Apr

23

21 resources for budget travel

Filed Under frugal 

I love to travel. Really love it. This year my plans include the Oktoberfest in Munich (confusingly, it’s in September) and later in the autumn I’m heading out to Egypt for a week, where I’ll spend part of the time floating along the Nile in a felucca.

Anyway, I thought maybe you’re planning your holidays and vacations right now and you might like this collection of budget travel resources.

before you go

27 personal finance tips for overseas travel - because you won’t be in Kansas any more. Great list of things to think about before you go, it’s stuff that should be obvious to an experienced overseas traveller, but that a first-timer may not have thought of.

10 money saving tips for travel - more basic tips, but this time from someone after they returned from their first adventure. It’s things they did well, and things that they didn’t

pack light - the less that you take, the easier it will be to stay on a budget. Honestly, it’s true. Everyone who travels wishes they’d taken less stuff

accommodation

the joys of hostelling - it’s not all about bunkbeds, curfews, and young people any more. Hostelling is my accommodation of choice when I’m travelling on my own, I prefer to spend my money on food and other experiences

learn Esperanto and get free places to stay - ok, so it’s a little off the beaten track as an idea, but if you have more time than money, why not give it a go

you’ve got to love couchsurfing - surf couches around the world, free accommodation at its most basic

getting there and around

7 reasons to take the bus - I’ve travelled on the bus (or coach, as we Brits prefer to call long distance services) in the United States, Canada, Australia, and in Europe. Most of those were overnight trips to save on the cost of accommodation. Do you know what, it’s pretty good fun.

take the train, not the plane - possibly the most civilised form of transport available. I love taking the train when I’m on holiday. My current favourite trip was from Budapest to Vienna, so cheap and so easy. One of these days I want to travel on the Trans-Siberian express from Moscow to Beijing.

13 ways to save money on airline travel - some destinations are only reachable by plane, so you may as well save some money on your flights if you have to take them

getting cheap flights - this is a UK based information, but a lot of it will be relevant to everyone. And, if you are planning a trip to Europe, definitely check out the information on budget airlines, proof positive that someone loves Europeans

plan a cheap road trip - just because you’re in a car, doesn’t mean that there aren’t great ways to save money.

12 keys to a good deal on a rental car - you’re not always going to want to take your own car with you, and there are lots of destinations that work best with a rental car

on the road

5 steps to staying in touch on the road - because you’re going to want to phone home. And even if you don’t, you might find that you’ve forgotten to tell your bank that you’re abroad and they’ve stopped your card. Not that I’ve ever done anything like that of course ;) .

5 tips for saving money at the airport - ugh, I’m not a fan of airports, and always seem to spend more there than I intended. Maybe I should check out these tips next time.

7 tips for managing your cash when travelling - because you’re going to be spending some money whilst you’re abroad. But, you may as well do it sensibly

10 tips for cutting RV travel expenses - RV stands for recreation vehicle, right? Glorified caravans with every home comfort, they aren’t intrinsically budget choices, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t make them so

8 ideas for saving money on food - eating is an important and necessary part of life. It’s even more important when travelling, all that hiking round museums/national parks/the beach works up an appetite. It can be expensive though, so you might want to make some clever choices

how much should you tip on a cruise? - you do know that you have to right? It’s as well to do it properly, without either coming across as a miser, or being more generous than you need to be

other trips

10 frugal tips for visiting family - because not all travel is to exciting new destinations. Unless you’re one of the lucky people whose extended family live in Hawaii or something

stay at home vacation - not everyone likes, or can afford to, travel to exotic destinations. That’s no reason to take a break though. Why not have a stay at home vacation?

money saving tips at Disney - if you’re a fan of the mouse, or you have children who are you should probably know that without planning, it’s expensive. So here are some ideas to help you.

More ideas? Let me know in the comments.

If you like what you're reading, why not leave a comment below, subscribe to my feed, or check out some of my best posts.

You might also like to read:

Comments

14 Responses to “21 resources for budget travel”

  1. Lloyd on April 23rd, 2008 12:52 pm

    Ahh… the elusive Trans-Siberian express. It’s been a dream of mine for a while now, and unfortunately I’m struggling to find the time to do it.

    Regardless, my favourite tip on using this most romantic of transport methods? The Man in Seat Sixty-One (http://www.seat61.com/) - a great site with all the information you need to travel (pretty much) anywhere in the world from the good old UK.

    Great post.

  2. David@The Good Human on April 23rd, 2008 1:06 pm

    Thanks so much for the mention Plonkee!

  3. fathersez on April 23rd, 2008 1:14 pm

    Hope you make it to Egypt and have a great time there.

    Been there but not as adventurous as you. Have not tried a felucca yet.

    Regards

  4. Patrick on April 23rd, 2008 1:56 pm

    Great tips! I love to travel, and I’ve used a few of these tips on many occasions! Have fun in Oktoberfest (yes I’m jealous!) ;)

    Thanks for the mention. :)

  5. Looby on April 23rd, 2008 3:00 pm

    The Trans-Siberian is on my to-do list as well, I think I might go with my dad sometime. This year is looking pretty poor for vacation but I’m hoping to fit in Montreal in the autumn.
    Have fun in Egypt, my friend went with her belly dancing class last year and loved it.

  6. Aaron Stroud on April 23rd, 2008 3:41 pm

    The yesterday’s Festival of Frugality #122 (hosted at my blog) had several posts on frugal travel. I’ve included the links below.

