Travel Alone and Save Money: The Solo Travel Society Makes Recommendations

One thing I do to safe money is buy food for a picnic rather than eat in a restaurant. It's less expensive and more healthy.

Who doesn’t like to save money?

Saving travel dollars simply means that we can travel more. So, to find out what readers do to save money, I posed the question to The Solo Travel Society on Facebook. Here’s what they had to say:

Conn – I’m a social eater, even when I travel solo so I always try to make friends while I travel and arrange to meet for dinner together. Taste more food, split the bill! =)

Michelle – Travel during ‘off peak’ times

Lee – I am constantly amazed that others can afford hotels at $150 +. When I travel in Italy i stay in convent hotels that are often $60.00 and available all over the country

Zachary – Leave that ol’ agenda behind. If the only* goal is to arrive, take your time! Open air markets also have a strong potential to save on food. Hello, samples, and bartering. Sleeping on a budget can be tough. Be safe, but get creative.

Suz Susanna – Do research on places to stay. On the fly, I tried my hand at “polite haggling” for a room as it got dark and got a great deal with excellent amenities. For food I like to keep some basic groceries handy for a sandwich or snack. In London, I found a Safeway that offers out of the ordinary from-home products!

Jennifer Food is a Huge expense!!! I have found that renting an apt, cottage or house is cheaper than a Hotel and you have a kitchen to prepare food and pack lunches. I budget for one meal out a day…Saves me a Ton of money

Tata – When I pre-arranged for a taxi from the Thai border to Siem Reap, I asked the hotel if they have a guest coming down the same time as me so we could split the taxi fare between us…

Willem – When booking a flight and hotel, scope out the best deal you think you can get online then contact a travel agent, explain what you want, tell them what you found and ask if they have anything better. My travel agent has bettered what I found online every single time — sometimes even improving the hotel or adding a day for the same cost.

Tripfilms – Hostel in a dorm room, this way you can meet new people while you’re traveling solo and save some money. Also, find a hostel that has a kitchen. No one likes to dine at a restaurant alone anyway, so buy some local groceries and make a meal in the hostel and meet some of the fellow travelers staying there.

My best solo travel money-saving tips include:

• Use local transit, especially for that expensive trip from the airport.
• Be flexible on departure and return dates to save on flights.
• Use libraries for guide books and maps for short trips.
• Along the same lines, gather all sorts of free information online.
• Eat at fine restaurants at lunch rather than dinner. The same caliber of food but for a smaller price.
• I use hostels to save money on accommodation and meet people. It makes a huge difference in how many days I can afford to travel.
• Watching the food groups, I buy food at grocery stores. Fruit and nuts is a typical lunch for me.
• I pack light. No fees at the airport, faster check-in and, with a small suitcase or backpack I’m not inclined to buy souvenirs unless I really, really want them.
• Put out a Google alert for “single supplement waived” if interested in group travel.

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