Looking to travel internationally but don’t want to break the bank? If you’re like most people, you don’t want to spend too much on your vacation or road trip. You might even want to save some money to treat yourself while you’re traveling. Follow these simple tips, tricks, and hacks, and enjoy your next road trip or vacation without worrying about the price tag. Here’s how to travel internationally on a budget.
What is a Travel Budget?
The first step to traveling internationally on a budget is to know how much money you have to spend. A travel budget is a plan for how much money you intend to spend on your vacation or holiday. You want to travel and have a good holiday, but the bills don’t take a back seat. It’s therefore important to have a budget for how much you intend to spend during the period.
Every person will have different needs and wants when it comes to their travel budget, so no set amount works for everyone. Review your budget and see how much you can allocate to your travel.
You want to travel the world, but you also want to take care of your family, pay off debt, and buy groceries. How do you make all these things work together? The ideal situation is to make travel plans well in advance.
How to Create a Travel Budget
When you are traveling internationally on a budget, it can feel like you need to make every dollar count. But that doesn’t have to mean spending your time in the most expensive cities or staying in the most lavish hotels. Here is how to create a travel budget.
Examine the budget you have set aside for travel.
You need to determine how much you want to spend on the trip. Remember, you still have to cater to your monthly expenses.
Research on the cost of the trip
You need to determine how much it will cost you to travel to the destination. Researching will help you determine cost-effective ways of traveling. You will be able to travel on a budget.
Break down the travel cost.
You need to see where the money goes. A travel budget will help you ensure that you have budgeted for all of your travel expenses. This will ensure you don’t run into an emergency.
Include an extra amount for unexpected costs.
Take into account that the unexpected may happen. Set aside a certain percentage of your money to go towards emergencies.
15 Tips and Tricks to Follow When Travelling Internationally on a Budget
- Prepare your travel budget.
A travel budget will give you an idea of how much you need to spend. By preparing the budget, you can see the true picture of the expenses you will incur. This will allow you to begin researching cost-cutting measures.
2. Plan ahead.
Planning is the best way to save money when traveling. By planning, you can find deals on flights, hotels, and transportation. Here are some of the top ways you can make sure your trip is affordable:
- Buy your plane ticket well in advance. Some airlines offer discounted tickets if you purchase them at least 28 days before departure, so plan! – Make sure your hotel offers free breakfast with your booking by checking the hotel’s website or looking at reviews from other travelers.
- Book your hotel accommodations in advance. This will give you the best deals.
- Research transportation and security so that you can make the necessary arrangements.
- Use your reward points.
You can use credit card reward points for flights, hotels, rental cars, or even to take your family out to dinner. You can find rewards programs through your credit card company, hotel, airline, gas station, and more. The best part is that you don’t have to spend money to get rewarded.
- Off-season travel
Avoiding peak season is one of the best ways to save money while traveling. Instead, go during the off-season when prices are much lower. It’s not just hotels that are cheaper during this time, but also rental cars, flights, and even attractions.
- Travel in groups
The more the better. Traveling in groups not only make it fun, but also gives you a chance to get discounts on flights, accommodations, and even food. For example, if you’re going with two people, you can share a room and split the cost of the hotel in half.
- Find free activities
Look for free activities in your destination that are fun and free. This will reduce the amount you spend on your travel. For instance, you can learn about history by visiting a museum. Most of them charge little or no fees.
- Purchase your travel insurance.
It’s important to purchase your travel insurance as soon as possible. The last thing you want is to be in the middle of your trip, trying to figure out how you’re going to pay for medical bills if something should happen.
Compare the various travel insurance offers available and select the best one for you. Most travel insurance packages cover the following.
- Trip cancellation or interruption.
- Medical assistance.
- Evacuation Insurance.
- Baggage and personal item losses
- Trip delays.
- Lost or delayed baggage
- Medical coverage and medical evacuation.
- Pack lightly and smartly.
Create a list of all the essential items you need to travel. Pack light by carrying clothes that can be mixed and matched in different weather conditions. Try not to bring more than two pairs of shoes or too many changes of clothing. Pack smartly, and invest in things like packing cubes, compression bags, luggage organizers, etc. These items will help you pack more with less effort.
