Travel Budgeting

Traveling on a budget can be a great adventure in itself.  Even though you may have limited funds, you can still have the trip of a lifetime.  Listed below are some ideas related to all sorts of expenses that you may incur.

Airfare

This is usually the biggest cost involved with an adventure trip, especially if you’re headed to some far corner of the planet.  Luckily, there are some tips for finding the best prices:

• Leaving/Returning on Tues, Wed or Thurs  coupled with a Sat stay is usually the cheapest option
• More stopovers generally fetches a better price but will involved many airports and a lot of travel time.  It may be worth an extra $50-100 for a more direct route that takes less time.  Keep in mind: more connections can increase the chance of lost luggage or missed connections.
• Useful Websites: Orbitz.com, Expedia.com, Kayak.com – these are clearinghouses that feature most airlines.  In addition, you can research and book directly with the airlines.  Often times, you will have more flights to choose from at a few $$ less.
• Booking Window: if your trip is planned more than a year out then flight info is most likely not available.  You can however punch in the same dates for the current year to get a ball park figure.  For instance, if you may be traveling in July 2011 enter dates for July 2010.