For questions involving terms such as: budget, low-cost, deals, shoestring, frugal, cheap, or sales.
56
votes
6answers
23k views
Flight tickets: buy two weeks before even during holiday seasons?
There is a common story that airline ticket prices rise significantly if you buy them less than two weeks before departure. And that any time before that will yield standard prices.
Is that advice ...
40
votes
7answers
2k views
Long term travel without being wealthy - how is it possible?
Some people are practically most of the time traveling, from country to country, for a very long periods and sometimes even years.
How could one be able to travel for a long period of time, over ...
35
votes
9answers
1k views
What are the best ways to avoid data roaming fees when travelling abroad?
I'm looking for data plans I can use while touring different countries within a region without having to worry about being eaten by roaming fees. If such plans exist at all, I suppose mostly big ...
27
votes
6answers
1k views
Is it fair to buy a return ticket I know I will never use just because it's cheaper?
I am planning a trip to Asia and then back to Rio. The thing is that I am traveling on flexible dates, so I am thinking of buying a one way ticket to Hong Kong, and I was planning to do the same when ...
25
votes
5answers
1k views
Paying by credit card while overseas cheaper in US dollars or in the local currency?
Recently I had to pay for a hotel in a foreign country using credit card, and the guy at the hotel asked me if I wanted the bill to be paid in the local currency or in US dollars. I didn't even know I ...
24
votes
6answers
964 views
What to do with your valuables on a low-cost holiday while swimming/diving?
I am planning to go to central America (Costa Rica + Panama) for a rather budget holiday, and I am wondering what people usually do with their documents, money, cameras, etc. when staying in a budget ...
22
votes
8answers
497 views
Is there a list of free accomodation resources?
I want to travel abroad cheap, and I would prefer to find some place to stay through a person or website, rather than book a hotel or hostel. There is couchsurfing.com, which I know about. Can you ...
21
votes
5answers
3k views
Sell a pair of blue jeans and live like a king for a week: Still possible in Europe?
Some years ago, particularly before the 1990s, there way a saying in Europe that (paraphrased) you can sell your blue jeans in every part of Eastern Europe and literally live like a king for a week.
...
20
votes
5answers
2k views
Is Norway significantly more expensive than other European destinations?
As a budget traveller, i.e. staying in hostels, using public transport, self catering where possible, is Norway significantly more expensive than say Germany or France? If so what's the best way to ...
19
votes
7answers
797 views
Are there cheap GPS or other navigator devices with downloadable maps for the whole world?
I don't need a recommendation or a list but my knowledge of GPS and "navi"s and the differences between them is an utter mystery to me.
But often I'm lost in backstreets in random countries where ...
18
votes
2answers
3k views
What are some tricks you use to buy cheap airline tickets in Europe?
I have been flying with Wizzair, Ryanair and Easyjet for some time already and have found that there is really a lot to be learned about how to achieve the lowest prices. It was not uncommon for me to ...
16
votes
4answers
324 views
Are there ways to keep long-distance land transport costs down in France when not planning in advance?
Ten years ago I travelled around Europe for the first time and in some countries I was very frustrated by high cost of trains and lack of alternatives to them.
I remember being in Cannes with a ...
15
votes
5answers
3k views
Cheap bus lines in Germany, something like Orangeways?
Are there any cheap bus lines inside Germany? Something like Orangeways?
I've checked Deutsche Bahn cost for transport from Berlin to München and I was shocked with the price about 100 Euro. By ...
14
votes
5answers
376 views
Can you go to the Maldives without assistance of a travel agency?
Organizing your travel without agents is almost always cheaper and more fun.
But does that also apply for Maldives? Can I just travel to the Maldives? Do you have some tips or experiences to report?
14
votes
5answers
397 views
How good is Public Transport In the USA?
I am planning a Round-the-World trip and my first stop will be the USA. I am from England where public transport is quite good and covers everywhere. I have already purchased Greyhound tickets for ...
14
votes
3answers
300 views
What causes experts at sites like FlightFox to be so much cheaper than search engines?
I was looking at this: https://flightfox.com/contest/57321
And I checked the dates on Momondo, and it cost around $1400. (I only checked one set of dates though)
The searcher expressed that they'd ...
14
votes
3answers
215 views
Is there a resource to find free, open wifi hotspots?
