Adventure trips offer a unique way to explore a destination with many exciting activities and sites to discover. However, without a strategic plan for your adventure travel budget, these trips can get quite pricey.
With this guide on how to travel cheaply—but wisely, you’ll have access to some of the top tips that we use for our travels. These are great for traveling smart on a budget and can be part of your trip-planning process.
Disclaimer: Some affiliate links are placed in this content which means we receive a percentage of the revenue made from purchasing products via those links–at no extra cost to you. All of the opinions are our own. Thank you for supporting our blog!
We’ll share our favorite ways to save money while traveling, benefits of exploring off-the-beaten path destinations, and using budget-friendly tools for travel planning. We’re also including a complete sample of an adventure travel budget itinerary.
Now let’s get to it because, well…there’s a lot of good stuff in here!
- Why is Budgeting Important for Traveling?
- Strategies and Steps to Save Money for Your Next Adventure
- 1. Get the Best Deals by Planning and Booking Early
- 2. Explore Hidden Gems and Off-the-BeatenPath Locations for Budget-Friendly Travel
- 3. Enjoy More for Less With Slow Travel
- 4. Cut Costs by Keeping an Eye on Your Food Budget
- 5. Find Fun and Affordable Adventures and Activities for Your Trip
- Sample 2-Week U.S. Adventure Itinerary on a Budget
- Last-Minute Tips to Keep Your Adventure Travel Affordable
- Final Thoughts
Why is Budgeting Important for Traveling?
Strategically planning your trips on a budget can help you use your money wisely on affordable adventures, making it last longer and allowing you to travel for extended periods.
You can start by creating your own adventure travel list of destinations you want to visit.
Then, establish a starting point for how much money you need to save to plan your trip and include affordable and low-cost adventures to enjoy during your vacation.
By establishing an adventure travel budget you can focus on the best adventure trips and travel experiences that matter the most to you, making the trip much more enjoyable and exciting.
Strategies and Steps to Save Money for Your Next Adventure
No, you don’t need to blow all your money on an adventure trip!
With these strategic money-saving and adventure budget travel tips, you can stretch your budget toward more enriching travel experiences.
Here are some practical steps to get the most bang for your buck out of an adventure.
1. Get the Best Deals by Planning and Booking Early
When searching for our flight tickets, we use fare comparison sites like Google Flights, or Kayak to find the cheapest flights and deals.
You can sign up to get price alerts and keep track of when the prices are going down. If possible, try to be flexible with your travel dates.
✈️ PRO Tip: Book flight tickets at least 2-3 months before an international trip and 1-2 months before a domestic trip.
- Accommodation: Research and book your places to stay in advance. You can find great discounts on sites like Agoda, Expedia and Booking.com. Also, consider unique places to stay like glamping sites, vacation rentals, or camping.
Benefits of Booking Your Trip in Advance
🎯 Pre-booking often allows access to lower prices and discounts, as opposed to last minute travel bookings.
🎯 By planning your trip early you can save money have with a greater selection of the most cost-effective options to choose from.
2. Explore Hidden Gems and Off-the-BeatenPath Locations for Budget-Friendly Travel
Visit areas that are not as touristy and have affordable things to do.
Try to skip places that often contribute to mass tourism where the price of attractions is much higher, i.e. Disney!
Opt for places like Asheville, North Carolina, or Helen, Georgia instead of major cities like Miami or New York.
We prefer lesser-known destinations and smaller cities because we get more adventures for less money. Simply put, it’s a smarter way to stretch your travel budget.
- Explore local attractions like national parks, historic sites, and landmarks—often low-cost or free, or discover new places on a self-guided walking tour.
- Off-the-beaten-path locations offer unique travel experiences and are often less crowded and much more affordable than the more trendy travel destinations.
How Lesser-Known Destinations Help You Save
🎯 Less-known destinations typically offer lower prices, have better availability and are a great choice for budget adventure travel. These are my favorite because they also make for great experiences when traveling slowly!
🎯 Local sites and attractions to see often have minimal or no entrance fees.
3. Enjoy More for Less With Slow Travel
Spend more time in each place instead of moving to new cities every few days. I love this because it’s a great way to fully enjoy the destination and to find local gems.
You can aim to stay at least a week or more in each location during your adventure vacation and enjoy slow travel experiences.
- Use public transportation, bicycle, walk around town and explore local group walking tours.
Money-Saving Advantages of Traveling Slowly
🎯 Long-term stays reduce your your overall transportation and accommodation expenses. Additionally, it's a great for extra hotel discounts.
🎯 Public transport is cheaper than car rentals or taxis and saves you money from your adventure travel budget by reducing parking costs and gas expenses.
💙 By minimizing flights and long-distance travel you are also reducing your carbon footprint and taking part in sustainable tourism!
4. Cut Costs by Keeping an Eye on Your Food Budget
Choose places to stay with breakfast included or that have a small kitchen to cook your meals before heading out.
For longer trips, I prefer to cook my own breakfast, pack protein snacks to eat throughout the day and then spend money on a light lunch and heavy dinner.
- Eat where the locals eat, such as street food vendors, food trucks, or local eateries.
