Tuesday, May 21, 2013

25 Tips to Traveling on a Budget


Faithful readers and future travelers,
Are you planning a trip and don’t know what to pack? Are you hoping to travel but don’t want to return broke? Do you want to learn all about how to be a cool world traveler like me? Fear not! The much-anticipated list of travel tips is finally here! I’ve wanted to write a post about everything I’ve learned while studying abroad so that I can share the knowledge...and HERE IT IS!

These tips are designed for students, young adults and anyone who would like to travel as much as possible without spending a ton of money. It is a collection of things I found out while spending my semester in Europe and advice people gave me before I went as well. Let’s start with tips on packing and things to do before leaving:

1. Pack less than you think you’ll need. If you’ll be away for a long time, you can always do laundry and you’ll most likely do some souvenir shopping so, within reason, stick the bare minimum. It’s also smart to pack Space Bags to fit things in better (these can be used in backpacks on weekend trips as well!) and plenty of Ziploc bags because it’s hard to find those in Europe.

2. Buy a neck pillow! If you’re going to be traveling a lot, those squishy neck pillows are fantastic for mashing up against the window of a bus, train or plane when you need some shut-eye.

3. Pack things like a padlock, eye mask, earplugs, shower flip-flops and small, microfiber towels. If you plan to stay in a hostel you will need all of these things. Many hostels have them available for you to buy, but they are more expensive and it’s better just to bring your own.

4. Get your priorities straight. Think about your goal for when you travel: do you want to spend the majority of your money collecting cool souvenirs from places? Are you a foodie who just has to try all of the best dishes? Is your “going out” fund going to be the biggest? Or do you want to save most of your money for traveling to as many places as possible? It’s so important to know this ahead of time so you can plan accordingly.

5. On that note, budgeting is GOOD. I’m not saying you need to track every single expense you have (although if you can, more power to you!) but have an idea of how much money you have to spend and don’t go over it. I budgeted generously for my semester abroad because I had been saving for at least 4 years, and I still came in at half of what I wanted to spend. I found it helpful to keep a spreadsheet of how much I spent on plane tickets, hostels, buses, etc. to have an idea of how much I’d spent. I also tracked food and shopping/souvenirs as well.

6. Research the weather and the type of activities you will most likely be doing wherever you go so you pack appropriately and don’t have to spend money buying clothes you already have at home. I hadn’t planned to do as much hiking and running as I do here in Spain, so I ended up having to buy more t-shirts and athletic clothes because I didn’t have enough.

7. USE SKYSCANNER. If there was one piece of advice I could give you to traveling cheaply in Europe, this would be it. Skyscanner.com is a website that searches for budget flights and compares companies. You can rearrange dates or locations to fly out of to search for different options. My favorite part is that you can enter where you are flying out of and the dates you want to go somewhere, then leave the destination open and search for the cheapest flights that way. Using this feature, I flew from Spain to Switzerland for $70, Ibiza for $34 and Scotland for $120!

8. Another tip about Skyscanner: the site merely shows you which flights are available and the cost. It does not book the flight. It takes you to another website, such as RyanAir, to actually book the flight. Before booking, do a little bit of research on the company to make sure it is legit. I booked a flight through a 3rd party company that ended up asking me to send photocopies of my passport, license and visa and when I did not, they tried to charge me double the cost of the flight to book a new ticket. When I researched the company after the fact, I found they had terrible ratings and had to learn the hard way.

9. Also be on the lookout for added costs when booking flights. Many times, your flight will say it costs a certain amount, and then an extra $30 or more will be added on at checkout for taxes and whatnot. Just be aware of these costs. It’s not unusual to be charged an extra amount to use your credit card to book the flight.

10. On the topic of flights, let’s talk about RyanAir. RyanAir (and other budget airlines such as Easy Jet or Wizzair) are a great way to travel at a very low cost. All of the flights I listed earlier were flown on RyanAir. The airline is legitimate, but they have to do several things to keep their costs so low and I’d love to warn you about them! They will do everything in their power to fine you for not doing any of these things.

