Finding inspiration is all it takes to start your adventure.
One of the most common reactions I get when talking about my travels is something along the lines of “how the heck are you paying for this?!” There’s a misconception that traveling is for those that have a six-figure salary and money to spare. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
You may be thinking – “but I have a job!” or “I’m a broke college kid!”
It may be hard to hear, but I see these as simple excuses for a bigger fear – a fear of the unknown. While prices for a trip abroad may be quite staggering, there are many resources to help combat this. You can even get paid to travel if you look hard enough. Until that point, here are some tips to traveling without breaking the bank:
For me, the first thing to do when thinking about traveling is to find inspiration. Whether it’s your favorite TV show’s beautiful filming locations (looking at you, Game of Thrones fans), a favorite kind of food, or simply somewhere you’ve always wanted to go, it helps to have a reason to travel. Even if it’s something as silly as “this is where King’s Landing is filmed!”, it can lead to an amazing trip with endless possibilities.
One way to get inspiration is by starting a blog on your own. I created a Tumblr and followed several other travel photography blogs to get a head start. This helped me to find truly incredible places I’d never heard of all around the world.
Second, start looking into times of the year to go. Being flexible with your travel dates can help a lot. Europe is beautiful at all times of the year, but can be pricier in the summer months. Try looking into an early spring flight or one in the fall. This can save you a couple hundred dollars.
The third thing you should do is look into flights. I like to use Skyscanner to help find the cheapest flights. It also has a great option to check the cheapest flight options to anywhere from your starting point. In many places, there are cheaper local airlines that you can take once you hop over the ocean. You may really want to go to Paris, but found a $700 round trip flight to Dublin. With companies like RyanAir, you can book a flight for less than €60 to get there. Be sure to check out Scott’s Cheap Flights to get flight deals emailed to your inbox daily. That’s what led me to book a $350 flight to Bali!
My fourth tip is to find cheap accommodation – it might surprise you how nice it can be! Hostelworld is a great place to look up hostels where you’re staying. Many people have the idea that hostels are dirty, unsafe, and uncomfortable. I can attest to the fact that with a bit of research, this is entirely untrue. By reading recent reviews of hostels, you can get a sense of what it’s like. I’ve had (mostly) excellent experiences staying at hostels, and couldn’t recommend them highly enough. Be sure to check out Couchsurfing and Workaway for alternative ways to stay with a local!
Last but not least – be sure to save where you can. Consider going to a grocery store to grab some breakfast or even dinner items to cook at the hostel kitchen. Try to limit how much you drink – this is where it’s easy to overspend quickly. When drinking, grab some beer or wine at a convenience store nearby your accommodations. It’ll save you money when you’re going out to bars.
There are so many more tips that I can think of, but these are a starting point. Feel free to contact me with any questions, and be on the lookout for more articles with tips!
