We have talked about the pre-travel saving tips (Money Saving Tips!) to get you on the trip but if you’re still wondering how to best utilize money while on your trip, keep reading on.
Realistically, the first few weeks or even months of your trip you won’t be listening to any of this advice, I usually overspend at the start as I’m so excited to try every single thing that I possibly can from food to day trips to drinks with new friends but if you’re on a long trip; you get a sudden realisation that you sure as hell need to start budgeting… quick. So without further ado, here’s my tips:
1. Look for hostels with a kitchen
Cook your own food! Even if you’re in a cheap country, unless you’re getting market food 3 times a day then generally speaking the food bills start to add up and you eat for the sake of eating. In South America, this saved me lots of money!
2. Book a hostel with breakfast included
Another good thing is look for breakfast included without an inflated rate. Breakfast quality varies but a free meal is a free meal🙋♀️
3. Only do what you want to do!
Sounds pretty straight forward , right? As a solo traveler, you often feel like you should repeat activities or join in just so you can go with some friends you’ve made along the way. From Peru onward, I stopped doing everything that I wasn’t bothered about/already had visited and replaced with ‘I’ll just catch up with you tonight’. This saves wasting money on things I didn’t want to do!
Do not however get this one wrong, you’re often only going to be travelling this place once in your life so make the most of it but do it for you.
4. Land travel & public transport
Yes I’m talking buses over flights where possible. 90% of the time it’s the cheaper option by far, I saved £100’s by not getting flight between countries in central & South America and they’ve given me many stories to tell! I will be honest, an 18 hour bus is still not my idea of fun and I didn’t enjoy it but each money saving experience and story that comes from it is worth it!
For more content, check some of my other blogs:
A backpackers guide to Peru
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