Chances are that you’re probably experiencing a bit of wanderlust right now. It seems like every day my travel wish list grows as each time I log into Instagram or Facebook I’m seeing gorgeous photos of friends traveling to incredible places. With this wanderlust can also come a bit of disappointment as reality sets in and reminds us that unfortunately we don’t have unlimited vacation days or budget to support a lifestyle of world traveling but shake off those sads because traveling to awesome places is still totally doable. Some ways I’ve found to keep things affordable:

1. Do your research when booking flights: Our Japan trip was actually a pretty spontaneous decision – I was innocently browsing Google Flights and discovered their open-ended search option, plugged in a few dates around Labor Day, set the price to under $1K and BAM… I found an awesome deal on flights to Tokyo. I really like Google Flights for when you’re flexible with your destination and dates because they make it really easy to check out rates globally which makes for a fun adventure. If you have your destination and dates locked down, track flight prices with Hopper, an app that monitors price fluctuations across all airline carriers and uses data to recommend when you should pull the trigger and book your flight.
2. Skip the hotel: Don’t get me wrong, I love sprawling out in a king sized bed, having a huge rain shower and room service as much as anyone but with most places, hotels are not the most affordable accommodation option. I’ve been using Airbnb for the past several years, both as a host and a guest, and honestly cannot say enough wonderful things about it. We’ve rented Airbnb‘s both internationally and within the U.S. and have loved the spaces we’ve been able to stay in and the “local” experiences we’re able to have by staying in a real home vs. a hotel. We’ve had some awesome hosts who have given us the best recommendations for how to truly experience their cities and as a bonus, we’ve also been able to help offset a lot of our travel costs by renting out our apartments while we’re traveling. It’s a win all around!
3. Be flexible and open minded: If you’re locked into a specific date, destination, itinerary, place to stay, etc. it’ll be difficult for you to find ways to save money on your travel. Instead, just go with it! Get creative with your destination and flight options and be prepared to say YES and jump on amazing opportunities when they pop up. Even if you don’t know a ton about the destination you just found a crazy deal on flights to, go ahead and pull the trigger and book it – you can figure it out later ;)
4. Make long weekends count: Instead of blowing through all of my vacation days at once on a long trip I’ve found it best to break up travel into long weekends and take 1-3 days off a time instead. This will not only let you maximize your PTO with multiple trips but also will help make each trip more affordable since you’ll have lower lodging costs at each destination.
5. Explore vs. vacation: I’m a planner by nature but with travel, I’ve stumbled into a different approach – book it and then wing it. This happened accidentally last year with our Paris and London trip because I was just too busy with work and the blog to dedicate the time to planning out our trip’s itinerary but it ended up being such a refreshing change from our everyday that we’ve stuck with it. Instead of planning out every detail, pick one or two key things you’d like to do and spend the rest of your trip wandering around – bring comfortable shoes and walk or take public transportation instead of spending money on cabs. Skip the most popular restaurants and instead pop into a restaurant that’s buzzing with locals after work. The most touristy stuff tends to also have a price tag attached to it and skipping those for a more authentic experience in your travel destination will not only save you some cash but also give you a real feel for the city.