These past couple weeks, we’ve been finalizing our plans for our upcoming trip to Ireland and Scottland and it’s getting so real! We’re so excited! I’ve had a couple friends recently ask me how we plan these international trips without breaking the bank and so I thought I’d write a blog post about it! If you’ve been curious or looking for tips on how to travel on a budget, this post is for you! Now, let me start off by saying this- I am not necessarily trying to be a travel blogger- I just want to help everyone experience the joy that traveling has brought us, even if you don’t think it’s possible! So, I have listed 5 tips that we have found help us travel the world, without being millionaires!
Tip #1 - Finding Cheap Flights
You can find inexpensive flights - they’re out there! We’ve found that some of the best places to look for cheap flights are by using Kayak, Google Flights, or Scott’s Cheap Flights. You can set up alerts to let you know when prices have dropped for wherever you want to go, or if you don’t have a destination in mind, you can select a date range and see a map of the world and look at good prices anywhere. Another tip, if you have the flexibility, consider traveling not in the peak seasons - going during really busy times, like summer can influence flight costs, and a lot of your other costs as well. We are saving a couple hundred dollars because we are going to Ireland a month before peak season. Not everyone has that flexibility, but if that’s an option, definitely should look into it! You can also save costs find inexpensive flights just by opting to travel with carry on luggage only! Some of the budget flights are on the same, popular airlines, you just do not get to take a checked bag. Tip 2 will show you that this is possible!
Tip #2 - Packing Light
Packing in a carry on is doable guys! I wasn’t a believer, but last year when we went to London I made it happen and now I feel that I can do anything - haha! The key is to pack clothes and shoes that go with everything, and mix and match well so you can easily layer, double up and not feel like you’re wearing the same thing every day. For example: comfy dresses or pants that could be worn all day, or dressed up for a nicer dinner, neutral colors etc. Also, make sure to take only comfy and essential shoes because they weight a lot! Packing light is important in carry on bags, because sometimes there is a weight limit -the best thing you can do is check your airline rules beforehand. We have a hand held scale that we use to test our luggage and that helps us as we pack! You can find a similar one here. We have always loved Away suitcases (they’re SO pretty), but didn’t love the price tag, so we bought these suitcases from Amazon and they are great (and ¼ the price). A great way to stay organized in a smaller suitcase is to use packing cubes. I love the ones we have because there are several sizes that allow me to group things in a way that makes sense and saves space. It also makes it easy if you need to pull something out while you’re traveling - everything won’t fall all over the place!
Tip #3 - Airbnb is the best
Another key to making traveling with a carry-on possible is staying in Airbnbs. Some provide a washer and dryer to wash clothes so you can actually get away with packing less. Make sure as you’re looking that you choose a place that has a washer - this is essential! Also, Airbnb is typically cheaper than staying in hotels and most of them have a kitchen (or at least some of a kitchen) so you can cook/prepare one or two meals a day to save extra money. We also love the experience of staying in a home rather than a hotel - it’s more fun and feels like you live there! You can use this link to sign up for Airbnb and get a $40 credit towards your stay of $75 or more!
Tip #4- Save!
Save, save, save! Saving for your trip is the best way to make sure you are prepared and don’t go into debt for it. There are three ways that we save for trips!
We put away almost every check we get as a present. So, if we get a check for our birthday or Christmas from family, that goes straight to our travel fund!
Cook at home!! This is so important and we have been so bad at it at times! But if you cook at home and don’t go out to eat all the time, you will save so much money- all of that can be put towards your trip!
Digit! Digit is the possibly our favorite app ever. Digit saves money for you automatically, without you knowing, making sure that you actually do it! Digit will track your monthly spending habits and take small amounts of money out of your account and save it automatically, almost like you never knew it was there! You can set goals and track your spending along the way. The best part about Digit is that it's only $2.99 a month! That is one Starbucks coffee a month, to save and travel the world! We have saved thousands over the past few years without even knowing it.
Bonus! If you sign up for Digit, using our link, you’ll get a free $5 and so will we! Win win! Who doesn’t love free money?
Tip #5- Plan Ahead
Planning ahead is key for traveling! Even if you don’t identify with the Disney World mom with folders that are color coded for each family member (we all know one) you can still plan ahead! Below are four ways that you can start planning ahead for your trip as soon as you click purchase on your plane tickets!
Book most tickets beforehand because they charge more at the door or day of. For a lot of major attractions and tours, if you book before the day of, you will have the choice to select an earlier time slot or take advantage of early-bird pricing. This is a great way to get to see everything you want but to keep your costs low!
Do things that are local to experience culture instead of just big name tours.
Plan to do some activities that are free - museums, etc to ease the costs of entertainment and things to do.
If you know you want to do something - go ahead and book it now! The last thing you want is to be disappointed and miss out on your “must-haves”.
Example: When we went to London, the main thing Zach wanted to do was visit the Warner Bros. Studio Tour- Making of Harry Potter. This was a MUST HAVE, and by the time we went to book our tickets, they were sold out when we tried to buy through the studio. We ended up having to pay more and book through a tour group. We still got to visit, but we had to pay more- so make sure you plan ahead!
We hope that these tips inspire you to start planning your next trip today! If you want to see some sights from on our upcoming to Ireland hop over to Instagram and give me a follow, and if this encourages you to start planning a trip send me a dm because I want to hear all about it!!
Interested in seeing more blogs about travel? There is more to come!
Stay tuned for some topics like traveling with your camera, our experience in London, Ireland, and more!
All The Links
Suitcases
Luggage Scale
Packing Cubes
Airbnb
Digit
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