Looking for budget travel tips as a teacher? I’ve got you covered!
I am a full time teacher and I have traveled to 34 countries and 19 states over the past 8 years. I do this successfully by following budget travel tips that work best for me.
Teachers have 3 breaks per year, which means we can take at least 3 trips per year. In order to maximize our travel time, it’s important that we do so on a budget.
Thankfully, there are several budget travel tips that work great for teachers!
Some of my favorite budget travel tips for teachers are credit card points, flight tracking, accommodation flexibility, using teacher discounts, public transportation, free walking tours, free activities, and grocery shopping.
1. Credit Card Points
Credit card points are one of the quickest ways to rack of travel dollars fast. I have had free hotel stays this year from credit card points and this method definitely works, but it’s important to use this with caution.
You should never open too many cards at a time, and especially never make purchases that you do not have the money to pay off.
You will be spending much more money in the long run navigating yourself out of debt, and it’s just not worth it.
For details on how to choose the points credit card that is best for you, I recommend considering my upcoming travel e-book or course.
These provide a comprehensive break-down that I feel is best suited for a step by step course!
2. Flight Tracking
Flight tracking is the practice of researching flights and waiting to purchase until the flight has dropped to the cheapest price.
This doesn’t always work perfectly, but it’s one of the biggest game changers for me in booking affordable travel!
It’s super helpful to notice different trends and patterns in flight prices.
This is especially important for teachers, because we are always going to be purchasing our flights during peak travel times.
3. Accommodation Flexibility
It’s important to remain flexible while choosing your hotels and accommodations. It is not likely that 5 star hotels are going to fit the bill on every trip if you want to travel more.
One of my favorite way to save money on accommodation while traveling is staying in a private hostel room. Hostels are generally more budget-friendly, and staying in a private room ensures my privacy.
I always recommend researching hotels and hostels you are interested in.
When I was in Cappadocia, our luxurious cave hotel ended up being the same price as our hostel. Sometimes you just get lucky!
4. Teacher Discounts
There are so many teacher discounts offerred through various organizations.
The best places to begin finding teacher discounts are your union website, ISIC, or this ultimate teacher travel discount guide.
AFT and NEA (The two largest teacher unions in the United States) have several travel deals for members on their membership portal. These include discounts on airfare, hotels, car rentals, and more.
ISIC is the acronym for the organization that provides International Teacher ID Cards. This website is full of teacher travel discounts that you can receive accross the world.
5. Public Transportation
Utilizing public transportation while traveling is one of my favorite ways to immerse myself in a new city or town. It’s also extremely money-efficient and can save you big instead of always booking Ubers, Taxis, or car rentals.
There are some cities, like Chicago, where I do not recommend renting a car. You will save plenty of more money taking public transportation (and occasionally an Uber) than you will with parking prices and sitting in city traffic for a long time.
This is where it is super important to research your destination so you can learn if public transportation is a viable option in the area you are visiting.
6. Free Activities
You do not need to book the most expensive tours while you are traveling. If you are on a budget, there are so many options for fun activities that will not break the bank.
I recommend thoroughly researching the area you are visiting for the best free activities.
My favorite way to explore new cities is through enjoying the architecture. Walking around is free, so my favorite activity is free. Another example is that most of the museums in DC are free.
Most of the state parks in Illinois are free! There are so many free things to do no matter where you go.
7. Free Walking Tours
Free walking tours are one of my absolute favorite ways to get my bearings set in a new city. This is also one of my favorite solo travel tips for making friends in a new city while you are on your own.
Free walking tours should be reserved online in advance, but you don’t pay any money at the time of booking. Instead, you tip your guide at the end of the tour.
This can be between $5 and $20. I usually tip $5 or $10. I have tipped more if there were only two people on the entire tour and we were getting a totally customized experience.
8. Grocery Shopping
I didn’t realize that you could grocery shop while traveling! Of course it makes sense, because people grocery shop all over the world.
Most of us have a belief around vacations that they will be expensive. Because they cost a lot of money, vacations are difficult to afford.
However, simple tips like picking up groceries during your trip instead of going out to eat daily can save you big money.
Most hostels offer a shared, communal kitchen equipped with all your cooking essentials like pots and pans. Visitors are responsible for cleaning up their own mass and all of their utensils on the honor system.
Conclusion
Learning money-saving tips for traveling can make your adventures more affordable and enjoyable.
By booking free walking tours and tipping your guides, you can experience the city without breaking the bank.
Additionally, grocery shopping instead of eating out daily can save you significant money, especially when staying in hostels with communal kitchens.
With these budget travel tips, you can enjoy travel on your teacher’s salary and hopefully be able to take many trips per year. Happy travels!
