Budget travel

hi, I’m heading to Amsterdam for the weekend on November 10th and 11th, 2024. Do I need to book tickets in advance for things like the Anne Frank House or multi-day bus-boat passes? Thanks!

hi everyone, just a quick stop in Tangalle to enjoy the beach and relax stayed at "Patini Bungalows" by the sea, direct beach access bungalows very clean, amazing welcome from Severine, Daya, and their two kids long beach, several kilometers to walk, lots of great and cheap restaurants: "Malika" and "Little Pumpkin" good mid-range options: "Star Fish", "Blue Horizon", "Zanzibar Restaurant", "Chance Lanka" nicer upscale spots: "Ibis Bungalows", "Ganesh Beach" loads of accommodations on that side of town and quite a few along the Matara road best to use tuk-tuks for transport, even to get to Temple Rock; anyway, traffic conditions are tough for all transport—average speed is only about 40–50 km/h max at restaurants, expect to wait around 30–40 minutes for food everywhere—nothing’s prepped ahead of time this is Sri Lanka, and "tomorrow is another day"; say hello to all the friendly locals—it’ll make their day swimming conditions can be tricky; better to swim in the morning and listen to local advice not far from the port, fishermen bring their nets ashore with help from the community if you’re passing by, lend a hand—it’s a great experience market days are Wednesday and Saturday near the bus station small shops are nice and cheap; for mail, the post office is near the hospital Tangalle is a simple little town where mass tourism hasn’t taken over yet—enjoy it while you can! happy travels!

Hello, My wife and I are planning a 15-day trip to Cambodia. Could you share some itinerary ideas with us? Thanks

Hi everyone, So great to be back on our forum!...

For the past few years, I’ve been traveling on a budget, especially by sleeping as often as possible in campgrounds or in my car... If I can help, I’d be happy to.

Hi, I'd like to find a small hotel on the main street, not too far from the beach. Thanks for your help! Fanfancom

Hi everyone,

Need some fresh advice, please.

I’m planning a trip to Japan for late February/early March 2025.

A friend who usually travels there often used to fly from Marseille (yes, really) with round-trip tickets for around 500-odd euros to Tokyo—something that’s impossible to find now. Her last trip was just two months ago.

Any tips, please?

I already know flights magically get more expensive on weekends, but I’m looking for tips to find fares under 900 € per person...

Thanks in advance!

"By the time a man realizes his father was probably right, he usually has a son who thinks he’s wrong." 😛 — Charles Wadsworth

😉

Hi there, We’re heading to Argentina and Chile next February and really want to do the Carretera Austral starting from Coyhaique.

We’d love some info and feedback on bus routes to get to Coyhaique: Buenos Aires to Comodoro (which we’ve found pretty easily so far), or Buenos Aires to Bariloche (same, there are buses).

The tricky part is getting to Coyhaique in Chile, the starting point for the Carretera Austral. We can’t find any routes! Has anyone done this trip before and could share some tips?

Thanks in advance

Hi, I’d like some info on buying flight tickets for 4 people to Guadeloupe. Like many, I’m looking for reasonable prices. Where can I buy tickets and pay in installments so it’s not too much all at once? Best regards,

Hi, we’re planning a 15-day road trip in mid-May. We’d like to rent a vehicle with a reliable agency (I’d seen CIZGI, but the reviews are really mixed). Rates with full insurance are around 1000 € or even more…) Do you know of a rental company that won’t rip us off? Thanks for your help. Praline33

Hi there! 😊 I’d love to take my two kids (12 and 14) away in July. We’ve never traveled all three of us together before. My son would like to go to Italy, but nothing’s set in stone… We’d like to go abroad, but I have two tricky conditions: - Budget max 1000 € all-in, I’ve tried but I can’t save any more than that 😅 - I have some health issues, so… I can’t drive for more than 2-3 hours. No way we can go by car. Also, once we’re there, I can’t do long hikes or sports (short walks and swimming are fine).

Any ideas, please?

I’ve started looking at Airbnbs and the prices are reasonable, but as soon as I check flight tickets 😵💸🔥

Maybe it’s better to go for an all-inclusive place like Booking.com?

Thanks so much to anyone who can help! 😊

hi everyone, here’s the thing I just made a hotel reservation on Agoda through Kayak

I found an interesting hotel in Krabi—booking directly through Agoda was 160 € per night, but when I searched the same hotel and dates on Kayak, it showed 136 € per night... So I went with that option via Kayak, and I landed on Agoda with the original price of 160 € crossed out and the new price at 136 €. I completed the payment and instantly received an email from Agoda confirming the booking.

But why such a discount? I’ve got quite a few more bookings to make, and they’re all cheaper through Kayak. I’ve seen negative reviews about Kayak, but only for flights. Plus, at the bottom of Agoda’s site, it says Kayak and Agoda are partners.

I’d love to know if anyone else has used this method and if they had any bad surprises... Like the site canceling the reservation last minute or the price suddenly going up.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts! :)

I'm arriving in Agadir from Brussels tomorrow and plan to travel by road to Mauritania. What are the best spots and accommodation options along the way? Thanks to all members for any tips and answers

Hi everyone,

Any bus companies you’d recommend for Ho Chi Minh to Phnom Penh?

Thanks!

Hi there! Right now, we're in the southeast part, Isan, staying with a French guy. We don’t cook much—at most, a restaurant meal for 5 people costs us 1000 baht, with 3 big tsinga and, of course, a full stomach.