    How to find Southwest Air bargains
    Don’t forget that some of the best souveniers are inexpensive or free
    Two people can visit Barcelona on 10 Euro a day
    How to stay safe while traveling abroad

  7. Bill Chapman on April 23rd, 2008 9:28 pm

    Just to say that the suggestion to use Esperanto for inexpensive travel really works! I know - I’ve used this planned language a lot on my travels.

  8. Save Money on April 23rd, 2008 10:35 pm

    Some tips for saving money while buying plane tickets:
    -Buy on Tuesdays, thursday and Wednesdays.
    -Use multiple resources to find trips not just one like expedia.
    -Buy roundtrip.
    -Don’t dismiss first class travel, sometimes it can be cheaper, really.
    -Buy tickets in advance to your travels and not within a week before your travels.

  9. Rob Lewis on April 24th, 2008 2:51 pm

    Great resource for budget travelling Plonkee - I just wish I had more money available to do some travelling myself! Hoping to get to a European city later this year though.

  10. deepali on April 24th, 2008 4:01 pm

    Wouldn’t the Trans-Siberian local be more fun than the express? :) I will be undertaking it at some point in mid-2010, though starting either from Vladivostok or Beijing (via Trans-Manchurian), or maybe even taking the ferry from S Korea.

    Interestingly, I’ve never had a problem with using my cards overseas (without notifying my bank, even). The only time I had an issue was booking local flights on foreign carriers on the internet (from the comfort of my own home).

  11. Frugal Trenches on April 24th, 2008 8:51 pm

    Plonkee this is absolutely wonderful thank you for this!!

  12. plonkee on April 24th, 2008 9:20 pm

    @deepali:
    If I ever get the time for the Trans-Sib local, then that would of course be more fun, if also more challenging.

    I’m a bit concerned that it’s just me that has a problem with using cards overseas. It’s happened to me at least twice - and the first time, it was every single card that I took with me. Banks probably don’t like me very much.

  13. Joseph Ryan on April 30th, 2008 1:43 am

    Hello,

    I thought your readers might have an interest in our new
    article on Web Search Guides, namely “Cheap Airfares,” which
    is available at: http://www.websearchguides.com/cheap_airfares.htm

    Thank you.

    Joseph Ryan
    Washington Research Associates Inc

  14. Dave on May 12th, 2008 1:31 am

    For SERIOUS budget travel check out driveaways!

15 pings

  1. Lone Gunman :: Travelling on a Shoestring on April 23rd, 2008 1:04 pm

    […] makes Plonkee’s latest post, 21 Resources for Budget Travel great in every respect - links galore! take the train, not the plane - possibly the most civilised […]

  2. 21 Resources For Budget Travel | aldrichknox on April 24th, 2008 12:53 pm

    […] read more […]

  3. The Friday Gathering For 4/25/2008 on April 25th, 2008 10:31 am

    […] Plonkee Money - 21 resources for budget travel […]

  4. 34 Ways To Save Money On Car Expenses | Moolanomy on April 25th, 2008 1:01 pm

    […] 21 resources for budget travel at Plonkee Money […]

  5. rv world on April 25th, 2008 8:11 pm

    […] heading out to Egypt for a week, where I??ll spend part of the time floating along the Nile in a fehttp://plonkee.com/2008/04/23/21-resources-for-budget-travel/Celebrating Pascha Grand Forks HeraldRURAL FERTILE, MINN. - This weekend is Easter for hundreds of […]

  6. Weekend Roundup: Paper Clutter Edition | beingfrugal.net on April 26th, 2008 11:00 am

    […] Going on vacation soon? Make sure you visit Plonkee Money before you leave. Plonkee made a great list of resources for overseas travel. […]

  7. Sunday Money Roundup - My So Called Life Edition. | My Two Dollars on April 27th, 2008 2:01 pm

    […] Money has 21 resources for budget travel. Being in the UK, Plonkee gets to take advantage of rail travel. Too bad most of us here in the […]

  8. Sunday Morning Link Love - The Hunt Begins Edition | I've Paid For This Twice Already... on April 27th, 2008 3:21 pm

    […] Money: 21 Resources for Budget Travel. I want to travel, and I want to do it on a shoestring. Here are some idea […]

  9. cheap holiday abroad for a family on April 30th, 2008 6:01 am

    […] […]

  10. hiking in europe on April 30th, 2008 12:11 pm

    […] […]

  11. Frugal Travel « Notes From The Frugal Trenches on May 2nd, 2008 6:33 pm

    […] me! I’ll share how I make travelling work for me, but in the mean time Plonkee wrote a BRILLIANT POST about travelling on a budget and I recommend everyone reads […]

  12. Weekly Round-Up Busy Week Edition on May 4th, 2008 3:31 pm

    […] Plonkee shares 21 resources for budget travel. […]

  13. Weekend Reading: May 4, 2008 | Moolanomy on May 4th, 2008 4:27 pm

    […] 21 resources for budget travel at Plonkee Money — Vacation season is upon us and I think this is a great place to start. […]

  14. cheap couches on May 5th, 2008 9:13 am

    […] heading out to Egypt for a week, where I??ll spend part of the time floating along the Nile in a fehttp://plonkee.com/2008/04/23/21-resources-for-budget-travel/Where to Eat Cincinnati CityBeatBy Staff.http://www.citybeat.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=144808My […]

  15. Weekly Round Up: Washer and Dryer Edition | Green Panda Treehouse on May 15th, 2008 10:15 am

    […] Do you like to travel? Plonkee has 21 resources for budget travel. […]

Leave a Reply