How to travel on a budget

Fairy Pools, Glen Brittle, Isle of Skye, Scotland. Photo by Taylor Brogan

As a student, budget is always a consideration for me when I'm travelling. I've only got a student job, so I don't have that much money to spend, and wherever I get the chance I always try to spend less. Trying to save money is a skill everyone wants, and that can be especially hard if you're travelling often. So how does one go about saving money while travelling?

#1 Know what to invest in.

It seems counterintuitive that the first thing I'm telling you to do is to spend money - but right at the beginning of all this travel I bought an ultracompact sleeping bag and a maximum cabin-sized backpack, and I'm 110% sure that I've got my money's worth out of them.

A sleeping bag and a cabin-sized backpack are absolutely essential for me. Last semester I had a lot of friends who were studying abroad all over Europe, and staying with them I used my £25 Snugpak Travelpak Lite every single night.



I used this sleeping bag for at least 14 nights of travel throughout Ireland Norway and Amsterdam, and when you do the math on that I've spent an average of £1.80 a night. £1.80! And there's plenty of use out of that sleeping bag yet! It's warm, it's cozy, and it packs tiny - honestly I could go on forever about that sleeping bag, I love it so much.

I used an ultracompact sleeping bag because I was flying budget airlines so I needed as much space in my cabin-sized bag as possible. Cabin-sized bags are also incredibly important - in Europe, budget airlines like Ryanair and Easyjet are the most convenient, time-saving modes of travel. With return flights from Edinburgh to Stockholm for under £50, it's hard not to love budget airlines.

The one thing about them though is that you have to pay to put your luggage in the hold. Now, I'm travelling on a shoestring - I'm not paying an extra £50 to check my bags in! Early on I bought a CabinMax because I knew I would be getting a lot of use out of it, and not having to check my bags in has saved me a lot of money while travelling.

Depending on your style of travel, you might buy the same things as I did, or you might find that you require different items. These are the things you'll want not to scrimp on - they're the things you'll use time and again, so invest in good-quality ones.

#2 Travel light.

This links back to what I said in #1 - you really don't want to pay extra just to put luggage in the hold, especially when flying a budget airline. Also, travelling light often means you'll make yourself aware on some deeper level that you're working on a budget instead of having a regular holiday; somehow, seeing the small size of the luggage you're carrying will stop you from spending on frivolous items while you're travelling.

Don't be the person who does this.

Don't buy souvenirs - if you must, invest in a good camera and take photos home instead of weight in your bag - and don't carry with you more than you absolutely need for the trip.

#3 Know your biggest costs.

Always try to save on accommodation where possible. It will likely be one of the biggest factors in your spending, as will transport and food. A luxury holiday will probably mean you're spending upwards of £70 a night; if you stay at hostels, you'll spend below £20 on average. That's a massive difference, and what's even better is if you can spend nothing at all on accommodation.

Couchsurfing is a great way not only to get free accommodation, but to have a more authentic travel experience because you'll be staying with locals. Locals can show you where to hang out and what to do, and they'll introduce you to local food and be great friends while you're there especially if you're travelling alone.

If you're staying in a hostel, make sure it's one with a kitchen. Don't eat out breakfast lunch and dinner - go to a grocery store, buy some groceries, and cook your own food. You might argue that eating out and local is authentic, but when the price difference is £12 a meal as opposed to £1.20, you won't have much of a problem eating pasta and canned sauce instead of seared whale.

You don't really need to have this instead of mac 'n' cheese, right?

If you can find cheaper transport from place to place, take it (unless it's the 9 hour bus from Edinburgh to London which is torturous, trust me - take the plane instead it's only about £10 more expensive and so much more comfortable and completely worth paying the extra).

Remember to do your research, and look around for every opportunity - sometimes the most unexpected options can turn out to be the best. Which brings me to the next point...

#4 Travel in groups

You know why tour groups are so popular? Because they give you can give you value for money and time. They've done the research, they've worked out the economics, and they're able to sell it to you at a price that isn't too bad given what you're going to be seeing.

It's economy of scale, people. With more people sharing the cost, you can get stuff for really cheap, much much cheaper than if you were doing it all on your own.

Let me give you an example. For my most recent trip to the Isle of Skye, transport and accommodation (not including food and petrol) cost a grand total of £87 a person for 8 days and 7 nights. When you think of transport, often you think of public transport - buses, trains, and the like, because for an individual those are often your cheapest options. But if you can get your own vehicle and make your own group, in a party of 8 people costs go way down.

Taylor, Adeline, and the army of Singaporeans taking on Pitlochry.

Here's the math.

Vehicle - £231
Cottage - £395
Petrol - £209.36
Food - £183.32
Total cost: £1018.68

Per person: £127.34 for a whopping 8 days of fun on the Isle of Skye, feasting like kings and having wine every night.

I think that's a win.

Of course, you should also pick your travel mates wisely. I love travel, but if I travel in a group I want it to be a group that I'm comfortable with being with and who will all have a great time travelling together.

#5 Time, quality, or price - pick two.

It's been repeated to death, but that's because it's so true. You can't have it all.

If you sacrifice time, you'll spend a lot of time researching but get good value for money; if you sacrifice quality, you'll save time but pay more for what you're having; if you sacrifice price, then you're just going for the number one hit results on every page and may not be getting the best value that you can.

Me, I sacrifice time. I spend hours and hours researching things, trying to get the best value for money so that I don't overspend on my trips. It takes me a really long time to plan things and to get it just right so that I feel comfortable with how much or how little I spend, and it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. Others like the spontaneity of unplanned travel, and that's cool too.

Information is your friend!

I don't always turn down things just because they may be expensive - I've already done so much to get to a certain point that when I'm somewhere and I see, let's say, a really nice tour that isn't exactly light on budget, I'll go for it anyway because I evaluate cost against how much enjoyment I'm going to get out of doing that.

Remember that just because you're travelling on a budget, you shouldn't be going overboard trying to save money at every opportunity.

Everyone is different, and ultimately how you want to work your travel style is up to you.