Budget & Solo
Plan a trip on a budget, handle money abroad, and travel alone with confidence, with cost data, rail passes and government safety advice for solo and women travellers.
Work out what your trip needs, then decide how you will pay, move around and stay in touch. For stays and getting around, see Accommodation and Travel; to check a site before paying, run these checks.
Plan a budget
Decide what matters most to you, then see what the place you are going to costs day to day.
- Wikivoyage: Budget travel — Free, community-written guide to lowering the cost of transport, lodging, food and activities
- Numbeo cost of living — Crowdsourced prices for everyday items in thousands of cities, comparable side by side
- Interrail — Rail passes for Europe, sold by a company owned by European railways. Compare a pass against single tickets for your own route
Money abroad
Ask your bank about foreign transaction and ATM fees before you leave, and carry more than one way to pay. The Plan & Pack page lists a currency converter for checking exchange rates.
- FDIC: Travel Tips, Bon Voyage — The US bank regulator’s advice on cards, ATMs, fees and keeping your money safe on a trip
Getting around and staying for less
Compare flights, trains, buses and stays on more than one site, and read the cancellation terms before you pay. The Travel page lists flight search, train and bus planners, and a short budget travel section. The Accommodation page covers hostels, house sitting and stays with locals, including member-run hostel networks.
Solo travel
New Zealand’s SafeTravel advises researching safe areas, dress codes and attitudes to gender before you go, and giving someone at home your itinerary, accommodation details and insurance policy. It calls booking your first night a good idea. Australia’s Smartraveller advises women not to advertise that they are travelling alone, and not to leave a drink unattended.
- Wikivoyage: Solo travel — Community-written overview of the advantages, drawbacks, meeting people and staying safe alone
- SafeTravel (New Zealand): women and people travelling alone — New Zealand government tips on registering your travel, research, accommodation and keeping in touch
- Smartraveller: travel safety for women — Australian government advice on safe transport, accommodation and being social safely
- Wikivoyage: Tips for women travellers — Community-written advice on making friends, staying healthy and staying safe
Meet people on the road
The Accommodation page lists Hostelworld and Couchsurfing, both of which have ways to meet other travellers. Interest groups are another way in.
- Meetup — Find local interest groups and events in the city you are visiting
Before you go
Read your own government’s advice for each destination on the Safety page, and see how to read government travel advice. Whether you travel alone or not, check that your insurance covers your whole trip.