8 Practical Tips On How To Enjoy Luxury Travel On A Budget
Can you enjoy luxury travel on a budget? Well, yes! You can design your trip in such a fashion that you can indulge in all the luxurious pleasures without spending much. It’s time to break the myth that you need to spend oodles of money to enjoy luxury travel. Travel is a skill. You need to learn a lot of things over the period of time that would help you plan your travels better.
Luxury and comfort are looked down upon by some travelers. Well, in my opinion, experiencing a place ostentatiously is also a meaningful way of travel. There are places, such as Ladakh, Sikkim and the rest of Northeast India, which are better explored with just the basics. But, places like Rajasthan and Goa are best experienced in a flamboyant style.
The true, meaningful luxury is for everyone.
The kind of luxury that intimidates you is the mindless luxury – the luxury that doesn’t make much sense. You just spend money, but the pleasure doesn’t stay with you for very long. The mindless luxury doesn’t really give you experiences. On the contrary, the meaningful luxury gives you experiences that stay with you.
You can afford to stay in a premium hotel, dine at fancy restaurants and hire a private taxi for your excursions. The travel tips that I’m going to share with you in this post are based on my years of experience as a traveler. I have experienced all kinds of travels – budget and luxury travel, planned and impromptu travel, quick trips and long (and slow) travel. I have come to realize that if you plan your travel carefully and skillfully, you can savor luxury on your travel platter even with a limited budget.
How To Enjoy Luxury Travel On A Budget
Travel in the off-season
Traveling in the off-season is the smartest way to travel. In fact, you should never travel in the tourist season or the busy season unless you want to experience the touristic buzz of the destination in question. There are so many good deals going on during the lean season, such as the discount on flights, hotels and experiences. I have enjoyed luxury/premium stays at half the rates in low seasons quite a few times.
Also read: Himalaica Luxury Homestay – Your Home In The Kumaon Hills
Book in advance, plan ahead
The earlier you plan, the more choices you have. You should always have plenteous time to do your research on flight and hotel deals. Whether you are planning domestic travel or international travel, planning at least 5-6 months in advance helps you grab the best deals possible.
Look out for deals and offers
You should always keep an eye on deals and offers from different travel brands. Although it’s not fun to receive promotional emails in your inbox, there are chances to receive some exclusive discount deals from hotels, airlines and various third-party websites. So, subscribing to receive ‘deals alert’ is not really a bad idea.
Earn cashbacks and reward points
Frequent travelers earn quite a lot of reward points on their travels, which helps them secure free travel sometimes. There are so many flight deals available these days where you can collect a lot of cashback for yourself and use it to buy a ticket later. So, your accumulated points and cashback can play a big role in materializing a luxury trip.
Know where to splurge and where to show restraint
I think it’s one of the most important points, and it’s something that I have been practicing ever since I started traveling – you should always prioritize what you want to spend your money on. If you want to enjoy a comfy stay in a premium property, you might have to cut down on other low-value activities, such as hiring a private taxi to visit all the tourist attractions. I’d say it’s better to use public transport if it’s good and utilize that money somewhere else, where you get more value. There’s no need to tick off all the tourist attractions just because you have to. Do things that you want to do, and not what others expect you to do.
Avoid shopping totally
Shopping is a totally bad idea on your travels. If you ask me, you can never enjoy a trip to the fullest with shopping on your mind. So, shrug it off. You can save lots of money for a more valuable luxury experience, which would stay in your memory forever. Sailing on a luxury yacht with the wind in your hair and an open blue sky and ocean for sight is certainly more valuable than picking up stuff that is of little or no value after a while.
Make it a short trip
If you have a small travel budget, you can plan a short ‘luxury focused’ trip. You can either use your entire money on a weeklong budget trip or you can keep the trip short and splurge. The idea is to experience luxury even if it’s a short trip.
Travel with like-minded people and share the expenses
You can also travel luxuriously by sharing expenses with like-minded companions. Except for the flight fare, you can share all your travel expenses (hotel, food and local transport) with your fellow traveler(s). I think it’s one of the best ways to have a sumptuous trip without spending too much.
Do you like luxury travel? What would you suggest to enjoy a luxurious trip on a budget?
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