The greatest resource that is fully utilized by long term budget travellers is time. If you use it wisely and if you integrate it carefully in your plans, you would be able to travel seamlessly to a lot of places without breaking the bank. Here’s how I do it:
1. Book Flights Ahead: Since I don’t have a fix schedule, I book flights ahead of time to take advantage of the promotional prices that are being offered by different airlines. The financial savings that I generate is huge. As of the time being, I’m already looking for cheap flights to India and Nepal for next year.
2. Stay Long Term: You have the bargaining chip if you stay long term in one place. A lot of hotels and guesthouse offer monthly rates and some offer huge discounts for travellers staying for a week. One of the benefits of travelling slower is it keeps you from being exhausted from travelling from one place to another and it opens a window for you to see more in a relax way.
3. Take Local Transport: Since you’re not in a hurry, you have the option to take local transport which is sometimes perceived to be slower (in transit time) than private transport. It’s also cheaper and you also get to interact with local people that way.
4. Buy in Bulk: If you’re staying for three weeks up to one month, you have the luxury to buy your supplies in bulk such as water (gallons instead of liters) and some toiletries. If you check the retail prices of smaller quantities, you will notice that you’re saving a few money in buying large quantities of items that you need.
5. Time to Check Prices: You also have enough time to check prices of different tour agencies for some tourist activities that you want to engage with.
These are just some of the advantages of travelling slower and travelling long term. But these tips can also be applied even if you’re just taking a quick vacation. Use time as your greatest leverage and plan carefully and you wouldn’t have to break your bank in order to enjoy a nice vacation.
I do all the 5 things
Just sometimes still wish we had more time for everything 
most people dont notice and dont use time to their advantage
These are some great tips. I never thought about the buying in bulk for things like toiletries, but it’s definitely a smart idea.
thanks for dropping by alouise… it would be great to buy in bulk if you’re staying long term
I bought a huge bottle of shampoo instead of the small ones…, etc… after checking how much it has versus the amount I paid.. I was able to save a lot… And since I’m doing overland trip, I wouldnt have to worry about paying for excess baggage… 
#5 is actually a great tip. You don’t often think about it when you travel. Plus I think that going to the local markets will also give you better rates in terms of buying supplies. Not to mention you get fresh and local food.
i agree grace… local markets provide the cheapest option for most local produce…
All of these tips are really valuable. I’ve found booking flights tickets in advance with companies like Air Asia has saved me hundreds if not thousands of dollars as opposed to scrambling for a flight last minute. Sometimes you can get amazing deals if you know of a flight you want 6 months in advance or more.
need to practice more of number 2, thanks for the tip flip!