Psst! If you are going on a vacation abroad soon and want to save some money, these tips on how to travel cheap are for you…  unless you’re a billionaire. 😛

1. Be spontaneous!

Keep your options open to get the best cheap travel deals! Look for flights on sites such as Adioso.com or Airfare Watch Dog that come up with super cheap travel destinations based on your departure city.

Don’t forget to look for “youth discounts” if you are a student or under 26 (though, age limits may vary according to airline). A great option to check out is StudentUniverse.com, which works directly with airlines to negotiate special fares 🙂 .

2. Skip the data-roaming drama!

Expensive data-roaming charges can really break the budget and spoil all your carefully laid plans to travel cheaply. Fortunately, there are ways around it.

• If you need to look for a restaurant for dinner or the next can’t-miss spot to visit according to TripAdvisor, browse with Opera Mini. It squashes webpages to as little as 10% of their original size. This means less data spend and fewer nasty surprises on your roaming bill. You can also keep track of how many megabytes you’re saving with its data counter and use the built-in ad blocker to further reduce data usage and speed up your browsing experience!

• Try the free data saving saving app Opera Max! It shrinks data, images and video across most apps on your Android phone. 🙂  It even lets you block particular apps from using mobile data and restricts them to Wi-Fi only. Apps like WiFi Finder can locate your nearest hotspot so you can get back online easily.

3. Be adventurous!

Accommodation is usually  one of the biggest hurdles that any cheap travel plan faces. So, here are some options for you:

• Look for volunteer jobs! If you are willing to do some work in exchange for traveling, check out Diverbo. This organization takes volunteers to Germany and Spain to speak with students, who want to practice their English. In return, you get free travel and a place to stay. There are plenty of other websites like Worldpackers that offer many different jobs. Have a look – your next trip might be one click away!

• Find free housing on CouchSurfing! As its slogan says, “Stay with locals and make friends.”  This is definitely the best way to travel cheaply if you don’t have any acquaintances who can host you at your destination.  

• Book more cheaply on Airbnb, where you can book local homes in nearly 200 countries. It’s not only less expensive than renting a hotel room, but you’ll also be able to cook your own food, which will save you on dining-out costs or the extra costs charged by hotels/hostels for using the kitchen.

Which of these tips will you try? Let us know which one is your favorite in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter. For more information about saving money while traveling, check out our article on finding the best travel deals online.

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