How I Travel on a Budget

Traveling can be pricey no matter how you go about it. Over time, I’ve found a few tricks that really work for me when I’m on the move! They might not be for everyone, but they make travel a lot smoother for me. 😁

Flights:

When it comes to flying, my go-to is the Frontier GoWild! All-You-Can-Fly Pass — it’s been a total game changer. The pass costs $599 a year, and after that, I only pay the taxes/ airport fees for each flight. That’s it! Most of my flights end up being around $15 total when I actually book them.

If I take just three round trips in a year, the pass has already paid for itself. It starts each May, and since then I’ve squeezed in six round trips — and I will be flying at least once a month up until next May.

The key to flying Frontier is packing light. They’re definitely a nickel-and-dime airline. You’ll want to make sure your bag fits in their little bag checker and can go under the seat in front of you — and make that the only bag you travel with to minimize your expenses.

Kayak is the other search engine I will use to find flights if I need to fly on a blackout date or if for some other reason my fly pass doesn't work out. Kayak will look for flights in multiple different ways. Sometimes it is cheaper to buy 2 one way tickets instead of a roundtrip. Kayak picks up things like this and they do all airlines unlike Expedia and Priceline for example don't cover all airlines.

My Bag:

Every item I travel with has to earn its place — it needs to have multiple uses to make the cut for life in my truck.

I used to have separate backpacks for travel and hiking, but there’s just no room for extras in my truck, so the travel backpack had to go. Now my day-hike pack doubles as my flying bag. It’s a 24L Osprey Tempest, and it fits perfectly in the airport bag checker. It holds my laptop, two water bottles, and all my food — everything I actually need for a flight. The clip on the front is perfect for attaching my travel "pillow". The stuff pouch in the front works great for my flannel/ jacket.

My Food:

• Buying an entire box of granola bars from the store is almost the same price as buying 1 from the airport. An average meal at the airport is minimum $15. Cooking and bringing my own food along also helps me to stay on the foods that I prefer to eat.

• I pack 2 empty water bottles and fill them up at the water fountain.

• For my early AM flights, if an airport has a Starbucks I will go get a tea and an oatmeal. For those that don't have one I will pack one of my instant oats packs and just grab hot water in the airport to make it.

• Not all foods make the cut going through airport security unfortunately. So far everything that is on my no list: Applesauce/ baby food squeeze packs bigger than 3.4 oz, Yogurt, Premade oatmeal, mashed potatoes/food of any kind

I’ll use my five-day trip to Bristol, TN, as an example:

• Flight: $15.11 each way = $30.22

• Checked bag: $35 each way = $70

• Campsite: $10 per night = $50

• Festival ticket (weekend): $145

• Rental car: $25/day + tax = $135.27

TOTAL COST: $430.49

A trip to the coffee shop isn’t an unusual expense for me — that falls under my regular “eat out” budget. Gas for getting around is also just part of my normal spending, so I didn’t include it. I bought groceries and ate out once getting a hamburger on the last day of the festival, which again came out of my “eat out” budget. Since I brought my camping gear, I was able to cook all the food I needed for the week.

If I were to stay at a hotel or BnB for the weekend, I’d still be able to cook for myself and wouldn’t need to check a bag — saving $70 — since I wouldn’t need my camping gear. These are the cheapest options available about a month out; prices over the actual festival weekend would likely be a bit higher.

Using a hotel for the weekend instead of camping:

• Flight: $15.11 each way = $30.22

• Hotel/BnB: $458.54–$571.16

• Festival ticket (weekend): $145

• Rental car: $25/day + tax = $135.27

TOTAL COST: $769.03–$881.65

That’s an extra $338.54–$451.16. By camping out and showering at the gym, I can squeeze in another whole weekend trip for the same price!

My travel "pillow" has been a game changer for me. When I fly, this is my workaround for having to check a bag on longer trips. I will usually do laundry once while I am gone for trips longer than 5 days. I carry a quart size Ziploc bag with hygiene items and this “neck pillow” with all of my clothes. I will use this trip to North Carolina as an example.

Items packed: Three T-shirts, one tank top, three pairs of underwear, one sports bra, three pairs of socks, bikini, board shorts, three pairs regular shorts.

Car Rentals:

My go-to service for rentals has been Turo. Most of the time, no deposit is required. You can find anything from an older car for around $15 a day to a newer ride with all the bells and whistles. I’ve rented everything from a little stick-shift Honda Civic to a Tesla Model Y. Most of the time, the car is waiting at the airport park-and-ride, so I just hop on the shuttle and head straight to it.

Enterprise, Budget and many other companies that have been around forever are still out there. They nickel and dime you for absolutely everything. You get charged if you use your own insurance, its a $250 deposit if you use a credit card and $500 if you book with a debit card. So many things to look out for.

Once you realize how affordable travel can be, it opens up a whole new world of possibilities.