I am often asked by people about how it is actually possible for me to travel so much and how I can actually afford to do it all. Of course there are a number of opportunities now that my blog is a bit more established, but I thought might be a good idea to make a little guide about things you can do to make it easier to afford travel and also to deal with the costs. I thought that this might be a good companion for my recent blog post, which talked about how to actually deal with money when you travel. So read on to find out ways to afford traveling, I hope you enjoy it.
Booking sites
These sites have saved me on a number of occasions and I couldn’t be more grateful for the amount of times that they have saved me. I like these kinds of sites because they put all the information I need at my fingertips and allow me to make a very fast decision about what to do. Hostelz.com is one example of a really useful resource for booking accommodation, especially when you want to filter through. I really liked it in comparison to a lot of other sites, which aren’t really as good at filtering the results. For example, I could filter by things like “Features”, “Located near” and “Suitable for”. This was extremely useful to get the accommodation I wanted at the price I wanted and is a great way to find the right accommodation for you within your budget.
Sign up for newsletters
This is without a doubt one of the best ways to be aware of travel deals for flights and accommodation. All you need to do is to find some travel agencies, accommodation providers and airlines, and sign up for their mailing list. Then it is as simple as reading your emails and you will have many deals at your fingertips. These are, of course, great as a reference point, as well as actually booking deals. When you keep an eye on prices you will have a very good feel for what is a good or bad price, and this is especially the case with flights.
Make sacrifices
I think a lot of people are not exactly being honest with themselves when it comes to making sacrifices to save their money for travel. It is always tempting to live in the here and now, but the point is that there is no comparison for the experiences you could have. Think about going out for dinner and drinks and spending £100, you could perhaps spend this much money in Asia in two weeks. The most important thing is to put things to perspective and teach yourself where your money is going. Not only is this a good lesson for traveling, but your life as whole!
Work and travel
This is one of the best options for really getting to explore a destination. Getting a visa and working in that place allows you to really take in the culture. It also allows you to have something of a base where you can make some money and branch out on the weekends and when you have free time. I especially enjoyed doing this in London because the wages were quite high and it was very affordable to access various places in Europe. Ideally a centrally located place with the ability for you to make some decent money (this is always relative of course) will be the ideal base for you.
I hope you all enjoyed these tips and happy travels!