3 Tips To Make Traveling More Possible For Anyone
In an ideal world, you wouldn’t have to penny pinch or go through extremes just to have a decent vacation. I’ve seen family members and friends overspend, overthink, and under plan their vacations because of money problems (they overshot their budget). Although I’ve seen this firsthand, I myself haven’t experienced it. Over the years I’ve had the privilege of being able to travel both domestically and internationally to some amazing places and I learned about the country’s history, embraced their culture, and tasted some phenomenal food. As crazy as it seems, I’ve never gone over budget from my travel to the Latin bridge in Sarajevo to the Palazzo Ducale in Venice, Italy to the pristine beaches of the Bahamas (just to name a few). I’ll share my top 3 lessons and even some some bonus tips.
- Plan Ahead
Once you know where you would like to go, start to research where you would like to visit, stay, sites to see and activities to do. The one mistake that people make when traveling is that they leave everything until the last minute or decide what to do when they reach their destination. Although that is more spontaneous, it can also be more pricey. Think of it like this, if you’ve ever taken the New York Amtrak you know that its best to purchase your ticket and snack prior to boarding the train because once you do everything is unnecessarily overpriced. Image your vacation is the train and that prior to boarding you have to prepare yourself for what you’re about to experience.
I highly suggest that you come up with a budget prior to researching your travel destination. This will be your guiding point when you start adding things to your travel itinerary. After you make a budget, think about what you’re looking for in the area such as what you would like at the hotel/Airbnb, what activities you’d like to do, and where you’d like to visit. Once you’ve figured that out, research the hotels or Airbnbs in that area and list your top 3 including price and amenities.
Make sure to make a list:
- The one that you really want that has everything — this tends to be a bit pricey
- The one that may not have everything but is affordable
- Lastly, the one that is basic and under your budget.
The next step in choosing your living accommodations is determined by how much time you plan to spend in the hotel/BnB. If you plan to be in the hotel a majority of the time, go with your first or second option since it will have everything you’re looking for. If you plan on exploring more, go with your second or third option since you’ll be spending most of your budget on activities outside of your hotel/BnB. After researching your hotel, look up activities and sites you’d like to visit and plan occurring based on your remaining budget. Don’t make any payments as of yet – remember you’re just planning ahead here.
2. Save in advance
You’ve done the planning, choosen what you’d like to do and where you’d like to stay. Before making any payments create a savings and payment plan so everything is squared away.
If I know anything about saving, it can be hard to keep up with, especially if things happen or if you are anything like me buying items you don’t necessarily need. I suggest you use saving apps that automatically put money in your travel savings account on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Apps like acorns, chime, or stash allows you to link your bank account to the app, create a ‘travel’ savings account, create a goal and allocate money into that account per your specifications. This makes it easier for you to hit your goal, schedule/confirm your trip activities, and tickets.
Aside from paying for your flight, hotel, and activities, you should create a budget for your time abroad. This would cover food, clothing purchases, and other things you may want while exploring paradise. From my experience, it’s best to carry cash (local currency only!) placed in small quantities in safe sections of your purse, clothes, and suitcase. If you don’t want to use cash, just remember that other countries may not have bank accessibility that you’re used to and may have high transaction and ATM rates. If your still keen on not taking cash, call your bank and let them know where you’re going and the duration of your trip so you can use your card abroad. It will also be good opportunity to learn iif they have any affiliate partners abroad that will be able to assist if you run into any issues.
3. Eat Locally
You’ve saved, paid for your trip, and scheduled your trip/activities, now you’re in paradise! Its time to enjoy yourself . Scope out the area you are in for food. As a foodie, my main concern when traveling abroad is the amount of money I will be spending on food which is usually a lot until I started to scope out the local eateries. Granted I don’t do this beforehand since most of the places you research prior are chains, or expensive restaurants. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely think everyone should indulge themselves once or twice during their trip but not every day. My travel motto is something I’m sure you’ve heard before and thats when in Rome do as the Romans do. Simply put it when aboard don’t act completely like a tourist , but act like a local. Visit the monuments and museums ,but go where the locals go, eat where they eat, and dance where they dance. Remember your abroad in a foreign country and you don’t want to bring too much attention to yourself, but you also want to enjoy your time there. Plus it wouldn’t hurt to immerse yourself into another culture and come out with a new perspective, love of food, or a new friend.
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Bonus Tips
- Look for group /program travel opportunities
As someone who first traveled abroad in high school, I can honestly say I didn’t do it on my own. People underestimate how many groups and program travel opportunities are out there. Granted my main reason for travel was to avoid responsibilities back home. I was glad to, at the time, find a nonprofit organization that was traveling to Bosnia & Hercozovinia to study how media affected the post-war country; however, I didn’t stop there I got involved with another program that was traveling to Italy to study architecture in different villages and cities.
I recommend based on where you are right now to look for programs & group travel opportunities suited for you. My first travel experience started in high school so I was looking for school-based programs like Global Kids and the Palazzo Strozzi Foundation that encouraged learning through travel. As I entered college my focus changed just a bit, although I still wanted to travel for fun and looked into study abroad programs, I was more interested in traveling for leisure, so I started to research group travel opportunities for young adults like ultimate break and great adventures.
If programs or group travel are not your thing, then go it alone! Some of my best ideas and experiences came while I was traveling on my own. And if thats your path go for it!
Last but not least, have fun!
Do I even have to say it, have fun and enjoy paradise! You’ve planned, saved, and scoped out the area, now you can have fun and enjoy everything you’ve put into place. Most importantly, you won’t be worrying about money while on vacation.
