How to Save Money When Traveling Abroad: 10 Practical Tips

1. Don't book the first cheap flight you see

Finding a €40 flight doesn't necessarily mean you've found the cheapest way to get there.

Check a few dates and compare different airlines before booking. More importantly, look at what's actually included in the fare.

That €40 ticket can easily become €90 after adding a cabin bag, seat selection and other extras. Meanwhile, another airline might charge €70 upfront but include the luggage you need.

Arrival time matters too.

A flight landing at 1:00 AM might require an expensive taxi because public transport has stopped running. Sometimes paying a little more for a daytime flight actually makes the whole trip cheaper.

The number that matters isn't the fare displayed in the search results. It's what the journey will actually cost you from your front door to your accommodation.

2. Check the dates around your original dates

If your schedule isn't fixed, this is one of the easiest ways to save money.

Don't search only for Friday to Sunday because that's when you originally planned to travel. Try Thursday to Sunday, Saturday to Tuesday, or move the whole trip by a week.

You might be surprised by the difference.

The same applies to accommodation. A major concert, football match, conference or public holiday can push hotel prices up dramatically for a couple of nights.

For Europe in particular, May, June, September and early October can be great months to travel. You can often get good weather without paying peak July and August prices.

Of course, this varies by destination. The important thing is simply to check before locking yourself into specific dates.

3. Look at other airports - but do the math first

Flying into a secondary airport can save money, especially with low-cost airlines.

But always check where that airport actually is.

Some airports marketed under the name of a major city are surprisingly far from the city itself. Once you add a shuttle, train or taxi, the cheaper flight may not be cheap anymore.

There's also the time cost.

Saving €20 isn't particularly exciting if it adds another two hours to both ends of your trip.

Before booking, I like to compare:

• the flight
• baggage
• transport from the airport
• how long the transfer takes
• arrival and departure times

That's a much fairer comparison than looking at airfare alone.

4. Sort out mobile data before you land

Roaming is one of those expenses that's easy to forget about until you receive the bill.

Depending on your mobile operator and destination, using your normal SIM abroad can be expensive. Buying a local SIM after landing is another option, but it means finding a shop, comparing packages and sometimes dealing with registration requirements.

If your phone supports eSIMs, you can sort this out before leaving home.

You install the eSIM digitally, keep your normal SIM in your phone and use the travel eSIM for data when you arrive.

That can be particularly useful when you need internet immediately after landing - for directions, messaging your accommodation, checking public transport or ordering a ride.

Just don't assume that every eSIM is automatically cheaper than roaming or a local SIM. Check all three if price is your priority.

5. Compare eSIMs instead of picking the first one

There's now a huge number of travel eSIM providers, and prices for essentially the same destination can be very different.

The cheapest-looking plan isn't always the best deal either.

One provider might offer 1 GB for seven days, while another gives you 5 GB for 30 days for only a little more. Some plans support hotspot use, some cover multiple countries, and network options can vary as well.

Think about how you'll actually use your phone.

If you're mostly using WhatsApp, maps and occasional web browsing, you probably don't need a massive data package. If you're working remotely, uploading photos or watching video, that's a different story.

Multi-country trips are also worth checking separately. If you're going through several countries, a regional eSIM may be easier - and sometimes cheaper - than buying a new plan at every border.

eSIMsFinder lets you compare eSIM plans for your destination by things like price, data allowance and validity, so you can see the options before choosing one.

6. See if you can travel without checked luggage

I used to think checked luggage was almost automatic for an international trip. For shorter trips, it often isn't necessary.

A carry-on is usually enough for a few days if you pack reasonably.

And avoiding checked luggage has benefits beyond the baggage fee. There's nothing to collect after landing, there's less risk of a bag being delayed, and moving between trains, buses and hotels is much easier.

Just pay attention to the airline's rules.

"Cabin baggage" can mean very different things depending on the airline. Some basic fares include a small backpack but charge for a normal cabin suitcase.

Measure your bag before leaving home rather than discovering the difference at the gate.

7. Learn how local transport works before you arrive

You don't need to memorize the entire metro system. Just figure out two things:

How do I get from the airport to where I'm staying?

and

How will I normally get around once I'm there?

That little bit of research can save quite a bit of money.

Airport trains, buses and metro connections are often much cheaper than taxis. Many cities also have daily or multi-day transport passes that make sense if you'll be moving around a lot.

Once you're in the center, walking is underrated too.

It's free, obviously, but you also see much more of a place when you're not jumping into a taxi every time something is 20 minutes away.

This is also one of the reasons having mobile data abroad is useful. Maps and live public transport information make it much easier to use buses and trains in an unfamiliar city.

8. Be careful with currency exchange and ATMs

Changing money at the first airport exchange desk you see is convenient. That doesn't necessarily mean it's a good deal.

Before traveling, check what your own bank charges for foreign card transactions and ATM withdrawals. Depending on your account, paying by card or withdrawing money locally may be better than exchanging a large amount of cash.

There's another small trap that's easy to miss.

When a card terminal or ATM asks whether you'd like to be charged in your home currency, it can sound helpful. But that often means the conversion is being handled by the merchant or ATM provider rather than your bank.

Check the exchange rate and fees before accepting it.

None of these charges looks particularly large on its own. Over a week or two, though, they add up.

9. Book the things that actually need booking

You don't need to plan every hour of your trip months in advance.

But if there's one attraction you absolutely want to visit, check it before you go.

Popular museums, landmarks and tours sometimes sell out or use timed entry. Buying tickets ahead can also be cheaper than buying them at the door.

On the other hand, don't book activities simply because a travel blog told you they're "must-sees."

If a city pass costs €70 and you're only genuinely interested in two of the included attractions, you're not saving money by buying it.

Make a rough list of what you'd actually like to do, check individual ticket prices, and then see whether a pass or bundle makes sense.

10. Look at the cost of the whole trip, not just the flight

This is probably the biggest one.

People often decide where to travel based on airfare and only work out the rest later. But the destination itself can have a much bigger effect on your final spending.

A €50 flight to an expensive city could easily result in a more expensive trip than a €120 flight somewhere with affordable hotels, restaurants and public transport.

Before choosing a destination, estimate at least:

• flights
• accommodation
• airport transfers
• local transportation
• food
• mobile data
• attractions
• baggage
• insurance

You don't need a spreadsheet accurate to the last euro. A rough estimate is enough to reveal surprisingly big differences between destinations.

Accommodation deserves a little extra attention because it's often one of the biggest expenses after flights. Don't just compare individual hotels - look at different areas too. Where you stay can affect both the nightly rate and how much you'll spend getting around. If you're planning a trip around Mount Rushmore or western South Dakota, for example, Black Hills Hotels is a useful resource for exploring places to stay around the Black Hills.

Where you go can make an even bigger difference than what you pay for the flight. If you're not set on a particular destination, it's worth comparing what you'll actually spend once you're there. LowCostWings has a guide to affordable destinations in Eastern Europe covering places like Sofia, Sarajevo, Tirana, Skopje, Budapest and Krakow.

A cheap flight is great, but it doesn't mean much if hotels, meals and getting around cost twice as much when you arrive. Looking at those costs together gives you a much better idea of which trip is actually cheaper.

That's a much better way to choose a destination.