It’s a well-known fact that travel is an expensive recreational activity, but it’s one which most of us justify value for cost due to the enrichment it brings to our lives. Travel is, in fact, cheaper now than it was in previous decades. In the 70s and 80s it was a status symbol, something that only well-to-do families had the luxury of affording.

Today, low-cost airlines, home rentals and deals mean travel is far more accessible to all. I’m on the road throughout the year, mostly for work as I write hotel content and travel guides, but when things are my own dime, such as when I want to work remotely in Japan for the month, I try to keep costs as low as possible.

The key to making travel less of a once a year splurge and more of a regular occurrence is to do your destination like a local. Let’s start with accommodation, which usually takes the biggest slice of the pie.

Booking.com has 31 million rental options to choose from, and I always select homes or apartments so I can live just like I would at home: make meals, WFH, and do my own laundry. I don’t recommend Airbnb because they have a lot of add-on fees and a lack of flexibility. Booking offers free cancellation on most listings, which means I’m not out of pocket when an unforeseen circumstance arises.

Going off-season means I’ll snag a deal. I’ve rented some amazing apartments during monsoon seasons (which really aren’t that bad if you check the forecast each day) for one-third of their peak season price. The weak Japanese yen prompted my stint abroad this year. I got a studio apartment in the heart of Fukuoka for less than what I’d pay at home in London. If you’re looking at Vietnam or Thailand, your dollar will stretch even further. The apartments available there are beyond what you ever thought you could afford. You’ll live like a tech entrepreneur.

Whilst flight prices have come down, the perks have been stripped. Budget airlines instead have introduced a slew of extras, or ancillary fees, to make up revenue. These include boarding pass printing, b ag check, meals and seat selection. If you want to save money, try not to add-on the extras, but if they’re required, it might be better to go with a full service airline instead. I’ve mastered economy basic travel for short haul flights, although I did get stung by Ryanair recently over a forced missed departure fee. You need to be extra vigilant with airlines like them; the fees can cost as much as the flight itself.

Flights and accommodation are the priciest parts of travel, but the rest do add up. That’s when the ‘live like a local’ ethos for me extends to dining out and entertainment. When you’re at home, you don’t dine out three meals a day, so why would you put your body through that on holiday? I’ll have breakfast in my rental, dine out at lunch, an d maybe cook something healthy for dinner every other day.

If I’m staying somewhere for a whole month, there’s plenty of time to sample the greats, though the greats need not be Michelin-starred or viral on social media. One travel hack I garnered on a month-long stint in Seoul was to follow grannies to hole-in-the-wall eateries serving the best home-style dishes in town. These places care not for awards or acclaim, just to serve their local communities with good, honest food. I’ve had the best bibimbap and kimchi jjigae as a result.

As for avoiding tourist traps, the best advice is to get off the beaten path. You don’t want to be stuck in a crowd anyway. That goes for shopping, dining out, and group tours to easily accessible destinations. Public transport in Europe and Asia is convenient and affordable, so you don’t need a shuttle with tripod holders to get to them, not with international SIMs and map apps. Whenever friends used to visit me in Tokyo, I’d warn them off drinking at Golden Gai and Shibuya, and direct them to buzzy happy hour spots in Kichijōji or the backstreets of Shinjuku instead. Nobody speaks English, but that’s the point of immersing yourself in a new culture.

Lastly, I just don’t understand the point of souvenir shopping. Not for yourself, but for your colleagues, friends, and family. Nobody truly wants a shot glass from Macau when they haven’t been, nor do they want a bulky theme park sweater when they live in Singapore. If you travel often, you need to unlearn the habit of bringing back treats for everyone back home, otherwise you become an import service. Your pals can order those TimTams online, and you’ll save luggage space to avoid being stung by your budget airline.

There are so many little tips and tricks to ensure you don’t get hit with astronomical tourist prices. Focus first on the big ticket items, the flight and the accommodation, those are the ones you must work harder through research or tracking to get a deal on. Then when you get there, do as your neighbours do and you’ll be enjoying the destination in a far more sustainable way, for the environment, on your health, and of course, on your wallet