Budget Travel Tips: Our Top Recommendations For Low-Cost Travel

There are plenty of people who wish they could travel more, and dozens of reasons why those same people may think that’s an unachievable goal. The phrase, “I’d like to travel more” is very often followed by, “but…”

Truth is, budget travel isn't about roughing it. It's about being intentional so you can travel more often, spend less per trip, and stop waiting for the perfect moment. If you’re looking to maximize the amount of travel you can do with limited vacation time, a busy schedule, or a tight budget, you’re in luck. We’re living in the golden age of travel, and exploring the world has never been easier, more accessible, or cheaper.

Key takeaways

Budget travel isn't about sacrifice—it's about spending smarter so you can go more often.

Shift your mindset first

• Travel shorter and more often: Frequent shorter trips are often cheaper, more flexible, and more fulfilling than saving everything for one big annual vacation.
• Drop the "once-in-a-lifetime" mindset: Treating every trip like it has to be epic is one of the biggest budget killers in travel.
• Explore close to home: Some of the best travel experiences are within driving distance (no flights required).

Save smarter before you go

• Cut one recurring expense and redirect it: A single subscription or habit redirected toward a travel fund adds up faster than you'd expect.
• Use a budgeting app: Tools like YNAB or Acorns make it easy to track progress toward a specific trip goal.
• Get a side gig: Even a few hours a week of freelance or gig work can fund a trip within months.
• Check your coverage before buying travel insurance: Your credit card or existing memberships may already cover more than you think.

Book at the right time, in the right way

• Use long weekends and shoulder seasons: Traveling just before or after peak season cuts costs dramatically without sacrificing experience.
• Go where the deals are: Letting flight deals guide your destination is one of the most powerful budget travel strategies that exists.
• Use Going: Members regularly find international flights at 40–50% off average prices, which cuts down on one of the most expensive parts of trips—the flights.

Make your trip pay for itself

• Work remotely: If your job allows it, extending a trip by a week costs nothing extra in flights.
• Try house sitting with Trusted Housesitters: Accommodation is often the single biggest travel cost. Eliminating it changes everything.
• List your own place while you're away: Offset trip costs before you even leave home.

Switch to a budget-friendly mindset

Take shorter trips more often

When you have a limited number of vacation days, spending them all at once means you'll wait out the rest of the year with nothing planned. Using a few here and there means you're traveling more often throughout the year—and often spending less per trip. 

It's also worth noting that international flights can cost less than traveling across the US. We’ve seen deals like NYC to Madrid nonstop for $275 roundtrip, and Los Angeles to Shanghai for $313 roundtrip. When prices like that come up (and they do, regularly in the Going app), a week abroad becomes easier to justify than you might think. 

Explore close to home 

No matter where you live, there are trips you could take from home, whether it’s for a weekend or just an afternoon. Pack a picnic, and go for a scenic hike with your family. Go to a museum or gallery. Check out tours on Viator or Airbnb to find new things to do in your city. If you approach your own backyard with the same curiosity as a foreign place, you don’t even have to get on a plane to have an adventure.

Be sure your credit card earns rewards 

If you're spending money anyway—on groceries, utilities, subscriptions, gas—there's no reason that spending shouldn't be working toward your next trip. If you pay off your credit card bill each month, look into a card that offers frequent flyer miles, hotel points, or the ability to “erase” travel expenses. Once you’ve racked up enough points, you can use those to pay for part or all of your next flight, so it’s basically nothing out of your pocket.

 Check out our beginner's guide to points and miles if you're just getting started.

Lose the “once-in-a-lifetime” mindset 

We’re in the golden age of travel, and international flights can often be found for just a few hundred dollars. Yet, people often put off their dream trips because they want to wait until they can “do it right” (whether that means splashing out on a lavish hotel or going for more than two weeks). But since they can’t “do it right” at the moment, they don’t end up doing it at all. Let go of the pressure to make every trip "worth it," and you'll travel more often for far less.

Change how you define “travel” 

Using every second of your allotted two-week vacation from work in one fell swoop to take an epic overseas adventure is fantastic, but if that’s the only thing you consider “traveling” then you’re only going to get one of those per year.

Travel can simply mean going somewhere that isn't your normal environment and paying attention to it. Expanding your definition of travel expands your ability to do it more often—for less money, without sacrificing the thing that makes it worthwhile in the first place.

Before you travel: Tips to save

Examine your priorities and eliminate expenses 

This takes a little soul-searching and a lot of honesty, but it's worth it. Look at your disposable income, and ask whether your spending actually reflects your priorities. Maybe you can swap the daily coffee shop run for coffee you make at home. Cut down on takeout. Drop one or two streaming services you barely use.

Cutting even $80–$100 per month and redirecting it toward a travel fund adds up to a meaningful extra trip within a year, often without changing your daily life in any noticeable way.