10A. You MUST print RyanAir boarding passes online before you come to the airport. If you don’t, you get a fine. You can print them up to 15 days before traveling.
10B. You must get your boarding pass stamped by the RyanAir staff if you are a non-EU resident before you go through security or they won’t let you board. There is a special desk at airport check in counters for this purpose.
10C. If you are checking a bag, you’ll be fined 20 euro for every kilogram you go over, so be super cautious! I believe the weight limit is 15 kilograms.
10D. Most of us just travel with carry-on bags because it’s easier and cheaper and you can fit a LOT in a backpack! Be careful though-RyanAir only allows you one carry on bag. If you are traveling with a backpack, you have to be able to fit your purse in there as well! This is so important-I had to stuff my neck pillow under my coat and look pregnant on one flight because it wouldn’t fit in my bag!
10E. With your carry-on bag, you have to be able to fit it in the container they provide and they will most likely make you stuff your bag inside to prove it. Make sure your bag fits and is the right dimensions before traveling. If you have a backpack, you’ll probably be fine and they let you stuff it in there pretty hard  (as long as it fits all the way).
10F. On board, they don’t provide you with anything so don’t expect snacks or drinks.  They will, however, try to sell you anything and everything for the duration of the flight. Don’t expect to sleep much on a RyanAir flight either because you will be woken up every 5 minutes as they try to convince you to buy soda, perfume or jewelry.
10G. Okay, last RyanAir tip! RyanAir doesn’t assign seats and they don’t post the gate of your flight until about 15 minutes before the flight boards. Everyone waits at the screens for the gate to be posted, only to have everyone running to get there first. I like to call this the RyanAir Dash. The seats are first come, first serve. If you’d like a window seat or you want to sit with your friends, just make sure you get to the gate as soon as it’s posted.

11. Don’t be afraid to use other forms of traveling! I took one overnight train and several trains within certain countries as well as about a zillion buses. Transportation differs based on the country you are in, so look into all the options to see what is cheapest.

12. Make sure you talk to your bank before you travel not only to let them know you’ll be out of the country, but to figure out what your foreign fees are. Those can add up, so be sure you know what percentage you’ll be charged when you use a credit card or a debit card. Some debit cards don’t charge you an extra fee to take money out of an ATM and if that’s the case, you might be better off dealing more with cash than a credit card.

13. When booking places to stay, it’s also a good idea to consider all options. I’ll discuss hostels in particular next, but we found it cheaper in some cities to stay in a hotel because the cost was not listed per person, but per room. When we had 4 people staying together it was sometimes cheaper to get a hotel or rent an apartment, so keep all your options open.

14. Some good websites for booking hotels, apartments and hostels are booking.com, hostelbookers.com and hostelworld.com.

15. Hostels always have a variety of room types to stay in, and it totally depends on your preference and what is available. For a bit more money, many hostels have private rooms. These are essentially like a hotel although you will most likely have to share a bathroom.  There are also dorm style rooms where you might share your room with 4-12 or more people. One hostel we stayed in had 30-person rooms! Usually the more people per room, the cheaper it is.

16. If you are staying in a dorm style room, make sure you have a lock to keep your stuff safe. Most will provide a locker, but you may have to rent a lock unless you already have one.

17. When you are looking for a hostel it’s a good idea to take these things into consideration:
  • ·      Do they provide free breakfast? Often times no, but it’s good to look for!
  • ·      Do they have kitchens? Cooking your own food is a great way to save money.
  • ·      Where are they located? If they are in a central location, you can save a lot of money on transportation. Some hostels even provide free or discounted public transportation cards.
  • ·      Do they give free walking tours? This is really common, and a great way to see the city for free! They do expect tips at the end, though.
  • ·      What is their rating on the websites? Reading others’ comments can give you a good insight to the quality of the hostel.
  • ·      Do they have free wifi? If it’s important to you, make sure they have it. Most do!
  • ·      Do they store baggage for free and is it locked up? You’ll probably want to walk around after checking out if you have time, but make sure they can store your bag for you in a safe, locked location before leaving.
  • ·      Do they provide bedding and/or towels? Bedding is often provided but not at every hostel and towels are often an extra cost. If you already have a microfiber towel or a travel towel, bring them if they aren’t provided.


