Cheap holidays – 20 proven ideas

Cheap holidays are an art that can be learned. In this article we will tell you how to plan an economical trip. Our advice has been tested in practice by many people and is applicable to any type of tourism. Whether you're traveling in a campervan, with a tour company, with your family or alone, certain savings rules remain the same. Traveling is one of the best ways to spend free time and the dream of most people, and finances should not be an obstacle to achieving it. 

20 ways to have an inexpensive holiday: 

It's no secret that everything becomes more expensive during the high season. If you have the freedom to decide when to vacation, travel during the off-season (for example, the day before or after a holiday). Also avoid traveling during the school winter holidays when prices automatically jump. 

Entrance fees to some tourist attractions (amusement parks, water parks, mini zoo, petting zoo, safari) are more expensive on Saturdays and Sundays. It will be more economical to visit them from Monday to Friday, while avoiding crowds on weekends. If you are going on holiday by plane, pay attention to the departure and departure days. As a rule (there may be exceptions), the middle of the week is also recommended, since on Friday and Monday the price may increase slightly. 

If you are not going to the location specifically for a festival, concert, or other public event, change the date and visit after the event has ended. During mass events in this area, everything will become more expensive: from hotels, campsites, food in restaurants and cafes to food from ordinary street stalls. At the same time, due to the ubiquitous crowds of people, visiting the sights will be very tiring. 

Traveling abroad with a camper or trailer will be cheaper if you rent a car locally and fly to your destination with low-cost airlines. If you're looking for a city getaway (without a camper or trailer), cheap airfare is likely to be the cheapest way to get to most far-flung destinations. On shorter routes it is worth comparing prices with buses and trains. 

In some places you can set up a “wild” camp for free. Also with camper or trailer. 

Check availability

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In many cities you can buy passes to major tourist attractions (usually for three days or a week). For intensive sightseeing, this type of ticket always pays for itself and is much cheaper than entrance tickets for each attraction separately. 

Organizing your own trip is usually cheaper than going with a travel agency to the same location, but it takes time and planning. You can take advantage of promotions, free tourist attractions, cheaper forms of accommodation or transport. If you have no experience in this topic, use ready-made solutions from other travelers that you can easily find on the Internet. 

Traveling in a group is a more economical solution than traveling alone. This is especially noticeable when traveling on a camper or trailer. Fill all the seats in the car and share the costs. 

The ACSI Card is a discount card for camping outside the high season. Thanks to it, you can get discounts on accommodation in more than 3000 campsites in Europe, including Poland. Discounts reach up to 50%. The card allows you to travel cheaply and save a lot of money. For example: a two-week camping stay at 20 euros per night, thanks to a 50% discount, you can save 140 euros. 

You can get ASCI card and directory.

This offer is only for people using travel agency offers. The difference in price can range from several to even 20%. Unfortunately, the solution has some drawbacks. In case of a last minute vacation, you will have to plan your vacation much earlier, which is sometimes disadvantageous due to changes in weather conditions or other circumstances. Last minute calls for great flexibility when going on vacation that could start literally tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. 

During the holidays, it's easy to be tempted to buy things we don't need. These may be unnecessary and excessively numerous souvenirs and a number of other trinkets bought on the spot on impulse or a momentary whim. You need to approach your purchases wisely and calmly. If you go on holiday with children, set a good example for them: not every stall needs to be visited and not every item needs to be brought home.    

Shopping at supermarkets or local markets will always be cheaper than eating out at restaurants alone. Are you traveling with a camper or trailer? Cook at home, take the finished products in jars for heating. The above solution allows you to save not only money, but also the time you spend relaxing instead of standing at the pots. 

Many places offer tourists interesting and free entertainment: concerts, lectures, master classes, exhibitions. Before you go on vacation, it's worth visiting the websites of the cities you plan to visit and checking out the schedule of interesting events. 

Do you want to visit as many countries as possible? Combine multiple trips into one, longer trip. For example: visiting Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in one trip will be cheaper than three trips from Poland to each country separately. This rule also applies to tourists who independently organize exotic trips, arriving there by plane, for example, extending a trip to Vietnam with a visit to Cambodia will pay off more than another flight to Cambodia from Poland, even with favorable ticket prices. 

Driving in circles significantly increases the cost of the trip. If you want to combine relaxation with sightseeing, plan your route and visit tourist attractions in a logical order dictated by route optimization. Use navigation or Google maps to plan the shortest route. Be sure to do this if you are visiting multiple countries to avoid making your trip exhausting. 

Did you know that accommodation can take up up to 50% of your vacation? A general rule for saving on accommodation: choose places away from the city center and tourist attractions, where it is most expensive. If you're traveling with a campervan or trailer: consider FREE campsites, use the ASCI map already mentioned and compare prices of several campsites in the area to avoid overpaying. Remember that in some countries overnight camping is prohibited, but sometimes this does not apply to private areas where you can leave your campervan with the owner's consent. The rules vary not only by country, but also by region. You need to read them before you go. 

If you are not traveling in a camper or trailer: 

• use sites offering cheap housing, 
• consider private craters (usually cheaper than hotels),
• remember that every hotel has promotions,
• negotiate the price of a long stay,
• If you are moving, spend the night on a train or bus. 

Many museums, art galleries and similar institutions offer free admission one day a week or at a deep discount, such as by reducing the price of admission tickets by 50%. It is worth checking the schedule and planning your vacation in such a way as to visit as many places as possible, taking advantage of the above opportunity. In Poland, according to current legislation, every institution subject to the Museum Act must provide permanent exhibitions for one day a week without charging a ticket fee. In other EU countries, many sites can be visited for free on the first Sunday of each month or on the last Sunday of the month.

Are you traveling by car or campervan? You'll cut your vacation costs by burning less fuel. How to do it? 

• Plan your route and avoid traffic jams.
• Limit speed to 90 km/h.
• Reduce tire pressure to the level recommended by the manufacturer.
• Use automatic or manual start-stop function.
• Turn on the air conditioner only when necessary.
• Choose roads with less incline.
• Maintain your car regularly.

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To save fuel, limit the weight of your luggage. Before you leave, remove anything you are not using from your vehicle. Look especially critically at the camper. Unfortunately, we tend to take kilograms of unnecessary things with us on trips, which increases the weight of the vehicle. 

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If you're traveling by air, avoid paying for excess baggage. Don't take unnecessary things. Everyone can pack a carry-on for a short weekend trip. 

Plan your vacation, create a budget, control your expenses, look for deals and listen to advice from other travelers. This way you will keep everything under control and avoid unnecessary costs. 

To sum it up, a cheap holiday is a great way to spend your free time and an opportunity to experience new cultures, people and places. Traveling really doesn't have to be expensive if you follow the tips in the article above. Additionally, you can choose less popular destinations, which usually cost much less than tourist hits. 

The following graphics were used in the article: The main photo is a Freepik image by the author. Mario from Pixabay, landscape - public domain images, license: CC0 Public Domain.