Stay focused on goals 

Once you've decided to travel more, reinforce the commitment. Think of potential expenses in travel terms: This season's impulse buy might be two more nights somewhere you actually want to be. Put a photo of your destination somewhere visible. The more concrete and present the goal is, the easier it is to make the trade-offs that fund it.

Get a side gig

If you have skills beyond your 9-to-5—or if what you do in your day job is in demand on the freelance market—consider taking on extra work to build your travel fund. The gig economy offers dozens of options: freelance writing or design, driving for a rideshare company, tutoring, dog walking, selling handmade goods, or running errands as a virtual assistant.

Use a budgeting app to save 

Financial apps make it far easier to save toward a specific goal because they make progress visible. You Need A Budget helps you figure out exactly how much you can put toward travel. Acorns rounds up purchases so you save with minimal effort. Albert lets you move money into a dedicated travel bucket so you can watch it grow in a tangible way.

Set a target, automate a weekly or monthly transfer into a dedicated travel account, and treat it like a bill that must be paid. Within a few months, the balance will surprise you.

Booking tips for traveling on a budget

Take advantage of long weekends and holidays... 

You may not be able to pull off a 40-day PTO optimization plan, but even scheduling one or two trips around existing holidays can give you bonus days to extend what you already have. Departing after work on a Thursday and returning late on the Monday after a long weekend (using only two vacation days) gives you a five-day trip.

Also worth noting: If you're not sentimental about major holidays, use those extra days off to travel rather than stay home. Just be aware that flight and accommodation costs tend to spike around the holidays themselves, so this tactic works best when you have some flexibility on the exact travel dates.

...And shoulder seasons…

Shoulder season, the stretch between peak and off-season, is the budget traveler's sweet spot: decent weather, smaller crowds, and meaningfully lower prices. In most parts of the world, spring (March–April) and autumn (September–October) qualify.

...And 2-for-1 tickets and long layovers

A long layover in an interesting city isn't an inconvenience—it's a free bonus destination. Airlines have increasingly built itineraries designed for exactly this: 2-in-1 tickets and stopovers that let you explore a city on the way to your final destination at no extra airfare cost. Recent examples Going has sent members include LAX to Rio de Janeiro with a stop in Lima and East Coast flights to Europe with a stop in Iceland.

Once you see that layovers don’t have to be a burden, you open up a whole new world of possibilities. And who knows, maybe you’ll fall in love with that layover destination, and it will become your next final destination.

Go where—and when—the deals dictate 

Most people decide where they want to go, pick dates, and then search for flights. Flip that script. If you're open to a range of destinations, keep an eye out for deals and book when something you like comes up. This is exactly what Going is built for. Members set their home airports, tell us where they want to go (or let us surprise them), and get alerted when fares drop to exceptional prices.

Prioritize inexpensive destinations 

We’ve all got those lists of places we’ve dreamed of going for ages, but those aren’t necessarily budget-friendly destinations. If money is what’s holding you back from more trips, help each dollar go farther by heading to places that are cheaper to travel in. Places in South America, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe, for example, tend to be on the less expensive end of the spectrum. 

Check out our list of the world's cheapest travel destinations for inspiration.

Find a travel buddy or group... 

Shared costs make a real difference. A rental car split two ways costs half as much. A vacation rental shared among four people can cost less per person than a budget hotel room. Companies like Intrepid, Contiki, and Globus offer group tours organized by age, travel style, or interest—built-in companions plus the purchasing power of a group.

See our tips for traveling with friends for how to make it work smoothly.

...Or go solo 

Solo travel has budget advantages that don't get enough credit. Single travelers can be far more flexible in ways that are much harder to coordinate with a group: departing on short notice, taking the last available seat, staying in a hostel dorm, or adjusting plans on the fly. Solo trips also tend to generate deeper engagement with a place. 

Read our solo travel tips for everything you need to know before going it alone.

Make your trip pay for itself

Work remotely when possible

You don't have to become a digital nomad to take advantage of remote work. Even occasional remote arrangements can stretch limited vacation days significantly. Working from Lisbon for two weeks instead of your living room costs nothing extra on flights. Flying out Thursday, working Friday from your destination, enjoying the weekend, then working Monday and Tuesday before flying home Tuesday evening.

Read our guide to combining work and travel for more tips. 

Try house sitting or home exchanges

Accommodation is typically the single largest travel expense after flights. Eliminating it changes the budget entirely. Sites like Trusted Housesitters connect homeowners and house and pet sitters. (Going members save on a Trusted Housesitters membership. Log into Going, and head to our Membership Perks page to redeem.)

List your own place when you're away

Any time you're out of town, listing your home on Airbnb or Vrbo means your space is working while you travel. It can take some effort to get set up—making sure your home is guest-ready, coordinating check-ins, managing the listing—but the payoff can be meaningful for some. 

