I really wanted to share this with anyone I can because these tips and tricks allowed me to stretch my money, so I could spend it traveling to incredible places, and I want EVERYONE who thinks they can't afford a long trip to know that they can. Traveling doesn't have to be scary expensive, you just have to know your priorities and where to look :)!!
Me hiking a trail in Dorf Tirol (super Northern Italy)
I understand people's reasons for traveling might be very different. For some people traveling is all about the food, if a country has the best culinary experiences, they're going to go to the most popular restaurants and get their feast on. For others it might be where you stay, a nice resort, concierge service, and a pool will be necessities. Others it'll be about the shopping...etc.
This information is best for people that want to travel for a longer time, have a limited budget, are willing to do creative things, want to meet people, & whose main objectives are to explore off the beaten path places and have random adventures (roll with it) to get a great sense of the country's culture-at any age.
This advice is from my own recent backpacking experiences for 4.5 months in 2013, which was one of the best experiences of my life.
Firstly, you'll need some money saved up. Plain and simple. If you go with this advice a trip for this long will save you money. My trip cost around $4000.00. You do not have to travel for as long as I did to capitalize on savings you can do while traveling, as well, this cost reflects certain factors in my travels, such as traveling with a friend and meeting people (which is discussed further down below).
[If you want further details about what I was doing or further advice please contact me via the contact form to the side, and I would be more than happy to share with you]
TICKETS
You'll probably need a way to get to your amazing destination right?
Yup! My main form of cross-Atlantic travel is obviously the plane! :]
Where to purchase your tickets?! Well if you are a student (HS, undergrad, grad), under 26 or a teacher/professor you better be frequenting the following sites because you have a huge advantage!
1.) STA travel- www.sta.com
2.) Student Universe- www.studentuniverse.com
If you are not in one of the age or profession brackets peruse your trusted sites months beforehand and take advantage of online ticket "Black Friday" deals. Definitely shop around.
I was able to buy a plane ticket from Florida to Dublin for....$360.00!! Crazy I know! AND this amount includes all airline taxes. So seriously, take advantage if you fall into any of those groups for the best ticket deals. This ticket was purchased about 4 months prior.
I did this trip with my best friend.
For our 2013 trip we went to: Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, The Netherlands, Italy, Austria and Spain.
We had taken a shorter trip together before with EF College Break when we were 19 (www.efcollegebreak.com), which is also a good alternative to look into if you want a mapped out itinerary and all airline/transportation costs included (the only thing not covered is the majority of meals). This trip was a jam-packed 35 days/10 countries, we like to think of that trip as our first appetizer of Europe because we figured out which countries we loved and wanted to return to. EF College Break offers these package deals to a certain age limit, double check. EF break, also has deals for families and other age groups, I am more familiar with their college tours. Again, check them out!
Also consider if you will be traveling alone or with a buddy, this will have potential positive effects on: food, transportation, and accommodations.
Food:
My friend and I split about 75% of meals at restaurants while traveling, it worked the first time around and it worked again. Though not without the minor hiccups, she hates asparagus I love it, she loves mushrooms I don't, so we had to compromise for sure but, that just made it all more interesting. Now she doesn't completely disdain asparagus and I can somewhat deal with mushrooms. :)
The splitting of meals cut costs tremendously because let's face it, price wise Europe is not America (except in Spain, viva las tapas!! and apparently Portugal (I want to go there!)) But don't worry if you just can't bear the thought of splitting foods, you still have other ways to cut on food costs.
Personally, we never felt that we went without a total experience in a country. Though we had a tight budget we splurged where and when we wanted to and we still got to experience any culinary experience we wanted to. So research beforehand to know a certain dish you absolutely have to eat (also apply this mentality to activities within your destination that you will have to absolutely do) and account for that within your budget.
GROCERY SHOP: Firstly, it'll give you a great feel for the area, it'll make you explore more and, get a first hand look on what people eat, and even discover some differences to what you might be used to eating.
This saves so much money! Mercadonna (from Spain was our obsession, great grocery store). However, SPARS are very popular over Europe (they can be larger grocery stores but for the most over a step above your average American convenient store), here you can find essential staples: water (by the way BUY water at grocery stores because if not you'll be paying more than you need to and it ADDS up), peanut butter (except in Italy),fruit, bread etc.
To capitalize on your grocery shopping double check to make sure your hostel will have a fridge if you purchase perishables.
If you can, also split grocery costs.
To note: if you are a foodie, you can dine like a king in Spain. We did! Tapas are amazing, they are personal sized, inexpensive and you can get a lot of food for even 7 euros.
