Travel Hacking 101- What Is It And How Can You Do It?

I couldn’t believe my eyes. I’ve been trying to find a cheap deal for my trip to Bangkok from Kolkata for days. And after multiple searches with different airlines and hours of browsing cheap flight sites, I saw the fee of $45 USD. It was surrounded by prices ranging from $150 to $300 USD. I didn’t spend any time thinking about it and I booked the one-way ticket right away. The fact that I was able to get such a good deal allowed me to build a whole itinerary around this trip. What was supposed to be few days in Bangkok turned into a two-month adventure in Southeast Asia, featuring 6 different countries And I survived these two months with less than $900 USD, with all bus, train and flight tickets included! So, you could say I know a thing or two about travel life hacks and I wrote this article to show you a few different travel life hacks that can be of use to you during your travel adventures!

Let’s start.

Table of Contents show

1. Budget travel tips 101: Booking your flight

Many people think that booking a return ticket is always cheaper than booking two different flights. But from my experience, this isn’t always true. Yes, it’s true that return flights are cheaper most of the time, but if you look thoroughly, you can get a very nice deal as I did with my Bangkok trip.

2. Consider traveling in the off-season

This is also another one of the basic budget travel tips. Research and find out when’s the off-season in the place you want to visit. And when I say off-season, I don’t mean you should go to Southeast Asia in September when the rainy season is at its peak. Just pick a time of the year when the weather is cooler, but not rainy. Not only will the prices for everything be much lower, but you will get a more authentic view of the place without all the tourists around. You will be able to observe the actual life of local people and learn much more about that country.

3. Use booking sites for accommodation

There are many sites, like Booking, Trivago, Agoda etc. Using these sites, you can always get a better deal than if you went straight to the hotel. If you want to save on your next trip, you can use my Booking code to save up to 15% on all accommodation rentals.

4. Google for discounts

Before buying anything, always make a search on Google including the words discount or code. You could get some really nice deals this way. Do that when you book your flight and accommodation as well.

5. Check out the exchange rates

Following the world’s economy never hurts. Compare your country’s currency to the currency of the country you intend to visit. For example, it’s a really good time for US citizens to visit Europe now because the value of the Euro has been decreasing lately, compared to the US dollar (at the time of writing this article).

6. Consider group tours

Even when you travel alone, you can still use the benefits of group travel. Just check out the prices of group tours for the places you want to visit. Let the professionals do all the logistics. That’s much easier too. There are a lot of companies out there that are targeting solo travelers too.

7. Hostels

One of the best budget travel tips I can give to a solo traveler is ‘Stay in a hostel’. You share the room with other people, you pay only a portion of the price and you get to make new friends. There are a lot of luxurious hostels as well, with a pool, gym and other commodities too. You can also think about homestays and Couchsurfing. And the best thing about them is:

8. Check Hostel Calendars

Many hostels organize different activities for their guests. From theme parties to cooking classes to tours to visit a famous landmark. Sometimes the activities are even free of charge, but even when it’s not, the price is much lower than what you would normally pay.

9. Get a local SIM card

When you’re traveling to a foreign country, especially if you’re alone, the access to maps is invaluable. When you’re traveling solo and when there aren’t many English speakers around getting lost can be a bit scary. That happened to me in Hanoi. If you have the SIM card, not only you won’t get lost but you can also walk to the nearby sights and avoid paying for cabs or public transport.

10. Avoid using the ATM

If you’re withdrawing money from the ATM, commissions for using your card in a foreign country can be high. There’s a commission charged from your bank, and often there’s a commission charged by the ATM as well. Some banks will offer fee-free cards that you can use when abroad for a yearly fee. Start by searching for the banks that provide this service in your country.

11. Don’t exchange your money at the airport

Or exchange a small amount that should cover the transportation to your hotel. The exchange rates at the airport are terrible and if you are exchanging a big amount, you’re practically getting ripped off.

12. Take twice the money and half the clothes you think you need

I know, the money part doesn’t really correspond with the title. But this is something I learned after losing a lot of money when withdrawing from the ATM. And the reason why I had to withdraw from the ATM is that I was planning my budget until the last penny and I thought that the amount I took will be enough. Planning your exact budget in advance when traveling never works. And the part about the clothes is just to make it easier for you to move when you’re backpacking and avoid extra luggage charge at the airport. You’re not gonna need half of the stuff anyway. If you want to learn how to pack like a pro, check out this guide to minimalist packing .

13. Use public transport

There’s no need to mention how much money can you save by using public transport. However, some people don’t feel comfortable in the crowded public transport vehicles. And these places are often filled with pickpockets. So if you don’t want to use public transport, at least…

14. Share your rides

Uber and most of the local versions of it allow passengers to share a ride and pay significantly less. Another good thing about this is that the drivers use GPS so you won’t have to struggle to explain where are you going if the driver doesn’t speak English.

15. Find freebies

The best thing about traveling alone is that you decide where you want to go and when. And a lot of cities have a lot of interesting things that are free, like museums, festivals, concerts etc. And if you didn’t make your research on time you can always find the tourist bureau and ask for information.

16. Stop constantly looking for souvenirs

Sorry, Joey 🙂 I know you care about your loved ones, but buying gifts for a bunch of people can not only be very expensive, but time-consuming as well. Just devote the little time that you have to exploring the city and learning new things. If your friends and family love you, they’ll understand.

17. Say yes to Couchsurfing

Couchsurfing is the most popular app for travelers that allows you to crash at a local’s place. However, if you’re scared or feel awkward doing that, you can still use the app to meet local people. They know the city and they can take you to the best and cheapest places. The ones where locals go. So, not only you are going to have a great experience, but you’ll save money as well.

18. Restrict restaurant meals

Of course, there are a lot of cheap restaurants as well, but you can’t know them when visiting a place for the first time. One of my main money-saving secrets is that I avoid restaurants. Especially in Asia, where the street food is amazing. I survived in Southeast Asia for two months by eating street food 80% of the time.

19. Use the benefits of technology

Just like with everything else, technology can make your travel easier as well. Make a search and download some useful apps that can make your trip easier. My personal favorite is City Maps2Go which allows you to access maps of different cities offline and pin the places you want to visit.

20. Get travel insurance

I know most budget travelers will advise you not to get travel insurance and that this is an unnecessary expense. And I agree; most of the time, you probably won’t need travel insurance. But that one time you will actually need it, will make up for all of the times you paid for travel insurance and didn’t need it. Also, note that it’s absolutely crucial to choose the right travel insurance provider. One that you can contact at any time and make a claim from anywhere in the world in a hassle-free way and get paid ASAP. From my experience, the best choice when it comes to travel insurance is SafetyWing.

Helpful travel resources for rookie travelers

Saving on flights is one of the most important travel life hacks. Personally, my go-to choice is always Qatar Airways’s Discover the World at a low price program. It saved me a lot of money throughout the years and I recommend you give it a chance.

For great accommodation deals, you can get great discounts on properties around the world by using this Booking special offer.

If you want to save on renting a car abroad, this AutoEurope coupon can get you 15% on car rentals worldwide.

Finally, if you’re collecting miles and points, you can combine and track all of your points from all of the loyalty programs you participate in and save on every trip with points.com.

Did you enjoy this list of travel life hacks? Do you have a few more to add? Let me know in the comments!