10 Best Rules to Save Money for Solo Travelers

Solo traveling can be a life-changing moment for many. As you wander the beauty of green lush forest and Himalayas alone, you discover the meaning of life. Unfortunately, solo traveling is also quite expensive. Transportation costs and hotel costs can make backpacking solo traveling a nightmare. But there are some simple easy tricks and trips for saving money as solo travelers. Let’s Begin!!!

Travel agency

It’s a common miss-belief that the travel agency charges you a lot of extra money. But when you are traveling to unknown lands, the travel agency can get your hotels and transportation at a lower price. Travel agency either mixes you with another group of people or use their years of contact to make cheap bookings. This rule is mostly applicable to foreign nationals where you have language issues. Owners charge more to foreigners even for the exact same facility.

Compare and compromise

The travel packages by the local agency to Kalinchowk, Muktinath, Pokhara, and other popular places are available at cheap rates for Nepalese solo travelers. On other hand, trekking to the Himalayan region like Annapurna and Everest is expensive. So compare your destination and make a necessary compromise.

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Booking in advance

As a solo traveler, you have to arrange many kinds of stuff in advance. If you are waiting for the last minute, you might have to pay high for plane tickets, or need to book a vehicle all by yourself. Advance booking of hotel, spa, adventurous activity, etc will not just make the travel cheap, it also keeps you secure. But in the case of Nepal, airfare for domestic flights is lower when you book it at the last minute ( you decide if it’s worth the risk).

Adopt traveling food hacks

As a solo traveler, you will not be able to share your food and restaurant bill. So you should order the exact amount of food you need for your body. You can also adopt traveling food hacks- carry tea bags to make your tea, make instant coffee/ juice, and carry chocolate bars for energy. You are on budget trips for a few days, you might also carry bread and jam (totally saves breakfast money). Maybe you can carry some biscuits and noodles for lunch as well.

Buy nothing

Any basic essentials are expensive in popular touristic places. You might want to pack soaps, shampoo, towel, and all other essentials. But none of these goods or any clothes and shoes during your journey. Especially when you travel to higher-altitude (like the base camp), you cannot afford to buy anything- the costs can rise up to 10 times.

Rent trekking gear

If this is a one-time thing, you might consider renting trekking gears like sleeping bags, down jackets, mats, etc. These gears totally depend on your traveling destination. So do some research before you calculate your solo traveling budget.

 Pack wisely

The nature of your packing can determine your travel costs. In the higher altitude regions of Nepal, you pay to charge your electric device. So get some extra batteries to save those costs. You also need to pay for hot water, so maybe you can carry an electric heating bottle. Sometimes, you can carry a water purification tablet and reduce the costs of buying mineral water.

Meet fellow travelers

Yes, I understand that the whole point of solo traveling is to be alone on the journey. But being friends with other travelers doesn’t necessarily mean you should walk together. You can just keep their contact and be together when you enter the hotels or get a vehicle/ cab together. Walking inside a hotel as a group will reduce your room costs. The same rule applies when you get tickets to some heritage, adventure sports, and vehicles.

Make friends with local people

 It will be awesome if you can be friends with local people in the region you travel to. They can introduce you to a lot of cheap hotels, restaurants, and hang out places in the area. As a Nepalese, being friends with locals will not be difficult due to similar language and cultural background.

Hire guide-cum-porter

As a solo traveler, getting both guide and porter is expensive. Nepalese solo travelers can hire guide-cum-porter who can speak both Nepali and English language for an easy and smooth trek. With guide-cum-porter, you don’t have to carry your bag and also shouldn’t worry about being lost.

Summing Up,

There you go, we have added all easy hacks to make your journey easier and cheaper. Enjoy solo traveling to any part of the world as you save your money.

Happy traveling!!

Related Article: Tips for Traveling Around Nepal

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