Your Guide to Responsible Budget Travel

Last Updated on December 29, 2024

Travel isn’t accessible to everyone, because traveling around this planet costs a lot of money. So, is responsible budget travel possible?

I’ve always been budget conscious while traveling. It’s helped me to travel further, and longer. But there is a dark side to budget travel, and it’s important to consider it. This is because the way we spend our money when we travel has a direct impact on the communities that we visit.

a woman with braided hair looking out at a beach at sunset time
On a trip to the Algarve, Portugal during off-season.

Responsible Budget Travel and Privilege

I used to think that budget travel was accessible to everyone, and that people just needed to work hard and save hard to afford to travel. But over the years I’ve become more cognizant of how this outlook can be problematic. 

I think that personally, travel has been accessible to me because I had a financial leg up from the start – I grew up in a middle class family, and never had issues landing jobs in highschool, and got to save all the money I earned as a teenager because I lived at home and didn’t need to contribute to our family’s living costs. 

What I’m getting at, is that yes, I have always been good at saving, and I’ve always traveled with budget in mind, and I think this combination has helped me travel as often as I do. But I can’t ignore the financial leg up and the privilege that I’ve had in this equation, as well.

The bottom line is that budget travel can yes, make travel more accessible, but it only doesn’t remove all barriers of access – because travel requires disposable income, which is a luxury. I’ve learned that it’s important to acknowledge this.

When Budget Travel Goes Too Far

Budget travel can sometimes go too far. For example, while in Vietnam, I met a guy who told me he only had a few hundred dollars to last him the several weeks he was planning to spend traveling across the country by bicycle. He admitted that it wasn’t going to be enough money. 

When I asked him how he planned to manage this, he told me that he would ask to stay with Vietnamese people along the way, telling me that in his experience, they were very willing to support him with food and keep. 

And I think this is the crux of the problem – not only was he intending to rely on local people, who are not as economically advantaged as he was, taking their resources from them, he wasn’t going to be contributing much to local economies.

All this to say, I think there are power dynamics involved with some extreme budget traveling. Travel spending is all about balance, and ensuring that your actions are respectful of the local communities you’re visiting – not taking advantage of them. 

Contributing to the economies of the communities we visit is one way that we can give back to those communities. Every time you spend a little money on a souvenir, a family-owned hotel, or a nice meal, remember that your economic participation is a good thing!

Budget travel isn’t entirely bad, it’s just about balance. While it’s important to indeed spend money while abroad, you can be selective about where that money goes. The ultimate goal is to ensure that the way you’re traveling helps promote more of the pros versus cons of tourism.

a man wearing a dark grey jacket walking down a wooden pier out over a fjord
Westfjords, Iceland

Tips for Responsible Budget Travel

In recent years, I’ve tried to expand the way I think of travel. It doesn’t need to be a journey to the other side of the world. You can travel within your own city or hometown.

I’ve traveled by city bus to other parts of my home city of Toronto that I’ve never seen before, and I’ve gone on day trips exploring just beyond my city, like to visit alpacas in Ontario.

But for those of us who still dream of heading to other countries around the world, budget travel can help make those dreams happen. Here are my tops tips for responsible budget travel:

1. Opt For Overland Travel Versus Flying

Flying is convenient and often faster, but has a larger impact on our climate. This is primarily because airplanes emit fumes into the upper atmosphere. For my podcast, Curious Tourism, I interviewed a traveler who has rejected flying altogether because of this. Now, she only travels overland.

Minimizing air travel is a more sustainable travel practice, but there are also financial gains. In many cases a bus will be cheaper than a flight. For example, a flight from Mumbai to Delhi, India will cost nearly double what you would pay if you traveled by overnight bus or train instead.

In a quest to minimize your travel costs and stick to responsible budget travel, always aim to avoid flights and go for overland travel instead.

Avoiding flying also encourages more local travel! It’s easy to forget that within driving or bussing distance of your home there can be incredible places worth visiting.

