How do you travel on a budget?

1. Choose a cheap country (saves the most)

Daily costs vary by a factor of three or four between countries. On a budget, Vietnam runs roughly $25 to $35 a day per person and Thailand, the Philippines, Morocco and Albania about $30 to $50, while England needs about $90 to $140 and Australia about $70 to $100, according to published cost guides such as Budget Your Trip, Hostelz and Wego. Our daily travel budget by country breaks down all 20 countries we visited.

Within expensive regions, there is still a cheap option next door. In Europe, Albania and Montenegro cost a fraction of Croatia's coast in August; in Central Europe, Romania and Hungary undercut Germany and Italy. We spent 31 days in Albania and 22 in Romania; both are covered in cheapest places to travel in Europe in 2027.

2. Travel in shoulder season

Peak-season rooms on the Croatian coast or in Venice can cost double the May or October rate. Shoulder months also make dorm beds and guesthouses easier to find without booking far ahead.

Check our best-time articles before picking dates: Croatia, Thailand, Turkey and Bali each show when prices drop and what you give up in weather.

3. Fly smarter

On long trips the flight to get there is often the largest single cost. Be flexible on dates and airports, set fare alerts, and compare the total price of budget carriers including bags and seats rather than the headline fare.

Our guide to finding cheap flights covers the methods that work, how far in advance to book covers timing, and why flights are so expensive explains what is driving fares in 2026.

4. Sleep cheaper

Accommodation is usually 40 to 60% of a daily budget. Dorm beds in Albania run roughly €8 to €15 (≈ $8.9–16.7) a night and in Tokyo roughly ¥3,000 to ¥7,000 (≈ $19.0–44); a private room in a Southeast Asian guesthouse is often only a few dollars more than a dorm.

Stay a few stops out of the centre where transit is good. Our where-to-stay articles name the cheaper areas, for example Tokyo, London and Venice, where staying in Mestre or on the mainland is the standard budget move.

Book stays of a week or more directly and ask for a weekly rate; many guesthouses offer one.

5. Use transport passes and slow trains

Germany's Deutschlandticket costs €63 (≈ $70) a month in 2026 and covers regional trains and city transit nationwide, which can replace hundreds of euros in point-to-point fares. See Deutschlandticket for tourists.

Passes are not always a win. The 7-day Japan Rail Pass costs ¥50,000 (≈ $317) on the official site (about ¥53,000 (≈ $336) through overseas agencies), so it only pays off with long Shinkansen legs; run your route through is the Japan Rail Pass worth it first.

In Southeast Asia, sleeper trains save a night's accommodation: the Bangkok to Chiang Mai sleeper and Vietnam's Reunification Express both cover long distances overnight.

6. Eat like the people who live there

Spain's menú del día, Japan's convenience stores and set meals, Korean meals with free banchan and Vietnamese street food all deliver a full meal for far less than tourist restaurants.

Supermarkets carry the budget in expensive countries. Our grocery guides, such as Japan and Australia, say what is worth buying. Watch for cover charges like Italy's coperto.

7. Stop paying card and ATM fees

Use a card with no foreign transaction fee and an ATM card that refunds or waives foreign fees. Always choose to be charged in local currency when a terminal or ATM offers your home currency; that conversion carries a markup.

Local ATM fees are fixed per withdrawal, so take out larger amounts less often. Thai ATMs typically charge foreign cards roughly 220 to 250 baht per withdrawal. Read cash or card for international travel, and for cash-heavy countries, Morocco's dirham and Albania's cash culture.

8. eSIM or local SIM instead of carrier roaming

Carrier day passes can cost more over a month than a local SIM or travel eSIM costs for the whole trip. Our eSIM or local SIM guide compares the options, with country specifics for Albania, Croatia and South Korea.

9. Use the free sights

London's national museums are free, Gyeongbokgung is free if you wear hanbok, and city walks, markets and hikes cost nothing. See London: free museums and Oyster vs contactless and Gyeongbokgung entry.

Pick one paid sight a day rather than three, and check for city or tourist taxes such as the Venice day-tripper fee before you plan.

10. Insurance: do not skip it, size it

Skipping insurance is a false saving: one hospital stay abroad can cost more than the whole trip. The saving is in choosing the right type: a long-term traveller policy is often cheaper per day than stacking single-trip policies. See long-term vs short trip insurance.

11. Slow down

Every move costs a transport fare, a taxi at each end and often a wasted half day. Staying a week instead of two nights cuts transport per day and opens weekly room rates. On our route, the longest stays were 15 days in Istanbul and around a week in Moalboal, Chiang Rai and London, while the most expensive stretches per day are typically the fast ones.

Frequently asked questions