I CAN Travel, You CAN Travel TOO: 10 Tips on How to Travel Cheap

Because i love sharing my thoughts and experiences, below are some tips i listed on how I manage to travel cheap:

1. Plan Ahead of Time! This is really helpful because you can get Big discounts from airfares, hotels and tours. Months of preparation can really give you good deals on your planned destination. It always works for me. Best deals on plane tickets are booked 6months-1 year before date of travel. And in this way you can also SET a BUDGET or FUND for your travel.
2. Subscribe to Airline Companies. They send updates to your emails regularly. It's for FREE. Sometimes you get the privilege of being informed first before they Post Seat Sales or Promos on their Sites. (Locally you can subscribe to Cebupacific, Airasia, and PAL)
3. Being Nocturnal is Good! And that's said with conviction. Haha! Most Airline Companies announce PROMO fares during Midnight. So while most of the people are sound asleep, you get the the advantage to BOOK that DREAM destination at a very low price. While they are dreaming, you get a step closer to your dream. 
4. Reconnect with your Friends Living in the area. If you already have that specific destination in mind, try to think if you have friends living in or near the area. They can give you helpful tips about best and cheap hotels, restos and stuff. Some Locals know best. And if they are generous enough, they might let you stay in their place, the FREE things you can get sometimes! Now, that's a HUGE help on your budget. On some of my travels, I am adopted by my friends. I am so lucky to have such great friends! 
5. Choose DIY trip (Do-it-Yourself) Yes, travel tours can become costly sometimes. If you have TIME, i suggest you do your own research about the place. You will definitely save BIG BUCKS. I do DIY most of the time, not only because i can save but i can also choose the places i want. Furthermore, I can spend longer time on my favorite spots, no need to rush and I won't need to wait for other groups or fall in line. 
6. Travel with Friends. Remember the saying, The more the merrier... and I say PLUS the CHEAPER. Yes, you can save more when you travel as a group. Some destinations are quite expensive when you travel Solo. I love traveling Solo, but I also accept the fact that I also need to travel with a group sometimes. 
7. Research, Research, Research! If you know something about the place you are visiting, then you are a step ahead than those who don't do research. Now, what to research? Sadly, As tourists we cannot avoid some locals who try to take advantage of us. So I suggest you check on the regular rates in the area such as fares (taxi, motorcycle, bikes, boats, etc), rentals (e.g. Swimming or diving gears, etc) and souvenirs. In that way, you can haggle and avoid being taken advantage. It pays to be informed! 
8. Be COURTEOUS and KIND. Wherever you are know how to respect people, may it be a tourist or a local. In this way, you can get a lot of perks during your travel and really enjoy it. I DO this most of the time. In mostly all my travels I get the perks of getting some things for free or a favor from the locals and other fellow tourists and also get really big discounts on my purchases. Whenever I try to haggle on things, i always do it politely then luckily I get a Good DEAL. 
9. BUY in BULK. This is one technique i do whenever i want to get a good price for things i wanna purchase may it be on my travels or even on regular days. In most cases, they give you a good deal, if you haggle reasonably. So thinking of buying a souvenir? Next time buy in bulk, you might save more.
10. Be a COWBOY/COWGIRL (meaning, you don't pay much attention on fancy things and can stay or go anywhere). If you are this type of person, i guarantee, you can Go everywhere and get the BEST deals when traveling. Or in the travel world, they call it a Backpacker! Backpackers are people who love to travel but are on a tight budget. They get to explore almost all the places they want because they can sleep, eat and party anywhere. Sometimes you have to dump those fancy hotels, fancy restaurants and fancy parties in mind if you are on a tight budget BUT you really wanna go somewhere. Because simple things are the best. And there's also truth in saying the best things are free. 

So now, I Encourage you to Pack your Bags and Go! STOP dreaming and Make it Happen. Traveling is NOT ALWAYS LUCRATIVE, It is for Everyone. It just takes some Courage! And yes some planning too. 

All Set with my Traveling Shoes! Photo was taken before my trip to Bangkok, Thailand last 2012. 

How about you, what are your tips on traveling cheaply?