How to Travel in Style on a Limited Budget

Traveling in style is often seen as a sign of extreme wealth, and is a common goal for those of us working on our financial health. But do you have to be extremely wealthy to travel well? Not necessarily. There are a few ways you can travel better for less on almost any budget.

Points for Everything

Many people are aware that you can earn loyalty points, or air miles, when you travel. The catch with this is that traditionally you had to be a frequent traveler to earn those points or miles. In other words it was a perk for the already-wealthy, who were constantly jetting around the world anyway, not for the middle-class.

That’s all changed now, with many airlines awarding loyalty points for everything from signing up for credit cards through to day-to-day shopping, and even things like signing up for online research sites.

You can also sometimes earn points for flying with partner airlines, so you don’t always have to fly with the same company, or transfer loyalty points from other partner companies. You can even ‘boost’ your points with cash (that is, you can effectively buy more points).

Once earned, your points can be traded in for flights, hotel stays, and airline upgrades. The whole process is known as travel hacking, and let’s be honest, it can be quite complex. For a (very) detailed breakdown check out this article on how to earn around a million miles a year.

Flexibility is Key

One way to really travel in style for less is to not care too much about where you’re going. Last minute bargains can be heavily discounted but you’ll obviously have to go wherever those bargains happen to be.

Use sites like LastMinute.com or Expedia’s last minute deals section, to find deals on luxury hotels, flights, and vacation packages. You can also use Skyscanner to find cheap flights from airlines around the globe, along with current deals on hotels and car hire.

Last minute travel comes with its own pitfalls of course. You’ll need to check that you don’t need any kind of visa you have to apply for in advance, and that where you’re going meets your needs. But for those with a truly adventurous spirit, it can be a great way to enjoy a little bit of the champagne lifestyle, on a beer budget.

Don’t forget that being flexible can also mean you travel better for less on planned trips. Last minute upgrades to better hotel rooms, cruise cabins or airline categories often come cheap, or even free, if they happen to be available when you check in. Just be aware that this is never guaranteed so ensure that whatever you’ve booked is acceptable to you if no upgrade is available.

Think Outside the Box

There are a few ways that you can travel well for less that most people never consider. They include things like:

• House sitting and house exchanges, both of which allow you to often stay somewhere beautiful for free
• Repositioning cruises, which are generally substantially cheaper per day than a regular cruise
• Exchanging a little ‘work’ for your vacation, through a volunteer network such as Worldpackers or a specific program like Pueblo Ingles

Plus, simply keep your eyes open to opportunity. One of the most impressive upgrades I received when traveling was when I rocked up at the Grand Canyon during a federal shutdown.

The place was deserted because the Grand Canyon National Park was closed, so it didn’t initially seem like great timing. But then we were able to upgrade to the most expensive suite in our empty-but-still-open hotel, for the price of the cheapest room. We decided we’d ‘saved’ enough money on that to take a helicopter over the Canyon, since we couldn’t actually enter the park, and yes, the helicopter company was willing to do a deal too.

Sometimes traveling in style is just about being at the right place at the wrong time. Learn to look for opportunities disguised as bad timing. And always ask if there’s a better deal available.

Karen Banes is a freelance writer specializing in entrepreneurship, parenting and lifestyle. She writes articles, website content, ebooks and the occasional award winning short story. Her work has appeared in a range of publications both online and off, including The Washington Post, Life Info Magazine, Transitions Abroad, Brave New Traveler, Natural Parenting Group, and Copia Magazine. Learn More About Karen