- Bring a reusable water bottle and fill it from safe sources.
How to Save Money by Eating Smart on the Road
🎯 Cooking at least one of your daily meals while on vacation is significantly cheaper than eating out all day.
🎯 Local dining options provide a much better value and are a great culinary experience and opportunity to taste the local culture at your destination.
💙 Reducing the amount of bottled drinks you buy also cuts down on plastic waste, which is a great way to support sustainable travel practices.
5. Find Fun and Affordable Adventures and Activities for Your Trip
Opting for budget adventures and natural attractions like hiking trails, waterfalls, beaches, and national parks is one of the best ways to have fun when traveling without breaking the bank.
Here in Florida, I love using free trip planning apps like the FloridaStories app which has free walking tours with audio available for some of Florida’s most popular cities.
WalknTours is also a great app for affordable self-guided walking tours across the U.S. and worldwide.
- Attend free festivals, cultural events, or cheap travel tours. Check your destination’s local tourism websites for local events and low-cost adventures.
- Consider booking adventure vacation deals with inclusive travel experiences that often have an exciting itinerary that suits your adventure travel budget.
Why You Should Consider Budget-Friendly Adventures
🎯 Budget adventures and free activities reduce the cost of your travel experiences compared to the higher price tag tourist attractions. They're often exciting and offered in less-crowded places.
🎯 Getting discounted rates on vacation deals can save you lots of money on your overall adventure trip cost compared to booking each activitiy separately.
Sample 2-Week U.S. Adventure Itinerary on a Budget
| Expense | Budget Range | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | $300 – $800 | Domestic flights within the U.S., booked in advance for better deals. |
| Accommodation | $450 – $900 | Hostels, budget hotels, Airbnb, or campgrounds. Consider long-term stays. |
| Food | $225 – $450 | Cooking one meal per day, eating at local eateries, and avoiding expensive restaurants. |
| Transportation | $75 – $200 | Using public transportation, walking, or renting bicycles. |
| Activities | $150 – $300 | Focusing on free or low-cost adventures such as hiking, local tours, and cultural events. |
| Miscellaneous | $75 – $150 | Souvenirs, emergency funds, and other expenses. |
| Estimated Total: $1,275 – $2,800 |
Last-Minute Tips to Keep Your Adventure Travel Affordable
And now we’re here…
These last-minute tips on the best ways to travel on a budget will give you a clear view of the importance of better handling your money to avoid overspending your adventure travel budget.
6. Find Out How Much Your Trip Will Really Cost
Search for cheap flights with cash-back options, research the best prices for travel accommodation and food, and make a list of the adventure travel tours you’re interested in to get an idea of the costs.
7. Set a Daily Budget to Stay on Track
Decide on a daily spending limit based on your overall budget and try to stick to it! Track your expenses using budgeting apps like TravelSpend or by simply keeping track on your notes app.
8. Identify Your Must-Haves vs Nice-to-Haves
Determine what your essential must-have travel expenses are like where to stay and food versus nice-to-have items like souvenirs and things you want to buy that you really don’t need.
I mean, how many souvenir keychains do you already have?
Learn smarter ways to manage your money when traveling. Take the most of your adventure travel budget to allocate it to what matters the most to you.
Personally, I would spend more money on exciting first-time travel experiences and adventures!
9. Use Apps and Tools to Simplify Your Trip Planning
Using travel apps like VRBO to search for budget vacation rentals for small groups and finding cheap flights on Booking.com, can help you compare the best travel deals for your adventure trips.
Travel discount cards like the National Park Annual Pass, city passes, or transit cards are also a great way to save on transportation and in any tourist attractions that may spark your interest.
10. Save Money by Traveling During Off-Peak Seasons
Last but certainly not least, skip the peak seasons!
Avoiding peak travel seasons for your adventure travel allows you to find the best and lowest prices for flights and accommodations.
Airlines often have the lowest fares during shoulder seasons, and hotels and vacation rentals lower their prices during this time to attract more travelers.
✈️ What are shoulder seasons? These are the times of the year between peak and off-peak seasons, mostly occurring in spring and fall. However, every destination is different and therefore, shoulder seasons may vary depending on where you want to go.
Additionally, the most sought-after and popular adventure tours have more availability during the off-peak season, giving you more flexibility in your budget travel itinerary.
Fewer crowds and the nice and enjoyable weather during shoulder seasons, make it one of the best times of the year for adventure travel.
Final Thoughts
So there you have it!
If I could sum up all of this for you in one short sentence it would be: Adventure travel doesn’t have to be expensive!
If you plan your adventure travel budget ahead of time, prioritize your expenses, and consider traveling during off-peak seasons, you can most certainly have the best outdoor travel experiences without breaking the bank.
💰 Do you have any tricks up your sleeve to save money for traveling? Comment below!
Save it for later!
Yanitza is an avid adventurer with 15+ years of hiking experience and outdoor travel. As a PADI-certified scuba diver, she’s also passionate about ocean conservation. When she’s not exploring the great outdoors, Yanitza obsesses over The Vampire Diaries and dreams of traveling to Mallorca, Spain.