The USA as a travel destination can be expensive but with some research, planning, strategy, and creativity you’ll find plenty of ways to save money while still enjoying a once in a lifetime trip in the so-called “land of the free”.
You may kind of wonder how in the world, someone could travel the US on a budget. The country, after all, is very expensive with its busy cities like the New York and Las Vegas and with a shopping price list that comes with sales tax in the counter.
We know how it feels to be overwhelmed just by planning your trip to the USA; this article will give you a few tips on how you can travel the USA on a budget.
- Book flights with budget airlines. The United States has a bunch of low-cost carriers like JetBlue Airways that offers affordable flights’ fares within the United States. Getting flights might come with some hassle though; long lines and jammed pack people can be a struggle in the airport.
Make sure to also check the status of your flight before leaving for the airport, so you can be ready if there are any changes like cancellation and delay in your flights. Flightstatus24 is a great way to do it so online, it is free and you can just type your flight number in the search box and you’ll get the real-time status of your flight. Spending a long time in the airport because of delays or even cancellation will just result in more expenditure on your travel, and is not a great way to save money during your travel.
- Make sure you have travel insurance when traveling. Getting travel insurance for your foreign travel should always be your priority when getting ready for your travel. As health care service can be quite costly in other countries especially in the US, having travel insurance is a smart way to save money in any case that you get injured or get a minor illness when you travel.
- Use public transportation when going around destinations. A train or bus is the cheapest option if you like to save a lot while roaming and getting around in the US. Another good thing about riding public transportation is that you get to see places along the way that can add experience in your travel.
- Airbnb and hostels are the most affordable accommodations for travelers. Accommodation will be one of your main costs when you travel in the US and it could sometimes be costly depending on the season you are going to in the US. In this case, your best option to save for your accommodation is booking in an Airbnb or a hostel. Booking in advance for your accommodation can be a great help as well, as sometimes, the cost of accommodation is much cheaper when you book it in advance.
Another way to cut down your expenses for accommodation is through camping. There are various campsites located in the country’s national park and forest, which some is free and other’s inexpensive.
- Avoid heavily touristed areas. When it’s tempting to go to places that are so popular with tourists, it is much better to consider visiting places that are less known to others. The tendency of going into destinations where there are a lot of tourists is that prices for entertainment options and local goods there will be pretty high. Sometimes you are also forced to buy things that are unnecessary because other people in that destination are buying the same stuff.
- Differentiate bucket-list-worthy activities vs. activities you could do anywhere. Often when we go on vacation, we tend to do things at once even though we know that some of those activities can be done on the other day outside of our vacation. Learn to distinguish places and activities that are bucket-list worthy and those that you can do after your travel.
- Avoid traveling in holiday seasons. Traveling on a holiday means jammed pack cities and parks, higher flight’s fares and accommodation rates. It also means that most of the accommodations especially those that are cheap are fully booked, so try to avoid going to popular places over holidays especially on the weekends.
- Find free activities to do. Do you want to do some hiking, picnic, free live music concert, some sunbathing on the beach, or check out an art gallery in a museum? It doesn’t have to be expensive sometimes; many activities are free if you just know where to look at. Wherever you may go, there would always be a ton of free things to do on your road trip. Take time on finding free things to do in a specific place by simply going to Google and search, or by asking locals in your destination.
- Keep track of your expenditures. A great way to keep yourself from spending way too much out of your budget while traveling is by keeping track of your expenses and making sure that you are staying inside of your budget. Avoiding overspending while in a trip in the USA may not be easy, but with having a list of your expenses and comparing it with your daily budget; you get to adjust your budget for other things on your travel, so you can still stay inside of your financial plan.
