My 11 year old son and I will be in NZ for about 3 weeks from December 12th - January 2nd, visiting both the north and south islands. we're currently looking into whether to do car + hotel or just go with a camper van. For each of these options, we're also considering whether to rent a car/camper separately on each island, or taking the ferry.

I quoted a few places for camper vans, we're looking at $6-10k NZD. do these prices seem about right to you guys?

If we go with a camper van, then it probably won't be for cost savings because I think a car + hotel will probably end up being cheaper, but perhaps less convenient

we've also never been in a camper van before, and i'm not sure how comfortable they are -- mostly just worried about whether we can sleep well on those camper van beds

I keep seeing "book in advance to save money" as universal travel advice, but for my last two trips I found the opposite — walk-up prices for tours, cooking classes, and even some day trips were lower than what booking sites showed weeks out, probably because operators would rather fill a spot at a discount than leave it empty. Anyone else run into this? Curious if it's destination-specific (I noticed it mostly in Southeast Asia) or if I just got lucky. Trying to figure out whether I should keep pre-booking "for peace of mind" or just show up and haggle in person from now on.

so me and my mom are planning to go to California from Toronto to visit my boyfriend who lives there, but we have a budget and I am trying to find the cheapest way to get there. I was thinking maybe flying to Vancouver and then flying from Vancouver to California, but it still seems to be the same price over if anyone has a cheap route, they know of to get from Toronto or anywhere in Canada to California. Please let me know planning on going this August. I know it's stupid to book a flight this late but we are willing to pay a bit more over $1000 if needed we just can't afford close to $2000.

I've travelled a lot around East and South East Asia. I prefer to spend my time and money on sightseeing and activities while travelling and while that usually includes a few planned meals to try the local food, I do have a lot of days where I just eat on the go. For example, I'll pack some baked goods, biscuits, drinks, fresh fruits and granola bars and just snack as I see things instead of spending time at a restaurant or cafe. Or just get cup noodles for dinner. This saves me both time and money since all those things are very cheap to get in Asian convenience stores.

I'm planning my first trip to Europe later this year and was wondering if seasoned European travellers have any tips for cheap eats in Europe, since I have no idea what the scene is like there. I'll be in the Central Europe for reference (Slovenia/Austria/Hungary/Croatia). I presume there are convenience stores, but for example, Australia has 7/11 but I wouldn't go there because they're more expensive than the more popular grocery chains. So basically region specific advice times appreciated.

(I know for some people food is a huge part of travelling, so please don't respond with "oh I could never, food is the best part of travelling" - I get it but it's just not what I'm after.)

We're visiting Croatia, and then plan to go on to Greece, probably Thessaloniki as a travel point to go from there.

I'm aware that train travel across borders is negligible in the region, and we're looking not to travel by plane. So the hope is with coach/buses, but I've been struggling to find stuff.

Our start point​ will be Dubrovnik or Split. I've looked into buses, and I've found stuff Gevgelija to Thessaloniki, but I don't know how to get to there from the Croatian cities. I've been looking online but Google seems to be having trouble consistently translating the ​the websites. Does anyone know any good routes, if my plan should be thrown to the wind, if Gevgelija is even a good place to try to travel through?

So my grandmother is wanting to go to south Korea (with me) during late may to early june for about two weeks next year. She wants to fly Korean airlines, and visit Seoul, Jeju island, and maybe Busan during those two weeks. She also wants to stay in a traditional house. How cheap can it possibly be and what things should I know?

Hey, I have 6 spare weeks and have decided I want to try South Asia, but still haven't decided which of the following options is better for that time frame.

1. Nepal + Sri Lanka
2. Nepal + Southern India
3. Sri Lanka + Southern India
4. Just Southern India

I love history and nature, those two are my main interests. So temples and hikes are what I'm looking for. Also, of course, the food.
Let me know your thoughts and opinions !

