as the pre- budget, the kind of budget you must put into action to allow for your travel budget to take place.

Make a List
First things first on your list - is a list
Make a list of where you want to travel to. Put into focus these key aspects.

- What you want to do

- Where you want to stay

- What you are going to eat

- When you want to go

- How much you can afford

All these things are crucial in planning and budgeting your trip. After all when you think about it, you can't go away without planning!

What do you want to do?
While on your trip, there are tons of fun things to do. You can do the typical tourist activities, without doing the typical tourist thing. What does that mean exactly? You don't need a travel guide. Go online, ask around, or look in books. There are many ways to experience what you want to see without seeing a travel guide. I will admit that there is the odd time a travel guide will be your best option, however in most situations that is not the case.
In my experience, a tour guide will give you facts while your a visiting sights. Unless you want to know about every specific detail about where you are visiting - its not worth it. You are very limited when on a tour as well. You don't choose where you go - they do. By visiting on your own or in a group of friends/family. You get to experience all aspects of what Y O U would like to see. The moral of it all is find what you want to see and do and do it with who you want to do it with.

Pack/buy/bring meals/food
Pack fruits and veggies or sandwiches. In my experience food doesn't always last as long when it is fresh. So don't go out of your way to purchase large quantities.
Find grocery stores that have memberships and sign up for those. You will be surprised at the great deals you can find on fresh produce. My personal favourite is Save On. Their fresh sandwiches are on the relatively cheap side, and you also get points when you spend. Those points go toward more savings.


Find cheap flights
Some of my favourite cheap flight websites such are

Flight Network
Priceline
WestJet ( You get points which go toward your next flight)
Apps that work great for finding cheap flights such as Hopper


Traveling Where You know someone
Travel to places were an old friend, or even new friend lives. Perhaps its time you see that person you haven't seen in a while. In most cases, you will have a place to stay

Find Times to travel that are not peak times
Don't travel at high peak times when everyone else is too. Find times that work best for your budget. You can still do all the things you want to do, just at a different time of year. Hopper is a great app for that as it informs you of when the best times to travel are!

Cheap hotels / b&b / Hostels
Go online and find sites that will help you with finding a hotel at a reasonable cost - and CLEAN! ( Again Priceline and Flight Network are great sites for hotels too)
B&B's and Hostels are my absolute favourite... especially hostels. Great way to meet new people and experience a side of traveling you wouldn't have imagined.


***Disclaimer; I am in no way paid or sponsored by the sites above. These are based on personal experiences that I like to share with those who wish to listen.***