5 GREAT TIPS FOR TRAVELER'S ON A BUDGET

1. Check out the Free Walking Tours

In every major city in every country I have been too there has always been one thing in common that they all have and that is the Free Walking Tour!! In areas where tourists visit, you have the option to sign up for very expensive private walking tours or tours by auto or bus, but the most fun, affordable, and exciting way to see the city is my taking advantage of one of the FREE walking tours. These tours generally start at specific hostels or hotels around the city. If you are not staying at a hostel or place that offers a tour just jump on the internet cause I promise there is one meeting near you and these hostels will have no problem with you starting your adventure in the lobby of their business.

Many different companies offer these tours and they are typically ran by students, travellers, or like minded individuals who are from the city and want to show you around their home. The tours are free but donations are accepted and it is definitely recommended to tip your tour guide. This is how they pay their bills!

Challenge your tour guide with questions they might not here everyday and make the walk a bit more exciting and fun for them also! Make sure you bring plenty of water and a fully charged camera because many of these tours take between 2-4 hours depending on what city you are in or how slow your group wants to walk.

I recommend taking a walking tour the first day you are in a city. Everytime I enter a new location I either go on a walking tour, or print out a walking tour map for myself and go explore the city. This helps me get my bearings and understand a bit of where I am before I just go blindly into the unknown. During this time I not only keep an eye on the historical sites that people are visiting, but I take notice of where there is a supermarket, cheap fast food, wash rooms, and other things that I would need to locate during my stay in a foreign city.

2. Go all Inclusive

Going all inclusive is a great way to save money if you are looking to do lots of things and want lots of things on your vacation. Booking hotels, then transport to and from the airport, plus tickets to the museums and attractions can run your budget through the roof if you paid for everything separate. Many travel agencies offer things such as 7 days in a hotel with free breakfast plus free airport shuttles, plus discounts on tourist attractions. The thing is you have to book all of this as a complete package. Sometimes when looking at the price it may seem overwhelming for such a thing but when you break it down with what you are getting, if you were to pay for everything separately you would be spending hundreds more then if you just got the package.

I don't practice this tip but I am giving it as advice since I know many of the readers don't travel the same way I do.

I personally do not take these package deals because there are things I do not want and in fact living a pampered polished lifestyle actually makes me uncomfortable. A wonderful 5 star hotel with daily spa treatment sounds lovely, but would spa treatment be something I would normally get? Not really. So why would I all of a sudden want to do it now?

Only do these package deals if you have the money to spend and really want to have a pampered stress free holiday. For me though, as a traveller for 6 years.. I just do things a bit differently.

Infidelix can be seen rapping on the streets of Prague

3. Take the Road Less Traveled

When people from different countries ask me where they should travel when visiting the USA I always say states like, Delaware, Colorado, North Carolina, etc. For some reason people who want to visit America generally say they would visit cities like Los Angeles or New York. These cities are filled with tourists and too overpriced because they know tourists are flocking there.

Pick a city that you know nothing about. Pick a place that is not just a tourist trap.

Right now I am in Dubrovnik, Croatia where they filmed Game of Thrones. It sounds like a great place until you realize that a cheeseburger and fries will set you back almost $25 and a taxi cab driver will get lost about 100 times before actually getting you to the right location, making sure you pay a hefty fare for the lift. All this is cool I guess if you have a bunch of money to spend, but if you do not then you find yourself just walking around, not really having too much fun, and not being able to participate in everything the city has to offer.

If you have never been somewhere, then everything is new and exciting right? So why book your hotels in Paris when you could stay 15 minutes outside of the city for a fraction of the cost? Why would you go spend $100 for a wine tour in Paris when 15 minutes away you can visit a local winery and talk to the people who work there and drink free wines?

The road less travelled always leads to a better adventure.

“Look for chances to take the less-traveled roads. There are no wrong turns.”

― Susan Magsamen

4. Fly During the Week

Many people book their trips like this, they get off work on Friday.. Leave Friday night, then come back the following Sunday before work starts again on Monday.

First off the worst thing you could possible do is go to work the day after from returning from vacation. You need at least one or two days of rest and a reality check before you jump back into your work environment.

Also, booking flights for the weekend will always be more expensive. Instead, I recommend booking a flight on a Monday or Tuesday and returning on a weekday instead of a weekend. You will notice the flights will be cheaper, the lines will be shorter, and when you get back home you will still have time do get any shopping or supplies before having to jump right into the work week on Monday morning.

Infidelix rapping on the streets in Zagbreb, Croatia

5. Pack Light

Even after 6 years of travel this is something I still struggle with. For some reason I always feel like I need to bring that extra pair of shoes somewhere, or I should pack those little extra things that I have never used before, but for some reason my brain says I need them now.

The truth is, you really don't need anything when travelling. Why do you need to bring 2 pairs of shoes for a week, or why do you need to have a fly outfit everyday your out in the town? If travel is not something you are comfortable with then you will over pack and bring things you will never use with you.

For example, you can save room in your luggage by wearing multiple clothing on the airplane instead of packing them in a bag. Instead pack an extra bag then when you are on the airplane you can change out of all the clothes you just wore and now you have an extra bag free of charge on the airplane. Trust me they will not throw your extra bag out of the window. In fact they probably will not even notice what you have done. This will save you those extra fees airlines want to charge you for bringing on extra luggage.

Also more than likely you don't need towels. All hostels and hotels have towels and who wants to re pack a wet towel back into their luggage. Noone.

I hope these 5 tips and tricks when travelling help you have a fun and affordable vacation!

Infidelix is Europe’s #1 Street Rapper and has spent the past 6 years traveling the world while inspiring and motivating cultures through music