My friend and I are arriving in New Delhi on March 4th at 12:05 AM. Could anyone recommend a decent and affordable hotel? Is 20 € the going rate? Thanks!

Hi there,

I’m planning a trip to Lindos with my 15-year-old son for a week in July.

I’m looking for a 3-star hotel with breakfast and, if possible, half-board. Or any other affordable accommodation (up to 700 € for the week) that isn’t too far from the center of Lindos, since I won’t be renting a car. However, we do want to do some activities (visit to Lymos, etc.).

Thanks in advance.

Hi there, Could you please let me know if there are any campgrounds on the islands of Tenerife, Gran Canaria, La Gomera, Lanzarote, and La Palma? Thanks in advance!

Hi there,

We’re planning a trip around Madrid to visit the must-see spots—Alcalá de Henares, El Escorial, Chinchón, etc. We’ll be traveling from Béziers by train and getting around by bus or train. Which village would be the best base for a week-long stay, given that Madrid itself is too expensive for us?

Thanks for your help!

Hi Could you tell me how often the bush taxis run from Ampefy to Tana?

Hi there, we’re heading to the Seychelles at the end of March for two weeks. I was thinking 5 days in Praslin, 3 days in La Digue, and 5 days in Mahé. Does that time split sound good to you?! For accommodation in Praslin, does the Grande Anse area seem nicer than St Anne for a quiet stay? And on Mahé, is the south coast or the west coast better? Do you know where the boats usually leave from for island-hopping excursions? Last question: I’m a fisherman and I’ll have some gear with me. Do you know where the fishing reserves are? Are there any small harbors where I can hop on a boat with locals? Thanks in advance for your tips!

Hi everyone! This is my first time in Spain, and I don’t know it at all. I’m heading to Barcelona for 3 days, but I don’t have any specific plans yet. I’ve heard it can be quite expensive, so I’d love to get some tips on how not to break the bank during these 3 days! 😊

Hi there, For our upcoming trip to China, we're planning to get around by bus and train. For trains, we found a few sites, including: https://www.travelchinaguide.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqfiOqfmBSYlDwjPCXo4nkF7uF3ILYs_o3wlLu9uBy7gC7iN-2C, and for buses: https://www.chinabusguide.com/ but the latter site isn’t very complete. Have any of you tried other sites? Thanks for your help! Alod

Hi everyone, Next year I’d love to spend some time in the Dolomites and do a few nice hikes—not too difficult. Can anyone give me some tips? I’ve read that it gets super crowded, you have to start really early, and everything’s pretty expensive. Anyone familiar with the area? Thanks for your help

hi I’m planning to visit Quebec this summer and I’d love to hear about any great tips for budget accommodations in Quebec City and elsewhere. Thanks in advance to everyone! Danilo

Hi everyone, I’m thinking of heading to Southern Africa next autumn for several months. I’d love some advice on my itinerary—I’m looking for authentic spots with cheap accommodation. I know Southern Africa is generally pricier than Asia or Latin America because of the lack of backpacker infrastructure (except maybe Cape Town). I’m planning to visit South Africa, Mozambique, Lesotho, and maybe Eswatini. My main goal in South Africa is to see the coexistence between white, mixed-race, and Black communities. I think I’ll skip Namibia and Botswana because of the cost of living. Thanks

Hi there,

This topic has come up before, but I wanted to share a fresh experience from early 2025.

For those of you looking to take the bus to Santiago Airport, I recommend taking the Centropuerto bus from their departure point, which is located in the middle of Alameda, Santiago’s main avenue, just outside Line 1 of the Los Héroes metro station. If you board the bus anywhere else, it’ll most likely be full, and if you have luggage, that can be a hassle.

During daytime hours on weekdays, these buses run every 10 to 15 minutes. Plan for anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour to reach the airport from this spot, depending on the time and traffic.

The ticket costs 2000 CLP pesos, payable in cash in the local currency—about 2 € or $2 USD per person.

Short stay in Mauritania (one week), then back to Morocco (Dakhla) for a few days before heading to Agadir and flying back to Brussels. Looking for great spots and sights to visit, as well as nice, moderately priced accommodation. What do you recommend? Thanks in advance

Hi there.

I’m planning a getaway to Bali at the end of September. I’m a bit late applying for the international driving permit through the official site. Someone told me about https://international-permit.com/en-us. Is it reliable?

Thanks for your replies.

Hi there, we'd love to visit Barbados in March 2026... or April.... It's quite expensive, so I could really use your advice on hotels, etc. We're a couple in our fifties, laid-back but not too much 😄 We’re skipping all-inclusive places since we don’t have breakfast, so they’re not worth it for us. Any tips are welcome! Thanks

Hi everyone! I’m heading to Indonesia in September with 3 friends, and we’re starting to plan our itinerary, but we’re still not sure which islands to prioritize. We love nature, road trips, and want to avoid mass tourism. If you have any tips on less touristy but equally stunning islands, I’d love to hear them! 😊

Also, our budget is pretty tight, so we’re looking for ways to manage money during the trip. What are your tips for saving money while still making the most of the experience? And if you have any tricks for tracking and sharing expenses between us, I’m really interested! We tried Excel, but it’s not always easy to manage.

Thanks in advance for your recommendations and great tips!