TripHip - Travel Tips and Advice for Traveling on a Budget

This used to be a great tip for saving money while traveling, but is no longer a sure thing. Still worth checking out, if you ask me.

It used to be, that if you booked round-trip ticket, that had you departing and returning within the same week (in other words, the entire trip included no weekends), you would often get charged more because you would be considered a business traveler. So it was smart to have your trip include at least one weekend day to help keep the rate lower.

These days, travel fares aren't quite so black and white, so you might not save anything. But if you are browsing around a site like Expedia anyway, see if your flight costs changes when you adjust the dates to include a weekend.

It's the hip thing to do these days, usually because people can't afford to go on real vacations anymore. Regardless of the economy, you could consider a staycation this year.

A staycation is when you take your holidays, but stay home. I'll bet there are lots of attractions right in your home town you don't even know about. Or sights you visited when you first moved in, and haven't bothered with again. Take a tour around your home town, and see the sights with a new pair of eyes. See the attractions that you take for granted because they are just a 10 minute bus ride away. Eat in new restaurants and spare yourself having to do the dishes.

You'll save a bundle, and probably have fun doing some stress-free exploring. Don't forget to send your friends a postcard.

Want to see Europe? Take the train! There is a great rail system through most European countries, without the hassle of a rental car or the cost of a flight.

With a Eurail Global Pass, you can travel through 21 different countries on any route you choose at any time you want. A 15 day pass is perfect for a typical vacation, and it frees you up to go all through Europe without worrying about any extra costs.

Washing your own clothes while traveling is a great way to save both time (you don’t have to sit at the Laundromat) and money (you don’t have to pay for anything but the soap!).

If I were you, I would bring a really strong, big Ziploc bag. Loksak bags are great for this. Throw your clothes in the bag, add water and soap. You can get small travel-sized packets of laundry detergent (specifically meant for hand washing clothes) or you can even use normal liquid soap or shampoo (which I have done – it gets the clothes clean, but in general, try to use laundry detergent if you can). Swish the clothes around in the soap and water and make sure the soap really goes through the clothes. Squeeze the soapy water through your clothes. Let it soak for awhile and then pull out your clothes, rinse them in the sink or tub, and then hang them up to dry. You can hang them over a radiator, over a chair, over the shower bar, or you can even bring your own clothesline (which is small and lightweight, so it won’t take up much room in your luggage). If you’ve got a room with a balcony, then by all means let your clothes dry outside.

Obviously you won’t be able to wash large loads by using this method, so get used to washing small loads every 2-3 days. If you wash clothes in the evening or at night, chances are they’ll be dry in the morning!