Explore budget travel stories

Go with a plan. Come back with a story. Discover iconic recommendations, insights and experiences curated by Lonely Planet contributors.

Continent:

Europe Asia North America South America Australia & Pacific Africa Middle East Caribbean Central America Antarctica

Category:

Adventure Art & Culture Beaches Budget Couples Events Family Food & Drink Outdoors Road Trips Sustainable Travel Travel Advice

Results (594)

Sleeping Bear Point - stock photo

May 1, 20238 min read

13 tips for visiting Michigan on a budget

855782772
Three friends laughing on a tandem bicycle on a boardwalk in Cape Town

Apr 22, 20235 min read

How to visit Cape Town on a budget

Woman Walking Towards Pile Gate Entrance to Old Town Dubrovnik - stock photo

Apr 15, 20237 min read

Dubrovnik on a budget: how to see Croatia's star city for less

GHANA - 2013/04/21: Tourists in the Shai Game Reserve near Accra, Ghana. (Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)
1211391144
african, west african, shai game reserve

Apr 11, 20235 min read

How to visit Ghana on a budget: save your cents with our top tips

Enjoyed the panoramic views from a nearby mountainside.

Mar 19, 20236 min read

11 of the best free things to do in Dubrovnik

Panama City / Panama - July 18 2019: Colourful Panama sign on Cinta Costera; Shutterstock ID 1735328903; your: ClaireNaylor; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online ed; full: Panama City free
1735328903

Mar 17, 20236 min read

10 of the best free (and nearly free) things to do in Panama City, Panama

Panama City Panama. March 2018. An ice cream seller in Panama City in Panama.; Shutterstock ID 1174033642; your: Claire Naylor; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online editorial; full: Panama City budget

Mar 11, 20237 min read

14 ways to see Panama City on a budget

Patriotic Cowboy boots in Nashville
829619400
patriotic

Mar 10, 20238 min read

Nashville for free: the 20 best things to do without touching your wallet

Train travel in summer. Young woman on rail trip in Europe. Railway passenger on journey to vacation destination. Girl looking out the window, sea view. Person sitting on subway bench alone.
1395175505
alone, departure, destination, european, female, girl, happy, holiday, interrail, itinerary, lady, lifestyle, metro, person, pretty, rail, railway, ride, sit, space, train, transport, trip, urban, vacation, view, woman, young

Feb 27, 20235 min read

Everything you need to know about Interrail passes in Europe

The Carmo Church was completed in 1768.
1150407531
igreja do carmo, carmo church, carmo, blue tile, our lady of carmo, church of our lady of carmo, carmelite church

Feb 3, 20234 min read

Spending diaries: What I spent on a cheap-ish weekend trip to Porto, Portugal

Back of a surf lifesaver looking towards the ocean at Bondi Beach, NSW, Australia
504589922
Obscured Face, Sea, High Angle View, New South Wales, Australia, ChoicePix - Do Not Delete, Sydney, Safety, Stationary, Lifeguard, One Person, People, Horizontal, Surfing, Bondi Beach, 2015, Photography, Full Length, Day, Color Image, Wave - Water

Jan 10, 20239 min read

Making the most of your Australian Working Holiday visa

Crowd gathers at Monastiraki Square at night with the ancient Acropolis in the background.
1193397715
acropolis, aerial, ancient, ancient greece, architecture, athena, athens, athens by night, athens from above, attraction, capital, city, cityscape, civilization, classical, destination, europe, evening, famous, greece, greek, hellas, hellenic, heritage, history, holiday, illuminated, landmark, landscape, light, megalopolis, monastiraki, monastiraki athens, monument, mosque, night, panorama, parthenon, plaka, rock, ruins, scenic, square, sunset, temple, tourism, touristic, travel, urban, vacation

Jan 4, 20237 min read

How to explore Athens for free

Zulu Crewe brass marching band in the New Orleans Mardi Gras parade.

Dec 3, 20227 min read

20 free things to do in New Orleans: experience the city on a budget

A stylish young couple seize the moment and snap a selfie together as they make their journey on the bus.

Dec 1, 20227 min read

Spain adds long-distance buses to its free train and transit journeys

A purple background with a white circle in the middle. Inside it says Under $25. Around the circle are images of an Ultimate US Travel book, a tin first aid kit, a green bottle in the shape of a bird and a journal.

Nov 15, 20225 min read

10 best gifts for travelers under $25 for 2022

September 14, 2017: Cyclists and a rollerblader on a path in Stanley Park during summer.

