You want to travel the world, but the overwhelming costs and organization of planning a budget trip scares the heck out of you. I understand! The art of planning trips can feel impossible as the mammoth-sized list of things you must do piles up. Over the last couple of years, I planned many, many trips on a low budget and have gained wisdom that will help you get started planning. Hopefully through implementing this advice, you can feel less overwhelmed and more excited to start traveling!

Tip #1: Set a general budget

Before you do anything, set a general limit on how much you can spend on this trip. If you have ~$500, make sure you are constantly aware of how much you have left. Transportation is #1. Once you have that, then start budgeting out your accommodation and experiences. Worse comes to worse, you can always have less experiences that cost money and explore on your own (for free) instead. Make sure you know how much you can spend before you start planning anything, but don’t be too hard on yourself if you go a bit over. I’d recommend using GoogleDocs or Excel to organize all your expenses (plus if you split costs with someone, you have a record of who owes who).

Tip #2: Transportation First

Transportation is the most important thing about planning a budget trip. What I’ve learned is that this part can be pretty discouraging with the high costs of flights, renting cars, etc. But, my best advice is to get creative when thinking about transportation. For example, I just booked a train from Seattle to Portland for under $30 because I do not have the money to rent a car (I am also under 25 so that makes it even more difficult). Before you do anything else, book your transportation because it is the backbone that holds your entire trip up. This will also (most likely) be the most expensive part of your trip, so do not lose hope when the price tag is more than you thought.

Tip #3: Incognito mode for Flights

GO ON INCOGNITO MODE WHEN LOOKING AT FLIGHTS. I cannot emphasize this enough — trackers will boost the prices of flights if they trace you on the same website multiple times. Incognito mode prevents this from happening. To go incognito, go onto any search engine, for example Google, and press shift + commend + n. This is what your screen should look like. From there, search any website you want (like Googleflights or Skyscanner), and you’re all set! Don’t let stupid mistakes like this one cost you money!

Tip #4: GoogleFlights or Skyscanner

I recommend GoogleFlights or Skyscanner to book flights. They are reliable and user-friendly. Skyscanner has this cool feature where you can type in the dates you wish to travel, your starting airport, and then set your destination to ‘Everywhere.’ It will scour the cheapest flights in the US and different countries around the world. Googleflights has a similar feature. If you have flexibility in where you want to travel, this option could be a great idea for you!

Tip #5: Save accommodations until you feel less anxious

After you’ve booked transportation, take a beat or two to cool off, then start looking into accommodations. It can be stressful to book everything in a few days, and I’ve found it beneficial to take a break before researching places to stay. If you’re on a time crunch, obviously you cannot do this, but if you’re more than 6 weeks before you leave for your trip, I’d say you have time to chill for a bit. I prefer Airbnb for most of my travel trips in the USA, but you should also look into hotels / hostels to see which option is best for you. I usually look for options ~$30-$50/ night/ person, which are pretty easy to find on Airbnb.

Tip #6: Experiences on Airbnb

Another great tip is to go to the ‘Experiences’ tab on Airbnb’s website. Under this tab you search the place you’re visiting with the dates, and Airbnb finds unique, reputable things to do (for example, a bike and donut tour in Portland, or an all inclusive hike to Multnomah Falls). It can be overwhelming to research “Things to Do in Portland” in Google, so the ‘Experiences’ tab makes finding experiences more streamlined. I’ve found great activities through this feature … plus you get to see more of the small business, unique activities that makes up the heart of the place you’re visiting. Below is a screenshot of how the activities tab works.

Tip #7: Pinterest Pinterest Pinterest

Go on Pinterest and search the place you’re visiting. A million blogs will pop up on The Best Things to Do in your chosen destination. Read through some of them and jot down some things that catch your eye. Then do your own research on said things and plan to visit some of them! This take some of the pressure of because other people have already done the work of finding cool things so you don’t have to! I also have tons of blogs on the best things to do (on a budget) in lots of different cities if you want to check those out!

Tip #8: Facebook Groups and Events Search

I’d also check out Facebook to look at more niche things to do in your chosen time frame. For example, if you search ‘Events’ on Facebook in the place you’re visiting, there might be a cool pop up art show, a free food truck fair, or a fun concert on the weekend you’re visiting. Communities are always hosting events, and it would be awesome to immerse yourself in the place you’re visiting by checking out some of the local activities. There are also lots of public Facebook Groups that post events and activities too! Use your resources and you’ll be sure to find things to do. I’d recommend doing this tip closer to when you’re actually leaving (~1-2 weeks before).

Tip #9: Chill Out and remember not everything will be perfect

Remember that not everything will be perfect … have a rough outline of stuff to do and places to see but also know that exploring once you’re there is part of the fun too! I know it can be discouraging if you eat at a bad restaurant or it rains the entire time you’re visiting somewhere. It can feel like you’re wasting the trip if everything isn’t incredible all the time. But guess what, that isn’t how life works (no matter how much social media makes us feel like it is). Things go wrong, you will miss a connecting flight at some point, you will eat a crappy meal, and you will not be loving your life 100% while traveling. But if you can find joy or even laughter in those moments, you will realize that those difficulties build you as a person and are all part of the experience of traveling.

The art of planning a budget trip can be stressful. Take a deep breath and take it one obstacle at a time. It is always worth it to travel, even if it causes a little stress. Good luck!

xx Gracie

If you enjoyed this article, then check out my others:

Gracie’s Guide to New York, New York (on a Budget)

Gracie’s Guide to Nashville, Tennessee ( on a Budget )

Gracie’s Guide To A Day Trip In Sedona, Arizona ( On A Budget )