Home Travel ResourcesMoney Saving Tips How to Travel Cheap in 2024: 108 Best Travel Hacking Resources

How to Travel Cheap in 2024: 108 Best Travel Hacking Resources

by Michele
6 comments
Top tips for how to travel cheap in 2023
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Want to make your money go further on travel? Travel longer, better, and cheaper with these 108 tried and tested travel resources PLUS pro tips & exclusive reader offers.

Planning a trip can be a stressful task, but it shouldn’t be. From how to choose travel insurance to getting the best travel accessories and travel gadgets to make your travels easier. Over the years, I’ve tried out numerous travel services, travel websites, gear and other travel resources. Having the right tools are essential to travelling well and making your money go further and travel cheap. Recently, I’ve learned how to fly for free.

With that in mind, I’ve started collating my favourite travel resources that I highly recommend. This will be a work in progress as I continue to try out new services. So be sure to bookmark this page and check back before planning your next trip.

This page is quite long and packed with great resources so I’ve provided you and few quick links so you can jump to each section.

Let’s go!


Accommodation

Hostelworld

Top tips for how to travel cheap in 2020 - HostelWorld

Not only is Hostelworld my personal favourite, it’s also the best hostel accommodation site out there. They have the largest inventory and a great search interface. No booking fees either!   Check them out here Hostelworld.com

 

 


Airbnb

Top tips for how to travel cheap in 2020 - Airbnb
Another good accommodation alternative, Airbnb connects with homeowners who rent out their homes and apartments to you. You’ll get all the comforts of home, the chance to stay in a local, non-touristy part of where you are going, and pay a fraction of the cost of a hotel room. If it’s your first time get US$65 OFF here or get £50 OFF your first stay here when you sign up using my unique reader referral link.

 


Booking.com

Top tips for how to travel cheap in 2020 - Boooking.com
The Booking.com site guarantees the best prices for any type of property, ranging from campsites to five-star luxury properties worldwide. Subscribe here to get a FREE 10% discount.

 


Agoda

Top tips for how to travel cheap in 2020 - Agoda
Heading to Asia? Don’t look past Agoda. They offer the best rates with amazing savings up to a whopping 75%. Take a look at their accommodation which guesthouses and hotels. A couple of friends put me on to this site and has remained a favourite.

 


Hotels Combined

how to travel cheap - Hotels Combined
I love being able to compare hotel and book without the dodgy booking fee or mark-up slapped on during the checkout. Hotels Combined bring all the major travel services together in one easy hub for you to easily compare and get the best deals.

 


Trivago

how to travel cheap - Trivago
I love a good comparison site and Trivago is one of them. Trivago specialises in comparing listings of multiple hotels and prices for the same hotel on over 200 booking sites. Crazy powerful.

 


Hotels.com

how to travel cheap - Hotels.comHotels.com is another great comparison site with an even better rewards system. For every 10 nights you book, you get 1 night free. Plain and simple! Their site has extensive sorting features, affordable prices and plenty of support options.

 

 


Hilton

how to travel cheap - Hilton

There’s a reason why the first hotel name that pops into your mind is Hilton. They constantly have new offers and their resorts are incredible. Having serviced the travel industry for nearly a century, they should always be part of your travel planning.

 

 


Hotelopia

how to travel cheap - Hotelopia

Part of the TUI group, Hotelopia allows you to search for and book accommodation for any budget plus there are no additional charges or commissions for credit card payments. Bonus! They currently have some great offers in the Caribbean.

 


 

Travel Money

WorldRemit

how to travel cheap - worldremit
If you’re going to be sending money overseas, consider using a cost-efficient option like WorldRemit. Designed to be the quickest, easiest and most secure way to send money, pay people or settle bills overseas you’re sure to get consistent bank-beating exchange rates, low fees, and the ability to make transfers, manage your account and track payments 24 hours a day.

 


TransferWise

how to travel cheap - TransferWise
TransferWise is fantastic money transfer service. They pride themselves on cheap, easy, and quick money transfers. So quick in fact, that I’ve even heard of cases where the transaction was completed within an hour! Great to know when you find yourself in a sticky situation abroad or you find yourself unprepared for a trip.