Accommodations
If you find yourself on a tight budget consider www.couchsurfing.com
When I say consider it, I mean it, think long and hard! It's not for everyone and there's no shame in that. This is a site where people from all over the world offer their couches. It's an interesting site, beware of creepers for sure but there are cool normal people on it as well. It can be an amazing experience.
My friend and I did this officially in Belfast and then in Amsterdam. The Belfast experience was amazing, we stayed with an awesome girl, who let us basically take over her room and invited us to a friend's bday party, it was a lot of fun and we really got to experience what young people in Belfast do. Amsterdam is another story! Hostels in Amsterdam were upwards of about 70 euros each and scarcely available (this was partly our fault for not solidifying rooms way ahead of time). This is the way of the unplanned traveler. I'd say for this trip only the first week and a half was planned completely. It was so freeing but again in a place like Amsterdam (unless you have $$$ to spend) you can't just expect available accommodations, or for those options to be within a tight budget if you wait until just a few days prior or the day of your arrival for a place like Amsterdam.
We also couchsurfed unofficially just by making friends in different cities, then visiting them in their home countries. This gave us a first hand look into their lives and how they lived and a real taste of their culture. It was incredible, we felt like locals, you realize you as a person can be easily adaptable. We met our Dutch friend Daan in Edinburgh stayed with him in Leiden, met our other Dutch friends Tom and Guido in Dublin and stayed with them in Heerlen, we met our friend Alex in Italy and stayed with him in Innsbruck (then he met up with us in Spain!). So make friends!! :) Also, just a tip, really make sure you trust a person. Not that they were our instant BFFLs but we were very confident in our safety with them, they didn't live in sketchy areas and we had hung out with them and got a feel for them as people and their values before we stayed with them. Just as a young woman, I feel this has to be said, no condescension, this goes for both males and females. (also just watch the movie Taken...or read some statistics human trafficking is real, anywhere). Also I like to think of myself as a functioning paranoid person :). Being a little paranoid doesn't stop me from living my life or missing out on crazy adventures but, it is always important to be aware of your surroundings and to trust your gut if something doesn't feel right.)
As well, though you're ballin' on a budget and all, please don't put yourself into a situation financially that requires you to put up with something or someone you're not comfortable with. (though we did not take this advice while staying in Inverness. worst. hostel. ever., we were sharing our tight quarters with a sketchy individual, quite surprised we didn't get bedbugs and the place smelt foul, the showers were freezing and the place was very dirty. *shivers at the memory*)
Also the Inverness situation reminds me of another tip. If you don't like sharing mixed-dorm rooms (we've never had a problem) but, if you don't, when booking most hostels you can request a female or male only room (this may influence price).
We also frequented the site airnb.com. Though we ended up not using those services, the site gave us a good feel for the cost of a place before we went, so check that out as well.
While in Italy for almost a month, we were able to use Milano as our home base because our good friend was studying abroad there, (we stayed with him for about 9 days non-consecutively), in that regard we were fortunate. However, for yourself, check with any good friends of yours that might be abroad and would let you stay with them. For an exchange buy them groceries!
dddddrummmm roll plzzzz: For the most creative way for accommodation...work exchange?! Yup, why not? All ages do this!
Go to helpx.net now and make a profile/become a member for around 20 something dollars for two years. If you have a friend you're traveling with you can make a joint profile. So many opportunities from all over the beautiful world. I actually stumbled upon it by reading a random blog (I wish I could remember to thank them!)
Yes. This is what I meant when I said get creative and when I say creative I mean pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. I guarantee you won't experience anything like it, so why not?!
4 days WWOOF farming in Northern Italy-FREE stay & FREE Food & FREE hiking and enjoying nature. We learned how to weed properly (we can tell a carrot from an onion in the soil), kneed home made bread, had to collect wood from the forest for heat (our accommodations were very old), no WIFI, had to hike 20 miles to get there, no road. We worked along side the nicest Czech Republic couple that barely spoke English, exchanged musical tastes. It was dirty work but very peaceful and I don't think I'd do it again but I wouldn't change a thing about it.
Savings: (average hostel cost per night around Dorf Tirol around 25 Euros per night). Though once we left we went straight to the Terme Spa in Meran-Merano :). It was amazinnng.
1 month Sevilla hostel-FREE stay (with our own room)& FREE Breakfast & Dinner & FREE tours. One of our best experiences of the trip. Soaked up Sevilla for virtually nothing compared to what it could have been. (average cost for this hostel was around 18 euros a night, we saved at least..500 not including meals, craziness). This opportunity fell into our laps. We had met a help exchange worker and he was leaving and happened to let us know they needed two more workers. We loved the location, the rooftop pool and the people (and of course Sevilla), it was a no-brainer. Duties lasted no more than 3 hours a day with days off during the week. Simple helping out at breakfast & taking off sheets. BAM. Again if you're feeling a place ask questions, such as "Do you need help".."I can offer work-exchange" etc.
