How to Travel on a Budget

‘Tis the happiest season of all—travel (on a budget) season! People are getting vaccinated, cities are reopening, and we’re traveling again.

And everybody said AMEN.

Doug and I are big on adventure, and we certainly did our share of travel in the first half of 2021 (see more on our Aruba workcation.) But, as a young couple living on a single income, jet-setting all over the globe just isn’t possible, especially with travel prices on the rise (and likely getting higher).

So how do Doug and I travel on a budget? We firmly believe that travel is available to most people if you just plan it right. Here are some of our top tips for getting out this summer and not breaking the bank.

Road trip.

Road tripping is the most affordable way to get out and see something new. When you road trip, you save on airfare and make the journey part of the destination. You also have the option of visiting less expensive destinations (state and national parks) and enjoying free activities (such as hikes or days exploring a city).

Save on hotels.

Doug and I take our RAV4, which we converted into a camper car, out on road trips which really helps us save on hotels. We either boondock in Walmart parking lots or rest stops or national forests. But, did you know that you can also tent-camp for free in national forests and BLM land? And many also have cheap camping spots with amazing views. (We once camped right on the sandy beach of a river in Northern California for $10!). One of our favorite tools to travel on a budget is the iOverlander app. We use it to find free camping near where we want to stay that night. An average hotel is about $100, so camping is one of our #1 tips for traveling on a budget. We’ve car camped through the central California coast, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, throughout Oregon and Northern California, and Michigan!

BYOF (bring your own food).

If you eat out for all three meals, you will end up spending over $100/day on food. Doug and I pack breakfast and lunch and only eat out for dinner. We usually travel with protein bars, apple sauce, peanut butter and jelly, bread, beef jerky, and chips. Not only does it save us hundreds of dollars, but it also helps us see more because we don’t have to stop to eat. We’ve had some of the most beautiful picnics on the road.

Always be on the hunt for deals.

This year, Doug and I spent 6 days in an all-inclusive resort in Cozumel for $1300 total (including flights). How? Deals. We often get on Expedia and Kayak and just search for deals, even if we’re not planning on going anywhere. Right now I’m seeing 2022 cruises leaving out of Florida, up to four days, for less than $300/person. Are we going to cruise in 2022? Probably not, but it’s always good to keep an eye out for that irresistible deal.

Budget.

Doug and I are big budgeters. I’m self-employed, and Doug is a full-time student, so every month we have a budget meeting where we estimate all the money we have coming in that month, calculate all the expenses going out, and decide what to do with “the leftovers”. This gives us the opportunity to save up for travel, for Doug’s lowrider (his childhood dream we’re determined to make a reality), pay off any credit card debt we may have, and cover other extra expenses.

Credit cards.

Dave Ramsey will tell you to say no credit cards. Well, that’s okay if you’re as rich as a Dave Ramsey. For those of us that need credit for things like buying cars or homes, credit cards can be a useful tool when used properly.

Doug and I swear by the Chase travel credit cards, and we put every single expense on our credit card. Because we budget monthly down to the last dollar, we know exactly how much will be going out of the credit card every month and how much we need to pay at the end of the month. This helps us ensure we’re not overspending on the credit card, while also accumulating great points for miles. When I was paying for my graduate program, I took out a travel credit card specifically to pay off school. I knew that we could only cover half of the program cash, and the rest would be a balance on the credit card that we’d have to pay off over time. However, federal loans for graduate programs always come with a high-interest rate, and when we did the math it ended up being less expensive to pay off school on the credit card because of all the mileage we would accrue. And since 2019, we haven’t paid for an airplane ticket.