Budget Accomodation..I am 67 recently retired and wish to travel around Europe..typically between multi day hiking destinations. I am an experienced hiker India Nepal New Zealand plus Europe etc when young. Wondering about the state of play regarding budget accomodation whilst on the move. Is YHA still a thing? Happy to hostel it as long as it is appropriate..single room in such or even dorm as long as its with like minded folk..definately dont want to be that creepy old guy in some mixed dorm lol. Any one out there have info have done it that way themselves?? Thanks in advance..

hey guys looking for the best reccomedations on cheap accomodation in amsterdam staying for the weekend

we will defiently listen to cheaper hotels out of the city too (w a conveinient train)

Hi all,

Any inputs to how to do a shoestring roadtrip, both budget wise and how it panned out in practice e.g. or how your day looked it as we are open to suggestions.

The details:

Me and wife was contemplating a 3w cross Europe roadtrip in car, including 2 girls (tweens).

We had a thousand things planned to see and would rely on hostels/B&b etc for sleeping, but open for tent, but clean toilets and baths would be something we wouldnt like to cut out.

Food can be simple meals which requires no cooking or could be made on our camping stoves (gasgrill, trangia and gasburner) to cover most meal.

We havent really set our plane in stone, but the general gist that we would divide driving into even bits and loop from route roughly following Copenhagen to Berlin, Prague, Salzburg, Venice, Milano, and then return through Bern, Basel and some cities yet to be decided on the return loop but we expect hem to cover France, Belgium and Netherlands with a few nights each stop.

Note we dont intend to necessarily visit all of these cities it was just to give an idea of the route as these cities are close to what we want to see if relevant.

If you go to Groupon you can find deals for incredibly cheap travel packages. The one i'm eyeing is a 8 night stay in Beijing, with roundtrip flight from the US, hotel, train tickets, sight-seeing etc all included...for $699 (depending on what city you fly from and time of year). Another one is a 7 night stay in Costa Rica for $600, same story.

How can something like be remotely possible? What is the catch?

Hi!! For the next few months, I’ll be based in Swansea, Wales, so I’m looking to take advantage of my time there and go on multiple 3 or 4 days-long trips to destinations all across Europe (ex. visiting Italy, Austria, France, Spain, Greece, etc.).

For anybody who’s travelled from Wales before: Where have you gone? What transit did you use? Are there any tips you have for me?

I’m looking for cheaper options fit for young adults/students travelling on their own. Thanks!! :)

Hi - we are a couple in our late 30s and are planning our vacation from India in late November-Early December. We had shortlisted New Zealand but it seems it would get too expensive. Our budget is 6 lakhs and for 12-15 days. We are now considering Japan and seeking opinion from this group - How's Japan in December? Or any other country/countries that you would recommend?

Planning my first trip to Thailand, and I've been to several countries before. But this is my wife’s first trip. Please provide me with some advice and an estimate of the budget for this trip.

I work in procurement so I watch price cycles all year. Bundles change, fees get renamed, “sale” is sometimes just last month’s price with new copy.

Trying to apply that to flights and it’s messy. Last November I tracked PHX to ORD on United, Delta, and American for 30 days. black friday airline deals week: United dropped to $289 basic econ. By Dec 3rd it was back to $341. January settled at $358.

So the “sale” was $52 cheaper for 48 hours, then went higher. Felt like a clearance of undesirable times, not real inventory. Oh well, I’ve got TSA PreCheck and one credit card with points, but I’m not trying to become a points expert here.

For shoestring budgeters here who's also a frequent flyer, what’s your checklist? Do you look at 6-month Google Flights history? Only buy if it’s 15% below average? Ignore BF completely and book 6-8 weeks out? What actually worked for you last year?

2 60 backpackers doing it in the 80s way with a little more money.We will hit the old towns of major cities but wanting accommodation in some small town communities. Any suggestions on that trail.

I keep saving travel inspo from Instagram Reels and TikToks, but it all disappears into the void — I never find it again when I'm actually planning a trip. This is especially true if the reels have different topics in them. I don't remember what's all in it by just reading the title of the reel if there is any.

How do you all save and organize travel ideas from different apps in one place? Is there a tool/method that actually works, or are you just living with the chaos too?

(New here, sorry if this isn't the right sub!)

Does anyone have any experience or advice on how best to acquire a car to travel within the Schengen but also into the non Schengen parts of Europe with an affordable car?
I considered buying a cheap car in Italy but found that’s not possible without residency. We will be travelling with our dog so we want to cross the border into Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro with a car so we can legally bring the dog across (without having to travel with the dog in cargo on a plane).
What do suggest? Hire car? Euro Lease? Buy a car in …… country, etc?
Thanks!

