During my semester abroad in Europe, I had a $2,000 travel budget to go to all of the places on my list over a period of five months. While this may sound like a lot of money, a budget is very necessary when you’re trying to make it through 11 cities in five different countries. Because of this, my travel partners and I stumbled upon many ways to decrease the cost of our various excursions. Here are some of the best tips and tricks we discovered for saving money during our travels:

1. Use Skyscanner, but don’t book your flight on the same device that you search for options. I booked lots of flights through Skyscanner, and it is a true money saver! However, when you search the same flight over and over, the website raises the price because it knows you are interested in booking. Therefore I recommend always searching flights on a different phone or computer than what you plan to book on. It sounds silly, but I’ve saved over $20 on flights this way before!
2. Clif bars are your best friend, especially when visiting a tourist city where food tends to be ridiculously expensive. I’ve made it for days on clif bars and trail mix. Splurging on unique cuisine once can be fun, but by bringing prepackaged food that’s high in protein and fiber you’ll save money AND have energy to explore.
3. Book excursions ahead of time. Websites like Viator and Lonely Planet sometimes offer deals and discounts that are only available online. If you have specific locations in mind for sightseeing ahead of time, I would highly recommend using one of these websites to book. Although spontaneity is fun, planning ahead can help out your wallet.
4. When traveling between cities, overnight buses and trains are the way to go. I won’t lie, overnight buses are not ideal. They’re usually either very hot or very cold, there’s no comfortable way to sleep and the bathrooms are disgusting beyond use. But by bussing overnight, you save yourself from paying for lodging AND transportation, and you don’t lose a day of exploring and sightseeing in transit.
5. Before searching for a hotel, check out hostels (hostelworld.com), Airbnb rentals and Couchsurfing options in the area. Not only is this a money saver, but it’s also a great way to meet people who also love to travel. I still keep in touch with some of the people I met at the hostel I stayed at in Seville, and I was also in an ideal location. Even when I do have the money for a five-star hotel, I’d opt for the alternative any day!
6. The best souvenirs are photographs. While it may be tempting to buy shirts, magnets and other such items, they load down your suitcase and empty out your wallet. While I usually find a few special treasures during my travels, my favorite keepsakes are the photos covering my walls of the memories that are uniquely mine.
7. Before taking a taxi, familiarize yourself with the area enough to sound like you know where you are. When taxi drivers know someone is from out of town, they tend to take the long way places in order to get more money. When I was studying abroad, I always made it a point to talk about key places and routes I knew so that the taxi driver assumed I knew where I was headed (even when I had no idea).
8. Map out your public transportation needs ahead of time. This one is important because in every city there are many times of public transportation passes. Sometimes an unlimited day or weekend pass saves money, especially if the city is spread out and public transportation is necessary to get from place to place. If walking is an option, however, it is sometimes better to only pay for the amount you absolutely need to get by.

By following these simple tips and tricks, you can save hundreds of dollars on your next adventure. What to do with the money you save? Pocket it and begin planning for the next trip before you even come home! While travel does have a cost, the memories you make on your journeys will be priceless. So get out there and see as much of the world as you can!