Learn these money-saving tips, and traveling will no longer be a luxury.
Published: 2026-09-25
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Last updated 2026-09-25 — Traveling has never been a “cheap” thing, especially for students and budget travelers. Saving money is an important “task” during your trip. Below are some money-saving tips for food, accommodation, transportation, and shopping during your travels. If you want to make your trip more economical, take a good look.
Traveling has never been a “cheap” thing, especially for students and budget travelers. Saving money is an important “task” during your trip. Below are some money-saving tips for food, accommodation, transportation, and shopping during your travels. If you want to make your trip more economical, take a good look.Food:
1. When eating local specialties such as seafood, you can buy them yourself at a seafood wholesale market or farmers' market, then take them to a restaurant for cooking. But first, find out the restaurant’s general cooking prices. If you’re eating low-end seafood, there’s no need to do this.2. When dining, ask whether napkins are charged. If they are, you can skip the napkins and use your own.3. If you’re traveling alone and want to save on food, note that northern dishes usually have larger portions. You can propose your own price and ask the restaurant to serve a portion based on what you’re willing to pay. This way, you can save without wasting food. Of course, the actual per-unit price may be slightly higher.
1. The best way to save money is to book in advance. For the same hotel, besides comparing prices on different platforms, don’t forget to check the official website — sometimes it’s cheaper than third-party agents. If you’re looking for a place to stay after arriving, remember to check the room first, then negotiate the price.2. If you’re traveling alone and there are no single rooms available, but you don’t want to share a room with strangers or rent the whole room, you can ask the hostel to assign you a room only after all other rooms are full.3. With trains running faster these days, many operate overnight (departing in the evening and arriving in the morning), which is ideal for independent travelers. Spend the night on the train and arrive at your destination in the morning feeling refreshed and ready to explore. It’s a great money-saver by combining transport and lodging.4. If you arrive in the morning, don’t rush to find accommodation, as many rooms may not have been vacated yet. Plus, it’s harder to bargain while carrying your luggage. First, store your bag at the train station, go sightseeing, and keep an eye out for suitable hotels. In the evening, check in and negotiate the price. Also, if the room hasn’t been taken yet, you may get it at a lower rate.
Transportation:
1. Traveling in the off-season is the foundation of saving money. Design a smart itinerary with minimal overlapping routes to save big.2. When hiring a car, discuss with the driver beforehand that the price should be lower if other passengers are picked up along the way.3. Don’t take a flight — take the train. Sometimes taking the train can save you even more money than taking a bus. When buying train tickets, if non-air-conditioned cars are available, opt for those — you can save half the price, though the conditions may be less comfortable.4. Use public buses more often within the city.5. When taking a taxi or hiring a car, ask whether the driver is also going to your destination. If so, the price can be lower since they’ll be heading back anyway. If you find someone else’s hired car returning, you’ll have more room to bargain, as drivers usually factor the return fuel cost into one-way fares — meaning someone else has already covered part of the gas expense.6. Regarding transportation options, sometimes taking a transfer instead of a direct route can save you a lot of money.1. Don’t shop when tour groups are around.2. If you’re shopping at a mall abroad, remember to ask whether tax refunds are available and how to claim them, especially for high-value purchases.3. Don’t go to a hotel led by an agent, as they take commissions and prices will be higher.4. Even if prices seem low, don’t say “This is so cheap!” while shopping — otherwise, you might end up being charged more for other items.
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