How to Save Money While Traveling Abroad
Traveling is an important part of my life. My parents instilled in me the love of the open road and the desire to see new places at an early age. It enables me to learn more about other people and cultures, explore international foods, and see new landscapes while gaining a little more education of the world each time. Through the years, I have learned how to take trips on a budget since I don’t have a ton of of expendable resources. I have made it a priority of mine to figure out how to travel abroad for a fraction of the price and I am passing along a few of my tricks to help you realize your dream of traveling to far off places, too!
1. Dispel the myth that you can't afford it
When we travel abroad, I get a lot of comments about how expensive it must be or that they could never afford to do that.
But traveling abroad doesn’t have to break the bank. There are MANY ways to save money on international trips, and I’ve learned a lot of tricks throughout the years on how to do so economically because we have to travel on a budget, too.
The truth is, I can find cheaper flights to Europe than to the Caribbean almost 100% of the time. Many times, I find cheaper flights to Central and South America than it would be to fly the West Coast. So if you travel domestically by plane, traveling abroad IS within your reach!
2. Go off season
This is my #1 mantra for budget traveling ~ Go off season!! I cannot emphasize that enough.
Yes, I know, everyone wants to go to the Mediterranean during summer, but so does all of Europe and the rest of the world. I’d compare it to Spring Break in Florida. Many Europeans still close up shop for the entire month of August to go south on holiday. This makes everything stupid expensive, from airfare to lodging to transportation. You can definitely still travel during peak seasons, but just expect to pay a premium on most things.
My favorite times to travel in the Northern Hemisphere are January – March and October – November because I get the best airline deals, while avoiding the crowds. When I traveled to Ireland and England the first time, I went in January. Not usually the month you would consider going to the either of these places, but it’s much more temperate than Canadian cities at the same latitude. There are even palm trees in Ireland, so a little sweater weather in Dublin for super cheap tickets never hurt anyone.
The same goes for the Southern Hemisphere. Since they are opposite of us on seasons, taking a trip to South Africa or South America in May through August during their winter months can yield the save money saving results.
Just be sure to check the average temperatures of that region for when you plan to travel to avoid getting stuck in a blizzard in the Andes or end up spending your whole trip somewhere that is five degrees Fahrenheit the entire time.
3. Fly out of larger hubs
Our nearest airport is Indianapolis. While the international flights are growing, it can still be a lot pricier to start our trip from there. Chicago O’Hare is a much bigger international hub and is only a three hour drive for us, so I always search trips originating both in Indy and Chicago to compare. Usually I can save at least a couple of hundred dollars per ticket flying out of Chicago.
The things to consider are how much daily offsite parking will be, your time (and gas) getting to another airport, and if you will have any additional hotel costs. Those things can add up and not worth the effort to save $50-$100. We choose flights which allow us to drive to and from the airport the same days that we leave and return, eliminating the need to spend money on a hotel. When traveling as a family of five, flying out of a larger hub like Chicago is usually a net savings of $1,000 or more.
Long term parking tip ~ No matter out of which airport you fly, be sure make a reservation with an offsite parking company that will shuttle you to and from the airport. It is a lot cheaper per diem parking than at the airport and it guarantees you a spot. We drove to Chicago once without a reservation and all of the airport lots were full. It took us about an hour for a spot to open up. We completely lucked out but, in reality, we could have missed our flight. Lesson learned 😊
4. Be willing to fly on weekdays and be flexible
Weekends are generally more expensive days to fly because that is when most people want to start or end their vacations. I find the best rates are on the earlier days in the week like Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Sometimes I do find a Saturday or Sunday flight that is the same price, but that is more the exception than the rule. The longer the trip, the cheaper the ticket many times, too. Around the 10-day mark, flights tend to get a little cheaper for staying longer.
I use several different apps to search flights, though Expedia is my favorite because all of the taxes and fees are included in the price they quote. Some apps don’t include these, so you’re not really seeing the true price of the flight.
Toby thinks I have a problem because I search flights weekly, if not daily, like a hobby. It is useful though because I plug in all sorts of destinations on varying dates to see when the cheapest times to fly are and also what the average price is to each place. By doing this, I know that when I find a $350 round trip flight from Chicago to Dublin or from Indy to Paris that I should act on it because it is a steal.
I always book my airfare first and then plan the rest of the trip around that. Flights are usually the most expensive thing to purchase and they determine the dates for the rest of the trip. Being flexible has allowed us to travel internationally a decent amount over the last few years because we can act on those great deals that we find and are not stuck to certain dates. Some apps even give you the option of checking a box that your dates are flexible and will give you a price comparison of flights a few days before and after the date you have chosen.
5. Stay in an Airbnb or a Hostel
Hotels can get super expensive, especially in tourist areas. I have much better luck renting apartments or houses from Airbnb or VRB0. It’s a no-brainer when we travel with our family since there is no way we could afford to all stay in a hotel. Instead we rent an entire home where we can all be together for a fraction of the cost.
The other nice thing about renting a house is that we have a full kitchen. Eating out with a big group can get very costly. While we do love dining out on our trips, we supplement this by going to the local market and cooking some meals at our home for the week. This saves us a decent amount of money when we travel with our whole family.