Oct 25, 202210 min read

The 25 best free experiences in Vancouver

Scenic Autumn road in the Adirondacks region of New York - Scenic road in the Adirondacks region of New York during the autumn foliage season

Oct 20, 20227 min read

Discover New England's highlights on this budget-friendly road trip

EPM0B4 Liverpool Central Library, Liverpool.

Sep 7, 20225 min read

How to visit Liverpool on a budget

CPXJJG Mexico, Jalisco State, Guadalajara, the cathedral

Aug 28, 20228 min read

Budget travel in Guadalajara: save pesos with these top tips

Walking in Souq Waqif, Doha, Qatar. Wearing vintage travel outfit, light brown fedora, linen shirt and carrying vintage suitcase. Feeling of adventure travel and nostalgia. Arabic, Middle Eastern set.; Shutterstock ID 1932801596; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online editorial; full: Qatar on a budget article

Aug 21, 20225 min read

Qatar on a budget: 11 tips and tricks to make your trip cheaper

People walk past the famous Port of Liverpool building in the sunshine

Aug 16, 20227 min read

The top free things to do in Liverpool: saving pounds around Penny Lane

Young couple laughing on the porch of their resort cabin in South Carolina

Aug 12, 20226 min read

South Carolina on a shoestring – how to enjoy the Palmetto state on a budget

Man and son canoeing on Lake Michigan at dusk.

Aug 11, 202210 min read

24 of the best free things to do in Michigan

FB6G1K People relaxing in the square (plaza) near the Metropolitana Caatedral (cathedral) in Guadalajara, Mexico

Aug 11, 20225 min read

Top 10 free things to do in Guadalajara - murals, mariachis, markets and more

A laughing woman feeds her partner a tortilla chip heaped with guacamole at a food truck

Aug 10, 20227 min read

The best way to see Massachusetts on a budget

Arizona, USA - January 24, 2014: A young male couple looking into the Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA.

Aug 10, 20226 min read

10 of the best free things to do in Arizona

Belfast, Northern Ireland,U.K - May 31, 2015: home baked bread on sell in St.George market.It is one of Belfast’s oldest attractions, was built between 1890 and 1896 and is one of the best markets in the UK and Ireland. It holds a market on Friday, Saturday and Sunday each week. The market sells a variety of products including food, clothes, books and antiques.

Aug 4, 20228 min read

10 budget ways to see Belfast: money-saving tips for the capital of Northern Ireland

Alex in Wernigerode

Aug 2, 20227 min read

How I traveled using Germany’s €9 travel pass: my 48-hour itinerary

South Cape Beach Mashpee

Jul 30, 20224 min read

The best ways to get around Cape Cod to avoid traffic and see the sights

GAP TRAIL - OHIOPYLE STATE PARK

Jul 28, 202216 min read

Finding a different tempo on a bike ride from Pittsburgh to Washington, DC

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA - April 10, 2015: Two people ride a tandem bicycle past a mural on the popular Canal Walk in Indianapolis, Indiana. The waterway is part of the historic Indiana Central Canal, constructed in the early 1800s.

Jul 26, 20225 min read

How to make the most of Indianapolis on a budget: top discounts and other money-saving tips

The Sunset at Belfast Castle; Shutterstock ID 1395661367; your: Tasmin Waby; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: Demand Project

Jul 26, 20228 min read

Top free things to do in Belfast from fictional worlds to historic murals

Lonely Planet senior news editor Melissa Yeager at the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela after finishing the Portuguese Way of the pilgrimage.

Jul 25, 202215 min read

Camino de Santiago: Here's my itinerary from two weeks walking the Portuguese Way

MYDYF7 Tucson, Arizona, USA downtown skyline with Sentinel Peak at dusk. (Mountaintop A for Arizona)

Jul 22, 20228 min read

Best free things to do in Tucson

A couple in the sun on Tenerife

Jul 18, 20228 min read

The best free things to do in Tenerife, from beach days to star-spangled nights

Exterior of the Nonnberg Abbey.

Jul 17, 20227 min read

Salzburg for free: how to live it up in the city of Mozart and Maria for nothing

A silhouetted couple watches the sunset at Rock Harbor on Cape Cod near Orleans, Massachusetts.

Jul 15, 20226 min read

The ultimate guide to visiting Cape Cod on a budget: discounts, savings and affordable activities

View from Miradouro Ignez

Jul 13, 20227 min read

Porto on a budget: from metro tickets to miradouros

Los Cabos, Mexico - Feb 2019 Euphoria is the experience of pleasure or excitement and intense feelings of well-being and happiness.

