That small matter of keeping to a budget is something that appears to baffle most backpackers when they head off around the world. Keeping to a budget however isn’t all that difficult. With a little bit of planning and a whole lot of discipline, you might be surprised at just how little you can get by on while backpacking. Should you be heading off soon and would prefer not to end up broke on some tropical beach, calling your parents for money, here are six tips well worth taking note of.

Spend Less on Alcohol

Of course, one of the easiest ways to save a hell of a lot of money would be to simply quit drinking. But unfortunately, for many backpackers, the ability to party is simply not something that they are prepared to give up. It is however possible to party without blowing your budget.

Many hostels make the ideal location to drink and meet new people and as you are only paying supermarket prices for your drinks, you can easily have a wild night that costs practically nothing. And when you do go out, remember that you don’t need to head to the most expensive clubs and bars to experience a city. You should aim to drink where the students drink.

Hostels aren’t the Only Option

When it comes to budget accommodation options, hostels are of course the first thing that comes to mind. Many backpackers seem to forget however, that they’re are other options.

• Couchsurfing.com can be used to sleep on people’s couches, floors and even beds, completely free of charge.
• Sites such as helpx.net allow you to put in a few hours work for some food and a place to sleep.
• Whenever you find yourself with an early flight or train, don’t be afraid to catch a bit of sleep at the airport or train station. Sleepinginairports.net offers all the information you will need.

Bring Something with Wi-fi

Regardless of how tight your budget is, you are always going to need to get online. Not only are Skype and Facebook the cheapest way to keep in touch with people back home, but almost all types of travel plans nowadays are researched and reserved online.

For these reasons, you should never head off without some kind of wi-fi enabled device. It doesn’t matter if you are using a smart phone, a netbook or an Ipad, you just need to be able to pick up the signal. Having such a device with you ensures that you will never have to pay more than the price of a cup of coffee to get online.

Choose Your Destinations Wisely

There are many expensive countries in the world that are well worth the visit, but if you want to stick to your budget, you should keep your time in such countries to a minimum. If your funds are limited you really need to consider where your money will go the furthest. Remember that you could spend a month in Thailand for the same price as a week in Japan. And if there’s an expensive destination that you simply can’t miss out on, you should  always schedule it towards the end of your trip, rather than the beginning.

Don’t Take Taxis

There’s nothing worse for a tight budget than getting ripped off and one of the easiest ways to get ripped off while abroad is to get into a taxi. Unfortunately, the fact that you don’t speak the local language and the fact that you have a backpack on your back is all that most taxi drivers need to charge you two to ten times the correct fare. Therefore wherever possible, always take the bus, the train or your own two feet.

Do Your Research

Finally, one of the best ways to save significant sums of money while traveling is to simply research the options that are out there. A few hours on the internet here and there can really stretch just about any budget, particularly in the following areas.

• Almost all excursions are offered by more than one company for more than one price.
• The cost of attractions often varies drastically depending on both the time and the day that you go.
• When it comes to getting from A to B, there are always a number of different ways to do so.
• Even the cost of the same hostel can vary depending upon whether you book it with hostelworld.com or hostelbookers.com.

Dillon Michaelson is an active bloggers who writes on travelling and finance. He uses United Airlines for long and short journey.