Some people prefer to give up on the idea of traveling abroad, considering that it is far too expensive. While it is true that exploring a country on another continent requires a certain budget, there are a number of tips to know to save money. Are you planning to visit South America, Africa or Asia soon? Here are a few tips to help you enjoy a trip to the other side of the world without spending too much.
The key word: anticipation
Often, when we decide to go abroad, we prefer to anticipate to give ourselves time to find the cheapest plane tickets, to do the administrative procedures (passport...), etc. And that's good! Because in the field of travel and tourism, the longer you wait, the more likely it is that prices will go up! This is true for the reservation of air tickets as well as for the accommodation, the two most important expenses when traveling. There is no need to rush to book with a specific airline or hotel. The best thing to do is to use flight and hotel comparisons to find the cheapest offers.
We are talking about anticipation, but some of you have certainly heard about the possibility of traveling cheaper at the last minute. It's true, it's possible to not spend too much on an international trip when tour operators, campgrounds or airlines decide to significantly lower their rates because they are not sold out. Yes, you can stay on the lookout for these offers, but it should be noted that this requires a great deal of organization and to be ready to leave at the last minute. Not always easy...
Staying with a local
For many international destinations, we clearly have no other choice than to book plane tickets. But for accommodation, you don't have to sleep in high-class hotels. There are ideal destinations to sleep at the inhabitant's like Canada, Peru, Iceland, Morocco or even Cuba. And then, there are also platforms that offer home exchange. That is to say the exchange of your own accommodation with that of a person located in the destination where you wish to travel. Clever and radically economical!
Eating at home
It is true that when traveling, we often tend to let go and eat at restaurants. Even if some destinations have much cheaper prices than in Europe, this remains a source of expenses that comes up every day. To save money and optimize your budget when traveling internationally, the best thing to do is to go to the markets and learn about local consumer habits. Going to the market allows you to stock up on fresh, local and seasonal products. And the bill is undoubtedly much lower than if you decide to eat in a restaurant morning, noon and night
Participate in free activities and visits
Many activities in the fields of tourism and leisure are not free. And here again, these can quickly weigh down the travel budget. The advantage of traveling abroad, and especially to an unknown destination, is that everything can be discovered through simple and free activities. A hike in the mountains, an afternoon at the beach, a long stroll through the neighborhoods of a city or the alleys of a village, these activities do not require you to put your hand in the wallet and are the promise of pleasant moments.
And don't forget to ask the locals once you're there. The locals always have good plans to communicate about unusual places to discover or a free museum/event in the area.
Consumer credit and credit repurchase, it helps you out
We don't always think about it, but when our income is really insufficient to save and to have a travel budget, consumer credit can help us out. There are now organizations that lend for travel, establishing monthly repayments that remain affordable. Be careful, however, to always take stock of one's ability to repay the same amount every month over a given period.
For people who already have several loans to repay and who feel that traveling internationally would be a folly, buying back loans can be another interesting option. The idea is then to regroup the different credits into a substitution loan, to ask to have an additional cash flow for the financing of the trip, and then to repay the loan while lowering the monthly payment
