How To Find a Budget Travel Destination in 4 Steps
How to pick a travel destination that won't break the bank but will still be an adventure - in 4 steps.
You've finally got a window of opportunity and you want to use it for traveling. You might have 1 week, you might 3, you might have more - but what you don't have is a lot of money 💸 You're on a budget.
Lucky for you, this is completely fine and there are plenty of destinations out there that are either cheap, or can be done on a budget. This guide is all about finding a budget travel destination that fits what you're looking for in your travels.
What Makes a Destination Cheap?
Your entire budget for a trip usually includes a lot of things like insurance, baggage fees, transport costs, and more - but there are 3 expenses that take up the majority of your travel budget.
- Flights
- Accommodation
- Food
These 3 expenses will be the majority of your budget. So the destination you pick should minimize these costs. We can minimize these in many ways, so for cheap travel, follow this list and you'll be able to find a budget destination in no time!
1. Pick a Destination in a Low Cost Region
Low cost destinations, regions, and other areas change with time. Japan used to be low cost and now it's much higher for instance. But there are still plenty of regions that are low cost.
- South East Asia
- South & Central America
- Eastern Europe
Keep in mind, the region will determine the activities you do - SE Asia has plenty of islands and diving for instance, but Eastern Europe won't. Though both will have hiking - think about what you're looking for.
Sah Kilic
Sah Kilic
2. Find a Destination That's Close
Even relatively close is enough. This cuts back on a lot of money you would otherwise spend on flights as the longer the flight, the more pricey they tend to get.
So swap out ideal destinations for closer alternatives if you're looking to stick within budget - this can be a surprisingly great option.
For instance, you want to go skiing and you live in Australia - you could go to Switzerland or you could go next door to New Zealand. Pretty extreme example and there're many more factors usually, but it does illustrate the idea.
3. Use Skyscanner to Compare Destinations
Even if you're going to a closer destination, using apps like Skyscanner to compare flights by day, month, city, airport, and more will make sure you get flights for even cheaper.
Another cool factor here is that there's a good chance that you'll find long haul flights that are even cheaper than the closer ones due to several factors with timing and flight routes. Full guide below:
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4. Travel During Low or Shoulder Seasons
If you look for travel destinations and go during peak tourism season, you can expect that the prices will be higher for everything from food to hostels - even in cheaper places.
But if you look up the season for the destination and make sure it's during the tourism low season, or between high and low (shoulder) - you'll get better prices for everything with the perk of it being less crowded. Here is a full guide on that:
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Hot Tip: You'll also find that switching between this step and the third step helps a lot with planning, as flight prices usually reflect the season.
Other Ways To Travel For Cheap
Following these 4 steps will make sure the destination you pick is cheap and doable on your travel budget. You will have:
- Shortlisted the destinations to cheaper regions
- Found one that's relatively close
- Compared the cheapest travel dates available
- And made sure they align with low or shoulder seasons
This is already really good but there's plenty more you can do to make sure your budget takes you as far as possible. From finding cheap/free accommodation, to earning money abroad - there's many opportunities.
You can check them out in the Ultimate Guide below.
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Hope this small guide helped! If you have any questions, please send them through. 😎