I grew up thinking that travel is incredibly expensive. After all, you only have to open Instagram for a few seconds to see countless images of private yachts and villas by the ocean.
But then I realized something: everything I thought I knew was a lie. “Travel is expensive” was just an excuse I frequently told myself to feel better about staying in one place all the time. The truth is that I didn’t even bother finding ways to make it more affordable.
Here are several strategies that you can use to travel around the West Coast on a budget:
Find Ways To Reduce Your Grocery Expenses
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American household spends about $3,000 a year dining out. That’s a lot of money to spend on restaurants and takeout (especially if you already have a tight budget).
Restaurants in large cities around the west coast can be pricey. With the average cost of a meal at approximately $20 per person, dining out all the time will inevitably result in travel being extremely unaffordable. However, traveling around the west coast (or any other part of the country) doesn’t have to be expensive.
Get food at dollar stores if you want to save money. They often sell the same refreshments as Walmart or any other grocery store. Honestly, it’s pretty incredible how much you can get at the dollar store. So instead of paying $20 for some food and drink, you'd probably pay $5.
Use Alternative Methods Of Transportation
It’s no secret that domestic travel in the west coast can be incredibly expensive. For example, a flight from Seattle to Los Angeles will typically (including baggage fees). Meanwhile, in Europe, you can often get a flight from one country to another for less than $50.
If you want to travel around the west coast on a budget, it’s a good idea to find alternative methods of transportation. Sure, it might take longer to travel somewhere by bus or train (in comparison to flying). But it's much cheaper.