If you are someone who likes to travel a lot, there are probably only a couple of things that keep you from doing it as often as you’d like. The most likely reason is cost – traveling, whether domestically or internationally, can be expensive. Another thing that might keep you from taking as many trips or vacations as you would like is your busy work schedule. Luckily one day you will reach retirement age and will be able to stop working, and then you’ll have plenty of time to travel as much as you want to! Unfortunately this doesn’t solve the money problem.
Just because you’re finally retired doesn’t mean you’ll suddenly have a bunch of expendable income. But the good news is there are plenty of ways you can travel on a budget. Here are 5 tips to help you do just that.
Camp
Sleeping in hotels, motels, or short term rental houses can get expensive pretty quickly. Especially if you are planning on staying more than a couple of nights, you are looking at hundreds of dollars minimum, and that’s just for a place to sleep! Camping, whether in a tent or in a van, RV, truck, or even your car, is an excellent way to save money on places to stay. There are lots of places on the road where you can use the restroom or take showers too.
Bring Food
Another big expense when traveling is food. If you know that there will be a kitchen where you are staying (or a campfire – see above!) you should go grocery shopping the first day you are there and plan to cook your own meals while on your trip. This will save you a lot of money by keeping you from eating out as much. You may consider having at least one nice meal in the city or town you are visiting though, so that you can experience the culture of your surroundings for yourself.
Pack Properly
If you’re traveling on a budget, it is of utmost importance that you are very careful not to forget anything when packing your bags. Packing light is always good, but packing too light can cause you to have to spend unnecessary money replacing things you forgot to bring! Make sure not to forget essentials like weather appropriate clothing (look up the weather report before you travel!), toiletries, medications, and electronics and their chargers. This will make your life much easier once you get to your destination and will save you money too!
Hopefully this list has shown you that you don’t have to have a lot of money saved up to travel to all of the places you want to go and make priceless memories, you just have to be smart about it and pinch pennies wherever possible!
For more information about survival skills, such as what to wear, how to get food and water, and how to make a shelter, check out the Survival Tips Series over at Sharpshaft.
