How to travel the world cheap

Do you dream of travelling the world, but never thought you’d be able to afford it? Well, you no longer need life savings to have a global adventure. Here are a few of our top tips and tricks to help you travel on the cheap.

Fly with a budget airline

Budget airlines aren’t as bad as you might imagine. Yes, you may give up a little comfort, but it’ll be a lot friendlier on your bank balance. To keep it cheap, only think about the essentials. Do you really need hold luggage? Airlines charge you a good chunk of money for a suitcase, but if you can fit everything into hand luggage, you’ll have something extra to spend on souvenirs. There’s also no point booking your seat in advance – you’ll likely have to pay for the honour, and those little extras add up.

Look for a credit card that doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee Don’t get caught out – credit card issuers often charge fees on transactions made and processed in a different currency or passing through a foreign bank. This charge is usually about 3% percent of your purchase. Luckily, there are card providers who offer tailored services for people using their card abroad, so it’s well worth looking around.

Visit free attractions

From interesting museums to scenic parks, you’ll find plenty of free attractions to explore, no matter where in the world you’re heading to. If you can, do a bit of research beforehand and take note of all of the free attractions in the area. That way you’ll never run out of things to do.

Take out a data plan

One thing you definitely don’t want to do is leave your mobile data running on holiday – no one wants a huge bill when they get back home. While up to 12GB of data roaming in EU is covered by a SMARTY SIM plan, roaming in the rest of the world is not. The easy option is to keep your data turned off, but there are sure to be times when it would come in useful. That’s why it’s a good idea to take out a pre-paid data plan before you travel, that way you won’t run the risk of spending too much.

Eat like a local

Food and drink are going to make up a large part of your budget when you’re travelling. You will always pay much more to eat in tourist spots. So instead, why not eat in local restaurants. You’ll save a lot of money and the food is often better too!

Timing is everything

If your travel schedule is flexible, you’ll find it a lot easier to locate cheap flights. Often the best deals happen during the middle of the night or mid-week. The tighter your time frame is, the more expensive you can expect your travel to be.

Consider getting a holiday job

Looking after koalas or making cocktails in the local bar – if you’re planning to be travelling for a while it’ll be worth getting a holiday job. If you aren’t lucky enough to do your current job remotely, or you just fancy something different, there are always a lot of freelancing opportunities. You’ll often find that local business owners are happy to take on people on a short-term basis. So, keep your eyes peeled.

Look at alternative accommodation options

Hotels are expensive! But there’s plenty of other options – you could try hostels or staying with locals. Booking platforms like Airbnb give you the option to rent out rooms, which is a great way to save money. Plus, by staying with locals you’ll get the chance to soak up the real culture of the place you’re visiting.

Time for travelling…

So, you’ve snagged your bargain flights and packed your bags. Now don’t forget about your mobile roaming data. On SMARTY, the usual EU roaming regulations apply, but you can buy one of our great Add-ons for anywhere outside of the EU to avoid expensive roaming charges. The best part? Anything you don’t use from your Add-on will be refunded.

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