Jul 11, 20224 min read

Visit Los Cabos on the cheap: how to have a budget trip to one of Mexico's luxury destinations

Cape Cod has a reputation as an expensive stop, but there's plenty to do for free

Jun 29, 20228 min read

13 free things to do in Cape Cod (leaving more money for shopping and lobster rolls)

Food stalls in the evening market in Nahuizalco. El Salvador. Central America. (Photo by: Paolo Picciotto/REDA&CO/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Jun 28, 20227 min read

Why Central America is great for budget travelers

Aerial view of a woman in a red bathing suit, floating in Charco De La Laja in San Juan de la Rambla, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

Jun 21, 20228 min read

Discover Tenerife on a budget, from cheap hideaways to volcanic heights

A person walking on a city street in the old Le Panier district of Marseille, France, in the evening.

Jun 16, 20227 min read

Experience the allure of Marseille, for less

Woman walking in Porto against azulejos wall. Capela das Almas church, Portugal, Europe

Jun 15, 20226 min read

10 of the best free things to do in Porto: seaside strolls, street art and sunsets

Street Market Aligre in Paris

Jun 13, 20228 min read

I've authored more than 50 Lonely Planet guidebooks: my top recs for the best street food in Paris for 2022

Traffic passes colourful street art in Miami's Wynwood District.

Jun 10, 20226 min read

Florida fun for free: the Sunshine State’s most budget-friendly experiences

Rainbow Street Reykjavik Iceland - stock photo
Reykjavik, Iceland - July 5th, 2021: View up the famous Rainbow Street in Downtown Reykjavik Iceland. Halgrimskirka in the background. Reykjavik, Iceland, Northern Europe

Jun 8, 20225 min read

11 tips for stretching your dough in Reykjavík

A happy woman traveling, loading purple and blue bags into the car trunk. Close up smiling young woman packing / unpacking luggage from the car trunk. View from outside of the car.

Jun 3, 20226 min read

The best ways to experience Bend, Oregon, on a budget

Early morning at Stony Lake in Stokes State Forest New Jersey

Jun 2, 20223 min read

New Jersey's 2022 summer just got a major upgrade: free state parks - these are the best

Pjazza Jean De Valette, featuring a statue of the Grand Master of the Order of Malta, from which it takes its name..

May 22, 20226 min read

How to visit Malta on a budget: from cheap eats to scenic streets

One of Helsinki's uber-modern metro stations, Matinkyla Mattby.

May 6, 20228 min read

Getting around in Finland: a beginners’ guide

Happy girl on flamingo floating on clear water in Nice,France - stock photo

May 4, 20226 min read

How to enjoy Nice on a budget: the best transportation tickets, meal deals, and cheap experiences

Woman admiring the handmade rugs in Oaxaca valley, Mexico

May 1, 20226 min read

Oaxaca on a budget: how to eat and get cultured for less

Cityscape from Turin, First Italian Capital in the north west of the Country in Piedmont .Host of Eurovision 2022 and Winter Olympic Games 2006

Apr 28, 20225 min read

12 ways to visit Turin on a budget: daily costs, meal deals, and money-saving tips

Man with backpack enjoy panorama of the Turin. Amazing scenic view on Mole Antonelliana

Apr 28, 20228 min read

The best free things to do in Turin: stretch your euros even further with our top tips

A man sits on the snow with the Northern Lights in the sky on the North Sea shore.

Apr 26, 202210 min read

How to visit Finland on a budget (the only guide you’ll ever need)

Louisville is one of the best urban budget destinations in the USA

Apr 25, 20226 min read

How to visit Louisville on a budget

Two young men ride their mountain bikes down a singletrack trail in the Rocky Mountains of Canada. They are both riding enduro-style mountain bikes and are wearing hydration backpacks.

Apr 22, 20224 min read

7 easy tips for eco-friendly travel on a budget

Merchants Bridge by Whitby & Bird. The Beetham Tower (Hilton Tower) by Ian Simpson stands in the background.

Apr 21, 20227 min read

How to visit Manchester on a budget: from free transport to cheap eats

Summer sunset in Antarctica

Apr 14, 20225 min read

Getting a job in Antarctica may not be as impossible as you think

1
...
4
5
6
...
10

Explore More

Explore

Trips

Explore

Destinations

Shop

Books