How to Explore Expensive Cities on a Budget

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Exploring expensive cities on a budget is totally doable. It just takes a little strategic planning.

So if you have champagne travel dreams and a beer budget (slowly raising my hand), read on to find out exactly how to afford expensive city travel on a budget!

How to Explore Expensive Cities on a Budget

Here’s a list of the top 10 tips I personally used to travel to notoriously expensive cities like London, Paris, and Tokyo without breaking the bank.

1. Go During The Off Season

Traveling during the offseason is the friggin best. Here’s why:

You save a fortune on airfare and hotels simply because airlines and hotels are in lower demand during the offseason.
You avoid the worst of the crowds. Venice is one of my all-time favorite destinations, but you couldn’t pay me to go there during the summer. You wouldn’t be able to take a step without literally touching someone. No thanks.
Fewer crowds mean fewer lines. I waited for a total of 4 minutes in line at the Louvre. That’s the beauty of going in March.
It’s not so dang hot. I hate being hot. So I avoid summer travel anyway.

February/March and October/November seem to be the perfect time to travel if you want to explore expensive cities on a budget.

2. Start Planning Early

Everything is typically cheaper if you book early.

Plus, planning early gives you a chance to figure out how much everything will cost so you have time to save some money. As much as I love to travel, it’s not something I’m willing to go into debt for.

And if you’re the type who plans a full day-by-day itinerary, you want to do that early as well. That way you can book excursions or activities before they fill up. And you can plan around inexpensive opportunities like festivals or free museum days!

3. Focus Your Spending on What Matters Most

Whenever we talk about budgeting here at S&S, we talk about spending money on things that matter most to you. And skimping on areas that don’t matter to you.

If you really want to explore an expensive city on a budget, you need to be close to the action. So it’s worth spending more money on accommodations in the heart of the city.

You can then save money in other areas to make up for the splurge. You’ll instantly save money on transportation by being able to walk to attractions, for example.

4. Snag the Best Rates on the Best Accommodations

Booking.com has become my go-to for almost all accommodations bookings.

I used to start with Airbnb, but then Booking.com started listing private home rentals in addition to hotels. I even saw a houseboat the other day!

Plus, you can usually reserve your booking on booking.com with free cancellation right up until the week or month of your stay.

But here’s the real difference-maker: they don’t even charge your card until the end of the cancellation period! So you get to reserve your house, apartment, or hotel (or houseboat!) months in advance, have some time to save up the money, then pay for it closer to your reservation date.

5. Take Advantage of Rewards

Credit card rewards programs are a killer travel hack. By putting all daily expenses on my credit card (and paying the bill in full every month!), I’ve been averaging nearly $1,000 per year in free travel. Of course this takes some serious self-discipline to stick to your budget and avoid over-spending with your plastic. So it’s not for everyone.

If you’re not willing to risk credit card debt (and good for you for being honest with yourself!), you could benefit from becoming an airline rewards member.

Some programs are simply membership programs. Like your grocery store rewards program. It’s free, and you get benefits just from signing up as a member. Some programs are actually more like a store credit card. You have to charge the cost of your flight to the airline credit card to get any rewards. As long as you pay that card in full immediately, and only use it to book flights, you’re fine. But if you’re worried about having access to another credit card, it’s probably best to skip those.

If you travel a lot, it might be worth becoming a member of a hotel chain for free nights. With so many non-hotel accommodation options, hotel membership programs aren’t the no-brainer they once were. But many people prefer the hotel experience to private residence rentals, and these programs are a great way to enjoy discounts and free nights at your favorite hotel chain.

6. Check for Free Museum Days

Fellow museum nerds: plan around free museum days. Most museums have a day or two each month when admission is waived. How silly would you feel if you showed up at a museum on the third day of your trip to find out you could have gotten in free the day before?

7. Enjoy Low-Cost Entertainment and Experiences

Maybe you could plan your trip to coincide with a local fair or festival. Small local events (events that won’t create a giant tourist crowd) can offer unique travel experiences for little or no cost! Think Wäldchestag instead of Oktoberfest.

