HOW TO TRAVEL ON A BUDGET

The sun is out in England this morning and it has inspired me to get up early and have a long bath before I seize the day and go catch a tan. I’ve been watching travel vlogs on youtube and drinking iced coffee in bed and it has got me thinking about the amazing places in Europe I’ve been lucky enough to spend time in in my 23 years of life. I’d travel the world, but a big excuse of mine (and we’re all guilty of it) is money. I can’t afford to save, I have bills to pay, I can’t leave work, I need to save for a house or a flat or car. Literally, what is our life?

Although I haven’t yet left Europe, I have seen a good chunk of it on a budget. Money excuses no more my friends, you can do so many amazing things on minimal money so thought I’d spill the beans on some trusty tips when traveling.

Night Trains – If you’re dotting from place to place, night trains are a God send to save some money on accommodation. Granted, they’re not all comfortable and maybe sleeping in a jam packed corridor with 13 spanish men, isn’t every ones cup of tea but instead of opting for a long journey in the day, see if you can get one to get you through the night. Not only does it save you a day to see the world, it will also save you paying for a bed for an extra night.

Snag free wifi from everywhere because let’s face it, no matter where we are, we still need to know what’s going on on Facebook – I’ve travelled two ways; spending a fortune on mobile travel packages that charge you a certain amount a day to use your phone as normal and also the very opposite;  hiding round the corner of a cafe stealing their wifi, buying a drink in a bar and outstaying your welcome whilst you catch up on the world. Asking for the wifi password every time you go out to eat, no shame. Such a money saver.

Whatsapp & Facetime – Making calls to home through whatsapp or giving the boyf a FaceTime, are free and genius ways to get in touch with home without spending 60p a minute.

Air Bnb – Maybe an obvious one to the experienced traveller but Air Bnb can be such a cheaper way to find accommodation. Hostels of course, offer many benefits and I preach that they are a social way to travel but Air Bnbs, offer beds & sometimes entire apartments at such cheap prices. You can share the home  with a local, which in Croatia, was such an experience and often they are in a bang central location. Definitely worth shopping around before you click book.

Tour Yourself – If budgeting right, you can definitely find some affordable tours around, particularly walking tours. But after spending 4 months with my head in a Lonely Planet book, it’s definitely do-able to tour somewhere on your own. You’re not confined by any time restrictions from organised day trips, you can eat and drink where you want and you can decide what you’re interested in. Do the research yourself, ask locals or be sneaky and listen in on an organised tour that’s already going on around you. These are all free ways of seeing some amazing places and honestly, so worthwhile.

Stay somewhere with Free Breakfast – Genuinely, making sure you get a decent amount of food and drink in the morning can set you up for the day and finding hostels or apartments that offer free or cheap breakfast (even if that’s 5 croissants) can set you up and saves you heading to a cafe which somedays is a tempting choice. We also opted for the supermarket sweep to make sure we always had something in for the morning. Packing your own lunch or living off pasta for dinner also saves a good amount of dollar that you can spend on an activity, which should be a no brainer.

I am constantly on a budget for some reason or another but making sure I get out to see the world, is so important to me and can be done so cheaply. There are hundreds of tips out on the glorious web that will tell you that money should be no object. So whatchaaa waiting for?!

lovelove,

R.