Five ways to travel abroad at low cost

Believe it. You will feel relaxed once you take your backpack stuffed with clothes and other belongings on your back. Your weight decreases in one go without any hassle of diets or workouts. Perhaps all tourists feel this adrenaline rush moments before travelling somewhere, which is why travel lovers ignore the agony of dollar prices, inflation and price hikes.

Travelling to foreign lands is no longer a monopoly of the rich as the term ‘budget travel’ gains popularity. If you become a little smarter you can at least travel to several neighbouring countries cheaply. You do not need to wait for a ‘low-priced package’ from any travel agency either. You can arrange everything by yourself.

Here are five ways to travel abroad at a low-cost.

Air tickets will be cheaper as much as they will be purchased in advance. Airlines offer various discounted prices from time to time. Keep an eye on their websites and Facebook pages for updates.

You may need to choose connecting flights many times, and that may extend your travelling period since you have to wait in transit for a long time, but you will get the ticket at a cheaper price.

Travelling seasons vary from country to country. Everything from airfares to hotel fares surges during the high season. So, try to travel during the off-season. Thailand sees low pressure of tourists from April to October. Cost remains slightly low in the Maldives from May to August. If you visit Dubai during Ramadan, you can save some spending. A smaller number of people gather in various tourist spots. You can also experience fasting in a different country. Likewise, if you change trip schedules slightly you can save various spending.

You will find cheap hotels in countries like India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Nepal. You can directly contact them through their websites or Facebook pages in addition to using booking platforms like Booking.com, Agoda and Google travel service. Sometimes, hotels offer discounted prices on direct booking. If you travel with friends you may choose backpacker hostels instead of hotels. It will be a different experience to stay with tourists from different countries.

Hotel rates, however, depend largely on the location. Say, you go to Phuket, you will find hotel rates higher as much as it gets close to Patong beach. So, do not check in the hotels at the centre of tourist spots, rather choose hotels within a 5-10 minutes walking distance.

Airbnb is cheaper than hotels in some countries. It is a platform to rent readymade apartments and there are lots of apartments put on rent in Airbnb. You can browse their website or apps.

When travelling abroad, try to avoid using ridesharing services like Uber and Grab, and taxis, rather use public transport as much as possible. Tourists can purchase transport passes in countries like Singapore and Malaysians to travel by various modes of public transport including metro rails and buses.

Let's find out how much money can be saved using public transport only. Say, you go on a visit to the Maldives. It costs 25 US dollars per person to go to Maafushi Island from Male by speedboat on a personal arrangement, but it costs 4-5 US dollars only by ferry and takes an hour more and it should not trouble you since you are getting more time to enjoy the beauty of the ocean.

Scooters have been fairly popular for travelling in Asian countries. Tourists can rent at an affordable cost in countries like Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Fare gets cheaper when it is taken for rented for a few days. The use of scooters also makes your travel a lot cheaper, but you must know how to drive and have a valid international driving licence.

Nowadays, various apps have become fairly useful while travelling. Using apps, you can purchase bundle packages at a low cost to visit these tourist spots. Klook, for example, offer various offer based the country. It, however, is not certain that all packages will offer you a minimal cost. You have to find out by searching different websites and social media platforms including Facebook and YouTube. The more you research the cheaper your cost will be.