How to travel on a budget - eight tricks and more - crowdfunding for travel.

Whether you're going to travel domestically or you've decided to cross international borders, such an initiative can be quite an expensive endeavor. In fact, as many as 74% of Americans believe that vacationing has put them in debt, according to Forbes. Fortunately, there are some tricks that can save you money without affecting the quality of your trip in any way. Below, we offer you eight such.

Learn how to plan your vacation like a pro

Fuel, lodging, and airfare are some of the biggest expenses when traveling, but spending less on food and sightseeing, for example, can also put a strain on your budget. We'll teach you how to plan your trip so that instead of coming back with an empty wallet, you'll return with exciting stories to tell for a long time to come.

1. Research the cost of transport

If you don't bother to research the cost of transportation beforehand, you'll almost certainly pay more than you expected. But if you find out about prices beforehand, you'll know straight away whether they're offering you a bargain price for a particular service, or the opposite - making you pay dearly and overpriced.

The Budget Your Trip website can give you reliable information on the average cost of standard everyday expenses during your holiday. From the price of breakfast in France to the cost of a taxi in Thailand, you'll learn some interesting details. This way you will minimise the risk of surprises.

2. Find the best flight tickets

Airfare usually makes up the biggest part of any trip's budget, so it's important to plan things carefully. There are a variety of flight options. Apart from being able to bet on cheaper airports, there are some other money-saving tricks. Let's see them.

Don't wait until the last minute to buy a plane ticket, but don't buy it a year in advance either. Some experts are of the opinion that the best time to buy a ticket is 54 days before the flight.

Look for flights through budget airlines and aggregation sites like JetBlue, Spirit or EasyJet. Also, combining multiple flights is easier with sites like Google Flights or Hopper, which allow you to compare thousands of different options.

If you can wait to pick the best deal, check out Scott's Cheap Flights website - it sends notifications for cheap airfare.

3. Organise a crowdfunding trip

Many people have found a good way to raise money for their trip and that's crowdfunding. Online fundraising is an easy yet safe way to contact family and friends to ask for help without feeling awkward.

Whether your trip involves study, work, treatment abroad or a combination of all three, online fundraising remains a quick and simple solution to raising the funds you need.

If you're looking for more travel fundraising ideas, see how others like you have tackled the problem and managed to turn their dreams into reality.

4. Try different bonuses

Sure, it may take a while, but with a little patience, anyone can learn how to use their credit cards in a way that will rack up points and redeem for free flights and hotels. In fact, there are quite a few people who are already doing it successfully. Depending on where and how often you use your card when traveling, you may end up with bonus points that can cover an entire international flight.

5. Experiment with different accommodation options

If you opt out of the standard hotels, not only will you enjoy an unconventional vacation, but you could save a bunch of money at the same time.

Sites like Airbnb and FlipKey can help a lot by providing you with the option of renting a room in a private home or even an entire property.

Also, when hotels fail to book all their rooms, they start offering them at very low rates. The Hotel Tonight app presents just such information and from it you can always get informed about exclusive last minute deals. This way, you might end up paying a pittance to stay in super luxury hotels.

You can also keep an eye on CouchSurfing - it's a specialist site that will connect you with private home owners you can stay with on an international cultural exchange basis.

And if you are attracted by the possibility of staying on an authentic organic farm, then it's good to know that WorkAway or Wwoof International are sites that will fully assist you in this regard. Through them you can get shelter and food in exchange for a few hours of farm work a day.

6. Budget ground transport

While not as expensive as air travel, ground transportation can also cost a lot of money. Here are some tips on how to save on it.

If you love meeting new people and don't want to rent a car, consider the service offered by BlablaCar. This website connects drivers and passengers traveling the same route, allowing them to share the cost of the ride.

Replace expensive ride-hailing apps or taxis with public transportation. It may take longer, but it's cheaper and will allow you to see the city you've arrived in through the eyes of the locals.

If you're travelling by train, buy a second or third class ticket instead of first. In many countries the difference between the three is negligible.

7. Sightseeing

You can save a lot of money if you put aside your guidebook and skip tours or standard tourist attractions. You can visit just a few of the most popular sights and spend the rest of the time walking, visiting museums, galleries, markets and so on. There is plenty to see in any city even on a simple walking tour.

8. Budget for your trip

No matter how much research you've done before your trip, you'll find it hard not to overspend if you haven't set an accurate budget. There are countless online calculators that can help you plan your expenses well.

Real people who used charity crowdfunding to pay for their trip

Mr Pennell's surprise trip

Social studies teacher Gary Pennell taught for almost 30 years. When he decided to retire, his students decided to send him off with an incredible gift: a trip to Europe with his wife and two close friends. And they succeeded. They indeed raised $10,000 and gave their beloved teacher his dream trip to the Old Continent, on the occasion of his retirement.

Start saving and planning that dream vacation today!

If your dream vacation still seems unrealistically far away, remember that crowdfunding is one of the best ways to raise money for a trip. PavelAndreev.ORG is a leader in fundraising, and I'm available 24/7 to talk and make your dreams come true. You can count on me if something goes wrong and you encounter difficulties along the way. Take the first step of your journey now by contacting me now.