They say you’ll never know your partner unless you’ve traveled with them. Whoever said that was onto something because travel tends to open a person’s horizon, make them more aware of their privileges, and generally make people more empathic. A budget or lack thereof is no longer an excuse why you and your partner can’t travel because a getaway vacation does not need to be expensive.
In fact, you don’t need to get on a plane to travel somewhere exotic unless you want to, of course. Traveling has a way of bonding a couple, and for those who have not tried it, it can be a really fun and eye-opening experience as well.
Whether it’s your first vacation as a couple or if you both are trying to check something off a bucket list together without spending a fortune, here are some budget travel tips you need to know.
Plan Carefully
If money’s a little tight, this can be supplemented with advanced and careful planning. When you plan well, you will be able to see how much money is saved up, so you will be able to come up with plans on how to keep the spending within in the budget. It also means doing thorough research on finding the best deals for lodging, places to see, tickets, and places to see.
This is not to say that everything you planned should be followed to a T. Remember that it is a getaway vacation and not a full-packed school trip, so you’re allowed to be spontaneous and more fun. If the budget allows it, be a little bit generous where you can, and be thrifty in other areas.
Share Luggage
The great thing about traveling as a couple is you can share everything, including luggage. There’s always that one person who is contented with packing only the essentials, so they end up having more space. This is great news for the other half who likes to bring a lot of clothes or needs space for souvenirs and trinkets.
When you share a luggage and you have to check it in, you only pay for one person. You save a lot more than when both of you have individual luggage.
If the getaway isn’t that far or doesn’t take more than a couple of days, consider getting a hardy weekend bag. A good weekender should be spacious enough to fit in a lot of clothes and toiletries, survive a lot of trips, and stylish to be paired with any type of clothing you’re wearing.
Opt for Home Rentals Instead of Hostels
Since hotels are out of the question, hostels are the next best option for couples who are on a budget. Hostels don’t afford a lot of privacy especially if you’re going for a dorm-type room, which tends to be cheaper. If you don’t like the idea of sleeping in separate twin beds, look into alternative home rentals like Airbnb when looking for options on where you want to stay.
The downside is that some hostels may offer free breakfast while Airbnbs don’t, but if this is a fair trade for privacy, then by all means, go for it. On the plus side, some Airbnbs have better accessibility and locations than hostels, and if you’re really lucky, some of them may have really nice views of the surroundings.
Look for Free Entertainment
You don’t need to keep spending money in order to be entertained. You just need to do your research and look for nearby establishments that offer free admission or discounted rates to get in. This way, you can make use of your vacation time being together without having to stretch your budget for trying to do something fun.
A good suggestion is by going to parks, but you will have to take into account the climate and season. Nature hiking or just walking around looking at local fauna and flora will instantly turn it into a mini date.
You can also look into museums because some offer free admission on special days. Utilize the power of the internet to look for free activities to do in that area.
Travel Off-Season
Sometimes you can save a lot more when you travel off-season. Prices during nonpeak seasons are usually lower because there’s not a lot of tourists clamoring for accommodations. You and your partner can totally take advantage of this especially if you both have a flexible schedule. Another good reason to travel off-season is that there are fewer crowds in popular attractions, which would be less stressful.
Be Diligent When It Comes to Deals
Going for deals is a great money-saving technique, but you need a bit of diligence to catch them because they tend to be last-minute or, at the very least, limited. This will need a bit of flexibility on your part if you go through this route.
There may be deals for an entertainment park or coupon for a buffet that only happens on a certain day and time, so you need a bit of compromise if you like having a specific schedule. Fortunately, you can sign up on specific websites for when you want to get alerts for deals.
Before You Go
If you and your partner have no qualms about sharing some of your stuff together, it’s another avenue where you can save up. Regardless of what your social media feed tells you, a getaway vacation and/or even a romantic one does not mean top-notch dining and five-star hotels. Sometimes it means a simple cabin in the woods with s’mores toasting or a hut by the beach, watching the stars twinkling at night.
How do you travel as a couple and on a budget? Share your experiences in the comments section.
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