Or maybe there’s an experience you’re really excited to try on vacation? Wine tasting, surfing, horseback riding, massages, zip-lining? Check Groupon! I was able to save over 50% on a Royal Afternoon Tea in London 🙂 And, this just in, Airbnb now offers experiences as well. You can connect with Airbnb hosts for local experiences like cooking classes, nature walks, and dance lessons!

Btw, you don’t need to do all the cliche touristy things if you’re not super stoked about them. Why pay hundreds for a Gondola ride in Venice or a bridge-climb in Sydney if you’re not totally excited about them?

8. Save on Food

To save money on a restaurant you’re excited to try, plan your day to be near that restaurant at lunchtime or during happy hour instead of paying high dinner prices.

And don’t eat near tourist attractions. The food will be twice the price and half as good. Walk just a few blocks away for a more authentic meal for far less money.

While you’re at it, why not eat like a local? Pop into a grocery store for some bread, cheese, fruit, and wine, and you have a perfect picnic.

9. Be Smart About Transportation

Many countries offer tourist rail passes at a discount, but you must get your passes before leaving your home country.

This requires a little pre-planning. If you’re staying in one city for your entire trip, you can probably just buy local subway tickets or bus passes once you get to your destination. But if you’re touring multiple cities, rail passes could seriously stretch your vacation budget. We’ve had great experiences with Rail Europe and Japan Rail Pass.

10. Make a Budget

If you normally panic when you see the word “budget”, take a deep breath. Everything’s gonna be fine 🙂

A budget is really just a list of expenses. Most people don’t bother to sit down and list out the expenses for their vacations. But it’s soooo super helpful! It lets you know exactly how much the vacation will cost so you know how much to save. And it saves you money simply by making you aware of how much things will cost. You may think twice about that fancy dinner when you see that it costs as much as a night at your hotel!

And if you’re thinking, “ugh, I don’t even want to know how much this is going to cost,” well, I get that! It can put a tiny damper on the trip when you know how much it’s costing you. But you know what’s a way worse damper? Paying interest for the next year because you mindlessly charged a bunch of travel expenses to your credit card.

The way I see it, budgets give you permission to spend money guilt-free! You see the total expense, you figure out how you’ll pay for it, and you don’t have to suffer any anxiety about your finances while you enjoying every moment of your vacation!

So, how much is your trip going to cost you?

Most travel expenses can fit into 4 categories:

transportation
accommodation
food/drinks
entertainment/activities

Here’s an example, courtesy of my recent trip to Belgium. Bruges may not come to mind as an expensive city, but it’s pretty pricey. Food is especially expensive, with even casual dinners at sit-down restaurants costing around $30. Luckily, by traveling in March, I was able to get great rates on an amazing historical B&B in the heart of the city and a low rate on the train ticket from Germany.

Of course $600 is still a significant amount of money for most of us. Part of exploring expensive cities on a budget is confirming that you’re willing to pay the necessary cost to visit that city.

Take a few minutes to list your expected expenses for your expensive city trip. Transportation and accommodation will be easy because you can find exact rates online in minutes.

Food and activities are a little trickier. You might have to just estimate.

Check Yelp for some restaurants in your destination to see how much food typically costs. Then get an idea of the activities and events you’ll be spending money on while you’re there. It’s so easy since almost everyone posts their prices online!

And that’s all there is to it! Budget created.

What if I Just Can’t Afford It?

Ok, if you can’t afford to save as much as you need before your vacation, you have a couple options:

1. Cut some of your trip expenses (find a cheaper destination, hotel, or activities)

2. Spend less money between now and your trip, and save that money for the trip instead

3. Make some money on the side between now and your trip. We have some pretty brilliant side hustle ideas for you if you need to make more money:

By the way, if you don’t already have a Dream Fund set up for things just like this, get on it! Money management shouldn’t be all about deprivation. It’s about saving money day-to-day so you have money to spend on making your dreams come true. And if travel is a dream of yours, you owe it to yourself to make it happen!

By following these 10 tips, you’ll be able to explore expensive cities on a budget. Make those dreams a reality!

How to Explore Expensive Cities on a Budget