Travel More by Saving More

“For the born traveler, travel is a besetting vice. Like other vices, it is imperious, demanding its victim’s time, money, energy, and the sacrifice of comfort”.

This quote from Aldous Huxley, the famous English writer, and philosopher is such an apt description of travel. Travel is something that literally grows on you. The more you travel, the more you want to travel. But it is a known fact that travel does not come cheap and is indeed an expensive proposition. But that does not mean one should stop traveling. In fact, if one were to travel smartly it is possible to save more and hence travel more too.

Let us look at how one can ensure to travel more by saving more and planning better. Here are some of the ways this can be achieved by taking some simple measures.

Have a travel Budget

The first step is to have funds from your income earmarked for the travel budget. This ensures that there is a constant corpus of funds that can be utilized for the sole purpose of travel.

Increase Income or Look For Alternative Income Streams

Look for means to increase your regular income. If that is not possible look at possibilities to have other income streams. Think whether you could use your writing skills to get some extra income which could be diverted to the travel budget.

Eliminate Unwanted Expenses

One way to have more funds is increasing the income, on the other hand, also try to tighten up your spending by seeing what expenses can be avoided. Money thus saved can be diverted to the travel budget.

Save on Flight Costs

Flights to and from your destination do account for a major chunk of the travel expense. Make use of available apps to look for most economic routes, for example, if you are Chennai to Delhi flights, check with different sites and apps to get the lowest flight fares from Chennai to Delhi. Also, have a flexible itinerary and look for months that are the cheapest in the year to book your tickets.

Save on Hotels

Accomodation is another major contributor to travel expenses. Try to optimize on your hotel accommodation. If backpacking is not your style and you are used to luxury accomodation check with various sites for the best prices. Look for last minute deals and promotional offers from hotels to gain substantial savings on your hotel bookings.

Travel Off-Season

One of the best hacks for saving on travel is to travel during the off-season. Head to a winter destination in the summer or vice-versa. You will save on flight tickets and hotels too. In addition, the added bonus is that the place will be free of crowds and your will end up having a great time. Most hotels in tourist destinations have flexible pricing and sometimes pricing may drop by as much as fifty percent during the off-season.

Food

Eat healthy and eat right while travelling. Curb temptations to splurge lavishly on food just because you get carried away. That does not mean one has to behave like a miser, but just do not be extravagant. Eat local food rather than heading for those familiar international outlets. This way you not only end up saving money but also get a feel of the local cuisine.

Transfers and Local Transport

It is always painful to have to shell out a huge amount on a airport transfer. This could be astronomically expensive in some cities. Look for the  cheapest and convenient modes of transport to and from airports. Most airports have shuttles, trains, or public buses which are way cheaper than hiring a cab. For moving around the city use public transport as much as possible. This works out very economical and is also a great way to get an understanding of how the locals live. Check out for City cards or any other cards which work out economical for transport if you are going to be there for a few days.

Plan in Advance

If you plan your travel in advance you are likely to get cheaper air tickets and also hotels. The nearer you book to your travel dates, the more you are likely to pay on flights and hotels. Though it may always not be possible to plan well ahead, try to do so whenever possible. Plan at least one annual travel well in advance and have the flights and hotels booking done. Do your research and get the most economic options. Find out the most optimal itineraries, cost-effective hotels, routes, activities and much more.

These are some points if incorporated in your lifestyle is sure to help you save more and travel more. So the more you save, the more you travel and the more you travel the more you learn about and enjoy the beautiful experience that the world has to offer.