Travelling the world is notoriously expensive, but if you want to see and do as many different things as possible, you must be careful with money. Even if you’re not a financial buff and have never clued up on trading terms or budgeted for anything in your life, you can still make your currency go further while on the road – here are some useful tips to bear in mind.

1. Fly into airports other than your destination

Believe it or not, sometimes it’s actually cheaper to fly into an airport that’s not at your destination of choice and get a train or bus to where you want to be. This may sound ludicrous, but if there’s a festival on in Brazil or Spain, for example, you can bet that plane prices will be hiked up by many airlines in a bid to cash in on big events. This isn’t always the case, but it is well worth doing your research just to make sure you’re getting the best deal possible.

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2. Avoid peak travel dates and times

Whether it’s the summer holidays or religious festivals, the cost of travel can differ at peak times of the year. For this reason, it’s a good idea to postpone your travels to when prices are normally reduced, such as in the winter when many travel companies do all they can to get people to use their services. You should also consider travel times as setting off during unsociable hours such as early morning or late at night will often bring costs down.

3. Make the most of hospitality and social media sites

While there are many reasonably priced hotels, apartments, caravan/camping sites and other forms of accommodation available these days, you can also reduce your costs by making the most of hospitality and social media sites such as Airbnb or Couchsurfing. While the former is an open marketplace which allows you to select somewhere suitable for a small fee, the latter offers a range of free places for people to not only sleep while they travel but to make friends too. It’s also a convenient way to mingle with the locals who may even give you some handy money-saving tips on where to go and what to see

Of course, the likes of Couchsurfing would probably not be your first port of call if you’re looking for luxury, but it has been dubbed a cost-effective solution for those who want to travel for a significant period of time without going over budget. Do pack light as some of these accommodation might not have the space to store your big luggage so instead of bringing a laptop to backup your photos, you can consider use cloud-based backup services. Online services such as CloudDesktopOnline.com and CloudAppsPortal.com will help you to keep a track of your important work emails and projects while traveling while also being very cost-effective.

4. Travel in groups

Unfortunately, travelling alone can be more expensive than if you set off with a partner or group of people. A one-bedded room can cost as much as a double, so if you want to avoid single supplements, it’s worth asking a friend if they want to come along on an adventure with you. And if there is a big group of you, look into getting apartments or suites as the price of these often work out cheaper than booking individual rooms.

5. Eat local cuisine

Often, you’ll find that local cuisine is both cheaper and tastier than food served up at more commercial restaurants. Sure, the eateries may seem rustic at best, but wait until the food arrives and you could be pleasantly surprised. Similarly, make an effort to shop at the local food stalls and markets, avoiding chain stores where possible as prices tend to be higher here and you could be damaging local trade. Self-catered accommodation could potentially save you cash too, especially if you’re willing to hunt around for affordable places to enjoy a bite to eat – which actually can be part of the fun.

Saving money while travelling the world is perfectly possible, you’ve just got to be a little savvy here and there.