Welcome back to the budget travel tips series. If you’re wondering how you can travel for cheap, you’re in the right place. This post will help you save money while traveling and can even help you save money at home! If you want to travel for cheap, the key is in your little habits. Small habits can add up to big expenses, and this post is tackling the drinks category of spending.
Traveling on a budget usually means changing certain spending habits you have when you’re at home. If you live on a budget at home, you are probably acquainted with ways that work for you to limit spending on the road. No budget is one-size-fits-all, but all budgets require sacrifice.
How to Save Money on Drinks While Traveling on a Budget
It’s a bit of a stereotype at this point for the 20-something girl to have a routine $7 minimum daily coffee order. Though that isn’t true for everyone, me included, even a simple and cheap coffee order can add up to more than we’d like. Even though an expensive coffee order may be normalized, what’s normal doesn’t always make sense, and it usually doesn’t. If you want to drink more than water on your trip but don’t want to drop double digits on your daily beverage, this post is for you.
Table of Tips:
1. Travel With Your Own Coffee
This one is for everyone out there who is a diehard coffee drinker. You drink it for the caffeine, the ambiance, the taste, whatever it may be, but if someone tells you to give it up, you aren’t budging. Though you may not budge, you can definitely budget:)
Buy an instant coffee and bring it with you on your trip. There are some pretty good options. Browse your local grocery store to find one that excites you. I got my instant coffee from a grocery store in Mexico City for 15 pesos, which is less than a dollar. That 15 pesos bought me almost 50 cups of coffee! I consider that free coffee.
Use the hot water that your accommodation is hopefully providing and make yourself a nice budget-friendly cup of Joe whenever you like. If you are on the go, there are some coffee shops that will give you a cup of hot water if you ask. Remember to bring your reusable cup! That is a very American suggestion, though, so don’t expect success in it everywhere. However, I was a barista, and I can assure you that many baristas like to pay it forward.
2. Travel With Tea
Tea is cheap, and it’s amazing for your health. My favorite way to get my morning drink fix on the road is with tea. Tea is offered in so many places, such as waiting rooms, receptions, lobbies, etc., but we often don’t take advantage of it! I am a tea girl, so I love having tea as my main source of caffeine, and sometimes, I’ll drink it throughout the day. Check out my homemade sun tea video to make some yourself.
I will bring tea bags with me and use the hot water at my accommodation to make my morning drink. Tea is often the cheapest order at a coffee shop, so if you suddenly want to make a budget switch but don’t have any tea bags on you, order a tea! I like green tea with honey or black tea with a splash of oat milk and some sugar.
3. Pass on Hard Alcohol
Hard alcohol in the form of cocktails or on its own is the most expensive kind of alcohol. If you are planning on drinking on your trip but don’t want to drop a fortune on drinks, opt completely out of hard alcohol. Beer is the cheapest alcohol, and there are often deals on local brews or brands the location may have a deal with. I love a good Mexican lager, but I really don’t like IPAs. Find a drink that works with your budget and your preferences.
Scan the menu before ordering, and see what your cheapest option is. The cheapest option will always be water, so if you’re not totally feeling it one night, stay sober and save some money!
4. Bring a Steripen!
So, I keep mentioning water as the crown jewel of budget drinks, but in a lot of destinations, it isn’t! Whether the water isn’t safe to drink or you can’t find tap water anywhere, sometimes you have to pay for it. I like to keep water as a zero-cost to my budget by always traveling with a water bottle. How do I do that when sometimes I don’t have access to clean water?
I bring a Steripen wherever I travel. If you’ve read any of my packing lists, you know this is an essential for me. It sterilizes all clear water, so it’s safe to drink. Even if I’m in a place with safe tap water, like most of Europe, I’ll have my Steripen to fill up my water bottle wherever I get the chance so I don’t have to pay for water every time I’m thirsty. Before I go out exploring, I’ll fill up my water bottle in the sink or shower and sterilize it! No more paying for water at the grocery store or restaurants. This saves plastic and coin.
I hope these tips help put more than a few dollars back into your pocket. Traveling on a budget Follow the Instagram for regular travel tips, and send this post to a friend who could benefit from it!
