HOW TO TRAVEL MORE OFTEN?

How do you travel often like this? I do not have enough money …

 

It’s a phrase I hear a lot and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Travel is still often associated with a privileged class of the population, which is no longer really the case in 2017. To travel often, everything is a question of priorities and discipline. I firmly believe that the trip is accessible to most people. If we are able to be satisfied with a little luxury and our comfort is not the number one priority when traveling, there are many ways to save money. Apart from the plane ticket, there are dozens of destinations which will make you spend less on the spot than if you stay to spend your holidays in your country. Since I’ve been working full time, it’s obvious that it’s even easier to raise money. On the other hand, even during my studies, making at least one trip a year was my priority. I always arrived there despite my precarious means. It is not always easy to refrain from buying a new piece of clothing or not going to the restaurant as often as you want, but will it is possible. We only have to remember what we can afford elsewhere in the world for the same price and envy very often at the same time.

Here are 10 ways that I use to allow me to travel often, around 3 to 4 times a year :

10 tips for traveling often

1. Stay in hostels

Accommodation during a trip is, for the most part, the biggest expense. It is therefore important for me to make sure that I save money at this level. What is the point of sleeping in a 5-star hotel? After all, we are in a country to visit and spend most of our time outside the hotel. In my opinion, it is quite possible to lower the standards that we have in our country of origin. Youth hostels or guesthouses are often very well priced and you may be surprised at the comfort they offer for a price that may seem ridiculous to us Westerners.

2. Choose your destinations according to the cost of living on the spot

As often as possible, I decided to go to destinations where the cost of living is really affordable. Especially since my favorite continent is Asia, I allow myself to go there as often as possible. Of course, I also choose American or European destinations sometimes, but it’s mainly because of the fact that I was able to save on other trips. There are many places on the planet where you can easily get away for $ 25 a day including accommodation, food, travel, and activities.

3. Traveling on your own

From the moment you decide to do business with a travel agency, do you say that you pay more. Obviously, the company must survive and it does not offer its services for anything. So, no need to do business with them. We find everything on the internet now. Whether on blogs, forums or sites like Le Routard or Lonely Planet, you will have all the information you need to organize your own journey. Just be resourceful and have a taste of adventure. Moreover, by traveling on your own, you are not confined to a specific schedule and route. You are free to do what you want to do when you want to do it. If you like a place, you have the possibility of extending your stay or on the contrary, to cut it short if the city does not please you. For my part, I always opt for the travel guides Lonely Planet or Ulysses that I bring with me on the spot. They are a small gold mine and are always very useful.

4. Take local means of transportation

In many countries, there are means of transport for tourists and others for locals. Often the level of comfort differs a lot, but it is also the best way to be in touch with the local population and to better understand how they live. The costs can be very different. For example, an air-conditioned passenger bus with television is much more expensive than the back of a pickup truck … And finally, the experience is often much better and especially very memorable in the truck box. In addition, there are also in Asia which are called sleepings buses. These are buses with beds for long trips. It is often much cheaper to use this means of transport instead of the plane. In addition, it will save you on the cost of a night in a hotel!

5. Well shopping for your plane ticket

There are several ways to pay for your plane ticket cheaper. The most important thing is to be flexible enough on the departure dates. Going on a weekday, for example, can save you a hundred dollars sometimes. It is also recommended to buy your ticket 7 months or 3 months before departure. I give you an example: I bought my ticket for Zurich at the right time and I paid 824 $, it is now over 1000 $ (I remind you that I live in Montreal). It’s a difference not to be neglected! I advise you to use Google Flight since it is possible to see, on a map, the upcoming deals or on a calendar, the best day to leave.

6. Put as much money as possible every month

To travel, it’s obvious, it takes money! So you have to be disciplined enough to set aside as much as you can every year. I have a budget I’m always in order to keep a maximum of money for traveling. No matter the unexpected, it’s never the travel budget that takes a hit. I keep the same amount each week aside and make sure that moment always equals the maximum I can put aside. As soon as I have a salary increase, I readjust. It’s also important to do it in a concrete way: either by opening a savings account at the bank or by putting the money in an envelope, well hidden, at home. In this way, you have a much better chance of actually saving. By leaving this money in the chequing account, you risk spending it without realizing it.

7. Keep aside all amounts that arrive by surprise during the year

I tell myself that the amounts that come by surprise, I could have done without, so I do not spend it on trivia. For example, it could be your tax refund, a birthday present, a salary increase or a year-end bonus at work. When we make travel our priority, the first thought that comes to mind when we receive money is to put it aside to be able to live even more adventures.

8. Think outside the box

The more you stay in the tourist spots, the more you will spend. Cities that are part of UNESCO World Heritage are still very beautiful, but are also full of tourists and are more expensive. Feel free to think outside the box and visit the countryside and less known villages. They often have as much to offer, if not more.

9. Traveling outside tourist seasons

It is certain that if you leave during the holidays, the spring break or the months of July and August, it will be more difficult to pay less, if not impossible. Around the world, these periods are the busiest. It is therefore perfectly normal for prices to rise. I often try to make my summer trips in June and September instead. This helps a lot to save money as prices fall during these periods. It is also possible to travel during the rainy season, in Asia for example, to pay less. I have been there a lot during this season and it never stopped me from taking a nice trip. Especially that most of the time, it rains 30 minutes in the late afternoon and then it’s over.

10. Take your time to visit

Wanting to visit a big country like China in one trip or decide to visit 3 countries in two weeks will cost you a lot more transportation than if you decide to focus on one place. Take your time to visit the cities that you put in your itinerary. The more time you have in one place, the more you see what you really have to offer, aside from the tourist attractions.

There are dozens of other stuff to get to travel often but are here grouped, those for me are the most important. And you, what do you do to go more than once a year? Do you have any new advice to let us know? Do you see that a little more accessible now?