How to Travel Like You Have No Money (Because You Don’t)

In case you think freelance writers get a ton of free trips to cool places … well, they do. But not always. More often, I’m left to cover my own expenses, which makes figuring out a budget an absolute necessity. Yuck. 

I always begin with excitement. Yeah! A trip! But by hour three, a throbbing headache has sapped all enthusiasm. So let me do you this favor. Let me give you a few ideas that may save you time (and pain) in your travel planning. 

a. Nice package. I recently blew two hours I’ll never get back cobbling together bed, car and air arrangements via different travel Web sites. Then I tried Travelocity’s package deals and saved an average of $60. So unless you really feel like punishing yourself, do the latter.

b. That’s so random. Don’t forget to add a budget line for food and incidentals. And always round up, not down. I save money on the road by picking up veggies at grocery stores to leaven my predominantly fast food diet. (I always do the double double at In N’ Out Burger. Mmmmm.)

c. Pitch as you plan. I wish I had a better formula. But once I budget air/bed/car and my random expense line, I know have a 24- to 48-hour window to pitch editors before those dollar figures go up. Most editors don’t get back to me in that time frame. But I usually gather enough work to cover expenses and then pick up other assignments later to make money from the trip. If you can’t find work to cover expenses in that 24 to 48-hour window, move on. Try new dates or a new location.