Too pricey? Too far? Too long? What about the time change?

The standard traveler spends a lot of mental bandwidth on the limiting factors of a potential vacation. Instead of exploring the uplifting possibilities of travel, many families get bogged down in the inevitability of the trip costing too much -- with just cause. Jennifer Liu, a journalist for Forbes Online, cites data from the 2017 LearnVest Money Habits and Confessions Survey showing that 74% of Americans have gone into debt to pay for a vacation. Much of this data varies depending on household size and trip destination, but according to the credit management company Lendingtree, respondents reported an average international travel cost of $3,273. Many households assume that breaking the bank is an unavoidable requisite to any vacation but, with a few mindset changes and some useful cost-cutting hacks, touring the world is well within reach.

One of the main precursors to an expensive vacation is a luxury mentality. If you and your loved ones wish to shed the financial burden of a traditional vacation, there needs to be an active rewiring of your trip expectations. Contributors to the website Where Life Meets Living call this the switch from "perfectionist to adventurer." Stephanie Thurrott, for NBC Online, simplifies this to the transition from "vacation to travel" in her 2019 interview with world traveler and author of "Ten Years a Nomad," Matt Kepnes. Whatever you call it, it's mandatory to transform your trip concept from a costly getaway to an exciting exploration. This will not only enable the budget-sparing hacks your wallet needs but also facilitate the deep fulfillment your wanderlust craves.

Changing your travel mindset opens you to all the true possibilities of a destination. Instead of worrying about the what-ifs, an explorer mindset allows you to stay in the moment and truly be present on your journey. Instead of focusing on extravagance, an explorer mindset allows you to experience the joys of a different culture. It's so easy to fall into the pattern of replicating all the conveniences of your current life, just in a new place. Comedian Jim Gaffigan, in his 2014 Netflix special, jokes, "That's all a vacation is -- just us eating in a place we've never been." Overcome this beguiling rut, and truly engage with your travel.

Once you have jettisoned the luxury mindset, a whole world of economy travel hacks opens up. The remainder of this article will identify the big-ticket travel costs and propose strategies to circumvent them.

* -- Flights. Jen Avery, in her 2019 article on cheap flights for Thrifty Nomads, recommends several tips for finding budget transportation. First off, always search for flights in the incognito or private mode in your browser. Airline websites use algorithms based on search frequency to inflate the prices of a destination if they track you searching it. Also, make sure you are using the most comprehensive budget travel search engines. Avery recommends Skyscanner, Airfare Watchdog and Momondo. These tools often take less of a cut than traditional search engines (such as Expedia) and are better at combining cheap connecting flights. Finally, schedule your travel when you have some date flexibility. Oftentimes, different departure dates can vary in price by hundreds of dollars. Use this to your advantage by selecting the cheapest departure and return dates.

* -- Accommodations. Remember that "adventurer mindset"? Time to use it. Instead of booking hotel rooms, Roger Timbrook, a contributor to the website Expert World Travel, recommends staying in hostels, using Airbnb or couch surfing. You will not only meet more travelers and locals but also get better connected to the culture. Why stay in a giant filing cabinet full of tourists if your goal is to truly experience a new place? Timbrook recommends using Airbnb and Hostelworld -- and maintaining friendships with people you could crash with!

* -- Food and attractions. For this hack, we are going to borrow from the world of retirement. Journalist Chris Mamula recommends in his 2018 article for the website Can I Retire Yet? that households retire earlier by moving to a cheaper location and taking advantage of the decreased cost of living. This concept is called "geoarbitrage" and can easily be adapted for travel. For example, according to field research by journalist Jonathan Kauffman for the San Francisco Chronicle in 2018, the average price for a sandwich in his home city is $15. Compare this to what I paid for an average meal on the tropical island of Utila, Honduras: $1.50. Some destinations are cheaper than others; use your explorer mindset and some deft planning to travel more for less.