Packing lightly and smartly will help you avoid extra luggage charges, which will save you some money. Airports charge extra fees for heavy luggage, and this will add up to your travel cost. Make sure you pack what you need and avoid unplanned spending.
- Use public transport.
It can be easy to get caught up in the idea of getting a car or even taking taxis or Uber everywhere. But when you’re traveling on a budget, it’s important to take the time to explore the public transportation options available in your destination city.
What are the bus routes? What are the train routes? Where can I buy tickets? These questions may seem intimidating at first, but once you do your research, you find that it’s not as hard as it seems.
For example, in countries like the UAE, the train system is well developed, which makes it easy to use it for your tour.
- Choose hostels or apartments.
So, you want to travel but don’t want to spend too much money. Well, hostels or apartments. usually cheaper than hotels. Do your research and find out how much hostels and apartments charge. Look for reviews on sites like TripAdvisor.
- Get a local SIM card.
If you’re traveling outside of your home country, the first thing you need to do is find out what type of SIM card your phone needs. This will help you know whether or not you can buy one before arriving at the airport.
Consider purchasing a local SIM card to enable you to access locally priced data, and voice packages. The data will help you navigate your way around your destination.
- Keep in mind the value of your currency.
If you travel to a destination with a higher currency value than your own, you will pay more. It’s important to keep track of the currency of your destination and its effect on the amount you have set aside for the trip. If possible, travel to destinations where your currency has a higher value.
- Track your expenses.
Make sure you stay within your budget in each category. Tracking your budget will ensure you don’t overspend and run out of money before your trip is over. Record the expenses daily and ensure you are on track.
- Book your accommodation directly.
Booking your accommodation directly through the hotel or apartment can save you hundreds of dollars and give you more flexibility with your itinerary. Many times, booking through a third-party website will charge you an extra fee for convenience, which is why it’s best to book direct.
It is, however, critical to read reviews before making a reservation.
- Capture pictures and make memories.
Make sweet memories by taking pictures of the mind-blowing locations you have visited. The more you travel, the more memories you make. Remember to back up your files to the cloud.
Best International Travel Insurance in Kenya
| Travel Insurance | Features | |
| Britam Travel Insurance | Personal Accident – DEATH/PTD Emergency Medical Expenses and Emergency Medical Evacuation Emergency Dental Care Repatriation of Mortal Remains Hospital Benefits Loss of Checked Baggage Delayed Baggage – from US$50 per each 12 hour period of delay Personality Liability Hijack US$50 per each 24 hour period of detention Loss of Passport Cancellation and Curtailment Travel Delay War & Terrorism | |
| Standard chartered travel insurance | Emergency Medical as a result of war & Terrorism Medical Transportation, Repatriation & Evacuation Compassionate Emergency Visit Repatriation of Children Repatriation of Travel Companion Burial, Cremation or Return of Mortal Remains Daily Hospitalization Cash Benefit Outpatient Excess Pre- Existing Emergency Medical and Related Expenses Accidental Death International Journey Cancellation Personal Liability Hijack & Hostage or Wrongful Detention Legal Expenses Luggage Delay | |
| AIG Insurance | Emergency Medical Cover Cover for Loss of Baggage Worldwide Coverage | |
| Heritage insurance | Travel delay and flight cancellation Medical and emergency expenses Hospital allowance Personal accident Passport Loss of money Baggage loss Personal liability | |
| HF group Travel insurance | Emergency medical and related expenses covered upto specified limits Personal accidental death and permanent disability covered upto to a specified limit Trip cancellation and Interruption coverage due to financial default of an airline, cruise line, or tour operator Baggage, trade samples, personal effects, travel documents, money and credit cards covered Medical expense (Primary) | |
| I & M Travel insurance | Emergency Medical expense & hospitalization while on a trip abroad. Emergency medical evacuation in case of illness or accident. Repatriation of family members travelling with the insured. Repatriation of mortal remains. Emergency return home following the death of a close family member 24 hour Personal Accident cover. Loss & Delays. Loss of passport, driving license, national ID card abroad, checked-in Baggage and delay in the arrival of luggage and in departure. | |
