Cheap travel tips: flights, rail passes, food and saving on card fees

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Travelling cheaply is less about hunting one perfect deal and more about a set of habits: being flexible, avoiding the most expensive days, and not leaking money on fees. These are the ones that save the most.

Flights

Be flexible with dates. Use the calendar or month view in flight search tools to see a whole month of fares at once. Moving a trip by a day or two can change the price a lot.
Be flexible with airports. Check nearby airports at both ends, and the cost of getting from each one into the city.
Avoid peak days. Fridays and Sundays, school holidays and national holidays at your destination are usually the most expensive.
Set price alerts instead of checking every day.
Read what is included. Low-cost fares often exclude cabin bags, checked bags and seat choice. Compare the total, not the headline fare.
Book directly with the airline when the price is similar. Changes and refunds are simpler.

Travel off peak

The shoulder seasons, just before and after the busy period, often bring lower prices for flights and rooms, smaller crowds and still good weather. Check local holiday calendars too: travelling during another country's big holidays can mean full trains, closed restaurants and high prices.

Trains: passes versus single tickets

Rail passes can be excellent value, or a waste. Before buying one:

List the journeys you will actually take.
Price them as single tickets, including advance-purchase fares, which are often far cheaper than walk-up prices.
Compare with the pass, including any seat reservation fees the pass does not cover.

Passes tend to win for many long journeys in a short time, and lose for a slow trip with a few hops. Also compare coaches, which are often much cheaper on the same routes.

Accommodation

Hostels with private rooms, guesthouses and apartments with a kitchen all cut costs.
Stay one or two stops outside the centre on a good transport line.
Check the total including cleaning and service fees, which some booking sites add late.

Eating cheaply

Make lunch the main meal: many restaurants offer set lunches much cheaper than the same food at dinner.
Eat where locals eat: markets, food halls, bakeries and street food.
Supermarkets are good for breakfast, picnics and snacks; convenience store meals in parts of Asia are good and cheap.
Carry a refillable water bottle where tap water is safe.
Avoid restaurants with touts outside or menus in many languages next to major sights.

Free things to do

Free walking tours run in many cities. They are tip-based, so budget a fair tip for a good guide.
Many museums have free days or free evenings; check their websites.
Parks, markets, viewpoints, beaches, hikes and religious buildings are often free.
City tourist offices list free events.

Money and card fees

Fees quietly add up on a long trip.

Look for a card with no foreign transaction fee. Many banks and app-based providers offer them. Read the terms for ATM withdrawal fees and limits.
When a card machine or ATM asks whether to pay in your home currency or the local currency, choose local. The home-currency option (dynamic currency conversion) usually comes with a worse exchange rate.
Avoid changing cash at airports, where rates are usually poor.
Carry two cards from different providers, kept separately, in case one is blocked or lost.

Other small savings

An eSIM or local SIM is usually cheaper than roaming.
City transport cards or day passes beat single fares if you ride often.
Travel insurance is not where to save: one hospital visit abroad can cost more than the whole trip.

What is your best money-saving travel habit? Share it, or ask about your own trip, in the comments.