Travel Cheap - the Second Way

One basic way to travel cheap is to learn all the special tricks and techniques. There are days of the week when flights cost less, for example, and places where you can find the specials for cruises and hotel packages. I highly recommend learning a few of the insider secrets to getting the best deal. But there is another way to travel for less. It starts with a whole different approach to travel planning.

Most people begin with a decision about where they want to go, when they want to go there, and what they want to do. Then they start looking for the best package deal, or the cheapest flights. Sometimes this can work well, but it is also very limiting and can get very expensive. If you decide to go to a popular resort town at the height of the season it will likely cost a lot no matter how well you hunt down the deals.

The other way to travel cheap is to change how you approach traveling. What follows is meant for those who love the adventure of going new places and those who are open minded enough to look beyond their usual dream destinations. It is all about being an opportunistic traveler.

Travel Cheap By Being Open Minded

Take advantage of whatever opportunities are there. That is the basic way to cut your cost to travel. What does this mean in practice? Let's look at an example.

Explore a dozen possible destinations. You can gather all the information you need online now. Choose six that seem interesting to you. Now go to one of the flight search sites and look at the price of flights to each of them. Check on the costs of hotels at each place as well. With that information, pick the cheapest destination and start making plans.

This isn't about going to places you don't want to go. You already decided that all six destinations sounded interesting. Now you are choosing one of them because at the moment it costs less. The saving may mean you can afford to travel again to another destination even sooner than anticipated. Being opportunistic is the way to go if you want to travel more (unless you're lucky enough to have unlimited money for travel).

Similarly, you can check out the options on things to do when you get there. From kite-boarding on the ocean to mountain biking in the forests, there may be numerous things you would enjoy if you are open-minded. Why not let the cost decide the matter? If you have time for a couple activities, choose ten that sound fun and sign up for the two or three that are most affordable. The others may be cheaper at the next destination, and you'll have saved the money to pay for them.

Again, to travel cheap this way is not about sacrificing anything. In fact, when you pay less, you get to try more things and go more places. As long as you have a sense of adventure and don't get fixated on a place you "must" visit right now, or an activity you "must" do on this trip, you'll probably have a lot more fun with this approach.

Look for any opportunities to travel cheap. Maybe you can visit a friend who lives in a beautiful place. You might volunteer to chaperone a group of children who are going on a backpacking trip (I once went dog sledding in Canada for free in this way). Drop your ideas of how you "must" travel, open your mind, and you can have a great time for less money.