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Recently I just got finished backpacking Europe for a month. I traveled from Paris to Rome to Santorini to Barcelona to Madrid and finished in Dublin on a student travel budget. During this trip I was very frugal with my money and decided I would come up with a list of frugal travel tips I discovered and used during my trip to share with you all.
Staying in a hostel is awesome for solo travelers or even if you’re traveling with a few friends because you get put in a room with a ton of bunks with a bunch of other travelers. I’ve met so many cool people from all around the world with such cool backgrounds and stories that I would’ve never crossed paths with otherwise.
If you’re like me, then you would probably want to google the best party hostels in the city you are traveling to. These hostels are usually the most social and include pub crawls at night for a pretty good deal. Some also have “free” walking tours which are awesome because you’ll get to see the city in relation to where your hostel is. By “free” I mean its on a tip basis, so there’s no actual set price but you tip at the end of the tour and that’s how much it is. You also meet and become close with really cool people and find friends to explore the city you are in! (p.s. you’ll be really sad when you all leave because you meet so many cool people and you literally never know when or if you’ll ever see these people again)
I use hostelworld to book all my hostels, its a great app and website that lets you compare several hostels, prices, and reviews in a city through the app. You can get a bed in a bunk for around $20-$40 a night, sometimes even less if you’re lucky.
An airbnb is great if you are looking for more privacy during your stay. The rooms and/or homes that are provided on airbnb are places owned by people or where someone lives where they let you stay. You can find rooms for as cheap as $20, but they won’t be that great.
I stayed in a room in Paris for $20 a night, it was a room that had no A/C and was on the sixth floor of the apartment building. It was in a great location, had a separate area with a full kitchen and a bathroom, had decent wifi, and the host was really helpful with directions to near tourist attractions and nearby supermarkets and restaurants. I definitely got what I paid for, however, it didn’t really matter how nice it was because I really just needed a place to sleep.
Airbnb’s usually are more expensive if you are looking for a more luxurious stay.
Now depending on where you stay, some hostels offer free breakfast and/or dinner. Take advantage of eating during this time to save money! Buying groceries from a local supermarket is a great way to budget how much money you spend on food because it is a lot cheaper than eating at a restaurant every meal. You want to buy food that is cheap but also filling. This includes chicken, eggs, rice, pastas, vegetables, bread, and other food along those lines.
You would think this is a silly tip, but finding good deals and coupons in a big city is life-saving! Check online for daily specials on the restaurants in the city your staying at. Stay away from the main tourist locations, which includes places like boardwalks & busy streets. Use places like Yelp Deals, Groupon, and LivingSocial to help you find coupons for restaurants in your area.
Don’t worry I’m prone to over-eating as well. Many people eat with their eyes (including myself). I usually want to order everything on the menu and then halfway through my meal I’ll realize I’m already full! Start off with one plate and eat slowly. Have conversation with the people you are eating with to keep yourself distracted from over-eating. You’ll actually be really surprised that the extra plate you originally wanted wasn’t even necessary!
Before my trip I gave myself of €68 daily budget. If i spent less than the €68 the day prior, then I could use the leftover money I had the day before for the next day and so on. I rarely spent my full budget in one day because I was so focused on finding good deals and cheap hostels, but this allowed me to really focus on how much money I had available to spend and also forced me to not overspend.
Tracking my expenses was the best decision I made during my trip and it was really simple too! I had all my expenses in the notes app of my phone. I’m sure there are apps that make this more efficient, but this way was simple. Every time I would make a purchase I would take out my phone and add it into my notes. Here is an example:
This is one day of my expenses during my trip that I logged in my notes. It isn’t anything too extensive, but it allowed me to keep track of how much I was spending daily and allowed me to keep track of how much of my budget I was spending.
Check out some of my favorite tools and companies I actually use when I travel.
Need a Bank Account for Life Abroad? Wise is the best option for travelers, study abroad students and expats. I use it as my everyday checking account since it lets me hold and spend in multiple currencies without getting hit with a bad exchange rate every time I cross a border.
Want to Travel for Free & Skip the Foreign Transaction Fees? I put my spending on my Chase Sapphire Preferred card and let the points cover flights and hotels I'd otherwise be paying for out of pocket. I've been able to use the points I earn on this card to pay for flights, hotels and meals all around the world!
Please Don't Forget Travel Insurance! Travel insurance protects you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. I never go on a trip without it. My two favorites are:
Need a Flight? I personally love using Google Flights to track prices and compare dates before I commit, the flexible date view alone has saved me a lot of money. Skyscanner is another great search engine to find cheap flights because it searches sites and airlines around the globe, so you know no cheap deal is being left on the table.
Getting Around Southeast Asia? Book your buses, trains, and ferries with 12Go Asia. One search shows you every route and price, so you're not digging through ten different local booking sites.
Need a Place to Stay? Book your hotel with Expedia, where I start looking, especially when I want to bundle flights and stays together. Hotels.com is my backup when I want to compare prices or I'm chasing their rewards program for a free night.
On a Tighter Budget? Hostelworld is where I go for hostels. It has the largest inventory out there, and you can search for dorm beds or private rooms depending on what you're after!
Want a Free Way to Travel? Try TrustedHousesitters! You look after someone's home and pets while they're away, and in exchange you get free accommodation (minus the subscription fee). It's a great option if you're traveling long term and want to cut costs. I personally use this as a host and a sitter, and it's truly great!
Need Inspiration or Just Want to See What's Out There? Go Guides is a solid resource for destination guides, must-see landmarks, local markets, best beaches, and things to do, browsable by place or by theme. It's a good stop whether you already know where you're headed or you're still looking for your next destination.
Check out my full packing gear guide for everything I bring on international trips, or browse my favorite travel finds on Amazon for quick links to it all.
Check out my full resource page for every company I use when I travel. I list them all in one place so you can go from planning to booked without digging through old blog posts!
Hey there, I'm Angelique!
I'm a Filipina-American, Chicago native living abroad and running my online design agency from Chiang Mai, Thailand. Over a decade of traveling in, and yes, I still pinch myself. With family split between the US, UK, and SE Asia, travel has always been part of my story. This blog is where I share the honest side of living and traveling abroad, the places I explore, my best study abroad tips from personal experience, and the little hacks that make this life actually work. Glad you're here, friend!
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