Our savings tricks for cheap travel at a glance
We have summarised our personal tips and tricks for cheap travel and a holiday for little money. Have fun with our travel hacks.
Maldives cheap? It's possible: with our money-saving tricks
book expensive destinations cheaply - Maldives money-saving tip
Tent instead of room - camping
Book bargain holidays via portals
choose unfavourable flight times and save
Take a good and inexpensive holiday in Germany
Holiday against hand
House and pet sitting
work and travel
cheaper means of transport
Buy a car and moped instead of renting
Second-City instead of capital city
beach club instead of 5-star hotel
avoid high baggage fees on domestic flights
1. go on holiday in cheap travel countries
To travel really cheaply, you should go on holiday to a country where the cost of living is low. This will immediately reduce your travel costs for hotel, restaurant, rental car, entrance fees, tips, etc.
20 cheapest countries to travel to
Here I present 20 cheap travel countries. Due to the often high travel costs, long-distance destinations are of course only worthwhile if you are travelling for several weeks or more.
Egypt
Albania
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Georgia
Greece
India
Indonesia
Croatia
Morocco
Montenegro
Nepal
Poland
Romania
Sri Lanka
Czech Republic
Hungary
Thailand
Turkey
Vietnam
If you travel to a country outside the euro zone, you can even benefit from a favourable exchange rate - especially if the currency of your destination is under pressure and the euro is comparatively strong. This savings trick also works with expensive travel countries such as the USA or Canada (if the euro is weak, however, your trip to these countries will be more expensive).
2. visit expensive destinations cheaply - savings tip for the Maldives 
The Maldives - a holiday paradise
Cheap travel is not exactly what the Maldives are known for. They are one of the most expensive destinations in the world, and the luxurious water bungalows on the barefoot islands quickly eat up an entire year's travel budget in just one week's holiday. If, on the other hand, you choose a local island, i.e. an island inhabited by locals, you can enjoy a cheap holiday in the Maldives.
If you choose the island of Fulidhoo, for example, and stay in a small guesthouse like the Kinan Hotel, you won't have far to go for cheap local food. For example, you can enjoy a delicious meal at Thundi Seaview and watch rays, turtles and other animals from the exciting underwater world from the jetty in the evening.
Tip for cheap travel: The best way to reach the local islands is by speedboat instead of the expensive seaplanes that mainly fly to the hotel islands in the Maldives. From here you can easily go on excursions and snorkelling tours without staying in one of the luxury hotels.
3. tent instead of room - cheap travel 
With a tent on the beach on Kauaii - we won't soon forget this time.
Camping is not per se a cheap way to travel, because nice pitches near the city or the beach are usually at least as expensive as an average hotel room. If you have the option of wild camping, however, things look quite different.
That's what Biggi and Flo did in Hawaii, for example. If camping is allowed, you can save money on your trip to expensive destinations by choosing where to sleep. The starry sky or the sound of the sea are free of charge. On Kauaii - one of the Hawaiian Islands - you can stay right on the beach.
But always check whether wild camping or free standing with a car or van is allowed. Some countries impose heavy fines if you break the law, especially in specially protected national parks or near tourist attractions.
In our extra article you can read all about camping in Slovenia, camping in Portugal, camping in Poland, camping in Croatia, camping in Greece and camping in Germany.
You can also find the best tips for camping by the lake on our website.
4. book bargain holidays via portals
Another way to save money is to book bargain holidays through holiday portals. But beware: if you change the flight times or the travel period, the trips that seem cheap at first glance usually become much more expensive.
If you are lucky that your favourite destination is among the current offers, you can book a cheap holiday this way. My tip: Think carefully about what you want beforehand and only book offers that at least roughly match your expectations, so you don't have to expect any extra costs.
Bargain portals for cheap travel and flights are, for example:
Ab-in-den-Urlaub.de
Aldi-Reisen
Check24
Expedia
Fluege.de
FTI
Holidaycheck
Lastminute.de
Lidl-Reisen
Swoodoo
Way.de
5. book cheap rental cars
If you need a rental car on holiday, you can also save a lot when booking. Car rental portals can save you a lot of money on longer trips. However, make sure you have a good insurance package - otherwise you could be in for an expensive awakening in the event of damage.
You can find cheap rental cars at:
Billiger-Mietwagen.de ( compare car rental prices here*)
Check24 (mietwagen.check24.de)
Idealo.de (mietwagen.idealo.de)
6. choose unfavourable flight times
Unfavourable flight times at the beginning or end of a trip can mean losing one or two days of your holiday if you arrive late in the evening or have to leave early in the morning.
However, if the flight is much cheaper, it may be worthwhile to accept a late arrival and early departure and book one or two extra nights in a hotel instead. This way you won't lose any travel time and you'll have made a clever holiday bargain on top of it all.
7. make a good and cheap holiday in Germany
Yes, home is also beautiful and there is a lot to explore. If you have your own car or motorbike, you will findmany routes and regions in Germany that are suitable for a road trip. Biggi and Flo spent 14 days exploring Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and put together the perfect route for you.
