If you are traveling on a budget, booking the right accommodation for your stay can save you a lot of money. Today I will share our best travel tip that we practice for years now when going on holidays.
Packing light and cooking your own food are the ultimate secrets to keeping travel costs from spiraling out of control. When accommodation provides kitchen space and laundry room, it is not only practical, but also saves you money.
That’s why booking an apartment, a guesthouse or a hostel with shared kitchen facilities does more than just give you a place to rest your head. It helps you with some of the biggest budget drains on any trip: dining out and airline baggage fees, if you have access to certain facilities.
The Kitchen
Eating out three meals a day adds up faster than almost any other travel expense. Having a kitchen available helps you avoid expensive tourist-trap restaurants and explore local markets, getting your own groceries and cooking for yourself. Grabbing fresh produce, regional cheeses and maybe even trying local ingredients for breakfast or dinner not only saves you a significant amount of money, but it also offers an authentic slice of everyday life. You still get to enjoy a nice restaurant meal when you really want to, rather than rely on eating out everyday out of sheer convenience or hunger.
The Laundry
Many of these same kitchen equipped spaces also come with access to a washing machine and dryer (or at least a washing line). This minor amenity is a total game changer for packing light. Instead of dragging a heavy suitcase that can trigger steep airline baggage fees and checked bag charges, you can pack a wardrobe for a week and simply wash your clothes halfway through the trip. Even if the place you stay at doesn’t give you access to washing machine, I would pack light and wash my clothes during the trip.
How to Find Them
When searching on platforms like Airbnb, Booking.com or specialized hostel sites, use filters to specifically check boxes for “kitchen” and “washer.” Always read the fine print to confirm whether the washing machine is in-unit or shared on the property. Some of those accommodations provide basics you need, such as laundry detergent. Just to be safe, when we travel, we always take a small amount from our house, so we don’t have to buy it during our trips.
What other budget friendly tips do you usually rely on when planning your trips? Let me know!
Till next time,
xoxo,
Aleksandra
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