18. Another site to check out for places to stay is couchsurfing.org. You can save a ton of money doing this because it’s FREE! I never couchsurfed while I studied abroad but friends of mine did and loved the experience. You have to contact the people on the website to set up your stay, so look for people with background checks. Be careful if you choose to go this route and only stay there if you are going with at least one other person! I would not recommend couchsurfing alone.

19. Walk as much as possible or use forms of public transportation. I know they may seem daunting, but you’ll learn to pick up public transports SO quickly! They save you so much money in place of taking cabs everywhere. Only take a cab when necessary! Especially when going to and from airports it gets really expensive, so look into buses or metro systems. Most cities have routes that take you to the airport.

20. When you visit a new city, make sure you check out the available discounts for museums, monuments and other tourist attractions. Many offer student discounts with a student ID, student visa or your passport. Others have free hours where the museum is open to the public for free, so look into it! It’s a good idea to always carry your student ID on you.

21. Be cautious of spending too much money on food. I love eating and trying new things in the places I visit, but I do what I can to save as well. It’s a great idea to cook for yourself if your hostel or apartment has a kitchen, and going to the grocery store is almost always cheaper than a restaurant. Also be aware of “tourist” menus...some restaurants will try to charge you more than a food item is listed for on the menu when they know you are a tourist.

22. Tripadvisor.com is another great resource for finding out what the best things to do in a particular place are. They give ratings and feedback from other tourists and it can help you decide what to spend your money on.

23. Be prepared to take the early ones. By this, I mean that often times, cheap trains, planes and buses leave really late at night or really early in the morning. There’s always time for sleep later! If you really want to save money, don’t be surprised if the cheaper flights leave ridiculously early. I also ended up taking buses to bigger airports to save money; instead of flying out of my local airport in Granada, Spain, I always flew out of Malaga or Madrid. With the cost of the bus there included, our travel expenses were still cheaper than flying out of the closer airport.

24. Ask your friends what their tips are! I learned a lot of what is on here through talking to my friends who had traveled and hearing what their experiences were. They might give you great advice on what things were and were not worth spending money on. For example, I visited the Louvre in Paris a few years ago and I advised friends who were going to Paris to go during the Friday night free hours, as long as they were not big art fanatics and could do with seeing the main pieces in about a 2 hour span.

25. Finally, always remember that as long as you actually have the money, don’t keep yourself from doing something you really want to do because it’s too expensive. Traveling to new places is a gift and you don’t want to leave a new city or country with regrets because you cheated yourself of an experience. Sometimes you might not have the money to afford a certain excursion but if you do, and it’s really important, don’t let the money stop you. My dad always gave me that advice and I really appreciate it; when you look back on your life and your travels, you won’t care that you saved $50 (that you probably spent later on something way less cool), you’ll remember the cool time you took a gondola ride in Venice, or when you splurged and went to the top of the Eiffel Tower or the way you felt as you bungee jumped off that bridge in Australia. Those are the moments that count!

I hope this post was helpful! If you are traveling and have more questions or would like me to explain something better, don’t hesitate to comment below or email me at krysiewicz@mail.bradley.edu! Fellow traveler friends-please comment below as well if you have other tips that I left out! 

Monday, May 13, 2013

Pocos Días


Well folks, I’m officially past the 2-week mark until I come home! I can’t believe it’s almost here already. I’m really excited to come home and see everyone again and have my whole wardrobe back. I’m trying my best to make the most of the time I have left in Spain before reality comes crashing back to my life in 11 short days.