With children, you can visit all the places in the Lübeck Bay on a mini-road trip without stress, even in just one day. Or you can head off to the 100 most beautiful places in Germany. Some of the sights are sure to be in your area, so you can travel cheaply from home.
We've already created a great road trip through Germany for you and driven it. You'll also find great camping options here. On the Moselle, for example, you can often camp right on the water.
8. travel cheaply with holidays against your hand
It's really not difficult to travel cheaply and get around the world. A holiday in exchange for a hand is also a well-known savings trick. At the same time, you get in touch with nice people and quickly find a local connection. You pay with your skills or talents by helping out at your holiday destination. But don't worry, you'll have plenty of free time.
Most of the time you can live and eat for free, and sometimes your host will provide you with a means of transport such as a car or a moped if there are no good public transport connections on site. In addition to manual work, babysitting or teaching children are also an option to take a holiday in exchange for handouts and thus travel cheaply.
Tip for travelling cheaply: It is best to make arrangements about how many hours you have to work per day and what you will get in return before you arrive.
9. house and/or pet sitting
House sitting is another popular option. You either take care of a house or an animal or both and get to live there for free. Practical, isn't it?
You can find suitable options via internet portals or Facebook groups where users search for and find each other. Another option is a house swap. You make your flat or house available to someone and in return you get to live with him or her at the same time.
10 Work & Travel 
We did volunteer work in Dominica and helped clean up the jungle.
If you are still young enough and want to explore expensive destinations like Australia or New Zealand, you can apply for Work & Travel. For Work & Travel you have to be at least 18 years old and there is a limit of 30 years.
Usually, Work & Travelers can only stay in a country for 6 months. However, you can only apply for this type of cheap long-term travel once in a country.
This means that if you want to travel longer or even do a world tour with Work & Travel, you have to apply every 6 months in countries like Australia, New Zealand or Canada.
This type of cheap travel is especially popular in Downunder and long-term visas are issued for it. Besides, you improve your travel budget and get in touch with the locals. There is almost no better chance to make authentic local contacts.
11. switch to a cheaper means of transport
Especially in expensive destinations, the more expensive options are offered to travel from A to B as comfortably as possible. In most cases, there is a cheaper option that may take a few minutes longer but promises a little more adventure. One of my favourite examples is the islands in the South Seas.
Expensive propeller planes are available for island hopping. No sooner do they take off than they start descending again. At the same time, cargo ships run between the islands and also offer tickets for pedestrians. The distances are short, so you don't lose much travel time, because the time for check-in and baggage check-in at the airport is eliminated.
12. buy a car or moped instead of renting
You can travel cheaply if you avoid expensive transport costs. Are you planning a longer trip or will you be travelling for several months? Then it is often worth buying a vehicle instead of renting it for a lot of money.
Plan a few days after your arrival and take advantage of the opportunity. In South America, it is not really complicated to travel several countries with your own car. In Australia, you can also buy a van or camper and then sell it again.
Tip for cheap travel: Facebook groups for world or long-term travellers are a good option. Here you can always find good deals when travellers part with their vehicles.
13. second city instead of capital 
Porto offers you beautiful motifs - like here the Ribeiras waterfront promenade onto the Ponte de Dom Luís.
You love city trips? Great, me too. Instead of the usually expensive and hyped capital, I have at some point opted to visit cities that at first seem unremarkable. Accommodation, food and travel are usually far more affordable, and the travel experiences at less crowded destinations are usually nicer. So travelling cheaply doesn't mean having to sacrifice anything.
If you want to visit the Baltic States, why not skip Riga or Tallinn and plan a visit to Vilnius in Lithuania? It doesn't necessarily have to be Lisbon? My heart beats for the sights in Porto.
Beach club instead of 5-star hotel
If you spend a lot of time in a hotel on your trip, it makes sense to opt for high-quality accommodation. However, if you are mainly exploring and only use your room for sleeping, then a budget hotel will suffice without compromising on cleanliness.
If you still want to enjoy a pool area, drink a cocktail at the bar and relax on the sun lounger all day, then a beach club is the right place for you.
You pay an entrance fee for the location - but only if you actually use it. Sometimes there are rules such as minimum consumption. In the low season, you might even be lucky and the use of the pool and surroundings is not subject to any conditions.
Avoid high baggage fees on domestic flights.
While airlines often have generous baggage allowances for long-haul flights, they usually charge high fees for short domestic flights. Especially if you want to check in a piece of luggage in addition to your handbag.
On a round trip without changing countries, it is therefore a good idea to send your belongings by post. I do this regularly in Thailand and simply send my suitcase in a package to the accommodation when I go on holiday.
Tip for cheap travel: It's best to inform the hotel reception or the management of your booked flat, then nothing can go wrong and your luggage will be ready for collection when you arrive.
These were a few of my tips for saving money on holiday. I hope you can take away some inspiration and travel cheaply soon.