By Nick Light Published on February 10th, 2025
I wanted to write an article on an overview of how to travel on a budget. But how do you save money on traveling? Do less stuff, some might say. You can’t afford that, stay home until you save up enough money to go. That’s what I’ve been told sometimes.
But I say, HOW can I afford that? There are ways to travel, see cool, new, unique places around this world and not have to spend anymore than you normally would if you did stay at home.
I mean you still have to eat when you are home, don’t you? You still have to spend gas money to run errands. You still spend money to go to the movies, enjoy a night out with your friends, go on a date, etc. But it’s more about how can I take that money and use it to go on a trip? See something new?
Most of us get stuck in that cycle of waking up, going to work, coming home, having some family time, going to bed, waking up and doing it again. It’s easy to get stuck in the cycle and live day to day.
If you change your thinking, it’s amazing what all you can find even just in your hometown to do that you never thought of before!
That’s what I want to help you with. I will show you how I plan my trips, how I find those unique “hidden” places and even save some money while doing it. Let’s get exploring!
Why Choose Hidden Destinations?
Affordable Costs
Let’s talk about the obvious first, saving money. I mean, that’s probably why you are reading an article with “Budget” in the title, right? If not, we all still want to save some money every now and then.
Advertising can get expensive. And that’s how tourists find some of the most well known places. Through ads. And more people mean they can raise the prices for events, attractions, hotels, etc. The more people that go, the more expensive it’s going to be. So finding those unique “off the beaten path” kind of places are going to be cheaper, if not, free!
Keep reading and we will get into how to find these places.
Unique Experiences
Some of my favorite trips have been places I’ve found from recommendations or just some simple research!
A lot of these places are not used to getting people from outside of town, so they are very welcoming and friendly. I’ve had some pretty good conversations with locals just starting small talk.
Tranquility
You just can’t get that peaceful kind of quiet some of us need to recharge in the big touristy places. Enjoying a nice quiet local coffee shop, checking out the downtown square, or the sound of the creek flowing in the local park is just the kind of peace that is normally hard to find while on vacation.
How To Find These Hidden Gems
Google Search
Figure out what kind of things you like to do. For example, hiking trails, waterfalls, new restaurants, history, arcades, etc. Search on google for these things with “near my city” after, to find these places near wherever you are traveling to.
There will be articles about these places on other people’s blogs, local county websites or park sites. In the example below, we see TripAdvisor has their top 10 article which always has a lot of good information. And then also El Paso’s own local website which will also have quite a bit of good information straight from the locals!
Google Maps
Same thing as using google search, type it into google maps. Now just scan through all the places.
The trick with this is that when you search on google maps, it looks through all the reviews as well. So for example, if there is a hiking trail that is just advertised as a local nature trail, there might not be anything about a waterfall on it. But then someone might have posted as a review, “loved the waterfall halfway through the trail!” This is how you find the “hidden” places that most people don’t even know about!
Facebook Groups
When you decide on a city, go to Facebook groups and search for that city’s name and look through all the groups that pop up. Join the local groups and scroll through to see what everyone has posted about.
What I do is I join a new group and immediately post, “Hi, I am visiting soon and like these things. (list what you are interested in.) What do you recommend I visit when in town?”
Then the locals will see and start recommending their favorite places. Then you start up a conversation by commenting on their comments on what interests you most. This is how you dig in and find the best places locally!
Budget Hacks for Transportation, Accommodations, Dining, and Free Activities
Transportation
You’re going to need to get around somehow! There are always many different options in getting around. To save some money, you should always do some math up front. Check and see if it is even possible to drive your own car there.
I’ve found that for me it’s normally cheaper to drive than to fly if it is around a 10 hour drive or less. But also keep in mind that you are taking that much time away from exploring as well.
Uber or Lyft are great ways as well. Especially if you are going somewhere that you can walk a lot, such as downtown. Take an Uber downtown and walk around and explore the rest of the day.
The local bus is a great option as it is fairly inexpensive. In some towns it’s even free! Also, most airports have a free shuttle to the rental car locations or to most close hotels.
Accommodations
Let’s start with the free/cheapest places to stay….camping! Out west has a ton of free options with the BLM land, but campgrounds are always fairly cheap for tent camping. If you have a camper, then it’s still cheaper than a hotel. Car camping is always a good free option. It’s one of my personal favorites, but if you want more info, just message me because this is a whole blog post on its own.
