Author: Nick Wharton / Source: Wise Bread
Ever wondered how to take a tight budget and turn it into an opulent travel fund? With a few tweaks and tricks, you can explore all the places on your travel bucket list, without draining your bank account. Here are nine ways to travel big on a small budget.
(See also: How to Build Your Best Travel Budget)1. Prioritize your spending
In order to make your budget stretch as far as possible, it’s important not to splurge every minute of every day. Instead you need to pick your moments to splurge, and decide which activities you don’t mind cutting back on. Enable yourself to afford the expensive things by spending as little as possible on the bits that you don’t care that much about.
Maybe you enjoy eating out at fancy restaurants. Perhaps you love to catch a show whenever you’re abroad. Or maybe you like to stay in pure luxury at five-star hotels. Whatever it is, think about what really makes you happy and be sure that you reserve the majority of your budget for doing those things. (See also: 6 Ways to Travel On a Budget While in Expensive Countries)
2. Plan, plan, plan
Planning is the most effective way to live like royalty on very little. With proper planning, you can save on everything from flights and accommodations, to meals and daily activities. Rather than leaving it all to chance, take control as early as possible to ensure you get great value for your dollar. Country- or location-specific money saving tips can be invaluable, and travel blogs are a fantastic resource to find those kinds of details.
(See also: 10 Flight Booking Hacks to Save You Hundreds)3. Choose the right country
Opting for an up-and-coming destination that’s not yet fully on the mainstream tourist trail is a great way to save yourself some cash. Equally, there are some countries and regions where you just get more bang for your buck and even top end luxury can cost a fraction of what it does elsewhere. (See also: 7 Countries Where You Can Travel on $30 a Day or Less)
On the other hand, some destinations are designed to cater to high-end tourists, and will set their prices accordingly. Make sure you check out the cost of flights before settling on your destination, though, because the countries with the cheapest cost of living aren’t always the cheapest to get to. (See also: How to Wisely Choose Your Next Travel Destination)
4. Try a home swap
Accommodation is often the biggest expense when you travel, but with a home swap, there’s the potential to reduce that…
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