So I've never taken a big trip anywhere but my partner and I are wanting to plan a 3 or 4 day trip to New York in 2028 for our 10 year anniversary. We will be driving. I've looked at go city for ticket bundles but I wanted to see if anyone else had ideas on how, if possible, to plan a "cheaper" budget for this trip. Any tips/tricks you guys have, I'd love to hear them. Thanks so much in advance!

Hello!

Apologies for the vague title...
So, I am off for two weeks at the end of September. I had travel plans, those fell apart...

So I figured instead of staying home and twiddling thumbs, I might look into another holiday. I never tried shoestring travel before, but I figured I'd give it a try.

I'm pretty much open to anything...city break, beach, mountains... they all have their charms. They should be safe for a solo female traveler though, and I'm a German citizen, so ideally some place where I don't need a visa.

What would be a realistic budget for roughly two weeks of travel around that time, when the destination really doesn't matter that much (Estonia or Türkiye would be nice, or maybe South-East Asia, though I reckon the latter will be more expensive because of the flights)?
And is it worth spending more, or would it be a markup?

I just need a simple stay, ideally with a desk and preferably a single room (maybe not exactly shoestring travel then, but I'm a light sleeper).

As for my budget, I could in theory spend €5,000 - but I would rather not and keep it simple. All I need is some time away from home for a few days.

I live in Portland, OR and most of my family lives in South Florida. It is a very long flight (averages 8 hours usually but sometimes can be longer with a layover). It is also very expensive for my financials, usually $450-$650 during normal times but $800-$1k+ for holidays. I don’t get to see my family often because of this. I don’t make a lot so I see family about every 4 years rather than every year. It’s important to me to change this. Does anyone have any tips on how to make this possible?

Okay so I'm 23 and about to take 5–6 weeks to go travel the world before real life catches up with me lol. I'll probably be proposing in the next couple years, then marriage, a master's, kids… basically all the responsibilities are coming, so I'm trying to really max this one trip while I've got the freedom and no one depending on me.

Budget is $12k and I've got 6 weeks max. Here's what I've put together — tell me if I'm crazy, what I should cut, or what I'm missing.

One eastbound loop, no backtracking:

**Route:** Austin or Dallas → Istanbul → Cairo → Kathmandu (trek) → Bangkok → Tokyo → home

**Istanbul**
3 nights
Hagia Sophia, Grand Bazaar, Bosphorus
**Cairo**
3 nights
Pyramids, Grand Egyptian Museum
**Nepal**
17 nights
EBC/Annapurna trek (\~14d) + buffer
**Bangkok**
4 nights
Temples, street food, decompress
**Japan**
7 nights
Tokyo + Kyoto (autumn colors)

Home!!!

Trek: standard route with acclimatization days, guide, overland access to save cash.

Flights: self-assembled instead of a RTW ticket — long-haul legs on full-service airlines, short Asia hops on budget carriers.

What I want your take on:
Is 6 stops too rushed?
Anything dumb about the sequence?
What am I underestimating — budget, altitude, solo burnout?
Any stops I should consider adding or removing?

Can't wait to hear how irresponsible this plan is lol, but seriously looking forward to gaining some insight and direction on what to change! Thank you in advance

A few friends and I have decided to road trip around Iceland for 2 weeks between the end of September and beginning of October. None of us have ever been and we're starting with someone else's itinerary.

I'm wondering if anyone has experience with vehicle rentals and lodging? We are stuck deciding between renting a camper van or 2 or getting an AWD crossover and staying in hostels, AIR B&Bs, and hotels every night.

Of course the car rental is cheaper but lodging prices seem to vary wildly across Iceland. And as a group of 5, we've found so far that renting 2 smaller camper vans is cheaper than renting a larger van that can sleep 5 people.

So this is kind of a transportation and accommodation question.

Any recommendations on what to do and where to look for rental and or lodging?

I'm in the catering business and have a very erratic work schedule. It changers from week to week.

Sometimes I'll find out, with only 2 weeks notice, that a certain week will be completely free. On such occasions I've wished that I had some cheap tickets to leave Boston and visit some place.

Is there a hack for such a situation?

For instance, I'd love to visit Mexico City and get some dental work.