Inexpensive vacation ideas around the world

Sometimes you can have the time of your life without spending tons of money. Check these inexpensive vacation ideas and get inspired

6min

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Passionate travelers want to spend the less they can because this way they can travel more. If you spend a lot of money in just one trip, then you can’t afford so many more. The less you spend, the more you can travel.

But sometimes, some people think that beautiful trips and vacations must include luxury stays or they think it’s impossible to have a great holiday without spending a lot of money.

This is so wrong. There are a lot of experiences out there that have a little cost and can be affordable for everybody. It is just a matter of planning the right trip.

For example, a good way to spend less money is to have quick trips. You don’t have to stay away from home for weeks to have a good time. Sometimes, less is better, less is more. If you stay away less time, you can travel more. Just do a lot of quick trips, and in this way you will see more things, you will visit more places, spending less money!

You can for example consider weekend getaways near your hometown, sometimes you have a lot of beautiful things to see without having to go too far. Every weekend you can find something interesting to go and see. 

Another thing you can and should do is choose cheap places to travel. The world is so different and so is the cost of living and traveling. If you want to have cheap vacations, travel to cheap countries. They are amazing and you can have a lot of experiences there paying half the cost of more expensive countries, in terms of attractions, accommodation and food.

But don’t worry, if your dream is to visit some countries that can be expensive, I am sure that there is a way to spend a little less if you just plan accordingly. For example, US is one of the most expensive countries in the world for vacation, but there is always a way to spend less, and if you keep reading, I will also tell you something about cheap vacations in the US.

But now let’s see in details some inexpensive vacation ideas around the world.



Inexpensive vacation ideas

There are plenty of options for inexpensive vacation ideas, both for families and for couples, but also for solo travelers. Everybody can have a cheap vacation if they want. You just have to follow some tricks and use some of your time to plan. But you know, planning is one of the funniest things about traveling, isn’t it?

Tour your own city

One of the ways to spend a lot of money is with transport. Flights and long train and bus rides can be very expensive, so what about just having a tour near your hometown?

You can simply walk around your own city, go and seek for places and corners you have never explored before. Sometimes we are so busy exploring the world and we are so used to our own city that there is something that we have never considered or never seen about it.

There is always something new to see and explore, something new to try. One of the best inexpensive vacation ideas is to discover places near home. 



Look for cheap flights

If you want to travel far, you will need to buy a flight ticket, and they sure can be expensive, but not so much if you don't buy the first one you see and just research a little deeper.

You can compare different websites and companies, look for different airports. You need some time to do it, of course, but it’s one of the ways to save a lot of money. 

Travel off-season

Traveling off-season is always a good idea, not only because places are less crowded, but also because in low season flights, accommodations and attractions cost less.

If you want an inexpensive vacation idea, sometimes it’s enough to travel off-season. You will see how much money you can save, even in some expensive countries.

Go camping or try van life

Accommodation is usually where most of the money ends up. Sometimes they can be very expensive, especially in countries like the US. But there is a solution to this: go camping.

Some places, like the US itself, are perfect to go camping. In this way you can sleep just paying a small fee or even for free somewhere. Camping is a really good option for families, because a room for a family in a hotel can be very expensive, and the kids sometimes prefer to stay in contact with nature and go camping, it is more fun for them rather than staying in a hotel room.

Another way can be doing van life. With your own van you have transport and accommodation all at once. This is a way of traveling that is becoming very popular. A lot of travel couples are choosing to try van life and they are having so much fun.



Volunteer with Worldpackers

What if I tell you that it’s possible to get free accommodation? Have you ever considered volunteering in the places you visit, in exchange of a free bed? This is possible, and it can even be easier thanks to Worldpackers.

Worldpackers is a platform in which you can look for volunteering positions all over the world, apply, and with just some hours of help a day, you will get free accommodation and sometimes free board. It sounds like a great way of traveling, don’t you think?

Volunteering is a fantastic way to travel the world, because it is cheap and you can make the difference helping local communities in the places you visit. Also, it is the best way to meet people from all over the world, especially for those who travel solo.



Cheap vacations in the US 

The US are famous to be a really expensive country, but trust me if I say that it’s possible to visit and enjoy them even with a low budget.

For example, the US are perfect for those who want to go camping or try van life, because you can camp almost everywhere, you just need a tent. You can even camp very close to national parks, and in this way you can sleep for free without paying tons of money for an expensive accommodation.



Another really common thing to do in the US is hitchhiking. It is not a thing for everyone, sometimes you have to be brave, but in the US it is usually safe to do it and a lot of backpackers do it, because people usually stop to give you a lift and in this way you can save money, transports are usually expensive there.

In case you want to visit US cities and camping wouldn’t be so suitable for you, don’t worry, because you can get free accommodation volunteering with Woldpackers. There are a lot of positions all around the US and of course a lot of them are in the cities.

What about volunteering in a hostel in New York and enjoying your free time in the city? It could be a dream, but with Worldpackers it can come true.

You want to visit the super expensive San Francisco but have some problems with accommodation cost? If you love yoga, look at this centre which is looking for helpers, you won’t have to worry about accommodation and can enjoy the city in your free time.



Cheap places to travel around the world

As we said at the beginning of this article, one of the best ways to find inexpensive vacation ideas is to travel to cheap countries. And there are a lot of cheap beautiful places in the world.

One of the cheapest and most amazing areas in the world is Southeast Asia. There are so many countries and places to see there that is really hard to pick one.

For example, Thailand is one of the most visited countries in Asia and it is still very cheap. And if you want to save even more money, you can volunteer there, like in a hostel, help the community, and get free accommodation.



Vietnam is another cheap country in Asia, full of wonders. They often need help in a lot of places, for example they need English teachers for their schools, and sometimes you can volunteer there teaching English. In this way you help the community and you can explore an amazing country in your free time.

We could spend hours and hours talking about all the beautiful countries to visit in Southest Asia, and they all are very cheap and perfect for inexpensive vacation ideas.

In case you want to volunteer in Southeast Asia, you can look for all the available positions using filters on Worldpackers.

Are you ready to turn your inexpensive vacation ideas into reality? Now you know a lot of ways to make it possible. You can use all the tricks of this article and you can use Worldpackers platform

All you have to do is to subscribe to the platform and you can start to apply to positions and travel the world in the most inexpensive way.

Maybe you could find more inspiration reading other articles from Worldpackers community:

Top 10 cheap vacations for adventurous couples

10 cheap vacation ideas for 2022

13 best cheap beach vacations in the USA

13 best places to spend this New Year’s Eve

Top 15 beautiful and cheap countries to travel in the world



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