 

 


 

Tours

Viator

how to travel cheap - Viator
Without a doubt, Viator is my favourite tour booking service. They make it super easy to search for and book tours and trips all over the world. I’ve been using these guys for over 10 years and I can’t recommend them highly enough. Check out their discounts here.

 


Contiki

how to travel cheap - Contiki
My first ever trip abroad I booked with Contiki and have used them multiple times since. They are great for travelling alone or in a small group. My favourite thing about Contiki is their tour guides, they are always down-to-earth and crazy knowledgeable. You can even customise your tour with different add-ons and accommodation options to suit your budget.


Trafalgar

how to travel cheap - Trafalgar
While Contiki specialises in tours for 18-35-year-olds, Trafalgar caters for everyone else. They currently offer 230 trips to almost everywhere including Europe, USA, Canada, South America, and Asia.

 


Thomson

how to travel cheap - Thomson
Thomson
is massively popular in the UK and Europe. I first heard of them when I moved to London. They offer package holidays, flights and cruises and from what I’ve heard they are all-around amazing and great value for money. Whatever holiday you’re looking for, check out this page and use any one of their promo codes.

 


CityPASS

how to travel cheap - CityPass
Travelling around Northern America, CityPass provide huge savings on admission prices to all the top attractions. Click here to save up to 50%.

 

 


Paris Pass

how to travel cheap - ParisPass
Do yourself a favour and pick up a Paris Pass. I’m a huge fan of using city passes that offer more bang for your buck, and Paris Pass is no exception. With so many wonderful attractions in Paris, it’s easy to overspend but Paris Pass gives you free entry over 60 Paris attractions and tours. What’s not to love!

 


London Pass

how to travel cheap - London Pass
Living in London makes getting the London Pass an essential purchase. More and more I find myself exploring this awesome city on weekends. The London Pass will give you entry to over 60 tourist attractions in the city. No matter how long your stay, the card is available for either 1, 2, 3, 6 or 10 consecutive days. Buy one here.

 

New York Pass

how to travel cheap - New York Pass
The New York Pass is jam-packed with awesome value. It by far offers the best value of all the passes listed here with access to 80+ attractions. It’s the only pass that lets you see as many attractions as you like while skipping the queue. Big Bus Hop-on Hop-off Tours are also included!

 


Booking Companies

Intrepid Travel

 how to travel cheap - Intrepid Travel
They offer good small group tours that use expert guides and leave a small environmental footprint! Click here to save up to 25% on Last Minute Trips.

 


 

Travel Guidebooks

Lonely Planet

how to travel cheap - Lonely Planet
I have a couple of guidebooks that I go to before planning a trip, Lonely Planet is one of them. They are full of great advice and are well organised, which is essential for on the go lookups. Not only are they lightweight but they also have a strong emphasis on budget travel. They are currently offering a 3 for 2 on all Books, eBooks and Digital Chapters.

 


 

Cheap Flights

Skyscanner

How to travel cheap - Use Skyscanner to find cheap flights
I love Skyscanner! They give you the ability to search and compare a copious amount of different airlines, including budget carriers. This site is a must when searching for cheap flights. Compare deal and book your next trip here.

 

 


Expedia

how to travel cheap - Expedia
Expedia
 offers impressive discounts on all types of travel itineraries. Loyal customers are generously rewarded too. Whenever you make a purchase you earn points which can be redeemed for flights, hotels, activities, and vacation packages, all with no blackout dates. Flights earn you one point per every $5 spent while everything else earns two points for every dollar you spend. If that’s not enough, on their deals page you’ll find a bunch of coupons with further discounts.

 


 

Land Transportation

Eurail

Top tips for how to travel cheap in 2020 - Eurail Pass
Planning a Euro trip? Consider travelling via train with the help of a Eurail Pass. The Eurail Pass is a train ticket that allows you to travel in and through up to 31 countries. The first time I travelled solo to Europe I purchased a Eurail Pass, which made everything so much more manageable and cost-effective. There are two kinds of passes available: country and global. Country passes work for individual countries, while the global pass gives you access to all 31 countries in the Eurail program. Passes can be purchased up to 11 months prior to your departure date and can only be purchased online and before you enter Europe. The pass is then delivered to your door along with a detailed guide on how to make reservations. Find out more about the Eurail Pass and purchase your pass here. 


