Your Ultimate 2024 Guide To Traveling On A Budget
Grab your bags and start packing for 2024 adventures!
A whole new year of possibilities is spread out before you—and that means plenty of opportunity to travel. But if your bank account is looking a little unfortunate after the holidays, you’re not alone. That’s why traveling on a budget is going to be a must.
Thankfully, we’ve got all the insider info on how to really maximize your money when it comes to planning your next vacation. Whether it’s spring break, summer, or everything else, your wallet will thank you.
Budget Travel Tips
The Best Time To Book Flights
Never ever book things last minute unless you absolutely have to. The ideal window to book your travel has been perfected to a science at this point.
For domestic travel, three to six months in advance is ideal. When it comes to international, four to eight months. Expedia gets a bit more specific by saying the window for domestic booking is around 28 days and international is 60 days. Sundays are also the cheapest days to book flights (Friday is the most expensive).
So if you’re planning on traveling for spring break, you need to get booking now to get the best deals and save money.
Forget Flying
Everyone knows flying is wildly expensive in general, but especially right now. If you have the option, opt for any other mode of transportation. Plenty of shorter trips in the States take about the same amount of time on a bus as they do on a plane (when you factor in how early you have to arrive at the airport) for way less money.
Trains have also come back in a major way. They can be equally fancy (especially the sightseeing cars) while costing less. Amtrak also is always running great deals, especially on Night Owl tickets.
Flexibility Is Key
Of course, traveling is easier (and more budget-friendly) if you can be a little more flexible. Everyone knows Google Flights lets you plug in your dates and gives you an entire map filled with travel options. You might find a new place to visit or snag a great deal before anyone else.
The more specific you are, the less likely you’ll save money. See what you can come up with without tons of specifics plugged into your itinerary!
Know Your Non-Negotiables
There are hundreds of ways to travel, so it’s important to know your preferences—you’ll be way less likely to waste money that way.
Would you rather book a budget flight and go all-out on the hotel? Or maybe stay in a hostel and eat gourmet for your whole trip? Nailing these specifics down will help you in the long run, along with keeping you to your budget.
Cheap Travel Destinations For 2024
Domestic
Prices are for average roundtrip airfare
- New York City ($315)
- Nashville ($315)
- Chicago ($329)
- Tampa ($340)
- Minneapolis ($353)
- Orlando ($355)
- Fort Myers, Florida ($356)
- Boston ($359)
- West Palm Beach, Florida ($363)
- Denver ($363)
International
- Abu Dhabi, UAE (32% decrease in price)
- Belo Horizonte, Brazil (27% decrease in price)
- Shanghai, China (23% decrease in price)
- Angeles City, Philippines (22% decrease in price)
- Galapagos Islands, Ecuador (22% decrease in price)
- Mendoza, Argentina (20% decrease in price)
- Managua, Nicaragua (20% decrease in price)
- Tromsø, Norway (17% decrease in price)
- Salvador, Brazil (16% decrease in price)
- Punta Arenas, Chile (16% decrease in price)
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