Pauliina FlamThere was one time my friend’s friend talked me over to go shopping with her for new jackets. I am not into shopping, I am always on a budget, and she seems to be more of a luxury person than I am, so at first, I declined. She said we were meeting anyway and both of us had occasions for which we needed new clothes and it made more sense to go together. She had some logic behind her, so I went with it. She also assured me that she is on a budget as well. She ended up buying a Mango blazer for 89 euros, and I continued shopping on my own in a second-hand shop, finding a jacket for 11e. I am telling this to bring up the issue that budget is a subjective matter, and so is traveling on a budget. For someone the cheapest room of your own is traveling on a budget, for someone else, it is sleeping on someone’s floor in a sleeping bag for free, or just hanging out all night in a city not to pay for a sleepover (been there, done that). One person eating in a 20e/meal restaurant is traveling on a budget, and another one is going with noodles from a kiosk. I mean noodles for a month before the trip to have money for a flight ticket. Again, been there, and done that. So, when I am sharing my traveling on a budget -tips – they are subjectively budget friendly considering my own life and experience. Now that we cleared that out, let’s go.
Small Steps
First of all, I have used this tip many times in my budget life decade. I was working full-time, my salary was minimal, and I did not have any savings. I don’t really know why I am talking in a past sense here, my situation did not change much. We usually get 2 days per month of vacation that one can save for summer and winter holidays. Which I gladly did, imagining how I would travel to new places. As already mentioned, I did not have any savings, so how did I buy my tickets and manage to travel one month around 5 countries?
So, one small step at a time, and in a year you have a well-planned trip
Every time I got a salary I would buy a low-cost ticket. Now when I say low cost I really mean it, my cheapest flight back then was 7 euros and the biggest 26e. Now I did not have savings but as I got my salary I could afford to spend 26e on a flight, sometimes I would buy multiple tickets and just eat noodles for a few days. I felt like it was totally worth it, and it was! I would start buying and planning my trip around 8 months ahead, sometimes even more. The tickets are perfectly low priced if you buy in advance and I had many months ahead to buy transfer tickets from one place to another. I usually would just have one flight somewhere, one flight back, and bus/trains in between countries. Now with buses and trains, you can’t usually buy them much in advance. Somewhere the maximum is one month in advance, somewhere three months. But you should find out, mark it in your calendar, and buy it as soon as they have the first tickets since they are also much cheaper if bought before. So, one small step at a time, and in a year you have a well-planned trip.
Sleep and save
- Couchsurfing: I can not talk about Couchsurfing enough. For me, it is a community I am proud to be part of, a community that gave me a new lifestyle, travel opportunities, and most important – new people to love. As a bonus – it saves your budget. Couchsurfing is a community for travelers, where people register making a profile, just like in social media, and then travel staying free on people’s couches. In Couchsurfing you can participate as a traveler, as a host, organize/attend meetings and events, give hints to tourists, or show your city to travelers. Or everything of that together – the combination is a matter of your choice. So mostly I was staying with Couchsurfers or friends I already have (thanks to Couchsurfing), so basically for free. Not everywhere and not always though.
- Hostels: Hostels are a budget traveler’s heaven. Hostels have cheaper rooms than hotels, but the most budget-friendly option is usually a dorm. A dorm is a room with many beds, most usually bunk beds, where you can spend a night with many neighbors for a cheap price. My cheapest hostel was 6 euros in Poland, the second cheapest was 7 euros in Germany. Most hostels I stayed in were around 15 euros per night. In the high season and in famous European destinations, like Paris or London in summer the cheapest hostels might be around 25 euros or more. Traveling season and weekend/work days impact the price for a night stay. If you don’t know what to look for in a hostel, check my post about hostel essentials.
- Camping: The next budget option is camping. There are also camping grounds in many nature destinations and even cities! For example, you can get a much cheaper camping place in Copenhagen, compared to the cheapest hostel they have. You need to consider having your own tent or check the prices for renting all the equipment. Electricity and showers might also be for an extra cost on camping grounds. Just for a hint: Nordics have a rule that spending time in nature is everyone’s right, so camping is allowed in most places, even if they belong to someone. So in case one can deal without electricity and shower – just pack your tent. This requires good weather though.