It would be great to know where free, publicly accessible (municipal or otherwise) hotspots are when travelling in foreign cities. Does such a utility exist (website/app etc.)?
14
votes
5answers
266 views
Travelling by train in mainland Europe, will I save money by booking my tickets early?
My wife and I are planning to travel by train from Nice to Budapest over the course of 2 weeks, stopping at a number of towns and cities on the way.
We'd prefer the flexibility of booking our tickets ...
14
votes
2answers
324 views
Trick to breaking down air routes
For example, last year I was looking at Bogota, Colombia to LON. This was quite pricey, but it turned out if I bought separate tickets - Bogota to Orlando, Florida, and then an Air Berlin flight to ...
14
votes
1answer
109 views
Are there any travel websites that offer incentives for users to achieve certain tasks on their travels?
I was just talking to some people about how on my travels I contribute to OpenStreetMap and Google Maps / Mapmaker mainly to help other travellers find stuff that isn't easy to find.
I much prefer ...
14
votes
1answer
185 views
Can chartering a private plane be an affordable alternative to scheduled flights
I once missed a plane due to not considering the timezone difference. I could get a seat on the next flight for 1600 Eur. Thanks to the Internet I noticed that a competitor offered a one-way ticket to ...
13
votes
4answers
6k views
Free / cheap ways to get airport lounge access?
Until recently, I had a complimentary Priority Pass card. Although the Priority Pass lounges aren't generally great, they are better than nothing when travelling on an airline where you don't have ...
13
votes
2answers
180 views
How to get an impression of the average price level of a destination?
We are constantly looking for affordable offers to travel.
Sometimes it turns out to be cheaper to just pay a little bit more for the airfare and save money on for example food or accommodation. A 3 ...
13
votes
3answers
2k views
Where can I find air-fare predictions?
Yesterday I saw a documentary where some showed software that predicts developments in airfares. Similar to weather and traffic predictions a user would get a prediction of price developments when ...
13
votes
2answers
247 views
What are some strategies for keeping solo travel costs down?
As solo travellers, one often finds hotels charging for two beds in a room. Cruises charge a double occupancy for cabins, usually. Even in hostels on a regular basis I've seen this happen if you want ...
13
votes
2answers
372 views
Is there a feasible way to combine hitchhiking and couch surfing?
On my previous trip I tried hitchhiking for the first time and became addicted so this year I'm spending six to twelve months traveling in East Asia and Eastern Europe.
I also tried couch surfing for ...
13
votes
4answers
368 views
Freight travel in the Caribbean - Can it be done? Is it cost-effective?
When I began to research travel by freight boat, I was hoping it would be a cheap alternative to air travel, but it turns out you can expect to pay US$80-140 per day and voyages are often five days or ...
12
votes
4answers
583 views
How can I get around Paris both cheaply and efficiently?
I will be visiting Paris in a couple of days.
I was wondering what is the cheapest way to visit all the major tourist attractions in Paris?
Do they have 3-day passes for all the public ...
12
votes
6answers
1k views
One-way versus return airfare tickets
It seems like one-way tickets are always more expensive than buying round-trip. But what if I have two destinations? For example I would like to go on the following itinerary this March:
London ...
12
votes
3answers
531 views
What should you do if you're really broke in a country where tipping is customary?
Say you're travelling on a shoestring budget, say at the end of a long trip where you've spent almost all your money but still have time before your flight home.
Sometimes people you meet travelling ...
12
votes
4answers
754 views
Unplanned backpacking across several European countries
I'm an undergraduate student, and upon graduating from my university a year from now, I want to travel solo across Europe.
I want to be on this vacation for a month and a half. The catch is that I ...
12
votes
7answers
3k views
Which transportation is best from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport to Hua Hin?
What is the most cost effective way to get from the Suvarnabhumi Airport to Hua Hin (on Thailand's northwestern Gulf coast)? And how much would that be compared to a taxi ride?
12
votes
4answers
323 views
Are there low cost airlines to travel within the US?
I'm from Europe where there are a lot of low cost airlines like easyJet, Ryanair, etc... But these operate mainly in Europe.
Then, my question is if there are airlines which provide cheap flights ...
12
votes
3answers
403 views
How to travel (relatively) cheaply by ICE trains in Germany?