Hertz

Top tips for how to travel cheap in 2020 - Hertz
Hertz is my go-to car rental supplier wherever I am in the world. Even when I use comparison sites, I still end up going with Hertz. I use them for all my road trips in including my trip to Trolltunga in Norway, Stavanger, and Lofoten.

 

 


National Travel Deals

how to travel cheap - National Travel Deals
National Travel Deals is a U.S. based company has a super easy to use website that allows you to search for and compare various car rental companies for the best deals.

 

 


Seat61

how to travel cheap - seat61
Seat61 is an incredibly comprehensive guide full of train and overland travel around the world. Now sure how to travel in any given country? Seat61 will tell you!

 

 


RailEurope

how to travel cheap - Rail EuropeIt can be tough to book trains on a million different foreign sites in Europe, but Rail Europe makes it simple to do everything from planning routes and checking times to buying tickets.

 

 


Virgin Trains

Top tips for how to travel cheap in 2020 - Virgin Trains
Trains in the UK can be expensive so it’s nice to know that, unlike other train booking sites, Virgin Trains don’t charge you a booking fee. Nice!

 

 


Vacations To Go

how to travel cheap - Vacations to Go
Vacations to Go is a private membership site (free to join) gives you super cheap cruise prices that you won’t find anywhere else.


 

Airport Parking

AirportParkingResevations.com

how to travel cheap - airport parking reservations
There are comparator sites for everything else, so why not for airport parking? AirportParkingReservations.com will save you up to 70% on parking fees. Parking options include self-drive, valet, indoor and long term. Enough said!

 


 

House and Pet Sitting

HouseCarers

how to travel cheap - House Carers
Feel guilty about leaving your pet at home? Then check out Housecarers. They offer house both house sitters and pet sitters all over the world.


Travel Insurance

WorldNomads

Top tips for how to travel cheap in 2023 - World NomadsTo protect your trip (and your wallet) from unforeseen theft, cancellations and accidents and other events you might want to invest in getting travel insurance.

Get a free travel insurance quote from World Nomads here.


RoamRight

how to travel cheap - RoamRight
Another option is RoamRight. These guys have great customer service, and competitive prices, with offer a range of coverage. Click here for a free travel insurance quote.

 


 

Keeping Your Photos Safe

Blurb

how to travel cheap - Blurb
If you’re anything like me you’ll have accumulated thousands of photos from all your travels that are still sitting on a memory card somewhere, or lost on social media. The best ways to keep your memories alive is to convert all your photos into a physical photo album. Something you can easily pull out and flip through as you reminisce. Along with many other services, Blurb creates photos albums from your Instagram account. This super brilliant idea is also easy to set up. Click here to order your book


SmugMug

how to travel cheap - SmugMug
You know all those precious photos you took on that once in a lifetime trip? Make sure you back them up! SmugMug allows you to store unlimited photos and HD video for only $60 per year. There are also cheaper plans. Click here for a 15% off coupon.

 


DropBox

Top tips for how to travel cheap in 2020 - dropboxDropbox is a  cloud-based service. You can get 2 GB for free or upgrade to get more space for a small cost. They have a great desktop and mobile app making it super easy to access your precious travel photos and videos from anywhere in the world. Click here to get an extra 500 MB added to your 2 GB of free space!


 

Travel Blogging

Bluehost

how to travel cheap - bluehost

 

Excellent, quality web hosting at low prices and awesome customer service. Bluehost has an easy-to-use interface, and even has a one-click WordPress installation, super handy! My favourite thing about Bluehost is their customer service. I’ve had many dramas with my blog and whenever I call them up they are always very friendly, helpful, and fix all my technical dramas without batting an eyelid. Rockstars!

 


AWeber

how to travel cheap - aweber

If you’re serious about blogging then having an email is the most important thing you can have. Make sure you start building your list from day one. I started using Mailchimp, but AWeber more powerful tools and better reporting.

 

 


Superstar Blogging by Nomadic Matt

Superstar Blogging by Nomadic MattSo, you’ve got the domain and your email provider, what else do you need? Well, Superstar Blogging will tell you! Superstar Blogging is Nomadic Matt’s awesome online course for new travel bloggers. It will give you a solid foundation in all areas of blogging putting you on the path to “success” and teach you how to start earning money as you travel the world. Matt has teamed up with expert travel writers, photographers, and videographers who will teach you the skills, techniques, and strategies to break into the travel industry. The in-depth video courses include webinars, tutorials, case studies, and interviews to help make your blog a success. By joining you also get access to a private Facebook community full of well-known travel bloggers where you can get answers to all your burning questions.