For example, I drove 3 hours from my home in Toronto to Lily Dale, New York – a small town in upstate New York that has the highest concentration of registered spiritualist mediums in the world. Sound wacky? It was! Read my guide to Exploring Lily Dale, NY: A town full of spiritualist mediums.

A home surrounded by forest in Lily Dale NY, which is a great responsible budget travel trip.
Exploring Lilydale NY is a great budget getaway.

2. Let Your Destination Pick You

I have said this before and I will say it again! Being set on a specific destination will sometimes cost you. A great responsible travel hack is to follow the affordable flights. Rather than choosing a destination, look up what flights are on sale.

In 2016, I planned to go to Asia for a few months. Instead of settling on a specific country to go to, I monitored flights until an opportunity came up: $400 to fly to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. Vietnam, it was!

3. Be Flexible and Travel Slow

An opportunistic destination combined with a flexible time frame will maximum your budget. And while it might seem counterintuitive, traveling slowly will help keep you budget conscious, too. When you spend longer in a place, you’re less likely to engage in tick-box tourism.

Rather than spending a day checking off a bucket list of attractions in a place, spend several days. Use some of them to just hang out in a coffee shop and people watch, or to wander around different neighbourhoods.

When you’re not in a rush, you can take the time to walk from place to place (this saves money!) and travel overland versus by flight (this saves money, too!).

4. Visit Friends and Family

I am always so excited when a friend or family member moves somewhere new. It means I could visit them! Staying with friends and family can often make a destination financially feasible, which makes it a great way to responsible budget travel.

For example, Australia wasn’t on my radar until some friends moved there . By staying with them, I could manage the expensive flight that I had to take to get there!

And always make sure to pay the favour back. I love inviting friends and family to come stay with me in my apartment in Toronto.

5. Stay in Homestays and Guesthouses

Staying in homestays and guesthouses is a more responsible travel choice, and, it’s typically more economical. Staying in locally owned accommodation helps supports local communities and small businesses directly, ensuring you don’t contribute to economic leakage, and your money benefits the destination rather than large corporations.

These accommodations often use fewer resources compared to large hotels, reducing your environmental impact. They also provide an cultural experiences, allowing you to connect with locals and learn about their traditions. Many homestays and guesthouses prioritize sustainability through eco-friendly practices like sourcing local food and minimizing waste.

For example, I spent a few days staying in a homestay in Bhalil, Morocco, where I had the chance to stay with a local family, learn about local life, meet members of the community, and eat local foods!

colourfully painted buildings on a street in Bhalil, morocco
Bhalil, Morocco

6. Use Cash to Budget Every Day of Your Trip

I think we can all agree: budgeting is hard. Especially when you are walking around with credit cards. Despite the convenience of credit and debit cards while traveling, continue to rely on cash, no matter what the destination, will help with responsible budget travel.

Taking an allotted amount of cash out for your day of sightseeing can help you manage how much money you spend. This little trick (taught to me by my wise mum) helps to track how much money you are spending, and will often keep you from spending frivolously. Especially when it comes to food and souvenirs!

I also find this is a good trick for keeping your financials safe. When out for the day, you carry only the cash you need, leaving extra cash and your cards in your hotel or hostel (locked up, of course). This way, should you lose your wallet – you have your debit or credit cards and some extra cash back at your hotel/hostel.

7. Be Selective in Picking Attractions

Every place has some must-see attractions – and they can eat up a lot of your budget. Although I will indulge in a couple tourist traps per destination, I am selective in choosing how to spend my responsible travel budget on activities.

For example, in Paris I chose to picnic below rather than go up the Eiffel Tower. This choice has not impacted my beautiful memories of the Eiffel Tower – and I saved myself about 30 euro!

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t visit any attractions, the point is to be selective. Instead of seeing everything, pick a couple that you think will be most meaningful to you, and will have the most positive impact on the community you’re visiting.