If you are traveling without young kids, a hostel can be a great, economical choice. Most people hear the word hostel and immediately think twenty-something backpackers, but hostels host travelers of all ages. The median age is actually skewing much older these days as retirees and families are choosing hostel stays because they are so economical ~ $20-$40 per night is average.
Hostels generally have shared bathrooms for each floor which can be a drawback, but it’s not a huge inconvenience for the savings. If that’s a deal breaker for you, there are some hostels where you get your own private bathroom, too, though these aren’t as common.
There are a variety of hostel room set-ups from a room full of bunk beds to private rooms with 2-4 beds, so it is possible to have a separate room for a couple or a small family.
Just make sure to do your research and read reviews on each place. I’ve had great hostel experiences with very nice, clean rooms where there is coffee available and other amenities, but I also know there are some not so great ones (same with hotels and Airbnb). It’s always important to research where you stay and trust what the majority of the recent reviews say. Hostels have come a long way and you might be surprised to find that some don’t feel much different than staying in a hotel.
6. Try a Multi-city flight
Five to ten years ago, flying into one airport and then flying home from a different airport would have been much costlier than a traditional round trip flight. It wasn’t something that airlines encouraged, hence the significant up charge. At some point that changed and now a multi-city flight can be the same or even cheaper (if you search regularly and keep an eye on airfare prices).
The other reason that I like multi-city flights is that it allows us to roam farther without the extra cost and time of getting back to our original airport. Last Spring, we had a trip booked to Denmark and Germany before having to cancel it because of the pandemic. Our flight was Chicago to Copenhagen and our flight home was Munich to Chicago. We planned it this way to give us more time to explore Germany without having to rush back (and pay extra train fare) to our originating city of Copenhagen, more than 12 hours away. The tickets I found were cheaper in this case and the trip was designed to create a more relaxing schedule with our then 5 year old, while saving transportation costs.
It can also be cost saving by cutting your trip down a day or two by not having to pay the lodging, food, and other traveling costs associated with getting back to the original airport.
7. Get a credit card that rewards you with airline miles.
Let your money work for you by getting a credit card that gives you airline miles for every dollar you spend. There are many out there, so you can research and pick the one that works for you (and flies to the places that you want to go). Most have a sign up bonus where they give you, for example, 10,000 miles when you are approved.
My parents usually fly free using the miles that they earn on a domestic airline. We have a card that gives us two airline miles for every dollar we spend, which is one of the best that I’ve seen. We can use it on any airline’s flights, hotel or rental car companies. The important thing is to pay off the balance monthly to avoid interest charges, which can cancel out the cost saving benefits.
Many of these cards also have no international fees. This is very important when using a debit or credit card in other countries, as those fees can be significant and can rack up quickly. Always make sure you are using cards that do not charge international fees.
8. Stay in smaller towns or outside of the city center
If you do want to travel during peak season, try to find smaller towns that are close to your desired destination. This will save you a lot of money on lodging. Many rail systems make stops in smaller towns, so it is easy to get to the bigger cities via train.
If you are renting a car, finding a country house usually gets you the most bang for your buck. Then you are able to drive into the towns to experience local life as you wish without paying city center prices. It is easier to find a place with a pool too the further out of a city you are able to venture, which is great for a trip with kids.
Staying in a neighborhood outside of the center in bigger cities like Paris and London will be less congested, cheaper, and give you more of a chance to see true local life. Taking a bus or metro into the center is convenient and cheap. Just be sure to pick lodging that is near a station.
9. Use regional airlines
If you are thinking of a trip to Greece, it might be a little bit of sticker shock once you see the airfare to get there. Anywhere further East into Europe is going to be more costly from the US, as well as flying into smaller cities.
The trick? Flying into larger hubs and taking a local flight the rest of the way. I love using Ryan Air in Europe. They are based out of Dublin and have daily flights going all over Europe. The other nice thing is that flights to Dublin are much cheaper generally than other European cities because it is the most western hub. The main thing to remember on these budget airlines is that you only get a small carry-on without getting charged extra, so traveling light is essential.
So, say you want to go to Southern Spain on a budget. Get cheaper tickets to Dublin or Paris, then take a Ryan Air, Easy Jet or other local flight the rest of the way. Tickets are usually under $100 and can save hundreds of dollars.
A few years back, we took a trip with our kids to England. We wanted to also go to Seville, Spain and then to Paris before returning to London. I got one way tickets from London to Seville, then Seville to Paris, and Paris back to London for less than $100 per person for ALL three flights total.
Disclaimer: Now that the world is reopening to tourists, many flights and places to stay are highly inflated due to demand. Give it a little while and prices should start going down and getting back to normal, hopefully 🤞🏻
10. Compare, compare, compare
If you really want to save money on a trip and travel on the cheap, it is imperative to compare everything: flights, places to stay, train vs renting a car, etc. I love travel apps like Omio which allow me to put in a to and from destination. The results show me the prices and travel time broken down by train, bus, plane, boat (when applicable) and car while designating the cheapest and fastest routes. Search travel apps on your phone to find the newest and best apps for the places you want to visit. Educate yourself on what the normal price is for flights and lodging where you want to go and then be ready to act when you see that great deal pop up for one day only.
I hope that you’ve enjoyed these travel tips and that they help you plan your next trip abroad.
Happy travels and bon voyage!
~ Melanie