11 Realistic Ways to Travel for Cheap (Without Hostels!)

Travel isn’t just for the rich. And cheap travel isn’t just for youngsters bouncing from hostel to hostel, or backpacking. If you’re trying to figure out easy and realistic ways to travel for cheap, I’ve got your back. I spent years perfecting my cheap travel expertise and have hardly sacrificed my comfort. 

Have I stayed in hostels? Absolutely! They’re not all packed and dingy.

But now that I travel as a couple, hostels aren’t a cost-effective solution for us in every country (since you pay per bed) and private hostel rooms aren’t always cheap.

On my YouTube channel I shared six stories mapping out the easiest ways you can learn how to travel for practically free, many of which support longer-term travel. But in this article, I’ve added even more tips (11 cheap travel tips total); so you can keep saving money and traveling for cheap wherever you go!

Find free tours instead of breaking the bank

Every time I head to a new country or city, the first thing I look up is free walking tours. These tours are usually tip-based and their guides are often college students. On these tours you can learn more about the city you’re visiting and its history, as well as amazing restaurant and nightlife recommendations. 

The best time to book free tours is at the beginning of your trip, so you can take advantage of their recommendations and bring context to the sightseeing opportunities. Just remember to bring some cash to tip them (though, not required).

Use discount hotel sites for cheap lodging

Some of us want the finer things in life — and that includes gorgeous hotels that will treat us with the service we deserve! Sadly, that doesn’t necessarily mean our wallets are in line with said greatness.

If you are looking for discounted 3-5 star hotels for great deals, and are traveling solo (or willing to share a bed with the second person), I recommend using sites like HotelTonight and Priceline’s Express Deals. 

With the latter, I’ve been able to use investigative tricks to book 4-5 star mystery hotels that ended up being a Viceroy, Westin, and W Hotel in different cities, for up to 60% off! I also have a Genius account on Booking (it’s free to sign up), where I often spot discounted deals on Fridays, and get an automatic 10-15% off certain hotels. These are my favorite ways to save money on hotels! 

Hotel Discounts to help travel for cheap:

• Get $25 off your first HotelTonight booking with code OPEREZ38
• Find cheap hotels on Booking.com
• Find out how to reveal Priceline Express Deals

Visit countries with a lower cost of living and exchange rate

Traveling to “cheap” countries is relative. It depends on where you are from, the strength of your country’s currency, and the cost of living in the destination you want to visit.

When choosing your travel destination, look up daily budget guides and exchange rate information. Choose countries that have lower dining and local transportation costs, as you’ll find that’s where the budget “mysteriously” disappears once you get exploring.

Take advantage of work travel 

You don’t have to quit your job to travel the world. You also don’t have to binge spend your PTO in two straight weeks for a vacation that doesn’t come close to relieving your burnout.

If your job requires travel in any form, you should be signing up for it! For instance, if you hear of trainings related to your work (or even conferences), pitch it to your boss so you can get out there!

The best way to maximize juggling travel with a 9-5 (and getting cheap travel out of it) is to plan for work trips that start on a Tuesday or end on a Thursday, and tack on a long weekend getaway. Now you have your flights paid for!

Use rewards points for discount travel

If you have a credit card, shop online, or spend money on gas, travel, or dining, but aren’t taking advantage of rewards points for cheap travel — you are absolutely missing out!

Nearly every dollar you spend should be giving you something back, and even if you don’t have the best travel credit cards, you can even use airline shopping portals to earn miles/points on qualifying purchases. 

I use Chase Sapphire Reserve as my travel card of choice, and make sure to sign up for my favorite airline and hotel rewards programs.

Visit during low season as a way to travel for cheap

Sometimes low season simply means that it gets a bit colder. Or that it rains a little more. Sometimes the low season isn’t a bad time to visit, it is just not as popular. 

But using low season to your advantage can have some major perks — like cheap travel!  If you are visiting a city, there will hardly be a difference between low and high season beyond weather, so taking advantage of cheaper flights and hotels would be great.

In more rural areas or beach towns, you’ll want to be careful, as some towns practically shut down entirely during the low season. For these destinations, try visiting during the shoulder season, where you’ll avoid the biggest crowds and still be able to take advantage of lower prices.

Don’t get caught spending your whole budget on transaction fees

Many people don’t realize it but your credit or debit card may not be suitable for your next vacation (unless you’re willing to cough up money for lots of fees). There are a number of charges you should consider when using your card: ATM fees, foreign transaction fees, bad exchange rates. Here’s how to avoid them:

• Use a card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees (we use travel cards from Chase and Bank of America, and a CapitalOne card)
• Use an ATM that is affiliated with your bank (check your bank’s website to see which foreign bank will charge $0 ATM fees)
• When purchasing something with a card, always charge in the local currency (let your bank establish the currency exchange for the best rate)

Start bartering for free lodging or activities

If you followed my journey from 2014, you’ll know I bartered my way to a yoga resort in Costa Rica in exchange for my professional skills. Spoiler alert: it was amazing.

I used a site called HelpX.net to find the opportunity, but there are other sites you can use as well in order to find the right barter for you. In the cheap travel tips YouTube video above, I expand on how I got the opportunity and other barter site recommendations.

Use Couchsurfing for free short-term housing 

If you are a relaxed traveler with little needs other than a place to rest your head for a couple days, consider couchsurfing! Though is a very common form of travel for many budget backpackers, you can actually find some pretty comfy listings.

I personally don’t choose to couch surf because it is harder to find a listing that accepts two people (couples travel). But many travelers still do it and have no problem! Obviously, use your best judgment when choosing the couch surf for you.

Use house sitting for free housing

I am a huge fan of house sitting and have a raving resume of house sits I’ve done around the world with my husband. I still can’t believe I went so many years not taking advantage of the perks of simply watching over someone else’s home! 

With house sitting, you can find long-term opportunities and short-term house sits. You can find house-sits that just require you to water plants, and sits that require you to care for pets. If you can get yourself there (and are a responsible sitter who knows how to balance exploration with your responsibilities), house-sitting can basically cover all of your lodging expenses!

Learn how to find cheap flights

If you haven’t yet read my master guide to finding cheap airfare/cheap flight deals, honey what is you doing!?

There are so many ways to find cheap airfare for your trip that, unless it is an emergency flight or you have very specific needs, there’s no reason why you should be paying more than $500 for a flight. My preference is never to go over $300. 

To kick off my flight deal search, I have used Fly.com’s “Today’s Best Fares” for years. Be sure to head to my master cheap flights guide to find out how (plus tons more recommendations for cheap flights).

Is Riding Sharing Available?

• Get $5 off your Lyft Ride
• Get up to $2 off each of your first 3 Uber rides

Which ways to travel for cheap were your biggest “aha” moments?

I didn’t know all these hacks when I first started traveling. So figuring out ways to travel for cheap was a longer journey for me. Now that I know how to travel for cheap without sacrificing comfort, I’m committed to sharing these affordable travel tricks so you can too! 

xx, O.

* * *

Hey Pinterest Fam!

Share this guide to Realistic Ways To Travel For Cheap by pinning the image below to your planning board.