Make your vacation or honeymoon an affordable adventure

Here are my top five tips:

1. Go out of season.
You could start by avoiding the tourist season in your chosen destination. By traveling just outside of the main season – think the Caribbean in late November, Marrakech in February, or Iceland in January with its hot springs and northern lights – you’ll avoid the rush of tourists but get much better value.

2. Go somewhere you’ve never heard of before.
If it’s the beach you’re after, a trip to Kep in Cambodia is on my bucket list.
Kep is reported to be an enticing mix of faded French Indochinese glamor and Asian and French cuisine. All a little rough around the edges, but it will be the unique experience of it.

If beaches aren’t your thing, another lesser-known destination is Sikkim. Its mix of Nepalese, Indian and Tibetan influences means this state has a fascinating mix of cultures, with an abundance of Buddhist monasteries and incredible flora and fauna, but contrary to 1. above, avoid the rainy season.

3. Let yourself be attracted by the music.
I would also mention here the Festival sur le Niger in Timbuktu, Mali, which has traditionally had fabulous Tuareg and African Jazz and Blues music. Unfortunately this is canceled at the moment due to an uprising in northern Mali. A great tragedy, in particular, since the festival was created to celebrate peace. The other music destination of note is Cuba, much of which remains relatively unvisited but is now open to tourists.

4. Airbnb
I’ve recently become a big fan of airbnb.com, which is a very good value option for finding a place to stay where you can leave yourself completely to your own devices. It’s also a great place to rent any rooms that may exceed your needs if you’re saving up for the big trip. Airbnb has more than 34,000 cities in 192 countries, so you’ll be spoiled for choice, and you might even be able to sneak in that luxury without paying top dollar.

5. BlablaCharge It
Another great cash saver is blablacar.com, which offers amazing travel deals from anywhere to anywhere. Just go online and see if your route is covered, and if it is, by whom and what the ratings say about them (because obviously you’ll only want to drive with someone who’s well-recommended). If you’re abroad, this is a great way to meet someone local to the area and I guarantee you’ll have more stories to tell.