*Side note: Sevilla was amazingggg, we met so many people, had an awesome and strange but one-of-a-kind roomie, Martin from England..Had our daily routines..so much to share and tell (will post soon!).
(our daily view of Sevilla from our work exchange hostel, loving life!)
Me in the Alcazar in Sevilla..with my trusty fan (a Spanish necessity in the Summer)
Our German, Lukas, randomly jamming out on a street in Malaga
2 Weeks town near Malaga-FREE stay & FREE Food. Worked at a Yoga Retreat. This was an interesting experience. We worked A LOT, in the kitchen, in tents (it was a glampsite)..landscaped even! Not our favorite experience, not necessarily because of the work but the owners, we thought this was going to be a very spiritual place but they were constantly bickering, made for some awkward moments). Still a good time made good friends with a Dutch and German (I'll post about them soon, they have an amazing travel love story). We ended up spending time with them after we left this small town and went to Malaga together. Great & amazing people.
(life is good & simple, pic of what we did when we weren't working in Malaga)
About 1 month in Taull Northern Spain-FREE stay & FREE Food. Duties included: reception work, weeding (after this trip we concluded it's not our favorite activity), dog walking, and kitchen work & cleaning. We worked about 5 hours a day but afterwards we were free to enjoy this magical town and beautiful hiking trails. The air there was unreal, so crisp and clean. We even had our own apartment that we shared with a Canadian and Brit (made the best cup of coffee), both guys & curious creatures. We also had a nice deck with amazing views that we would just suntan and chill on if we weren't hiking or exploring the town.
Hands down, Helpx really allowed us to save lots of money on accommodation, food and tour costs. We figured we ended up work-exchanging for around 2 months, but again it saved us a lot of money and we met fantastic people and did things we wouldn't have normally done.
So we traveled to many places in between our helpx stints and for those places we actually PAID for a hostel ;). (are you shocked?)
When we weren't staying on stranger's couches or farming ;) we actually utilized normal sites like hostelworld.com and hostelbookers :)
Word of advice for those who wish to save (for the most part TRUST reviews) and make sure breakfast is included. If you really want to take advantage, look for places that include breakfast, offer tours and transportation (if let's say you're coming from the airport or need to go to the airport, it will save you upwards of 50euros for sure).
Transportation
Certainly two + people are better than one, when taking a cab, so always try to split cab costs. If you're in a hostel ask around and see if someone is going to the same train station as you or airport and split it between you two.
We didn't take many cabs, we did however take lots and lots of public transport: buses, metros and trains OH MY.
depending on your area google the best means of transportation, if at a hostel ask the staff for your best and least expensive option.
For the Ireland & the UK, we used this site a lot from Dublin to Belfast, from Belfast to Scotland (involved a ferry) and from Inverness to Isle of Skye from Isle of Skye to Glasgow and from Glasgow to Edinburgh.
Try to buy these tickets as in advance as possible for the best deal (prices fluctuated tremendously depending on the day)
http://www.citylink.co.uk/index.php
Most cities, once we got in them, we WALKED all over, it's the best way to really explore. If something was too far we took a city's metro or local bus.
Warning** an anecdote: Would not suggest this method but we did Hitch Hike. I don't think I've ever even done this in the US but I guess I can cross that off my bucket list? I ended up doing this twice:) We made signs and everything (the first time). This happened on the most isolated but enchanting place I've ever been to: The Isle of Skye. We were very surprised when we saw cars and more surprised when they picked us up to take us to our hostel. The second time I got stuck in a torrential and painful rain storm I was not prepared for, while hiking, and an elderly couple just stopped and asked me where I was headed. I probably looked like a drowned animal, my face was also beat red from the cold and the rain, so it was very kind and unexpected that they did that and that there was someone driving on the road. Roads- there is one road, one way, by the way.
The only reason we did it was because on this isle there was no public transportation once inside the Isle, we actually had to take a school bus to get to the next point which we ended up getting stranded. We figured Skye's so isolated the chances or rate of serial killers or scary criminals were quite low. :)!
(again, wouldn't recommend but, I can't say it's not a fond memory I include when I think about this beautiful isle)
Sites: STA
StudentUniverse.com
helpx.net
efcollegebreak.com
couchsurfing.com
airnb.com
http://www.citylink.co.uk/index.php
I know this post was long but I hope it helps you on your next traveling excursion. Whether or not your ballin' on a budget, these ways will save you money and help you meet people you wouldn't get to meet otherwise. Just keep 'em in mind :) and SAFE TRAVELS <3 span="">
xoxo
Kels
And thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed it!
How do you save $$$$ while you travel?!
