I have to admit something to you all. I used to splurge on vacations. I know, I know, I just wrote this post about How to Save on Weekend Getaways. But saving on travel is something fairly new to me. I always had the mindset that “Hey, I’m on vacation, I shouldn’t have to worry about money.” But I also realize that if I want to travel more, I need to make my trips more budget friendly.

Here’s some tools and resources I’ve been using to plan my next trip. Next month, George and I are flying to Portland! It’s been on my travel bucket list FOREVER!

1. Travel Budget Calculator
This handy-dandy calculator includes fields for all kinds of expenses that you might encounter while traveling. It even has a field for cocktails. It’s my kind of calculator!

2. WikiTravel
Have you heard of WikiTravel? It’s Wikipedia for travelers. The destination descriptions are super comprehensive because the site is written by other travelers. What I love about this site it that they’ve included so many details. I now know the down low on public transportation in Portland– something that is going to be super essential to my budget.

3. Adventurous Kate
I love this article from the blog, Adventurous Kate. She describes how she saved $13,000 in just 7 months, so she could travel the world! Kate gives an honest breakdown of her expenses and the hard sacrifices she had to make– all in the name of travel!

4. Pack Like A Pro
Checking a bag can be costly, so I’m reading up on the best way to pack a carry on. I learned so much from this Heathrow Airport video (linked above). And before all my trips, I always refer back to this NY Times article that features a flight attendant packing 10 days in a carry-on. It’s magic.

5. Travel Full-time for less than $14,000 per year
First of all, I have to say how much I love the blog, I will teach you to be rich. And I especially love the above article on traveling the world for less than $14,000 per year. I’m not to the point of full-time world traveling (just yet!) but Nora Dunn of the Professional Hobo doles out some excellent tips on travel on the cheap. Her food tips are super smart.

These are just a tiny taste of the tips out there for traveling on a budget. But I want to know how have you budgeted for trips? Let me know in the comments!

love,
melanie