We all dream of traveling and even more so when the holiday season approaches. Knowing how to travel cheap, applying a budget strategy and keeping your travel funds safe are essential to prepare for the trip without putting your financial future in unnecessary jeopardy. Learning some tips and tricks on  how to travel cheap helps you save time and money when preparing your trip.

Traveling cheap  does not mean having a bad stay or not fully enjoying your vacation, traveling cheap is knowing how to make the most of your budget and manage it in the best possible way.

Vacations are that moment of full freedom, relaxation, enjoyment, leaving all the stress of everyday life aside and marveling at the pleasures of life. Many times, the problem is that, like many things in life, this time of enjoyment deserves an economic effort that does not always turn out to be cheap. That is why here I bring you some curious facts to  enjoy your vacations  and know how to travel cheap, exploring, living and feeling these majestic times of the year in a different and magical way. Here I will leave you everything you need to know to have a cheap trip.

How to travel cheap: Aspects to take into account when booking a trip

The price is usually key when choosing the destination. It is also important before deciding where to go,  what is expected of the trip,  is it a family trip, is it a self-knowledge trip, or is it just to relax, things that can have a lot of weight when choosing a destination. Then another important factor is the budget, where you have to take into account the following aspects:

• How much money will you really need?
• Where are you going to sleep?
• Where are you going to eat and drink?
• What do you know about public transport?
• Am I going to pay in cash or with the card?

These are just some of the aspects that you should take into account before planning your trip.

It is necessary that every trip must be planned in advance, that you must take care of every detail in order to be able to envision options that suit your budget and the demands that you wish to meet on said trip.

The first thing then and that is essential to  enjoy vacations with little money , is to generate a tentative budget for them and try as much as possible to adapt all the options that are presented to you along the way. Always try to search in two ways, that is, to look for complete packages that include tickets, accommodation and food, and compare them with the price of each one separately.

If you already have the budget for the trip ready, you have to choose the dates of your trip and make the reservation.

How to book a cheap trip

Once you do the searches, it's time to book the tickets. Before you start typing “  www.skyscanner.com  ” or going to the travel agency, the most important thing is to book in advance or at a specific time.

Flights are undoubtedly one of the most important parts of planning a dream trip, so it is essential that you have tools that allow you to find  the best prices  and the best flight options to enjoy vacations with little money. . To find out how to travel cheap, one of the most recommended options is to visit websites that filter those flights that are much cheaper, either by dates, by airlines, or by the number of stops they make to get to the destination. final destination.

Skyscanner  and Momondo  are the best flight search engines, where you can compare thousands of flights and find the perfect dates for your trip.  

What, How and When to book?

If you want to make a short trip, you can book the return trip, accommodation and activities that need a prior reservation, to take advantage of a small discount and not waste time in queues.

If you have more flexibility with your return dates, you can book your outbound flight and change the return date or route.

How to travel cheap with the hundreds of reservation pages that exist today?

It is an advantage that we have at our fingertips. Today travel agencies have access to offers but they are not available to everyone. Sometimes you can find cheaper flights and accommodation than a private individual. They offer you the convenience of finding everything in one place and also offer advice in case of unforeseen events during the trip. To travel cheap it is very important to compare before to find the best offer.

Compare before to know how cheap travel is the best way to plan your trip. It is always thought that the greater the advance notice, the cheaper the trip will be. That is not always so. Most airlines don't usually offer big discounts with more than 6 weeks in advance. So, with 6 weeks before, it can be a good time to organize your trip.

8 Tricks to book the cheapest flight

1.  Book at a specific time

Knowing how to travel cheap is knowing when to buy a ticket. It is a key point when booking a ticket. Choosing the right time can save us a lot of money from the budget. Rates go up and down all the time, so you don't need to wait and think that a rate is going to keep going down. Booking the ticket at the right time will get the best price and the best savings.

2. Earn miles as a regular passenger

If you usually travel very often, it is highly recommended to consider it. Earn miles with KLM  and SkyTeam by  taking advantage of how miles can be transferred from one to the other. The number of miles you earn depends on the amount of money you spend on a reservation.   

By being a KLM member  you can earn  4 to 8 miles for every euro spent . If you buy the ticket with a currency other than the euro, the amount is converted to euros at the time of purchase to calculate the number of miles you have earned. Taxes are not included when calculating the amount, but they do include carrier charges and any additional options you have purchased. Become a member of  KLM  and don't waste a single mile, even if you are flying with this airline for the first time.  

3. Choose nearby airports

How to travel cheap but taking advantage of the nearby airports. A very good way to save money on the ticket is to fly to alternative airports. For example, instead of flying to Paris ( Charles de Gaulle)  they can look for alternative airports that are not far away like Paris (Orly) which is the second airport in the city. There are great deals for nearby airports, which is a great opportunity to save on the ticket.

4. Activate price alerts

On the website  www.skyscanner.com  you can activate price alerts and it is highly recommended to start 2-3 months before the date of your trip. If, for example, you have planned to book your ticket in the next 60 days, it is important to activate price alerts 90 days before. When the price starts to drop a lot you are notified by an email message. If the price of the flight matches your budget, you can book it right away.

5. Take advantage of scales

If you live in London, for example, your destination is Barcelona and you have found a flight from Landres to Barcelona and another flight from London to Paris with a stopover in Barcelona that is cheaper than the first one, it is worth taking advantage of it.

In these cases, what you have to do is remember to always check in your luggage at each scale.