- Festivals: I traveled to some festivals in summer and guess what, when you buy a few days ticket, you also get a free camping ground. Now if you choose a festival from where you can actually visit other places and cities – it is a bonus combo. Of course, you won’t have quite comfortable nights but budget traveling is about values, and picking experience over comfort (in many cases).
- Private Rooms: I don’t consider Airbnb a cheap option anymore. It might have been many years ago, but it looks like nowadays it is more about luxury private staying options. Still, I always check it, especially in big cities, since sometimes there is a person just renting their room for the cheapest price to get some extra money. And if I find it – I’m in it. I also found people renting their rooms cheaper than hostels in many cities around Europe through Booking.com. If you are staying longer in the same place, like a month or more, you gotta check local rentals, since they are usually more affordable than on tourist sites.
Work and studies take you places
There are other budget stay options, for example, one can work and live for free at people’s houses helping them with projects, housework, farming, etc. I met a few travellers who had such an experience, but I never did it myself so far, so I can not comment on that. It sounds like a fair deal and a way being useful while traveling. One of the sites for such opportunities is Workaway.
While I was studying I took all the Erasmus + projects I could find, it comes with money that covers part or even all of your travel costs. I went to Norway, Germany, and Spain during my degree and don’t want to imagine how it would be if I didn’t. These were the best days ever! Besides universities – there are some separate courses, projects, volunteer work, and scholarships that you can check out. It is not an everyday option, but these opportunities exist and they are surely worth checking!
On the road
- Low Cost Airlines: Now talking about low-cost airlines, those I mostly use in Finland to travel around Europe are Ryanair, Norwegian (not that low cost after the pandemics), AirBaltic, Lufthansa, SAS, Vueling, EasyJet, Wizzair and I am sure there are even more of them. The general rule is the more in advance you buy and the lighter you travel – the cheaper it will be. Also, in some airline programs, like Norwegian and Airbaltic you get points from your tickets that you can use later to buy more tickets. I missed my flight once and did not have a budget for a new one, but luckily my Norwegian account had enough points saved to get me a free flight. And I got it! So, if you can get more for the same price, why wouldn’t you?
- Cheap Bus Lines: Flixbus is a usual cheap bus connection through Europe. Eurolines is another one. Onnibus is a cheap bus connection in Finland, and Polski Bus is a similar one in Poland. ExpressBus is a budget bus that connects Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania). BlablaBus operates in at least France. I am sure there is more, but these are what I used before. Here goes the same as with airlines – buy in advance, travel light, don’t choose your sits – and you get the cheapest tickets.
- BlaBlaCar: It is a great option to travel cheaper, let’s say in Germany. Train prices are insane in Germany and BlaBlacar saved my budget so many times. We don’t have it in Finland so I had to download a Spanish version to use it, oh well, language practice as a bonus.
- Hitchhiking: The challenge here is that you gotta have a lot of time cause you don’t know how fast you gonna catch a car. Also, your plans gotta be quite open, because not always you will get a car all the way to the place of your destination. If you are up for adventure and you feel safe hitchhiking – it is an option.
Let’s feast
I am not a foodie. I don’t feel it is a must to try foreign food and I can walk all day eating snacks I stored in my backpack. It is of course awesome to taste local food, but when I was really on a budget it was not an option, and I was fine with it. I valued the fact of a new place more than the “whole experience”. In fact, I don’t think it is ever a whole experience, no matter what you do, see, and eat. There will always be something new to try at the same place. Buying snacks and going for picnics is an affordable way to enjoy many towns.
Also in case you are staying in a hostel and there is a common kitchen – you can check it for products for public use. Many people buy more food than they are able to finish. In hostels, there are usually shelves for food like that. Most usually it is pasta, bread, spices, and sauces, so all the things people buy when cooking meals but do not want to keep with them as they continue their trip. If you are on a budget you might wanna check these shelves before planning your meal.
If you are traveling during the working day, many places have discounts for lunchtime. At least here in Nordics, it is a very common thing which I considered last time in Stockholm: it gets you a big meal for 9 euros, which would otherwise be 18. Check lunch times and places in advance to save time and money, we don’t want to be out in the city searching for food when you are very hungry, we all know it doesn’t end well for our budgets.
Instant food is another cheap way to go around eating. I buy noodles, cup soups, oatmeals, rice, instant beverages and stuff like that, and it saved me many times, especially in villages. Sometimes there is no proper kitchen to cook but there is a kettle to boil water. I also use hiking food for traveling matters sometimes. They are full of nutrients and protein and come with a package you can eat from.
