Great tips on how to budget travel like a pro

You probably see people globe trotting on your Instagram timeline and wonder how you can do the same? Well, it's not that hard to travel the world you just have to travel smarter and cheaper and be open minded and visa ready. When you're on a budget, you don't have much of a choice really. You have to be flexible. What do I mean by this? Read on, here's how to travel cheap:

1. First of all, you need to save up.

You need to have flight money of course if you want to travel out of your country. One of the easiest and most realistic ways to save for travel is the 52 week challenge whereby you save a certain amount of money every week. It starts off with as little as 50 or 100 sh and after 52 weeks, you will have over 100,000 Ksh (for the 100 sh option) which will go along way into financing your travel needs.

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2. Be smart about looking for deals.

Follow websites and travel agencies that always have hotel and travel deals. Also, airlines will constantly send you emails on their travel deals and it's upto you to jump on that opportunity and book a flight while the deal lasts. Be sure that it's a destination where you will not have visa issues. You don't want to pre-book a flight only to be denied a visa later.

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ALSO READ: 7 things you need to know before you make plans to travel abroad for a holiday

3. Be flexible.

Choose cheaper destinations and those that go in line with your budget. Sure, we all want to see the Eiffel tower in Paris but if you cannot afford the trip, choose something cheaper such as India or Thailand where things are relatively cheaper.

4. Travel during low season.

It's cheaper and there are less tourists. Win win.

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5. Be flexible about your accommodation options.

Accommodation is definitely one of the things that you will spend most on when traveling. If you're broke, you have to be willing to be a bit uncomfortable. Instead of a hotel that will cost you an arm and a leg, think of options such as staying in a hostel, couch surfing or asking a friend to host you. The good thing is that nowadays, thanks to websites such as HelpX, you can actually stay for free in someones home, all you have to do is help around the home for a few hours be it gardening, teaching English or cleaning up. Again, brokeness and comfort don't go hand in hand when traveling.

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6. Make friends with people from all over the world.

When you go for networking parties, meet people, exchange numbers and keep in touch. One day, if you ever visit the country where they're based, they could offer you free accomodation. You have to be smart.

7. Instead of eating in restaurants,

Research on the street foods and street markets. You will end up saving a lot. Another option would be to rent your own place that has a kitchen and then cook for yourself. This way you will also end up saving some money.

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8. Travel indirect or choose the longer, cheaper option.

It's no secret that direct flights are more expensive. No one wants a 24 hour layover, but when traveling on a budget, you gotta do what you gotta do! If the place you're traveling to has a train or bus option that's cheaper, take that instead.

9. Hire a bike/car/scooter instead of taking taxis.

The reason you traveled was to tour many different areas. One of the ways you can save on money is by hiring a bike or scooter or car instead of taking taxis. Another way is to take the train or metro or local means of transport such as buses to move around.

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