How to Travel if You Have Wanderlust but Very Little Money

You may have heard the term “wanderlust” before. If you sometimes feel like quitting your job, selling all your belongings, and hitting the open road, then you probably have it. You might read books like On the Road and think the nomadic life sounds romantic and wonderful. 

You shouldn’t quit your job, and hitchhiking presents more than a few dangers, so you should also avoid that. However, if you have wanderlust, it’s probably fine if you travel sometimes, assuming you’re not neglecting familial obligations when you do it.

What about if you don’t have much money, though? Can you satisfy your desire to see far-off places if you don’t have much of a nest egg? 

Transforming your life with a personal injury settlement or some other unexpected windfall certainly remains possible, but things don’t often work out that way. Let’s talk about some other ways you can scratch the itch if you feel like traveling and don’t have very much money. 

Travel in the Middle of the Week

Let’s say you’d like to visit somewhere you’ve never seen before. You have some time off from work, or maybe you’re unemployed at the moment. You have a little money, but not very much. 

If so, look into flights during the middle of the week. If you fly somewhere on a Tuesday or Wednesday, that usually won’t cost as much as flying on a Friday. 

The days that you fly really do matter to an airline. They will always have busy travel days, and avoiding them can save you hundreds of dollars or even thousands in some instances.

Look Into Discount Airlines

You can also look into a discount airline if you want to fly somewhere to satisfy your wanderlust but don’t have much cash for the trip. Airline companies like Spirit, Frontier, Sun Country, or Southwest will often give you much cheaper options than some of the larger and more reputable brands.

Understand that if you get a discount plane ticket, you will fly with virtually no thrills. You’d better bring a book and some snacks because you likely won’t have any in-flight movies or food options while you’re in the air. 

Look at Rideshare Websites

You can also look at rideshare websites if you feel like you can’t afford to fly. You should look into ones like Long Ride, Hitch, or Hovr if you want a ride from coast to coast or you’re trying to cover several states but have very little money to do it. 

Usually, you will pay the driver a little cash and they will let you sit in the passenger’s seat or in the back of the vehicle. In some instances, they’ll want you to drive part of the way as well as pitch in for gas money.

If you use one of these sites, make sure it’s a reputable one. The more well-known websites vet the individuals who use them. A lesser-known or unregulated site might not know about a creepy driver who likes harassing their passengers. 

Take the Bus or Train

You can take a train or bus if there’s one that goes to a part of the country that you’re targeting for a visit. You can often find bus companies that travel to most states, though you won’t have as many options in less populated parts of the country.

Unfortunately, the US does not have as extensive of a high-speed train network as some other first-world countries. However, that remains a viable option in a few different states. 

While a high-speed train will not get you to your destination as fast as flying, you might enjoy the experience more. You can look out the window at the country going by. 

Travel During the Off-Season

You might also consider traveling during the off-season. Depending on where you’re going, you’ll probably come across a busy time of year when hotel rooms fill up and resorts attract tons of tourist families. You can usually avoid that by traveling during what the hotels, airline companies, and bus companies consider their less busy times of the year. 

Traveling during the off-season might mean you can get a flight, bus ride, or hotel room for a fraction of what you’d pay during the vacation season’s peak. That could be enough to satisfy your wanderlust, though you might find yourself walking on a beach with no one else in sight. Maybe that suits you just fine, though.