By james art 
Budget travel does no It should be what many of us were privileged to do in our early 20s – stay in a hostel, sneak out for cheap meals, or maybe even sleep in a train station.
You can have a satisfying experience without draining your bank account or compromising safety or quality, say travel experts. You’ll just have to avoid a few common financial mistakes — and let go of the luxury travel images you keep seeing on social media.
“We have champagne dreams and beer budgets,” says Chrissy Wallin of the Single Mom Budget Trail. So let’s “go back to planet Earth and explore it in a way that’s realistic.”
Whether you’re planning a quick weekend getaway or a big trip abroad, this guide will help you check your budget travel assumptions — and potentially save you thousands of dollars.
Mistake #1: Traveling to your dream destination
Do this instead: Go to “Destination Dupe”
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If your dream destination is out of the budget, look for an affordable liner.
For example, if you’re a Francophile but can’t swing the transatlantic trip to Paris, try a shorter flight to Montreal or Quebec City. A June round-trip ticket from New York to Paris averages $1,104, while a summer round-trip ticket from New York to Montreal averages just $409.
Don’t forget to consider the cost of activities and accommodation. If you’re considering a trip to California’s Napa Valley, maybe look to New York’s Finger Lakes region, says travel journalist Britney Oliver. “They’re known for their Rieslings,” she says—and the trip will cost you a fraction of the price.
The Finger Lakes area has many excellent hotel options for well under $100 a night – you won’t find that in Napa. And while the average price of a basic wine tasting is $40 at NAPA, it ranges from about $5 to $12 at Finger Lakes wineries. There’s also great skiing around the Finger Lakes – who needs a trip to the Alps?
Mistake #2: Choosing specific dates for your trip
Do this instead: Be flexible with your travel time
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The journey can be expensive. Even with the US Department of Transportation reducing airline fees in 2024, airfares still jumped 25% during the year.
So be less precious about your travel time and book a trip in the off-season. In 2022, I took my family of three to the Greek island of Santorini, a popular summer destination, in January. Flights were only $500 round trip per person. If we were dead when we hit Dream Summer Weather, the flights would be over $1,000 each.
Also, avoid flying on Sundays and Mondays, which tend to be the most expensive due to weekend travel and business travelers, according to 2024 data. from App Flight App Hopper.
Mistake #3: Assuming vacation rentals are the cheapest
Do this instead: Consider hotels, hostels or a home swap
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Travelers often assume that a vacation rental like Airbnb or VRBO will be more affordable than a hotel, but that’s not always the case. As reported by The Points Guy, AirBnB’s average daily rate in 2023. was 36% higher than it had been just three years before. During the same period, Hilton’s average rates increased by 7.8%.
Beyond vacation rentals and five-star hotels, you have options.
Budget hotels: Some brands, such as Novotel and IBI, offer rooms for even less than $50 a night. Whalin recommends IBIS hotels because they’re cheap, clean, and some even offer microwaves and mini-fridges.
Hostels: While you might think of hostels as crowded college backpacker spots, a little creative research will help you find ones that are anything but.
Wallin, who has been traveling as a single mother with her 16-year-old since she was 10, has stayed in family hostels in Finland, Germany, Norway and Spain. Some of the best family-friendly hostels across Europe include cribs, high chairs and playrooms for the kids. “They’re amazing, clean and safe, and I’ve never regretted it,” she says.
Cat sitting, pets and house swapping. With housesitting, you stay at someone’s home for free while they are in exchange for taking care of pets and plants and the like. With a swap, you swap homes with someone—just like Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz at ROM-Com 2006. The holiday.
Try sites like Trusted Houses, Love Home Swap and Kid & Coe. Membership costs around $100 to $200 and provides access to profile access and browsing around the listings. You then apply to sit or swap somewhere that strikes your fancy, and the homeowners review your application and get in touch if it’s a good fit. It’s a lot like online dating, but for houses and dogs.
Mistake #4: Staying downtown
Do this instead: Trek to the outskirts of town
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Get off the beaten path. In general, food, activities, nightlife and even shopping in the tourist center of the city tend to be more expensive. “Times Square or Hollywood, that’s where you’re going to spend all your money,” Oliver says.
If you’re traveling to New York, for example, take the subway to the end of the 1 line to 231st or 242nd Street, where I grew up in the Bronx. You will find a variety of international cuisine at more affordable prices. While eating an average price for two averages about $145 in Manhattan. It’s more like $65 for the same thing in the Bronx.
If you’re in Paris, take a break from spending money on museum tickets and take the train to St. Ouen. Browsing (and ‘gramming’) its antique markets is a delightful way to spend an afternoon, even if you don’t spend a dime – well, a euro.
Mistake #5: Paying with credit
Do this instead: Pay with points and cash
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Your first instinct may be to use your credit card while traveling to earn points. But it can also set you up for budget failure, leaving you blissfully unaware of how much you’ve spent, says Oliver.
And if you can’t pay off that credit card bill ASAP, you’ll rack up interest charges and fees you definitely don’t want. So be aware of what you tend to spend and delegate a limited cash fund for your most frequent culprits, whether it’s food or souvenirs.
If you’re going to pay for travel with points, use them strategically. Book flights during off-peak times or for longer journeys where points stretch further. Don’t waste points on something that could be cheaper out of pocket; Always compare the cost of money versus flight points, for example, to find your best value per cent per point.
Of course, avoiding these five money mistakes can make a trip to, say, Tokyo look a little different than what you intended.
Remember, “comparison is the thief of joy,” Wallin says. So Maybe you missed the cherry blossoms because you didn’t pay for peak flight prices. Maybe you’re staying in a quiet hostel Several subway stops from bustling Shibuya. And it might actually be your favorite trip ever.
Amelia Edelman is an editor, traveler and content strategist. Previous publications and editorial roles include Travel + free time, BBC Travel, US News and World Report, Parents, Really simple and Better Homes and Gardens.
The digital story was edited by Malacca Gharib. The visual editor is Beck Harlan. We’d love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823 or email us at [email protected].
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