How to travel without breaking the bank 

It’s ‘Njaanuary’, and a vacation is probably the last thing on your mind right now. And rightly so, because you have to meet your essential needs first, right? However, travel experts believe that even a January vacation is possible as it all boils down to planning. 

Muthuri Kinyamu, the co-founder of Turnup Travel, believes that everyone can enjoy travel one that is within their means and does not leave them struggling to meet other essential needs.

He holds that these ten tips can help you and your loved ones achieve your travel dreams and aspirations:

Plan, plan, plan 

The key to achieving any goals is having a proper plan, and travelling is no different.

Planning travel months before it happens gives you ample time to decide on activities to do during the travel, a wider pool of accommodation and travel options and most importantly, enough time to pool your resources.

Booking flights earlier is also cheaper.

Work with what you have

Planning within one’s income is essential as it safeguards you from making unfeasible financial decisions. There is no perfect travel destination or a perfect number of days to be on vacation, as all these things vary between people. You can choose to travel to an expensive destination for a day or two or travel to a less costly one for more days.

Take advantage of offers and promotions

To encourage more travelling and attract more customers, travel agencies, the transport industry, hotels, and travel destinations will regularly come up with offers to help travellers make huge savings. Taking advantage of this can help you travel to your dream destination on a budget, or help you engage in more activities on your travel or travel more.

Work around peak seasons

Travelling during holiday seasons when many people are travelling can be quite costly, as the demand is high and the travel industry capitalises on this. A workaround on this can, however, help you make great savings. Suppose people are travelling to Mombasa during Christmas for instance. In that case, you can choose to travel to other less travelled to destinations like national parks and reserves in other regions in the country.

Do not be afraid to adventure

When you travel to a destination, do not be afraid to explore and interact with the local community. On top of giving you a fulfilling experience as you get to enjoy the culture and new things, it can also help you save some money. Instead of eating at highly-priced restaurants, you can try out local restaurants and cuisines, as well as other street delicacies as may be recommended by the locals you interact with.

Use alternative accommodation

With the growing travel demands and a dynamic pool of travellers from varying economic statuses, accommodation offerings have greatly evolved.

From as low as one thousand a night to as high as hundreds of thousands, everyone can afford to spend a night at a place of their own choice. The growing culture of Airbnbs enables you to have your ideal stay within the comfort of your budget.

Take half-board offers instead of full board

Should you choose to stay in a hotel, for instance, while on international travel where choices may be limited, pay for the half-board where you just get accommodation and breakfast. This will reduce the amount you pay and give you the freedom to move around, go site-seeing, and interact and experience new and varying cultures.

Travel in a group

Planning as a group of friends, work colleagues, family or any other social entity can help you pool resources and greatly reduce individual travel budget. For instance, renting a condo together, hiring a boat or a chef or engaging in group activities becomes cheaper when there is cost-sharing.

Take advantage of other travel plans

Whether travelling for work or for a ruracio (dowry payment) in a new destination you are yet to explore, you can take advantage of this and take a day or two after you are finished with your main business, to experience the new location and adventure.

Develop a travel culture

For a lot of people, travel is usually a luxury reserved for when all the other needs have been met.

Therefore, this means that many people end up postponing their plans or end up never going altogether. However, making travel a part of your life and planning on it while budgeting on other things slowly integrates the habit and ensures consistency in your travels.