In my opinion everyone (who has a valid passport and the passion) can travel…
…and in this blogpost I will explain you how I do it and how you can do it as well: I live in Germany and the next airport is half an hour by car away from my home, i have an valid German passport, I love to meet new people and I am curious to learn more about the world I live in. These things are obviously the best requirement for my passion to travel. I know, that you would not read this post if you would not share at least one out of these things with me 😉 so I will start now with my first tip for you:
1. Make traveling your priority
Often people, that i know, come to me and ask me how it is possible to travel that often and I always reply them, that traveling is my passion. Each of us has something that he/she prioritizes and spends the most of his money on. But if you really want to travel more often, you have to make adjustments to your spending habits in order to afford your upcoming trip.
2. Save every penny
I usually start to save my money 2-3 months before my trip. And by that I mean that I make a plan and write down how much I want to have for my adventure/how much I might need. Normally I am not a good saver when it comes to money but in terms of saving for travels I am very accurate.
3. Book by yourself
I know that this can be a bit overwhelming at first for someone who never booked anything on his own. But trust me, it is worth it! Travel agencies may have also good prices and you can always inform yourself at your nearest agency first, before checking the prices on websites like booking.com (not sponsored) for example. That is up to you! I just made the experience that I always get the cheapest prices when I book by myself.
4. Book the flight first
The most important question you have to ask before planning your trip is: How do i get to my destination. Often flights are required to reach your destination, so you better should get a cheap flight in order to get a cheap trip. I recommend booking it on the website of the airline, rather than booking it on websites who compare prices.
5. Fly only with hand luaggage
Whenever i go on a one week itinerary i just fly with hand luggage. Not only does this bring you a cheaper price on your flight but also does this prevent you from overpacking, because you are then limited in space.
6. Try staying in a hostel
For me hostels have been my key to the world. I love to meet new people from around the world and i don’t mind sharing my room during a trip, because I barely stay in that room. I am rather exploring the country and all it sights than staying hours at the place I booked for sleeping. And even if you are not the type who likes to share a room with strangers, most hostels offer also bedrooms for two or even just one person (this is of course more expensive than sharing a room with more people, but might be also cheaper than staying in an actual hotel).
7. Try getting in contact with locals
On every trip I met a local, I saved tons of money! I usually meet them in bars, restaurants, on the street or I get in contact with them in advance through apps like Couchsurfing (again not sponsored). Locals know the best (and cheapest) places in their region and can function for you as your personal travel guide. If you are lucky to become friend with a local during your trip, you might get the best trip ever!
8. Try traveling alone or in a small group
This might sound contra productive, cause’ we all know that if you are more people, you can split the amount of costs through more, right? Not always…. if you are more people on a trip then there are obviously more different opinions on what to do, where to go and where/what to eat. The more you are, the more likely you might be over voted by your friends on different topics. For example, the majority of your travel buddies likes to visit a football stadium, whereas you would rather save on that and spend your money on something that you are interested in. It is likely that you step back and go with them, to keep the peace and because you came on the trip TOGETHER, so you should do everything TOGETHER…
9. Don’t buy a lot of souvenirs
Yep, I know. This one is also pretty hard for me every time I travel, but this point actually saves you again a lot of money. Often tourists got fouled by shop owners, because you don’t know the prices and you tend to spend more money on holidays than as you would normally. So reduce your souvenir shopping on your next trip and take pictures as memories instead. 🙂
10. Don’t forget to enjoy your trip
Now that I gave you a lot of information about saving during your trip, you should not forget about enjoying it. Not spending a ton of money doesn’t have to mean, that you can’t have fun and relaxation during your trip. I don’t tell you to be stingy on yourself. I just advise you to spend your money wisely. 🙂
I hope you enjoyed this blogpost and found it helpful! Please let me know if you know any more tipps on saving for/on a trip.
See you soon,
Caro
