Traveling cheap is possible, and in today's post we are going to tell you how. So if you want to plan a vacation that is as idyllic as it is cheap, don't miss out on the tricks we are going to tell you!
Yes, when planning a trip in a motorhome or camper van, deciding the destination and the route to follow is always the most exciting part. And not so much the next step: calculate the budget.
The adventure requires fuel, tolls and other expenses, which should be controlled if we don't want it to end up being too expensive. For this reason, we are going to tell you what to do to travel cheaply, and how to save while traveling by applying some tips to reduce the inevitable and heavier expenses of the trip (diesel, tolls, public transport, overnight …). Ready? Let's go!
Plan your motorhome trip to travel cheaply
As in any trip, the first thing is planning. And this is the first point you should stop at if you want to adjust the total budget and be able to travel cheaply.
1. Set your budget limit
Set a maximum budget for the trip you want to take. Thus, starting from this figure, you can prioritize expenses and cut others, to get cheap travel by motorhome or campervan.
2. Calculate how much everything costs at your destination
The next step is investigate the costs involved in the trip, to prepare a budget that is as realistic as possible: find out whether or not there will be tolls at our destination (and if there are, how many will we go through), know how much diesel is, if there are free areas for motorhomes or what is usually the price of paid or camping areas,
3. Take into account the value of the local currency
There is something that you cannot lose sight of when budgeting for your trip: what type of currency is in your destination and what is its value. In this way, you will be able to take into account the difference with the currency exchange in the prices of each product or service, and obtain a more realistic budget.
In addition, it is just as important that you look for those places where you can exchange money at your destination and write down those where they charge you
4. Adapt your expenses as much as possible
Traveling cheap does not mean that you have to give up traveling comfortably, but it does mean that you adapt a bit the way you travel prioritizing economics. So, whenever possible, choose cheaper options to stay overnight, to eat... With small adaptations like these, you can save on traveling, while still enjoying to the maximum of your destination.
But also, adapt your travel date, and as far as possible, the choice of your route, is the key to being able to travel cheap. Traveling in high season is not the same as traveling in low season, so if you choose the latter, you will notice it pleasantly in your pocket. Try also to avoid weekends, public holidays or local festivals, as these are days when everything tends to be more expensive.
And in the same way, it is not the same to travel anywhere, there are areas that are more expensive than others. The more touristy it is, the more expensive it will be. So the ideal thing is that you try to draw a route that passes through not so popular places, to get cheap travel by motorhome or camper van.
Choose the cheapest places to spend the night
One of the most important travel expenses, after gasoline, is usually the overnight stay, especially on long-term trips. But by choosing well, you can save a lot at this point and get cheap travel.
And it is that, although it is true that a campsite or paid area usually has more comforts and all the services for your motorhome or camper van. But not every time it is essential to spend the night in them.
5. Free overnight areas, the best way to save while traveling
If you think about it, sometimes it is not worth spending the night in paid areas or campsites, since we tend to spend more time outside visiting the place, than inside, and in the end we did not get to enjoy the facilities too much. But also, many times there are free areas nearby where you can spend the night without spending any money. And even if it is allowed in the area, you can spend the night for free .
In both cases, you will save by traveling, so it is preferable that you choose any of these overnight formulas whenever possible if you want to travel cheaply in a motorhome or campervan
Tricks to make driving cheaper
Without a doubt, one of the things that adds the most to a trip budget is all the expenses that revolve around driving. So, to travel cheaply in a motorhome or camper van, it is essential that you adjust the cost of gasoline and tolls.
6. Save on fuel
The cost of fuel is the biggest expense, and unfortunately also the unavoidable expense of any motorhome trip. But there are little tricks that can help you to reduce the total cost of your refuellings.
Use apps like Gasall to find the gas stations with the cheapest prices
7. Avoid tolls
It is important that when plan the movements of your route, you carefully check where you are going to pass through the GPS, to
At this point, some GPS apps such as Waze can be of great help, since they allow you to choose by default, to go through the routes that do not go through tolls.
Use alternative transportation to travel cheaply
Traveling by motorhome or camper van, it is not always possible to reach the most central places, due to the dimensions of the vehicle. With what becomes necessary to resort to an alternative means of transport to be able to move around.
And while public transportation is usually cheap, it ends up being a pretty big travel expense. However, also at this point there are alternatives with which you can save while traveling.
8. Use a bike, scooter, or walk a little
To reduce your budget a bit, and travel cheaply by motorhome or camper van, it is best to opt for walking whenever possible and go to a nearby place, or take your bike or scooter if it's a little further away. Thus, you will be able to move around all the places you want to visit completely free of charge and you will save on travelling.
In case you don't have your own bicycle or scooter, you can always resort to rent one in the city through which you are going to move. Still a pretty cheap option!
How to buy and do tourism if you want to travel cheaply
9. Pay with a card without commissions
If you make payments with your card during your trip, they will charge you commission after commission, increasing the budget. So to avoid this, and save money, it is best to request a card to travel without commissions, one of the best known is Revolut .
With these cards, you will not have to worry about the commissions related to the currency exchange, and you will be able to make your purchases without extra costs.
10. Shop at local supermarkets and stores
Trying the typical food of each new place we discover is a unique experience, and perhaps one of the best parts of the trip. But this culinary adventure could become one of the big costs of the trip if we don't adjust the cost of eating out.
If you want to travel cheaply, you can opt for some tricks with which you can make meals cheaper and save while traveling.
So, when you travel, try to go to supermarkets or small local stores. With this, you will be able to reduce the amount of your shopping cart quite a bit. And in the same way, if you decide to eat out, opt for local restaurants or street food. You will taste more authentic food, and cheaper!
11. Kitchen in the motorhome
If you really want to save traveling and turn your motorhome route into a cheap trip, the best thing is to take advantage of the kitchen of your own house on wheels, instead of eating out. Cook your own food at home whenever you can, and you will avoid the extra cost of eating in tourist restaurants. You will notice it a lot in your final budget, especially if your trip is long-term.
12. Choose what you visit and hire free tours
To get to know a city and get to know everything about the place we visit, it is not necessary to see absolutely everything. Choose what you really want to see. Not because it is popular it is mandatory to include it in your route. With this selection you will be able to enjoy more and make the trip cheaper.
Buying tickets to get to see the most emblematic points of the place, can be quite expensive. But you can always use some techniques to tourism in a more economical way such as: choosing places whose visit is totally free; check if the paying monument or museum you want to enter, there is day of free entry ; or hire free tours such as those of Civitatis , in which you only have to give a small tip to the guide at the end of the visit. Doesn't that sound cool?
And now that you know the best tricks for traveling cheaply, all that remains is to apply them to your next route, and on enjoy saving while traveling!
