As a frequent traveller I’m often asked how I manage to travel, well so frequently. And I have to admit, I am very fortunate that I am able to do so. Being based in one of the biggest travel hubs in the world allows me the opportunity to great connections and budget airlines, and together with a powerful passport, I often forego the visa process to many destinations. So to some degree, I am rather privileged (I have a post about this) in gaining entries to destinations. But I thought I’d share some insight into how you get the most from a small budget.
If you’ve read any of my previous posts and follow me on IG you may have noticed that I travel to multiple places within one trip and often my trips are anything but luxurious! Not to say you need to follow a bare minimum regime but compromises here and there is certainly a start in shifting from a ‘holiday’ to a ‘traveler’ mindset. Have you ever wondered how a lot of gap year students travel endlessly on a shoestring budget [I am not advising this] but have a think!
Here are some of my top tips:
Flights:
When to travel and when to book depends on your availability and flexibility. If you are not flexible with dates at all; you’ll be limited with choice but perhaps can make up for it on accommodation. For those who have some level of flexibility, travelling off-peak is the best bet and flying out from mainland Europe is usually the cheapest on Tuesdays, booking for your flights between 2-3 months is ideal for a long haul. Airlines flying further afield are less likely to make sudden changes (unless of course affected by regional politics or natural disasters) and the closer you get (date) to your travel, prices will start to creep up.
Short haul flights (if leaving the UK) especially on budget airlines can be purchased up to few days before with similar prices. Sadly you can’t guarantee the prices as some go up as well as go down, but my advice would be to check comparison sites and Skyscanner on a regular basis. If you are just browsing, use incognito mode so your searches aren’t saved and recognised for the next time you search for the same trip (you might see different prices if your searches are saved).
I always recommend to check as many flight options as possible (all airports within reach) both at your departure and arrival, sometimes this will be a different country. If you have a week or more, you can explore a few places overland, so you land somewhere explore for a few days, head to the destination you are leaving from on a bus/ train (much of mainland Europe can be done overland). Ensure to do your research around local transport and visa if needed. This has saved me $$ on flights as some airports are not well connected and some others in neighbouring countries are, even though it was not the intended destination but still had a great time.
Accommodation:
This is somewhere you certainly can save money on:
- If you are low maintenance and seeking to stay with locals you can use: Couchsurfing and forums like Host a Sister on Facebook for free accommodation. This suits confident solo travelers but you don’t have to use this for accommodation but meet up with locals and they’ll show you around to local eats (which am sure will be a lot cheaper than tourist dining). There are many ‘Expats in…‘ groups on FB which you can join and start chatting with locals to create contacts.
- Stay in a hostel (shared female dorms are available on booking.com and Hostel World), even in Europe you can stay for as little as £10 a night. If you’re travelling in a pair or small group, you can book the whole room for yourselves and split cost. Splitting costs with fellow travelers saves a lot of money, single rooms on its own works up to be significantly more expensive than shared.
- Build up Genius Levels with booking.com: Booking.com currently has 3 genius levels (you’re awarded this based on number of bookings made in any given year), the more you book the more rewards you get. If you find you don’t travel that often, but still use booking.com for accommodation, think of staying in couple of hotels in 1 trip, this will drastically double your chances in getting these rewards (future discounts 10-15% off, free breakfasts in some places, £5 credit to your account with certain bookings). So if you travel 3 times a year on average 4-7 days, you could easily have stayed in 10 hotels in that time (and they don’t have to be hotels, hostels, homestays, guests houses as long as it was booked via booking.com)
- Choose accommodation with access to a kitchen or at least a kettle (usually hostels, private hosts will have this) or specify in your search when looking for hotels. If you want to forego breakfast, buy your own from local supermarket and make your own hot drink in the morning (this will mean taking your own teabags which I have learnt to do, bring some cereal bars too).
Luggage:
- Travel Light: If you’re flying long haul with a large carrier; your ticket will include at least x1 piece of checked in luggage with x1 or x2 pieces of cabin. Most low-cost carriers charge you for checked in luggage and many have started charging you for cabin luggage for overhead lockers above your seat (Ryanair, Easyjet, Wizz Air) sometimes more than the ticket itself. If you’ve a short trip planned, invest in packaging cubes to compress your clothing (the ones with x2 sets of zips) and a bigger backpack that fits under the seat. You’ll surprise yourself on how little you need for a 2-4 day trip in Europe, this is doable on a ‘handbag’ as they call it and will fit under the seat.
- For 1-2 weeks: Can be done on a cabin luggage that fits in the overhead lockers, again invest in couple of sizeable packaging cubes to compress clothing. If you are travelling somewhere cold, take many layers as opposed to thick garments that take up unnecessary space. You can buy thermals or heatech vests/ tops/knitwear that easily fits in your bag and keeps you as warm. Wear all the bigger clothing on route including shoes (i.e. trekking boots or trainers should be worn on planes) these take up a lot of space if packed.
- Pack your toiletries in sample cubes (you can get these free from make up shops like Mac) or in sets of x6 from boots or online. Don’t pack all your makeup just what you’ll need for those days
- Shampoo and soap bars: I’ve stopped taking liquid shampoo/body wash, you can get some nice bars from many shops including Lush, Holland & Barretts even Boots. And as they are small, solid and square fit in well in your bag/s
- Pack a tote bag: This packs well flat and the minute you get off that plane, you’ll put it into use and start unpacking some basics from backpack.
Dining:
- Avoid eating out in restaurants for every meal, if breakfast is included in your stay (i.e. buffet), have as much as possible then a light lunch (possible a café or shop bought) and nicer place for dinner. Alternatively meetup with locals for dinner, splitting costs will work out cheaper. If you have a kitchenette, make your lunch dinner for the day as simple as on the go sandwich (local supermarkets are great), staying somewhere close to grocery shops helps.
Halal Foodie Travel 