When I first checked prices for ICE trains in Germany, I was a bit shocked by prices of over 100 Euros (in Poland not far ago the trains where the cheapest way of public transport).
But then I found ...
12
votes
6answers
2k views
US debit/ATM card with lowest fees for travel
For a US citizen traveling worldwide, what is the best major debit/ATM card (on the Visa or MasterCard networks) to take in terms of lowest fees for withdrawing international currency from ATMs? ...
12
votes
2answers
216 views
What's the cheapest transport to get from Ataturk International aiport to the Taksim Square area of Istanbul?
I'm flying to Istanbul tomorrow afternoon and would like to know the cheapest way to get from the airport (Ataturk) to the Taksim Square area. I'm sure there are many options and some will be easier ...
12
votes
3answers
388 views
How do you avoid the hefty toll fee on the French highways?
Some of the toll fee's on the French highways are hefty. I know that you can avoid them by taking the route national, where some are almost like highways. I don't mind traveling a little bit longer to ...
12
votes
3answers
365 views
Is it always wise to book flights as soon as possible?
So I'm booking flights to go to Europe in September n October.
And it's a long way off, but I've already noticed in the space of a week or so, that the prices have started creeping up. Not by much, ...
12
votes
1answer
200 views
Are there days/times/dates when most Paris museums are free?
While Paris does have some great free museums and art galleries, such as
Le Petit Palais and
Musée d'Art Moderne de la ville de Paris
many of the museums have an entrance fee. Since most of my museum ...
12
votes
2answers
633 views
What is the cheapest way to cross the English Channel from France to the UK on foot, single ticket?
I have looked at P&O's website (www.poferries.com), and a pedestrian day trip return costs €8 each way whereas a single without a return costs €35.50.
Are there cheaper options?
I assume that ...
12
votes
3answers
262 views
Travelling from Germany to Iran
Travelling from Germany to Iran, I'm looking for the cheapest but comfortable way. One idea is to travel to Turkey then going to Iran form there. There are many flights with reasonable price for ...
12
votes
2answers
395 views
Are there still any “cheap” options for flying from Australia to Mexico without going through the US?
I've travelled to Mexico many times and I'm starting to feel the itch again but I think finding a cheap way there has become more difficult since my last trip 3 years ago.
I have some problems with ...
12
votes
1answer
202 views
Traveling through Sicily on a budget and without a driver's license
I'm going to Sicily next week and want to travel around the island a bit, but I don't own a driver's license, nor have a lot of money to spend on transport. I've thought about hitch-hiking and trains, ...
12
votes
1answer
1k views
What is the cheapest way to get from South America to Australia
What is the cheapest way to get from South America to Australia?
I found several flights mostly from Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile, however the prices are quite prohibitive. Do you recommend ...
12
votes
2answers
131 views
Turkey sea-side cottages
We’d like to go to Turkey next summer to have two weeks holiday. There will be relatively big number of us – 6-8 adults and 3-4 kids.
People will be coming from different places – mostly UK, Russia ...
12
votes
1answer
436 views
Are there any cheap ways to get from Jamaica to Cuba?
I'm looking for a flight from Montego Bay to Santiago de Cuba (preferred) or La Havana, but I can't find anything below 400 euros (my trip is one way, at the end of July).
Are there any cheap ...
11
votes
4answers
559 views
What is the cheapest / fastest way to get from Brussels to Paris?
There are several ways of getting from Brussels to Paris. The fastest is probably the train, but it gets more expensive when you buy the ticket on the last minute.
My question can be really split ...
11
votes
7answers
330 views
How to document travel expenses?
I have found that many travelers write down their expenses while on a trip. I always however found it difficult personally, because there are so many situation in which I do not have enough time to ...
11
votes
4answers
420 views
What organizations give computer science PhD students travel grants?
I'm doing PhD in Computer Science and am therefore traveling regularly to conferences. Since I'm running out of uni budget, I decided I need to apply for travel grants. I'm an international student, ...
11
votes
7answers
481 views
What's the cheapest way to purchase data access for my verizon smartphone while traveling in Spain?
What's the cheapest way to purchase data access for my verizon smartphone while traveling in Spain? Voice minutes would be useful too, although data only would be ideal. Specifically, I'll be ...
