Make the most of your spring break with these tips for traveling on a budget

by Megan Circelli

Let’s be honest, traveling is expensive. It’s easy to spend all your money on a single trip. I absolutely have. While you’re in the moment and running around a new place, you feel like you can spend all the money you don’t have on four-course meals and a chauffeur around the city. Then, when you get back home, you’ll look down to that tiki man, straw hat, ten pounds you gained and wish you could give it all back, but you can’t. That’s why I’m here, to give you tips on how to travel on a budget, spend as little money as possible, but still have a damn good time.

Buy groceries

You may or may not realize this but when you’re on vacation or on a trip, a lot of your money will go towards food, especially if you end up eating out for every meal. So if you can, buy groceries. If you’re in a hotel or place that doesn’t have a kitchen, buy foods that you don’t have to refrigerate, mostly dry foods, like bagels, bread, bananas, peanut butter, crackers, and so on. If you’re road tripping and have space, bring a cooler so that you can bring and buy things that should stay cold, like cheese, fruits, and sandwich meat. But, if you’re staying in an Airbnb or place that does have a kitchen, then making meals there would be ideal.

Check out all-inclusive/fixed prices

While some all-inclusive packages can be pricey and have loopholes, such as unlimited drinks but only for soft drinks, or they only offer breakfast and dinner, plenty of all-inclusive deals can include drinks, three meals a day, entertainment, activities and hotel payment. If you read the descriptions clearly with an idea of what you want, then it can be really helpful, especially if you have a certain price point you want to spend and not any more than that.

Cruises are the perfect way to make a one-time payment, then make no other plans at all and just relax. For a flat rate, you can book your stay on a boat for however many days you want, meals and drinks included, and entertainment aboard the ship. With certain packages and on certain cruise lines, onshore excursions may also be included.

Group tours are also great for paying a certain amount of money at a fixed price and knowing exactly what you’re going to get. If the tours are short or long, they’ll include things such as transportation, sleeping accommodations, some meals, and activities.

Get the best flights you can

Flights can be ridiculously expensive depending on when you buy them, when you’re planning the trip and where you’re going. They can also be pretty dang cheap if you plan right and do your research. Here are some tips on finding the cheapest flights:

Travel in the offseason. Try not to go on big trips during most schools’ spring breaks and at the beginning of June or July (unless you plan far in advance). Tickets are much cheaper in months such as February, April, May, September, and October.

Frontier, Spirit, and WOW air — these three airlines have cheap tickets and a lot of discounts and specials. Of course, with cheap tickets come sneaky payments for everything else. Just make sure you read all descriptions of what is and isn’t included when you’re booking your ticket. Make sure you do what they say. If it says you can only bring one backpack, they mean it. Because soon enough you’ll be paying $40 for a tiny carry on that’s two inches bigger than what’s allowed.

Booking websites and apps. There are several websites that I use to buy tickets that are God sent. Studentuniverse.com gives wicked discounts to students. Anyone can use the website but if you have a student ID you can get 15, 30 or even 50 percent off flights. Jetradar.com is similar to Skyscanner. They show you the lowest prices and compare them to other websites’ prices. Skiplagged is my favorite app. On the main page, it shows the cheapest flights out of my airport for the moment. You can enter the “to” and “from” cities and it will also show you the cheapest flights available, even if it involves having two layovers. Instead of paying $800 for non-stop, you can pay $300 but have long layovers. My favorite thing about Skiplagged is the graph feature which allows you to pinpoint what days have the cheapest flights.

Find somewhere affordable to stay

Hostels are wonderful for cheap lodging. There are some in which you have to share a room with others, but many hostels have private rooms and bathrooms. The way I look at it is that I’m not traveling to stay in a room, chill and hang out there. I’m there to sleep. A big question that circulates when hostels are mentioned is, “is it safe?” Some hostels have gates, some have locks for rooms, and some have lockers. You just need to look into it and see what you’re getting. A plus with some hostels is that they offer free Wi-Fi and free food which helps with saving money.

Couchsurfing is free. I thought that should be out there first and foremost because that is the ideal budget. Couchsurfing is exactly what it sounds like, sleeping on someone’s couch. You may think this is sketchy, maybe a bit creepy, but if you’re one for adventure and meeting new people, this is perfect for you. My first tip is to make sure you thoroughly check out members profiles; read their bio’s, read reviews, see what people who have stayed with them have to say about them. My second tip is come bearing gifts. Since it is free, you should be kind and bring something for your host. This is a great way to make a new friend and possible free tour guide if the host is up for it.

Airbnb is very popular right now and for good reason. It can be inexpensive and comfortable where a hotel may not be. With Airbnb, you can share a room, rent a room, or rent out a whole apartment or house, depending on what you’re looking for and how much money you want to spend. I find that staying in an Airbnb also makes me feel more like a local and less like a tourist. I also find that I have more space for less money with an Airbnb.

Bonus: Free Walking Tours

These are a great way to see a place you don’t know without having to pay any money. If you find the right one with a fun and outgoing guide, you’re guaranteed a good time. Also, it’s a great opportunity for solo travelers and small groups to meet other solo travelers and people from around the world.