Where to go?
I live in Finland and while on a budget I mostly traveled to cheaper countries. People say you need extra money to travel, but if I bought my 10 euro flight half a year ago and found a free place to stay with Couchsurfing – all I would have to pay is food. And where I travel it is cheaper than in Finland. So when I am on a budget I actually spend less on my everyday life expenses than I would if I stayed home. So, picking a travel destination that fits your budget definitely saves some money and breaks many stereotypes about traveling.
What to do?
- Free tours: Did you know many big cities have free tours, where you can tip the tour leader if you want? These are great ways to get company and learn more about the place. Bicycle tours are also common around Europe, you will need to rent a bike for that though.
- Free Museums: Not all cities are like London, having most of their beautiful museums free. But in most cities I have been to, there are specific days when you can enter museums for free, sometimes at a specific time. For example, in Helsinki, you can visit the National Museum for free every Friday evening from 16 to 18. As I wandered the streets of Copenhagen for the first time I was lucky to find out that Thorvalds’s museum had a free entrance day. It is still one of the most impressive museums I have been to. Check free museums and free entry days for museums in a place you are going in advance, to plan your trip accordingly.
- Galleries: Galleries are like free museums, besides they are even better because the artist is usually right there to tell you about their work. Many cities have streets or even quarters that are full of galleries you can enter at any time.
- Street Art: I am a huge fan of street art, if you follow me on Instagram it is probably not a secret for you. I perceive street art as a free huge gallery that just takes a bit of research. Tallinn and Helsinki have a whole district full of Street Art, while cities like Lisbon and Stavanger have amazing pieces of street art just like that, behind a random corner.
- Free Boat Rides: Okay, this might be exaggerated, but I still love it. So, in many cities that have rivers (and not enough bridges), there is free transportation between the shores by boat. For example, Förri in Turku is a yellow boat that transfers you for free from one shore to another. Also, a 2 euro boat ride in Venice was for sure a budget-friendly option. It wasn’t a gondola but it had the same views. Also, here in Helsinki, we have Suomenlinna Island which is inhabited and belongs to the city. As a consequence, you can get there with a Helsinki travel ticket, since it is as usual part of a town as any other. Besides that, it is a beautiful touristic fortress island with hobbit caves and UNESCO protection. So, if the city you are visiting has rivers or islands around, check if there are budget boat connections. Then it is up to you to make them feel like a private boat tour!
- Free concerts: Many bars have live music, concert halls have free concerts, and some festivals have free stages. Not even talking about the streets of Dublin, where awesomely talented musicians are on every corner. I never hesitate to stop and listen if I see any free music event or a life performance in a pub. I mean, I was going for a drink anyway, so why not have a bonus on top? One time I was walking through squares of Krakow’s old town late at night when my phone notified me that a band I listen to on Spotify is playing right now. And that was just 50 meters away from me. It was a free concert in a bar I never expected – such a great experience, thanks to smartphone notifications.
Look out!
To me, the best free experience in most places I visited – are the views. I am going for them and they are the thing I keep the longest in my mind after the visit. Say the sunsets in Lisbon, the viewpoint from the tower in Munich, the beautiful miradouro I accidentally found in Madeira, the scenic promenade above the town in Stockholm… Now I always google “viewing points” before I visit. I also carefully search Google Maps as I am on the spot because beautiful places are usually marked on the map, and if I am near anyway – why not check them out? That is how I noticed miradouro in Madeira on my way from a sports store. That is also how I found the most scenic path in a Polish village, via Google Maps! Viewing points are worth googling cause many times they end up not on the most famous tower, but in a sky bar nearby or a hotel roof on the other part of the city. Here in Helsinki, we have a famous toilet that has the best views of the town and a free tower ride in a local amusement park that tourists don’t usually know about. Until they google. Googling is an important skill in the modern world.
That is it with my tips for budget traveling. I have spent half an hour writing them and I just realized – these feel like just the tip of an iceberg. Oh well, I guess there will be more to come someday. Traveling on a budget is better than not traveling at all; In many cases, it is a choice of values, not budget. It is also about security: what makes you feel secure defines your comfort zone. I am lucky to have a broad one.