Picking and choosing which attractions you visit will also open up new, undiscovered opportunities. Rather than spending a trip exploring all the hot spots of a city or country, you’ll have more time to wander off the beaten track.

8. Use Public Transport to Get Around

A tried and true trick for responsible budget travel is to take public transport. Especially with apps and free wifi these days, taking public transport is breeze. So when you can, opt for public transport rather than a cab, Uber or Lyft. The couple dollars you save on each trip will add up quick.

For example, in Mexico City it was so tempting to take Ubers everywhere I went because they typically only cost 3 to 6 dollars. The thing is, over the course of a week, 3$ Ubers will add up surprisingly fast.

Mexico City has a fantastic system of busses and a subway system – and to use this system only costs 5 pesos per trip. Which works out to about 25 cents per trip. And the system is so good! It’s fast and easy to navigate.

My point being, over the course of a trip, dedication to public transportation can save you a good amount of your travel budget. Plus, taking public transport presents an opportunity for you to experience a bit of local life.

a crowd of people in the main square of Mexico City
Mexico City

9. Pay Fair Prices

I know from experience that it can be hard not to get caught up in obsessing over budget. I don’t think being budget conscious is bad, as long as you ensure that your budgeting practices don’t harm the communities you’re visiting.

In many countries around the world, like India, bartering prices is common practice. And it’s also common that tourists will generally be asked to pay higher prices than a local would. This is known as the “tourist tax.”

Some travelers are upset by the tourist tax, but I’d argue that it’s fair that locals maximize their income by setting prices based on what a buyer can afford.

If you can afford to travel, then you can afford to pay local communities prices that are fair. And yes, that fair price may be more than what a local would pay. But being happy to pay these fees is a crucial part of responsible budget travel.

Responsible Budget Travel is About Balance

Responsible budget travel looks different for everyone, and there’s definitely a spectrum of ways that people do it. For example, my idea of budget travel is to always opt for hostel dorm rooms when I travel (even when I can afford a hotel).

By doing this, I’ve saved thousands of dollars over a decade of traveling. And while I see hostels as a great way to budget, other travelers opt to couch surf, which is free!

Safety is another consideration when it comes to responsible budget travel. Your safety shouldn’t ever be sacrificed for your budget. If you feel uncomfortable on public transport, for example, it’s worth it to pay a little extra for that Uber. And if couch surfing makes you feel nervous, get that hotel!

The point is that budget travel is not one size fits all. All travelers should pick strategies that are comfortable and safe for them, because budget travel should not mean you have less fun. It’s all about balance and comfort.

Budget travel in a way that is comfortable and safe for you, and be sure to be cognizant of how your style of budget travel impacts others – Do not take advantage of local communities. 

More on responsible travel:

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5 thoughts on “Your Guide to Responsible Budget Travel”

  1. I love that you said expensive destinations don’t have to be expensive. We also had lunch on the grassy area in front of the Eiffel Tower. I used to think that only rich people could travel, but I know now that that isn’t the truth!

  2. So many great points! I, too, always try to be a conscientious traveler in terms of how my presence affects the locals and sustainability. Your story about the cyclist in Vietnam is sadly too true about a lot of tourists I’ve met seeking some kind of spiritual getaway to find themselves. On another note, I’ve never heard of these mistake fares! I’m so excited to use the sites you recommend once this pandemic is over.

  3. Some great tips here. It’s definitely possible to travel whatever your budget. I think too many people concentrate on flying somewhere ‘exotic’ when they could have an equally good staycation. It’s not where you go sometimes, it’s the effort you put in to planning your trip.

  4. All excellent tips to get to travel the world. Lots of people think they can’t do it but totally can. However, I also LOVE your recognition of the privilege of being able to save money in the first place, it is definitely a point of privilege to start at. Also – that beg packer in VN, I HATE THAT!!

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