A July Dreamer

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Top Tips for Traveling on a Budget

What are some of your Top tips for traveling on a budget?

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2015 saw me do a lot of traveling, in fact I did more traveling in 2015 than I have ever done in my entire life (of 28 years of it). I have learnt so much about myself, what I can put up with, where to go to find deals (any that you know are welcome) and how to make the most if it.

So how did I manage to visit:

South Korea (x2), Belgium, Lithuania (x2) and Slovenia on a budget?

Research (AKA googling)

Apart from my spontaneous trips to Belgium and Slovenia I did a lot of thinking and researching for South Korea and Lithuania but saying that South Korea I visited a friend and Lithuania well MOH is from there. For Korea – round 1 I knew I would be staying with my friend so all I had to think about was flights and spending money. I knew direct flights were preferable but totally out of budget for me so instead I used Skyscanner to give me cheaper options and I was welcoming layovers too. Luckily for me my layovers were pretty short (1.5hrs in Munich going and coming back then 1hr Amsterdam for round 2 going and 7 hours for return in Japan then Amsterdam). To some people layovers are out of the question when travelling for longer than 10 hours but honestly they are not all that bad. For my round 2 return, I had to fly to Fukuoka, Japan layover for 6 hours then fly to Amsterdam for 1 hour layover before heading back to London. I made use of my layover in Japan and saw a bit of the city even if it was at night.

'Welcome to Vilnus' very cold but not too much to stop me from enjoying my visit #travel #travels #traveller #traveller #travelblog #traveling #travelling #travelgram #instatravel #travelphotography #travelbug #lithuania

You can make your layover fun by researching where you will have the layover, can you leave the airport without needing transit visa etc.

Compromise (Don’t give up) on accommodation

Now hear me out, when I say comprise I do not mean completely go commando but instead look at your budget and affordability. For Belgium and Slovenia, I hunted for deals mere days before my flight. I used Booking.com a lot for my hotels and they find me the best hotels ever. There are so many websites that you can use to find the best deals but for me Booking.com is that – the best. Slovenia I opted for a hostel type of bed & breakfast than a hotel because it cost less and reading the reviews there were hardly any complaints. The complaints I did see were something I could leave with no problem.

booking.com

Read Reviews

As mentioned above, always always read reviews of your destination from the flight to the hotel even the airport transfer. This is why I love Booking.com as people are not shy about leaving a comment on what they thought of the place good or bad and you can tell if it’s a good hotel or not on how they deal with the negative comments etc. Ever since I started blogging, I like to spend some time reading reviews of where I want to go and see if it somewhere I can go and deal with it or not.

Plan ahead

Now this is no brainer especially if you know you have some time before your trip. If you have already decided on location, start planning how you will get there, the distance between hotel and airport, how is public transport there if not driving, what’s the currency and what can you afford. This fits in nicely with compromising, look at what the hotel offers already and see what you can save on. If hotel offers towels, then take only a small towel just in case, if staying in hostel and not sure about their beddings then take a onesie nor light bedsheet if possible. Pack clothes that can be worn day or night and still look fine. Also ask the hotel questions about what they already provide and what you should expect in your room to be on the safe side.

These tips have helped me save a lot of money during my travels in 2015.

Do you have any tips for someone wanting to travel on a budget?

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Comments

  1. Janine BakeGlueandTrend says

    Good tips. Another one is to clear your browsing history and cookies before searching for flights. Flight companies use your search information to base your price on (could end up costing more depending on what you have been searching etc). I didn’t realise this until I saw a TV programme last night (Supershoppers I think it was called), have a Google about it if you want to learn more. I am using this tip next time as I browse lots on my laptop, including wishlist type items which may make me look like a high earner / spending to the ‘bots’. Which I am most certainly not hehe.

    Reply

    • Miranda says

      Hahahaha I know right we always looking up expensive wish lists but we don’t even buy that. I will certainly check it out and put it in practice

  2. helly says

    Great tips hun!! I love anything thrifty haha! I love travelling and find skyskanner great and also b and bs can be lovely in so many parts rather then paying for hotels!! xx

    Reply

  3. Emma says

    Call on family and friends for places to stay, contacts they may know, local tips and information. It’s amazing the wide networks we all have these days.

    Reply

  5. Lisa says

    These are great tips! I love to travel and one of the things I love about it is actually the airports!! I love to people watch and especially love prolonging my layovers so I can visit the city.

    Reply

  6. Mommy Pehpot says

    Travelling is a fun way to de stress but sometimes budget can be the cause of more stress right?
    Planning ahead and researching about your destinations really helps a lot to keep your budget intact when travelling.

    Reply

  7. Crystal says

    My daughter asked me today if we could go to Austrailia for three weeks. I advised her were not rich. She told I wasn’t traveling right if we couldn’t afford to go. LOL!

    Reply

    • Miranda says

      Hahaha oh wow your daughter is on fire, I think we have to look at our budgets and checkout the deals available and check again

  9. Michele D says

    I love to travel with my family but it’s so costly with a family of six. These are great tips on how to save. Thank you for sharing it.

    Reply

  10. Sara says

    I use an airfare tracking tool and it saves us SO much money on flights. In fact, anytime I get notice of $58 flights out of our nearest airport I am ready to buy and hit the skies! Your tips are great! I hope you get to go go go a lot in 2016 too!

    Reply

  13. Chantal says

    Travelling is so satisfying and is something everyone should experience regardless of their finances. It can be a very expensive time however these tips defiantly cut costs!

    Reply

  15. Nicola Cassidy says

    Really good tips! I’m a bit like you, I want the best, but on the best budget. I always try to balance leaving things till the last minute to get the best deal, without being afraid to let accommodation sell out 🙂

    Reply

  16. Jenny says

    GASP! You went to south korea?! *jumps in your luggage next time you go* Just… leave me there. I have dolly factories to check out 😛

    Reply

  21. Jaime Nicole says

    We love to travel, so this is a great article for us. We use lots of resources, including our rewards credit cards, to save loads on travel and get out the door more often!

    Reply

  22. Cara (@StylishGeek) says

    Interestingly I used Booking.com when I was planning our trip to Hawaii. I was impressed with it! I’m so excited for you to have visited all these awesome places! Thanks for sharing your tips! Traveling is my passion too!

    Reply

  23. Esther @ The Cuteness says

    I used Booking.com for a trip to Prague a few years ago and ended up being able to stay in a very nice hotel because they were offering such a great deal. I was so happy with it! I definitely don’t skimp on accommodations now that I’m in my 30’s. My backpacking days are WAY over 🙂

    Reply

  24. Cathy (MummyTravels) says

    I love Skyscanner, it’s always the first site I use to check out flights – and definitely research research to find decent places to stay. I usually have to book further in advance when I’m travelling with my daughter, but as you say there are some fantastic last-minute bargains out there too, especially when you can check against reviews.

    Reply

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