Here’s How to Save Money for Travelling

“Don’t set a budget of $2000, scrimp and save to get there, and then start spending indiscriminately on a trip because you have a couple thousand bucks set aside,” he says. “It’s all your money, regardless of what it’s budgeted for. If you spend reasonably rather than lavishly, you’ll be able to take two trips with that $2000 rather than one.”

“Don’t spend $1200 on flights to Europe just because that’s the price Expedia gave you on the day you searched,” Keyes continues. “Instead, be flexible on your cities, and fly to whichever place is on sale. Flights to Paris are sometimes cheaper than flights to Rome, for instance, but sometimes they’re more expensive. Similarly, don’t lock your dates in stone and then find airfare to fit them—more flexibility on dates gives you much a greater chance of finding cheap flights.”

“They’re ‘free’ in name only, as you’re expected to tip, but a standard tip of $10 per person or so for a two-hour walking tour is far cheaper than other formal tour options,” he adds. “Plus, it’s a great way to orient yourself to a city once you’ve arrived and have any initial questions answered.”

“Eating out for every meal while on the road can add up quickly,” Keyes says. “Instead, I like popping into a local grocery store for a simple and easy breakfast or lunch.”

“For most people, I actually strongly recommend against being loyal to any one airline,” he says. “The entire notion of loyalty to an airline means you’re willing to spend more money to fly with it than others. Instead, be loyal to your own money. Be loyal to a deal. Be loyal to cheap flights, whether they’re on Delta or Lufthansa or British Airways.”

“Airfare is both irrational and unpredictable, so don’t stress if it seems like it doesn’t make much sense to you why a flight price is very different yesterday than what’s available today,” he says. Instead, just be patient with when you book and flexible about where you go in order to spend way less on flights.