How to cut costs while travelling in 2023?

Yes, this topic has been discussed endlessly but it remains evergreen. As more and more people start travelling beyond their comfort zones, they encounter these questions everyday. Also, due to the emergence of new technologies and services, new solutions can always be found for old questions. So, here are a few tips to save costs while travelling in 2023. The seasoned people know them already but if you have been newly bitten by the travel bug, read on.

Be smart with your finances

Especially if you are going abroad, plan ahead. Do enough research about each country and know what works. Don’t use the se credit card you have at home. There are cards designed for travel with useful features, discounts and offers. Explore these options. At the same time, don’t forget to opt for a good travel insurance for your own safety.

Use a VPN

VPN services are not only for accessing blocked content. You can use it cleverly to save money. How?Well, you know most of the booking sites track your location and personal behaviour and at times they may also show you inflated prices. With VPN, you can change that, can even pretend to access from a different county to get fairer deals for flight booking and other such services. A small investment in VPN can help you save a lot of expenses later. Learn more about VPNs here.

Learn to Cook

No, you don’t have to earn a Michelin star but knowing a few basic dishes is always helpful. Especially if you are travelling long term, or spending a good amount of time in one city, you’ll probably opt for a homestay or a Airbnb instead of a hotel. So, you’ll have access to kitchen it’ll be much cheaper than eating out everytime. Learning cooking is not that hard. To be honest, I myself know only 4-5 things and I’ve learnt them on YouTube!

Hail a Two Wheeler Ride

Keep your eyes for services that may exist at a particular place that may not be available in your city. For example, in many big metro cities you can only hire a cab through apps like Uber. However, in many smaller cities you can hire a two wheeler for the same. In case you are in an Asian country like India, you may also find three wheelers (tuktuks) for hire using the same apps. Needless to say that they’ll be much cheaper.

Go for Hostels and Pods

Yes, not everybody likes to share a room but backpacker hostels are affordable and also a great way to socialize and meet new people. My personal strategy is to go for hostels in big cities, where hotels are expensive. In remote places I go for local Homestays as they cost the same as hostels and provide personal space.

Similarly, many cities, especially airport areas have pods, where you can get a small capsule to sleep during layovers, instead of going for an expensive hotel room.

Go Local

Yes, it goes without saying but many people don’t seem to get it. Always do things the way locals do. Anything that is designed only for tourists will always be more expensive. Do our research, befriend locals to know what’s best and cheapest in town. As a rule of thumb, I never go to stores and eateries run by big global chains while travelling.

Find Cool Free Activities

This may not work everywhere but most big cities have many free activities like occasional museum visits, art galleries, walking tours, film screenings etc. These are far more fruitful activities than splurging in a pub. Just know where to go.