5 Alternative holiday ideas if money is tight

If it feels like everyone around you is off on holiday (or vacation!) but you’re on a budget then don’t despair, you just need to get creative and take a look at your options. There are plenty of alternative holiday ideas to consider if money is tight, but you need some rest and recuperation.

We all love to get away but if you’re strapped for cash, you might still need to consider alternative holiday ideas to keep costs down. Alternative travel ideas are available to you if you’re flexible.

Some of you will be lucky enough to live near beautiful parts of nature, or by cultural hotspots so make the most of your time and visit places you never feel you’ve had time to. Or think about who you can crash with to make the most of their local area…

1. Explore your local area or another part of the country

Yes, the good old staycation. It doesn’t need to be about staying at home and getting your life admin and chores done. You need to get outdoors and explore!

Imagine you‘re a tourist in your own town/city/village/neighbourhood. What would you show a friend that came to visit?

If you’re lucky enough to live somewhere super interesting or beautiful, it won’t be hard to make a list of things to do. Or if there are places you want to visit a little further out, you could arrange some day trips.

If you have the time and inclination, you might take a full week to visit another part of your country or visit friends and family further afield. Are there parts of your own country you’ve never got round to fully exploring yet?

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2. Be a house sitter or pet sitter

There are organised companies that offer this so see what’s available in your area of choice. You could also reach out to friends and family that might appreciate you house-sitting, watering their plants and taking care of any pets.

Put a shout-out on social media if you don’t have any leads as friends of friends might need a house or cat sitter. This is a brilliant way to stay in a lovely home, get to explore a new area and have an affordable vacation.

Make sure you plan for this to allow time for registration and matching at a timeframe that works for you. Housesitters UK is an option if you are in the UK, but most likely you have a few local options in your home country and area, so explore them!

3. Do a house/flat swap

Again, this can be via an organised company or website or via friends and family. If money is tight, this is a really good way to experience a change in environment either close to home, in another part of your country or even overseas!

Put the word out in advance so you can organise this to work well for your time off. Ask a friend or partner to come with you, if it’s allowed, so you can explore somewhere new together.

Some house swaps work well for a family as we all know that travelling as a family is super pricey. So if the accommodation is covered like this, that’s a game changer. Read first holiday a baby or travelling with a toddler beforehand!

And if you’re on vacation solo see the post for travelling alone.

4. Visit a friend overseas

Do you ever make new friends from overseas and they insist tell you that you must visit them? Well, get in touch and see if they really mean it!

If your accommodation is covered and you can crash with them, then your main expense will be flights, so check the cheapest time to travel beforehand.

Your friend will be able to show you the best of the local area too, so you’ll experience so much more of that country. And if you’ve got the space, you can offer them to come to yours in return next time.

5. Time your booking well if you want an overseas bargain

If you’ve got your heart set on going overseas then you need to be strategic. This can mean either booking well in advance for the best price e.g. a year (not my style, but I know others that get great prices by planning this far ahead) and avoiding school holidays of course.

There are also some last minute holiday bargains to be had if you have that flexibility with work.

Sometimes last minute flights can be extremely expensive but there can also be flight and hotel packages on offer because the hotel doesn’t want the rooms left empty. If you can be flexible within a few days and about your destination you might just find something.

If you want to pack light and have it all fit within a carry-on read the post for crucial advice beforehand and you’ll be set.

Final Thoughts: Alternative holiday ideas

So, there are some alternative holiday ideas if you are desperate for a break but strapped for cash. Taking time off doesn’t have to involve huge expense if you think creatively and use opportunities around you.

The mission is to relax, recharge and enjoy the time off work. We deserve a vacation!

The above ideas certainly aren’t free but there’s a wide price range if you need cheap holiday ideas. Staying close to home is obviously the cheapest option, followed by day trips, then flight only and in-country expenses (if your accommodation is covered or discounted) and then finally a price-reduced holiday package, if you can be flexible.

Hopefully the above has given you some alternative holiday ideas if you want to find a way to enjoy your annual leave out of your home, especially if you already work from home and need to get out of there and change things up!

If you feel you are too busy at work to take a holiday, read the post on how to plan effectively beforehand so you can relax and take time off. It’s crucial you take the annual leave you are owed as otherwise you could be at risk of burnout, read more if you feel you’ve been overdoing it at work.

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