Have you ever wondered how those Instagram stars travel everywhere in the world and never seem to run out of money? Aren’t you curious how your old math teacher retired but has been to 37 countries in ten years and you can’t afford to pay back your student loans? With COVID restrictions lifting, you may be considering finally taking a vacation! Make the most out of your dollar and do these four things to save money on travel.

Travel out of season. 

Each destination that you go to has a busy season and a slow one. The key is to go in between the time when tourists flood the streets and the time when the business shut down. You’re aiming for the “cooling down period”. Many destinations that are high on bucket-lists across the country are STILL beautiful (perhaps even more so when you don’t have to fight kids-on-leashes for space) one or two months out of season.

Start looking for flights NOW.

When traveling on a budget, you need to put in some work to get the sweet reward. The work comes while researching flights. Search high and low, trust no single site to get you that elusive deal. There are plenty of flight apps, web pages, even search popular search engines (like the one that rhymes with BOOGLE) are a great resource. Start tracking your particular flight early, notice when prices rise and when they fall, that way you will be ready to buy when they hit rock bottom. I’ve found that even buying flights one way at a time can save hundreds of dollars. And did you know, planning early can actually brighten your mental state!

Consider Airbnbs or VRBOs.

When you’ve finally decided when and where and how you’re getting to your dream destination, consider where you’re staying. Consider this, a hotel offers no comforts of a home. There is no kitchen, no washer/dryer combo, no yard, really no space at all. Nowadays there are options aplenty. Popular sites like AirBNB and VRBO offer comfy homes tailored to any taste for prices that either rival hotels in the area or are actually cheaper! For the more adventurous traveler, one can even home swap. Do you live in a cute place? A desirable locale? Offer up your place and you could find yourself traveling to a new destination on the cheap. 

Eat Like a Local.

Now you’re in the city, sightseeing, walking, absorbing the culture. You’ve built up an appetite, where do you eat? My number one tip is to avoid the menus with pictures! This is especially true when traveling to different countries. They want to make ordering a “safe” ordeal, they’ll offer pizza or chicken tenders for twice as much as they should cost. Keep walking, go a little further outside of the main strip or square. Anywhere that is close to a tourist attraction is over-priced, taking the time to put some distance in between you and the hoards of people is well worth it. One of my favorite experiences, walking two miles outside of the city center of Lisbon, finding a tiny cafe with no English speakers, and having a 4-course meal for 5 dollars. I was wine-d, salad-ed, meal-ed, and dessert-ed for the cost of a Subway sandwich. 

Just remember when planning and traveling that there are always more options, keep looking, keep digging, you will find the trip that is right for you, for the right price. Keep checking back to the Kratos Gas & Power blog for more great lifestyle tips.