Low Budget Travel Tips That Help Save Money and Increase Enjoyment

Here are some of the budget tips I've personally used for low budget trips recently.

1. Always try to book flights early to get inexpensive deals, the earlier the better. However there are some times that you can cheap tickets at the last minute.
2. I always get a cheap rental car because I once took a taxi ride in Las Vegas and it costed me $15+tip for a 8 min ride .
3. Always yelp a destination or restaurants, Yelp has helped me weed out bad places to eat & tourist traps.
4. Find cheap motels, I usually find these places to be a better bargain when finding places to stay.
5. Make plans beforehand on what to do at the destination-makes it a bit more organized and less confusion when sightseeing.

So this is a few of my tips on traveling on the cheap. Add any tips you've used for any trip you have gone on in this thread.

If I am traveling to a city I am familiar with I use hotwire.com to book my hotel. Usually I can get a 4 star hotel for $70 or so. I only do it if am familiar though so I don't end up in a bad part of town!

Thanks for sharing a useful tips.Add more with this..

1. Use Public Transport: Public transport is very cheap and usually very efficient. Local buses, especially ones that aren’t direct, cost only a few dollars. They may be slow and crowded but they are cheap!
2. Mercados: Although eating out is cheap in many places, it makes sense to shop at the markets for your food to take on day trips or prepare at your hostel. Fruit costs just pennies.
3. Drink Less: Beer is more expensive than food here. Cut down your drinking or drink the local beer.

I woudl also agree with public transportation IF You are in a city that has a good and easy public transportation system. If in a city with a bad mass transit system where you would have to rely on cabs, then renting a car could be cheaper.

1. Consider renting an apartment for longer stays. It's much cheaper than a hotel.
2. Ask locals to recommend restaurants. When I lived in NYC, I knew where you could get 2 slices of pizza and a drink for $3.
3. Don't be afraid of public transportation. Buy a map and explore.

When we travel in the U.S, we often use our credit card reward points towards booking hotels and car rentals. That's when we aren't camping or backpacking and cooking over an open fire (or sterno). By the way, this is also an excellent way to save money!

If you are headed overseas and are affiliated with a church, make sure to stop by and say hi to the local congregation. You'll be surprised how often you are invited for lunch after the services or even offered a place to stay for a couple of nights. It's a safe way to meet the locals and get the best tips on traveling in that area.

These are tips that have helped me keep my travels at a manageable cost:
1. Travel in the off-season. Many places consider early May and late August to be part of their off-season, and prices are considerably cheaper at those times.
2. Research places and listen to what other reviewers have to say. Sites like Tripadvisor can be very helpful for this.
3. Try the Name Your Own Price feature on Priceline. I've saved hundreds of dollars on flights and hotels by doing this. You also have the potential to earn rewards that may be redeemed on their site.
4. When traveling, stay somewhere that has breakfast included in the price. That way, you can really fill up and get by with a lite snack for lunch. Some places will even let you take away makings for a sandwich. Just be sure to ask first!
5. Last, if flying, try to fit all of your things into a backpack or carry-on suitcase to avoid extra fees.

When traveling in the US, Canada, and UK, I go to a local store for cold breakfast food, like breakfast bars or cold cereal, and fresh produce to keep in my hotel room. That way, we can save a few dollars (or pounds) on breakfast, and also save a little time eating on the run, rather than having to wait for service.

I have not yet tried this in any other countries (the only other countries I've ever visited were Mexico and France, and neither was really long enough to do any grocery shopping), so I don't know if it's a viable plan anywhere else.

Travel in the offeason is a GREAT tip. My famly own a house in Florida an the reastaurants there in the offseason have like half price food, or buy one entree get one entree. It's so cheap to eat out because they know that less people are in town.

Here are a few that I feel work:

1. Advance planning of almost every aspect of travel is quite helpful. It is possible to get best deals on flights, hotels and even offers
2. I used hotels.com for all hotel bookings and I thought I found best deals to suit, every time
3. I used to get a day pass for the metro in NYC especially on days when I would move about the city quite often and quite a number of places.
4. Make use of the pantry/kitchen if available to cook yourself simple stuff. It is far economical & serves you right in the room
5. Nothing weird or silly-walk as much as you think you can when you have time on hand, because first, it helps you explore and two, some of the places are just good for walking

If you are in Asia, always go to the official taxi lines- NEVER take a taxi when someone approaches you and asks "Taxi?"- those are usually the more expensive versions or illegal taxis that will charge you excess.
Take the airport bus if there is one. Airport subways also work. Almost every major city has one and they are much less expensive than cabs into the city. They tend to be comfortable and have room for luggage and they drop off at various points in the city- probably within a block of your hotel or hostel.

The title of this thread said...save money AND increase enjoyment...and for me, what did both of these...was actually staying a hostel even though I had other options available. It works better when you are younger but you will find all ages in a hostel. The really good ones offer you a room for yourself or you can share.

The enjoyment is 100% and I met the most the most wonderful people, from all over the world. I have only really done hostels in London and Edinburgh and you meet future loves, friends and all kinds of great experiences there. The hostel we stayed at in London looked like a hotel, was in the high street and our room overlooked Hyde Park and it was so cheap which allowed a bonus vacation in Paris.

The best part of it was that I met some of the most amazing people there which made my trip so expansive and fun!
They also have kitchens where you can cook your own food and eat in, which can be helpful to students or anyone wanting to explore but are on a budget.

If you have a credit card that has a point reward system that you use to pay for your bills and other obligations, check if they have partners with hotels and airline companies. You can use the points you earned to pay for part or the entire fare or hotel accommodation.