On my list of life priorities, seeing the world is pretty high up. It’s so cliché and I know that everyone says it but very few do it. Why? Because it’s frigging expensive and the minimum wage jobs you have through the start of your working life make saving the money up a very hard task.
I’ve learnt from the best when it comes to travelling as those close to me will know my mum goes on several holidays a year. Like she’s constantly away. Sometimes with me and now more often without me. And as much as I joke about it, she really is living the life. Down to her savy holiday budgeting I too have been fortunate enough to have seen a lot of the world already at only 18.
So I’ve spoke to the travelling pro and here is a combination of her tips and mine so that you too can go away several times a year without breaking the bank, so you can start ticking away at that travel bucket list!
#TIP 1 - PLAN IN ADVANCE
I know I go on about planning but it’s obvious. If you want to go away 3 times in a year. You need to plan where you wanna go and figure out the cheapest season for flights and of course prices will go up as time gets closer to your flight. Get your sky scanner app and compare the flight prices across different months to work this out. Sometimes there can be a massive reduction in cost between a matter of weeks. Same applies for hotels, if there is an event in the area at the time you’re wanting to travel e.g World Cup or Music Festival, then hotels will literally double there prices so unless you are going to one of these events, hold off a couple of days/weeks.
# TIP 2 - TRAVEL OUT OF SEASON
This is foolproof and I bet you probably already do this. But ALWAYS try travel out of season. Don’t go to a family hot spot like Tenerife in the middle of August and expect to get a deal. Uni holidays are always so long, so use them go away in May or June instead of July or August when prices for places like that will be sky high.
#TIP 3 - AIR BNB/ HOSTELWORLD
Some of my favourite holidays have been in an Air bnb apartment over a hotel. Depending on how many of you are going this can work out SOOOOOOO cheap. For example apartments that sleep 6 can be priced as low as £80 per night, working out at like £13-ish a night! What a bargain.
If you’re going out of Europe for a longer time away, Asia for example, then Hostelworld is such a great way to find budget accommodation in the areas you’re wanting to travel to. Hostelworld is particularly fab because you can search through reviews to find trusted places to stay. You can then book your accommodation straight on the app. Usually when you think of a hostel you think of your grotty year 6 residential with squeaky bunk beds and lumpy custard, but they’re not all like that. There are different types depending on what you like e.g relaxing hostels or party hostels. It’s also the best way to meet other like minded travelers that may become friends.
#TIP 4 - WOWCHER/ GROUPON
Now even though they initially seem dodgy. My mum has said that she has had some really fab holidays by booking deals on Wowcher or Groupon. Often they are set up by a travel company so they are completely legit and some are accommodation only but most include flights so it’s all sorted just like that. The only thing I’d be careful to look closely at the fine print on these deals and be aware that there will be only a select number of dates to pick from rather than you being able to choose. Worth a look, there are some right bargains!
#TIP 5 - JACK’S FLIGHT CLUB
Jack’s flight club is genius. You sign up by email and they basically email you the cheapest flight deals from all over the world. You can have a free account which allows you to access a certain number of deals or you can upgrade to a paid premium membership for even more flight deals, discounts and perks.
No more needs to be said, just sign up:
https://www.jacksflightclub.com
#TIP 6 - RESEARCH THE COUNTRY
Don’t get sucked in by the £50 flight for a European city break. Have a research about the standard of living in your chosen destination. Is food expensive? Are the tourist attractions free? Just bare in mind how much you want to spend in total for the trip so you can enjoy all the city us to offer without being broke on day 2.
#TIP 7 - SEARCH HOLIDAYS ON A PRIVATE BROWSER
I had no idea about this and it was actually a friend who told me but basically websites aren’t stupid and they have a sneaky way of tracking what prices you’ve been quoted in the past and may increase them the next time you go to search for flights/ accommodation. So to make sure you get the best price always search for your holidays on a private browser/ incognito mode.
#TIP 8 - TRAVEL LIGHT
I am the absolute pro at packing light, probably because my mum has booked so many ‘hand luggage only holidays’ that I’ve had no choice. But seriously if you’re going away for under a week see if you could manage with a cabin size bag, it’s more affordable and so much easier than you think.
#TIP 9 - EL MENU DEL DIA
Okay so most European restaurants will have a ‘Menu or the day’. It is basically a set menu at a really inexpensive price. They are often 3 courses but some are two, the only catch is that they are often on in the late afternoon rather than the evening. So eating that 3 hours earlier is gonna save you from paying the full price they charge at dinner. In general if you’re travelling on a budget a good habit is focusing on lunch so if you decide to eat out at more expensive restaurants you are paying the lunch deal which is always a lot cheaper.
# TIP 10 - USE PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Uber fares will add up when you’re away. Wherever we go away we always try to get to grips with the public transport. The local bus/tram/underground service is often the cheapest way to travel and they usually have a daily or weekly travel ticket to make it even easier to get around. It’s the easiest way to get to know the area the quickest and really live like a local
