Money tips · 7 min read
How to save money while travelling: 15 practical tips
Saving money on a trip doesn't mean skipping the good bits. It means not bleeding cash on the dull ones, so there's more left over for the parts you'll actually remember. Here are 15 tips that genuinely move the needle, grouped by where the money tends to go.
Before you go
- Be flexible with dates. Flying midweek, or a day either side of a public holiday, can cut fares dramatically. Use flexible-date search and set price alerts.
- Travel in the shoulder season. The few weeks before and after peak season often bring similar weather at a fraction of the price, with fewer crowds.
- Book accommodation with a kitchen. Even one or two self-catered meals a day noticeably lowers your food spend on a longer trip.
- Sort a fee-free card. A travel card or account with no foreign-transaction fees quietly saves you 2 to 3% on everything you buy abroad.
- Set a budget up front. A trip with a plan almost always spends less than one without. Our budgeting guide walks you through it.
On flights & transport
- Fly with hand luggage only when you can. Checked-bag fees often cost more than the seat itself.
- Use public transport from the airport. Trains and buses are typically a fraction of a taxi, and often faster in traffic.
- Buy transit day-passes in cities where you'll take more than two or three rides a day.
Tip
Savings only count if you can see them
Log expenses in PocketTrip as you go and keep an eye on your daily cap in real time. It's the quickest way to catch spending creeping up while there's still time to do something about it.
On food & daily spending
- Eat where the locals eat. One street back from the main square, the same meal is often half the price and twice as good.
- Make lunch your big meal. Plenty of restaurants offer a set lunch menu at a fraction of dinner prices.
- Carry a refillable water bottle where tap water is safe. Small daily savings like this add up over a week.
- Look for free days and city passes. Many museums have free entry on set days, and a city pass pays off if you'll visit several attractions.
On currency & fees
- Always pay in the local currency. Decline the terminal's offer to convert to your home currency. That's dynamic currency conversion, and it's rarely in your favour.
- Withdraw cash in larger, less frequent amounts to keep flat ATM fees down, but only take out what you'll realistically use.
- Track every expense. The simple act of logging what you spend tends to make you spend less, and it shows you exactly where the money went.
The tip that ties them together
On their own, most of these savings are small. Together they're the difference between coming home even and coming home over budget. What makes them stick is really just paying attention, knowing at any moment how you're doing against your budget. That's the part PocketTrip handles for you: budgets and daily caps, logging in any currency, receipt scanning and a live view of what's left. Travelling with friends? Our guide to splitting expenses fairly keeps group costs in check too.
Ready?
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Keep reading: How to track travel expenses: 5 methods compared →