✨ The Perfect Budget Holiday: Tips & Tricks

I suppose you have come for my little tips and tricks on budget holidays.
You’re also aiming for a perfect one? As you should.

Don’t worry, you’re in good hands.

Below you’ll find what matters most when planning a budget holiday, along with examples of how I usually plan mine. I’ve also prepared a little surprise for you which I hope will become one of your favourite travel chores. You’re probably wondering how a chore can sound even remotely enjoyable… Keep reading and find out.

Setting a realistic budget for a destination can be tiring, especially when you want to enjoy everything without constantly checking your bank account.

I usually start by looking at the things I already know I want to do. If there’s a famous landmark I absolutely want to visit, I check the ticket price first. Then I look at accommodation, transport and the experiences I don’t want to miss. This gives me a realistic idea of how much of my budget is already spoken for.

After that, I research the average cost of living at the destination — food, local transport, cafes, nightlife and anything else I might spend money on during the day. This helps me work out how much I’ll need for everyday spending.

And yes, I always leave a little room for an emergency carrot stash. 🥕 You never know when an unexpected expense — or an unexpectedly cute souvenir — might appear.

The goal isn’t to make your holiday as cheap as possible. It’s to know what you can afford, what matters to you and where your money is actually going before you start booking everything.

That way, you can save on the things you don’t care about and still have enough left for the things you came all this way to experience.

Choosing the most appropriate way of transport for my holiday is probably the biggest pain in my backside. However, if I’ve done it properly, I get to save on overly expensive tickets and can treat myself to more desirable stuff, so it is definitely worth it.

As someone who likes visiting neighbouring countries in Europe quite often, it’s hard to determine immediately what would be my best choice. Especially when sometimes the cheapest ticket isn’t the best option, just like the fastest transport isn’t always worth the extra money.

I had to think of a way to save myself the trouble of calculations and comparisons.

If you’re currently facing such a dilemma, I have good news for you. I’ve created a little tool to help you choose between travelling by plane, car or train. It takes into account cost, time, comfort and convenience. 

You’ll be asked to rank those criteria according to what matters most to you. The tool evaluates which transport option is the best fit for your trip based on your preferences.

Considering the fact that we’re trying to perfect a budget holiday, I believe you’ll find this tool quite useful.

🏆 Best for: trips to neighbouring countries or nearby destinations where you have multiple realistic ways to get there.

📜 A little note: This tool works best for relatively short-to-medium distances where you have multiple realistic transport options to compare. For very long-haul trips, flying would be the obvious choice.

You may already know from my article “Checked Luggage? I Prefer Carry-Ons” that I usually book hotels that provide you with toiletries. 

However, when I’m trying to travel on a tighter budget, I aim for hotels that may not welcome you with a few extras but do include an amazing breakfast. If their location is close to a station with a direct link to the airport and city centre – I’ve won the lottery.

I may be able to pack my own travel-sized toiletries, but booking accommodation with personal hygiene extras can be quite expensive sometimes. Which is why, when I know I’m travelling on a budget, I switch to the basics.

Having breakfast included becomes my priority, as I can fuel myself for the day without overspending in some tourist trap cafe. I also get to sneak away a little sandwich for lunch later, which saves me from spending another unreasonable amount of money for no reason.

I sense that I may have left you with the wrong impression of me. Only eating at the hotel, avoiding local restaurants and cafes, no tourist traps either? Sounds very boring. Let’s fix that.

One thing you gotta know about me – I’m all about for eating out and trying different restaurants. As a matter of fact, I think it’s criminal not to sit somewhere relatively fancy during your holiday. I may be on a budget, but local cuisine is a must, no exceptions. I just had to come up with a better strategy, which I’ll tell you all about.

If you’ve read my previous articles you’ll probably know what I’ll recommend for you to do. If you haven’t – keep reading.

TheFork app has become my bestie ever since I went for a birthday dinner in Milan and booking through it saved me about 40% of the bill. I kept booking tables through it during my entire stay and the amount of money this app saved me is crazy. 

If you’re thinking there probably weren’t that many restaurants, or that they weren’t that nice to begin with – you’re wrong. This app is my little secret on how I rarely overspend in restaurants on a holiday.

If you’re still suspicious, I suggest you check it out for yourself.

I’ll even gift you a little something for your sign-up.

✨ Treat yourself to £20 OFF your second restaurant booking!

I hope you just found yourself a new best friend and don’t worry – we can share that one, I’m not the jealous type.

For me personally, visiting famous landmarks is very important and shouldn’t be something you try to save a couple of bucks on. Entry fees are always well-researched and booked in advance. My holiday budget can always cover them because I leave it with no choice. It was built around them.

It may sound a bit too much, but I’m staying firm on it. What if this is the only time you can afford to visit the country? Memories and experiences are what stay with us long after we get off the plane and go home.

You shouldn’t have to choose between saving 50 bucks and visiting the Louvre. Imagine years passing by and someone asking you about your trip to Paris and the Mona Lisa, only for you to say, “Oh, I didn’t really see it. I was on a very tight budget.” Even if that was the case, do your best to make sure it’s the last time.

I’m speaking out of personal experience because when I was younger I didn’t pay much attention to visiting famous landmarks, which is something I regret to this day. Everything else that looks fun is probably something you’ll get to experience on your next trip. Trust me, book the historical ones and thank me later.

Whoever said you can only enjoy your holiday by paying crazy amounts of money for all sorts of attractions has completely lost their mind. I think I may have lost mine too, because I didn’t start paying attention to viewpoints and other free activities earlier.

After you’ve visited all the famous landmarks, you probably still have Google Maps ready and loaded on your phone. What I didn’t know about it is that you can type in a couple of keywords like “free things to do,” “free museum” or “free viewpoint”, and it’ll show you places that match your search. 

You can browse around the map and see what suits your preferences — a park, a lake, a romantic panoramic spot, or anything else that catches your eye.

I’d still double-check on an official website if the destination you picked is a museum or something similar, because sometimes the information picked up from reviews and comments can be misleading.

It may sound obvious, but walking around a new city is probably one of the best travel experiences.

There is something so refreshing about exploring every little street, coming across a lake with swans or accidentally reaching a beautiful viewpoint.

So what makes a budget holiday perfect? Is it planning it out? 

Or maybe getting the best out of what we can spare financially?

For me, it’s about knowing what matters to you and making room for it in your budget, while finding smart ways to save on everything else. A budget holiday shouldn’t feel like you’re constantly sacrificing things you enjoy — it should feel like you’re making the most of what you have.

And if I get to do that while exploring a new destination surrounded by people I love, even better. What about you? What does your Perfect Budget Holiday look like?