Airbnb’s are a great option. If you are traveling with a group, then you can split the cost and save a ton of money. If you are traveling alone, I recommend renting out the single bedroom option. I’ve found them anywhere from $30-$60/night. And I haven’t had an issue with them yet. They are normally very nice, even as cheap as they are.
Hotels are great and simple, although can get expensive. I always use a booking site with rewards points anytime I do go with the hotel option. Those points will help later on down the road.
Dining
One benefit that ties into taking your car is the space for a cooler. If I drive, I always pack a cooler. Because you know you WILL be buying snacks along the way or stop somewhere to eat. So load up on those snacks and drinks from the grocery store where its waaaay cheaper than the gas station before you go.
Don’t forget your fast food rewards apps! If you eat fast food, you might as well use the app. I use it everytime I go to Mcdonald’s and have gotten so much free food from them. And almost every fast food place has a rewards app now.
If you have your airbnb, then you can always grab a few groceries and cook there too. How many home cooked meals have you had on vacation? Probably not many. And then you can have leftovers for later as well.
It doesn’t always have to taste like you are trying to save money either. Check out a local farmers’ market to get some stuff to cook later that night as well! (You can find those on facebook groups as well!)
Free Activities
Back to the dining section, farmers’ markets! Sometimes they have live music, some of them are more of a flea market style, some will seem like a festival. And it’s always free to get in.
Live music is one of my favorites. Again, you can find these by posting or talking to people in the Facebook groups or searching it on google like we talked about above. They can be at free festivals or markets, coffee shops or restaurants. Just make sure to at least grab a coffee or a drink if you go and support the local businesses.
A lot of places have museums for free entry. Just here in El Paso, TX we have at least 3 that are free, and they aren’t small ones either!
Another free option are parks or hiking trails. Some of these towns get pretty creative in their downtown parks with some of the artwork and fountains! There are always cool places outdoors to check out.
Packing Essentials
I’m going to say this up front as it covers all 3 topics below. Phone charger plus power bank. One of my favorite essential travel items and one I NEVER leave the house without. These days, we have everything in our phones. Emergency contact info, airline boarding passes, itineraries, entry tickets, transportation apps, etc.
You get the picture. Can you imagine if your phone died on a schedule packed vacation? In other words, get a power bank. You will definitely not regret it. In my opinion, it is THE most essential travel item you can bring.
Airport Luggage
You can take a lot in just a carry-on bag. Did you know you can carry 2 bags as your carry-on?? One regular sized carry-on, and another that would be considered your personal item. This one has to fit under the seat in front of you.
Both of these are free for most airlines. I’ve managed to fit a weekend’s worth of items in one backpack that I managed to pass as a personal item.
Obviously you will need clothes. But keep in mind where you are going and pack accordingly. Get you a few of those travel size shampoo bottles for your toiletry bag. I always have travel size items ready to go for my trips.
I always pack light when I fly because I do not want to check a bag. Clothes, toiletry bag, power bank and an extra pair of shoes. That’s what I travel with and have never needed much more than that.
Vehicle Essentials
If I drive, then that’s a different story. Plenty of clothes for any adventure. Something to wear outdoors, walking around town and a dress shirt just in case.
A cooler for sure with any drinks I might buy at the gas station to save money plus snacks and food. Maybe sandwich stuff for on the go lunch. Also a case of water.
Don’t forget the phone charger! Especially if you are renting a car. It’s an easy one to forget but also very nice to have. The phone charger for the car as well as the phone mount if you use one.
City Adventures
It’s always nice to have a backpack with you. Even if you don’t want a huge hiking backpack, at least grab one of those small one shoulder strap type bags.
It can carry your phone’s power bank at least and a couple other things. It’s one of those things that you don’t think you need until you get a few hours into walking around and then don’t have it.
Cash. I know, everyone says it’s not safe to carry cash when you travel. But then you find that really cool, highly recommended restaurant/food truck/bar, and they say, “Cash only.” Then you are going to wish you grabbed at least $20 cash to bring with you. I try to carry about $40 cash on me just in case.
Plan Your Adventure!
Well, I know it’s not everything, but the information here is at least enough to get you out there and travel more. While at the same time saving a little more money than you might have been before.
If you have any questions, please send me a message! I love talking about travel and would love to help you out! Plus, it might spark a new article that I might need to write.
If you need help finding places to go, send me a message and a city! I would love to help out in finding new places and adventures for you to check out. Thanks for reading and keep checking back to see what other articles I have written!
