Hi everyone! Today’s post is contributed by Kimmy from StoryTale. Kimmy is a storyteller collecting stories from ladies of all backgrounds around the world.
As an avid traveller having journeyed through 40 countries, I have a love-hate relationship with personal finance. Numbers are not my thing, yet my knowledge on financial planning is the key to keep my lifestyle.
Given my job nature, all my trips are spontaneous. Planning is a luxury I don’t have time for. Without proper planning, many find themselves in the same shoes as me, struggling to meet their budget.
It’s not all too hard. There are quite a few ways to minimize your budget even if you like taking random trips out on a whim like I do.
Accommodation
Finding accommodation last-minute is exhausting. Prices are jumping, choices are few. You would either find yourself in a back-alley hostel behind some run-down mall or paying triple the price to stay in a luxurious room.
Neither of those situations is ideal. Usually I’d go for hostels as that’s how I meet people. But if I can’t find a decent and affordable hostel, I’d try free accommodation.
Couchsurfing is a great place to start. Be aware that couchsurfing isn’t just about having a free place to stay. It’s about connecting with the host and the culture. If you opt for couchsurfing, make sure you spend time to bond with your host and do some cultural exchange. It’s not a free hotel.
While couchsurfing is wonderful, it doesn’t always pan out for impromptu trips. That’s why I find Facebook to be very useful. There are thousands of travel groups that allow you to host someone or search for a host.
Facebook groups are a fast and easy way to connect to a local host and find free accommodation. However, since Facebook groups don’t verify your host like couchsurfing, exercise your sense of judgement before going home with someone.
Food
For me, travelling is more about the scenery and the people more than fine dining. I feel that if you spend every meal at a fancy restaurant, it’d be hard to connect with the locals. Local places are always preferred for both the experience as well as to save money.
That being said, you don’t have to torture yourself and eat at street vendors everyday if that doesn’t float your boat. Eating cheaply is the most effective way to save money. The gap in money spent on food is the biggest among other expenses.
Set a target for yourself. Once every two days you can go to a decent place to feast. Other times, let your wallet rest and try to do street food or from the supermarket to cook yourself.
Saving up on food is the easiest option as you have the control over it. Not like accommodation where if you run out of options, you’d have to pay the expensive way.
Eating cheaply is easy even without proper research. Steer away from tourist spots and navigate yourself to local restaurants. Finding food is by far the easiest without any work for me.
Transportation
Being a city girl, I’m very used to taking the bus or metro everywhere. However, when I’m on a trip, I always try to walk or rent a bike. Not only does it save money, I also get to enjoy the view.
Aside from big cities like Tokyo or LA, most cities in the world are accessible by walk or by bike. Transport systems can be tricky to figure out. Instead of wasting time on it, if it’s walkable, I always walk.
I once walked for an hour and that already took me from one end of London to another. You’d think why would anyone be crazy enough to walk an hour just to save several bucks?
First of all, those several bucks add up, especially when it’s several SEVERAL bucks EVERYDAY. Second of all, pacing through the city allows you to take a good glimpse for the most part. Most importantly, you can stop whenever you want.
Most impromptu trips are taken without a clear plan on what to see. Isn’t that even better? To simply wander around and let the surprise hit you.
Sightseeing
Lots of people on impromptu trips don’t really have an itinerary. The flexibility gives them an advantage in saving up as they don’t have any must-sees on their list.
Not an issue if you have several places on your check-list. Famous places like Legoland, prominent temples etc always have Coupons or freebies given to people. You’d always find a cheaper option on the internet.
Join groups like “tickets buy & sell” at your location and see if any appeal to you. Most tickets these days are online so you don’t have to physically meet up with the seller. This has been a wonderful method for me to discover interesting places as well as to save money.
Thoughts
Saving up on an impromptu trip isn’t as impossible as you’d think. It just encourages you to be more creative and to cut corners to get the job done. With the current COVID-19 flying around this year, travelling isn’t the most responsible or enjoyable thing to do. Even though you can’t use the tips immediately, you can start saving up now during this pandemic to afford your future trips!
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