TRAVEL TIPS

By Megan Isola

The Benefits of Traveling

and How to Make it More Affordable

Image by kroshka__nastya on Freepik

Everyone loves to travel, whether they’re staying in the country or vacationing abroad. If you’re someone who can’t wait for their next trip, you’ve probably already realized the benefits of traveling. However, some people don’t realize the importance of going somewhere new and experiencing different cultures. Additionally, with innovations like sustainable aviation fuel, traveling is more eco-friendly, affordable, and enjoyable. But why do people love to travel?

Traveling can help reduce stress, affecting all aspects of your physical and mental health. If you spend all your time sitting at a desk at work, traveling can allow you to get up and move more because you’ll be walking more, and even gentle activity is good for your health. Traveling can also improve your mental health by forcing you to focus on new experiences rather than worrying about what’s happening back home. Disconnecting from your daily life, no matter how great it is, can help you take a step back and realize what’s really important to you. But other than these obvious benefits, here are a few things you might not realize about traveling:

Can Make You Smarter

Traveling can help you learn new words in different languages and learn about yourself. However, when traveling, you’ll be faced with challenges unlike the ones in your regular life, so you’ll have to be more resourceful, especially in countries where you don’t speak the native language.

Improves Your Understanding of Others

When traveling, you get to experience other cultures, allowing you to develop a better understanding of other people. In addition, traveling can help you learn about different cultures and people to become more tolerant in your life back home. Being different isn’t a bad thing, and learning about other cultures can be an interesting experience that helps you become a better person.

Library of Celsus, Izmir / Turkey (Image by tawatchai07 on Freepik) Click to enlarge

The Food

One of the most significant benefits of traveling is the amazing food you get to try that you can’t get back home. Even if you have tons of diverse food options at home, they taste more authentic (and delicious!) when you visit the country they originate from. In addition, eating local food in a new place is a completely different experience, allowing you to try something new and experience different flavors.

Can Make You Miss Home

Some people might see homesickness as a con of traveling, but it’s actually a good thing. Leaving home feels good because it means leaving behind all your stress. However, being away from home can make you appreciate what you have. Even if you have a great trip, there’s no better feeling than arriving home and letting out a great big sigh. After all your new experiences, you’ve changed, but your home is the same comforting place you left behind.

Making Travel More Affordable

Unfortunately, traveling isn’t cheap. Not everyone can travel to another country every year because they live paycheck to paycheck. However, we believe everyone should travel to a new place at least once in their life, so saving up is crucial. Unfortunately, traveling on a budget is something most of us have to do because we have bills and other financial obligations at home. However, you shouldn’t let your budget prevent you from experiencing new places, people, and cultures. So how can you make travel more affordable? Follow these tips:

Find Budget-Friendly Hotels

You don’t need to book a luxury hotel room to enjoy your travels. You likely won’t spend much time there unless you’re sleeping or getting ready for the day. While many hotels have televisions, beautiful bathrooms with large tubs, and plush bedding, you won’t want to spend all your time inside when you have a whole new world to discover.

Image by wirestock on Freepik

You can find budget-friendly hotels or try hostels while traveling. Hostels are similar to dorm rooms, so you’ll share a room with other travelers and have a communal bathroom. Hostels are a great place to meet other travelers and make friends for life, but they come with a lack of privacy. If you prefer to have a private room, a budget-friendly hotel is probably a better option for you.

Pay Your Bills Before You Go

You can send money back home to pay your bills while you travel, but it’s much easier to pay your bills before you leave to ensure you won’t forget. Additionally, paying your bills ahead of time will ensure you know exactly how much money you have in your bank accounts while traveling and can monitor them accurately, which can help you determine when it’s time to cut back on spending.

Travel During the Off-Season

Traveling during the off-season makes everything more affordable, including your airfare and hotel. During the off-season, airlines, hotels, and other businesses drastically reduce their prices to attract more customers, allowing you to take advantage of great deals to help you save. However, you should be careful when traveling during the off-season. For some destinations, the off-season means hurricane season, so it’s important to know the destination well enough to make the right choice about when to go there.

Walk

You can walk, take public transportation, or call a taxi when traveling somewhere new. However, the cheapest and most sustainable option is always to walk. If you have a hotel in the city, you can walk just about anywhere and meet interesting and unique people on the street. Getting a little lost in a new place can be a fun and educational experience. Of course, you should always take your phone with you in case you need to check a map to find your way back.

Photo: Pexels

Benefits of Traveling on a Budget

While traveling on a budget may seem stressful because it means constantly monitoring your spending, it can make your travels more enjoyable. When you can’t spend all your money on regular tourist attractions, you can find other fun activities for free, such as enjoying time in the grass at a local park and meeting locals.

Now that you know how to make travel more affordable and the benefits of traveling, what are you waiting for? Of course, you should start saving up now to help you pay for the initial costs of your trip, such as airfare and accommodations. However, you can continue to save money while you travel and try not to let your budget get in the way of your fun. Instead, talk to the locals and hotel staff to find beautiful places to visit for free.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Megan Isola holds a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality and a minor in Business Marketing from Cal State University Chico. She enjoys going to concerts, trying new restaurants, and hanging out with friends.

Back To Top