1) Choose a low budget destination
Your budget is limited, so better avoid destinations known for their high price tag, right? Well, that is not always true. Lets take for example Monaco – 3 nights for 2 people in a cheap hotel is about 800£ and…for apartment in first half of June. But there is cheaper option to visit it – just stay in France in the adjacent town of Beausoleil -although different countries, Monaco and Beausoleil are so “close” to each other that you don’t know where Monaco end and Beausoleil begins. So if you stay in Beausoleil, you will not need any transport to visit Monaco because it is so easy to visit on foot. The distance between the centre of Beausoleil and the centre of Monaco is less than 1 km! A double room in a cheap hotel is about 360£ for 3 nights in June.If you take apartment in Beausoleil for 3 nights for 2 people it will be only…And if you cook at the apartment, the food would be just the price regular French pay for groceries.
2) When searching a hotel in Booking.com set the price filter within your limit.
Very Logical advice, right? No, if you keep looking at the same hotels within your limited price range the chances are you you will go to the same average and unremarkable hotels over and over again. If you want something better, you should always push your limits. And pushing your limits doesn't mean spending your last savings on a luxury holiday or giving large amount of money Much out of your comfort zone for extravagant hotel. Pushing the limits mean finding hotels better than those you usually go to even if at higher price and then finding at least one of these fancy hotels at a price within your budget. It is easy – look at more expensive hotels in booking.com, let’s say with up to 50% higher than your original budget and make a list of the hotels you really want to stay at. Then go to the website of each of these hotels and you will find some of them cheaper. Moreover, hotel websites sometimes have offers not available at booking.com, for example option with Half Board when there is only Breakfast Board at booking.com.
Another option is finding hotels above your usual limit that you really like and then searching for better offers from the same hotels at different time of the year. Great differences in price are not only typical for beach destinations, but for big hotels too. For example many fancy hotels in London are cheaper in August when most people prefer beach destinations. If you want to spoil yourself for one night in luxurious hotel in London one of the best days of the year in Sunday before August back holiday. Then many great hotels reduced by 50%!
For example – Sunborn Yacht Hotel London – a double room is typically 260£ per night, 130£ when reduced
Tribe London Canary Wharf – 111£ when reduced, typically about 180-200£
Nhow London – hotel with unique “Royal” design – wide price range throught the year – no need to pay 400£ per night for a double room when you can the same room for 150£
Novotel London Canary Wharf – hotel with impressive view from the 35th floor – you can find it for 130£ per night for a double room, while it is often above 200£
Another way of reducing the regular price of a hotel stay is by finding discount code for the specific hotel chain and applying it at the hotel website. Let’s be honest - there are too many websites offering discount codes that don’t work, but it is still worth trying.
And less popular way of reducing the price of your hotel stay (even though very obvious one!). For example you are someone enjoying lazy beach holidays on half board or all inclusive basis in hotels with private beach, but the hotels that fit your requirements are a bit of your price range. Then splitting your holiday between 2 hotels is what you need – start your holiday in least expensive hotel for 2 or 3 nights and spend the rest in your prefer hotel. Especially if you arrive late in the night you don’t need a fancy hotel to sleep till noon next day. Use your time at the cheaper hotel to explore the town, shop, do sightseeing and enjoy street food. And then when you move to the other hotel you will have finished with these activities and can spend your time laying on the private beach, drinking cocktails and enjoying the buffet style dining. It is not about sacrificing part of your holiday, it is about optimising your hotel expenses depending on your activities. That is not a way to reduce the price of your holiday with a jaw-dropping amount, but it is a great way to save about 10% of the total cost of your trip. If you don’t rent a car, just be mindful to book hotels near each other or hotels with good public transport connection to avoid unnecessary taxi expenses.
3) Use packing cubes to save space in your luggage
While frequent travellers often recommend using packing cubes for travel, claiming they save space or provide structure to soft-sided luggage, this advice may not always hold true. In reality, most packing cubes are not compressible, can be expensive, and don't significantly enhance the structure of your travel bag.
A more effective alternative is to use PVC Clear Toiletry Makeup Bags, readily available on platforms like Temu. These bags offer several advantages:
They're waterproof, providing better protection for your belongings
They compress clothes more effectively than traditional packing cubes.
Their robust construction helps maintain the shape of your luggage.
The clear design allows you to easily see the contents of each bag.
They're remarkably affordable - a set of three different-sized bags often costs less than £1 when on promotion at Temu.
An added benefit is their versatility for the return journey. If you use these bags to store dirty clothes on your way back, they're easy to hand wash or can be quickly sanitised with a cotton pad soaked in 70% rubbing alcohol.
This solution offers a practical, cost-effective approach to organising your luggage while addressing the shortcomings of traditional packing cubes.
4) Invest in a high quality travel bag
One of the most common pieces of travel advice is to invest in an expensive travel bag, typically costing £150-200. While it's true that a high-end travel bag may offer better quality than a cheaper alternative, it's worth questioning whether this investment truly represents value for money. Let's consider the price of a bag that meets Ryanair's cabin baggage size restrictions (40cm x 25cm x 20cm). On platforms like Temu, you can often find bags of these exact dimensions for around £8. Similarly, Decathlon offers a slightly smaller bag (40cm x 23cm x 20cm) for just £6.
So, is a bag that's 20 times more expensive really worth the price? Even in a pessimistic scenario where a cheap travel bag lasts only two years (and from experience, they often last much longer), you'd need to use the expensive bag for 40 years to justify the "investment"! Moreover, even if the expensive bag could last that long, it's worth considering whether you'd actually continue using it for such an extended period. Fashions change, and you might be tempted to buy a new one long before the old one wears out.
This comparison raises important questions about the true value of high-end travel gear. While quality is important, it's crucial to balance this against practical considerations of cost and usage. For many travellers, a more affordable option may provide perfectly adequate functionality without the hefty price tag.