6. Fly the least demanded days

Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays are the least popular days and if you want to know how to travel cheap, this is one way to find out. If your dates are flexible, activate price alerts at www.skyscanner.com  for these days a few months in advance and you will find the best price. It is the easiest way to save on your ticket. Few people are willing to interrupt the weekend, for this reason the airlines make great discounts to occupy the seats and flights in the middle of the week.  

7. The price, not the destination

If you want to travel cheap somewhere and you have set a budget but you still do not have a destination, you have to start looking for the lowest possible price.

At  www.skyscanner.com  you have the opportunity to search for flights to anywhere at the lowest price. If, for example, you want to travel somewhere in Europe, with  Skyscanner  you can find the cheapest area in Europe and if you are willing to start your trip, you just have to pack your suitcase.

8. Use previous prices

Skyscanner  offers you a tool for some countries to make a prediction. With this tool you can find out if your price goes down or up in the following week. If the price is low, they will recommend you book it now and otherwise they advise you to wait.

Learn more about how to travel cheap with  Skyscanner .  It is a web platform that you will undoubtedly love and that I recommend 100% to choose the flight that best suits your budget and itinerary, being a leading platform in scanning countless itineraries and airlines that allow you to compare prices from the cheapest to the most expensive, giving you a range of possibilities that makes it easier for you to search and choose the best option for you, to enjoy your vacations with little money.

The next step after booking your flight is to book accommodation.

How to travel cheap and save on accommodation

Another fundamental element to take into account when planning your vacation is the place where you are going to arrive, that is,  the accommodation , which you can choose according to your budget in the same way and in which you should pay attention to details such as breakfast, lunch , or snack included, since if you go with a complete package, you will know that you should not spend more with respect to food.

Accommodation is usually the biggest daily expense. Knowing how to travel cheap and reduce the cost can save you more money in your budget.

In order to enjoy a trip around the world or simply travel with little money, and taking this important item into account, I recommend  AirBnB .  It is a company that emerges in the window of a web platform, which is mainly focused on collecting information directly related to both private and tourist accommodation services, successfully contributing to the search of many netizens who want to find comfortable accommodation, adapted to their needs. needs and, above all, adjustable to your budget.

The great advantages  that this site offers is that you can have contact with all the accommodation available in the place you are going to visit and it allows you to know all the information corresponding to prices and, consequently, compare between different options around the world.

Another advantage that AirBnB has  is that once you register you can invite your friends by giving them 25 euros for their first reservation.  

And with that said, here's my gift:

Other tools to travel cheap and book your accommodation at the best price:

HotelsClick  is an independent provider of hotel services headquartered in Rome, with 100,000 hotels in more than 6,000 cities worldwide. Your site is very simple, easy to use, with a good price in hotels with the best customer service in the industry.

Momondo  is a free global travel search site that compares prices for cheap flights, hotels and car rentals.

Atrápalo.com , the first portal for travel and the promotion of Spanish urban leisure activities, offers you free time offers with a proven high sales conversion rate.

TripAdvisor  is a price comparator, queries, reservations and many more options . Ideal for planning a trip.

Booking.com is the world leader in online hotel reservations.

To learn more about how to travel cheap, I am going to present below 8 tips to keep in mind before booking your accommodation.

Learn how to travel cheap with the 8 tips to find the best accommodation

1. Call the hotel

Before making the reservation, call to ask about the offer. Sometimes you can offer some better discounts than advertised.

2. Find information about the hotel

Search for information to find out what other guests have said about the site. Online reviews and information that other guests can provide can be an important step when making a reservation.

3. What is the location of the site?

Is it close to the transportation hub? Find out if the location is safe and if you are far away how you can get there on foot without being in danger.

4. Always look for stays for 3 nights and that the dates are flexible.

5. Look at the entry and exit times

It is important to know in the case of arriving earlier with a lot of luggage. Also ask if they have a limited arrival time during the day.

6. Is there WIFI and some security measures?

It is important to know if the accommodation has a safe to store your valuables. It is not usually indicated to carry many things of enzyme value. Ask about Wi-Fi, some accommodations offer the service only in some specific places (cafeterias, lobbies, etc...).

7. Ask if there are any additional fees or taxes.

Policies may vary from hotel to hotel. Some may charge different taxes or commissions and it is advisable to check beforehand.

8. Are meals included?

If you have booked your accommodation, find out if you have breakfast included and any other meals apart. Meals are important because if you do not inform yourself well beforehand, you can spend more than necessary. Look for accommodation with a kitchen, you will save a lot of money on food. Also find out about nearby restaurants, menus and prices.

If you have booked your flight and accommodation, you already have the trip prepared. The only thing left for you is to pack your suitcase. Another trick to know how to travel cheap is to choose the right content of your luggage.

How to choose the right luggage

When choosing your luggage, you do not have to think only about the size of the suitcase to avoid possible restrictions, it is also important to think about your comfort.

When buying a suitcase, it is advisable to take into account the suitcase that offers the best guarantee.

Take a look at the best travel bags. Click tsee prices

How to correctly choose a suitcase?

• Not always the most expensive suitcases have more quality. On a trip, an expensive suitcase like a cheap one has the same chance of breaking. Don't always look at the price.
• If you want to choose a softer suitcase, choose one with an outside pocket, it is important to deposit some things that you may need after the flight (pills, clean clothes, etc...). Always close the suitcase with a padlock.
• The most rigid suitcases may have the advantage of fitting better in airplane compartments, they may weigh less and absorb shock.
• Always make sure that it has 360-degree swivel wheels to make it easier to maneuver.
• The zippers have to be resistant. It is more advisable to use suitcases with zippers than those that have a built-in lock. Sometimes they can get stuck.

!! Congratulations!! Now you have everything ready to start your trip.