Negotiate for more vacation days 

Your vacation allotment doesn't have to be fixed. You may be able to get a few extra days or work out a flex-time arrangement so that when you work overtime you can “bank” some of those hours to take additional days off. The best times to ask: when negotiating a new job, receiving a promotion, or during your annual review.

Read our guide on how to negotiate for more vacation time for strategies that actually work.

Extend work trips 

If your job involves any travel at all, turn your business obligation into a personal adventure by adding a day or two on either end. The flights are already paid for. The only incremental cost is an extra night of accommodation and daily expenses—a fraction of what a separate trip to the same destination would cost. 

Check out our tips for getting around cheaply in Europe once you're already there.

Create a saving strategy based on your destination

US

The US is enormous, and costs vary wildly by region and city. The key to budget travel domestically is knowing which markets are expensive by nature and planning around them.

• New York City is one of the priciest cities in the world, but free attractions (Central Park, the High Line, most major museums on suggested donation), and a world-class subway system mean you can keep daily costs surprisingly low.
• Miami peaks in price from December through March when northern visitors flood South Beach. Visit in May or June for a fraction of the cost.
• Las Vegas is one of the few major US cities where budget travelers can win with free buffet promotions and cheap flight competition.
• New Orleans rewards travelers who visit outside Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest. The food, music, and atmosphere are equally extraordinary year-round, and hotel rates drop dramatically in summer.
• Nashville has gotten more expensive as its popularity has exploded, but the live music scene is largely free. 
• When visiting San Francisco, Washington DC, or Chicago, use public transit, eat at neighborhood spots rather than tourist-area restaurants, and travel in shoulder season.
• Key West and Myrtle Beach follow classic beach town pricing logic: Visit just before or just after summer, and you'll pay significantly less.
• Los Angeles is sprawling and car-dependent, which adds up. The budget hack here is booking accommodation in neighborhoods like Silver Lake, Echo Park, or Culver City and using the metro.

Japan

Japan's reputation for being expensive is largely outdated. Budget accommodation (hostels, guesthouses, capsule hotels) is widely available and often of excellent quality. The rail system is efficient enough to replace taxis almost entirely.

One of the most popular Japan budget tips is leaning on convenience stores (konbinis) for meals. Onigiri, hot foods, sandwiches, and prepared meals are genuinely good and cost $1–4 per item. It's cheaper than buying groceries, requires no kitchen, and is faster than any restaurant. 

Europe

Europe rewards shoulder-season travelers more than almost any other region. Visiting in April–May or September–October cuts accommodation by 30–50% in most popular cities and makes the experience significantly more enjoyable. 

Staying in smaller cities (Porto over Lisbon, Bologna over Florence, Seville over Barcelona) can also get you more for your money without sacrificing quality of experience. Budget airlines like Ryanair, EasyJet, and Wizz Air make inter-European travel extremely cheap once you're on the continent. Learn how to find cheap flights to Europe before you start booking.

Thailand

Thailand remains one of the world's best-value destinations for travelers willing to embrace local infrastructure. Street food costs $1–3 a meal and is frequently extraordinary. Guesthouses and budget hotels in cities like Chiang Mai cost $15–30 a night. Local transport—songthaews, tuk-tuks, overnight trains—is cheap and often enjoyable in its own right.

The single biggest budget mistake in Thailand is flying domestically when overnight trains and buses cover the same routes at a fraction of the cost—and save you a night's accommodation in the process. 

Egypt

Egypt is undervisited relative to how extraordinary it is, which translates directly into excellent value. Accommodation, food, and local transport are all inexpensive by international standards. Your main costs (Pyramids entry, Luxor temples, Red Sea diving in Hurghada or Dahab) are also reasonable.

The key budget consideration is booking a reputable operator for Nile cruises and archaeological site visits, where the gap between cheap and mid-range affects the experience.

Caribbean

The Caribbean has a luxury reputation, but the right islands make it workable on a budget. Avoid the most expensive options (St. Barts, British Virgin Islands) in favor of better-value destinations like the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico (no passport required for US travelers), and Curaçao.

All-inclusive resorts, counterintuitively, can be valuable depending on how you prefer to eat and drink on vacation. Travel in late April through early June, just before hurricane season, for the lowest prices of the year.

Join Going and save on flights

Every budget travel strategy in this guide becomes more powerful when the flights are cheap. And the most reliable way to find cheap flights is to have someone watching fares for you around the clock.

That's what Going does. We search dozens of websites, airlines, and OTAs to find the best deals, and when we find a cheap flight departing from your home airport, we send a push notification or email with everything you need to know to book the deal. 

We search dozens of flight booking sites every day so you don't have to.

The original article written by Jessica Speigel has been modified to include additional tips and information.