Matt also runs TravelCon, an excellent conference for travel bloggers. For those who can’t attend, you can buy a Virtual Pass which gives you access to all the keynotes and presentations from the privacy of your computer – no matter where you are in the world!

Don’t miss my interview with Nomadic Matt about language learning here.

So, what’s next?

Now that you’ve nailed what services to use. Check out my guide to the best travel accessories and travel gadgets to ensure you travel smart, safer and easier.  Get more money-saving travel tips and hacks here.


Recommended Inspiring Travel Movies

must-see inspiring travel movies

Photo Credit (Top Left to Bottom Right) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
The Art of Travel
The Beach
City of God
The Darjeeling Limited
Eurotrip
Eat, Pray, Love
A Good Year
The Hangover
Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures
Into the Wild
Last Stop for Paul
Lawrence of Arabia
Lost in Translation
Midnight in Paris
Monsoon Wedding
The Motorcycle Diaries
Nowhere in Africa
Romancing the Stone
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Seven Years In Tibet
Thelma & Louise
The Way
Up
Up in the Air
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Wild
Y Tu Mama Tambien


Recommended Travel Books

Anything by Bill Bryson
Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman
Cruising Attitude by Heather Poole
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
Do Travel Writers Go to Hell? by Thomas Kohnstamm
Eat, Pray, Love and its sequel, Committed, by Elizabeth Gilbert
Drink, Play, F*ck
In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure by Sarah MacDonald
Into Thin Air by John Krakauer
Life is a Trip: the transformative magic of travel by Judith Fein
Love With a Chance of Drowning by Torre DeRoche
Marching Powder by Thomas McFadden and Rusty Young
Mastering the Art of French Eating by Ann Mah
Moonlight in Odessa by Janet Skeslien Charles
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
Oracle Bones by Peter Hessler
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Paris Was Ours by Penelope Rowlands
Smile When You’re Lying by Chuck Thompson
Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer
Tales of a Female Nomad by Rita Golden Gelman
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Beach by Alex Garland
The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner
The Good Girl’s Guide to Getting Lost by Rachel Friedman
The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux
The Lost Girls: Three Friends. Four Continents. One Unconventional Detour Around the World
The Longest Way Home by Andrew McCarthy
The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver
The Ridiculous Race by Steve Hely and Vali Chandrasekaran
Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams
The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Pacific by J. Maarten Troos
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
The Turk Who Loved Apples by Matt Gross
Unlikely Destinations: The Lonely Planet Story by Tony Wheeler
Vagabonding by Rolf Potts
Wanderlust: A Love Affair with Five Continents by Elisabeth Eaves
What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding: A Memoir by Kristin Newman
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Mara Semple


Planning a trip and need travel insurance? Get a free quote from World Nomads here.


Want more travel tips? Don’t miss these


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Tips on How to travel cheap in 2022

That’s it for now!

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Over to you!

What other travel sites or services would you recommend? What other tips would you add to this list of how to travel cheap?
Let me know using the comments section below or join me on social media to start a conversation.

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6 comments

Euletha July 10, 2017 - 22:13

I love this list of books and movies about travel! I’ve never read or seen several of these, so I’ve got a lot of great inspiration for my next trip. Thank you for sharing these! Have you read The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton? I count it as among one of my must-reads as well. Again, great list.

Reply
Michele July 12, 2017 - 17:53

Thanks Euletha, I’m glad you enjoyed the list. I’ll definitely check out The Art of Travel, cheers for the tip :)

Reply
Ilona Proshkina November 20, 2016 - 22:22

How I love your website you can’t even imagine! Info is so useful and pics are so wonderful that i come here to read and rest! Thank you!

Reply
Michele November 20, 2016 - 23:22

Thank you for the support Ilona :)

Reply
Ana May 15, 2016 - 16:14

Great!

Reply
Dan W March 21, 2016 - 20:29

Don’t forget about Kayak.com and Uber.com for getting there and getting around!

Reply

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