This past weekend, we decided to take one more little getaway and hopped on a bus to a town near Granada called Almuñecar. It has lots of palm trees and beaches and was a perfect, relaxing two days. I went with three other friends from my program and we rented an apartment right near the beach. For only 12 euro for the night, we got our own apartment complete with a kitchen and a pool! We spent basically the whole day on Friday lying out at the beach and at night we got some delicious Mexican food. After dinner we walked along the beach and staring out at the water while a live saxophonist played. We talked a lot about how lucky we are and how fortunate we are to have this opportunity. All of us agree the feelings about the end of the semester are totally mixed; one minute we can’t wait to go home and see our family and friends again, another we think about how much we’ll miss just picking up and going to the beach for the weekend because we feel like it. It’s a really tough combination.




On Saturday we laid by the pool the whole day before we had to head back to Granada. Sunday was also spent outside enjoying Granada: the same group of four hiked for a few hours on some trails up in the mountains behind the Alhambra and had some unbelievable views of the surrounding mountains and the city from the top. It’s crazy that all of that beauty is within walkable distance from my apartment here!




After the hike, we did a little shopping in the Moroccan district where we each bought some Moroccan-style pants. They’re kind of ugly but the most comfortable things in the whole world-mine have elephants on them! We also did a bit of souvenir shopping for our families! After some afternoon gelato in the sun, we all Skyped our moms for Mother’s day. It was great to get to talk to my mom, but it’s hard not to be there for holidays like that. We caught up for awhile though, and I do get to see them in 11 days!

Until then, I’ve kept myself busy making lists of all the home-cooked foods I can’t wait to eat and all the American restaurants I can’t wait to visit when I get back to the States! I never knew how much I would miss Mexican food, Portillo’s or Panera. All my friends back home better be prepared to eat up with me when I get back! 

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Vamos a la Playa!



This past weekend was yet another great trip, and a perfect vacation to end my big travels for the semester. I have 2 weekends left in Spain, which I’m finding really hard to believe. I’m not going into all that in this post, however. After a semester jam-packed with travels all over Europe (and Africa, too!), it kind of feels good to know that I’m done for a while. I’m a tad bit burnt out on long travel days, but I’m glad we got in one last big “hurrah” with a bunch of great friends this past weekend in Lagos, Portugal.


Normally, when I travel on weekends I make all the plans for myself. My friends and I research the hostels, search for cheap flights, book the buses to and from the airports, figure out our itineraries and what the best things to see in each city are, and so on. For this trip, a group of 12 of us from our program in Granada booked our trip through a travel company and miraculously, everything was planned FOR us! It was really nice not to have to do it all for once.

The travel company, Discover Excursions, had a bus pick us up along with about 30 other students from Granada at about 5:30 am on Friday. The bus ride to Lagos is about 7 hours, so it was good to start early despite being absolutely exhausted. We even got to watch a movie (in English!!) on the way! We arrived in Lagos, a beach town on the very southern coast of Portugal, at about 1pm and after checking into the hotel, made a beeline for the beach. Conveniently, the beach was about a 2-minute walk from the hotel and boasted beautiful aqua blue water and gorgeous rock formations. Oh..and unlimited free sangria!  YUM!



Discover Excursions also provides planned activities at an extra cost in addition to the excursions included in your trip package, and in Lagos they offer surfing, kayaking and a sangria boat cruise. Naturally, my friends and I signed up for the sangria boat cruise, which was scheduled for the first day. After a bit of sunning on the beach we met for the cruise, which took us in and out of the amazing grottos formed in all of the rock formations. It was unbelievable! The free sangria made it a little better as well. We were lucky to have amazing, warm weather all weekend, although the water was absolutely freezing. That didn’t stop my friends and I from jumping off the boat for a bit to take a little swim. I was out of the water in seconds, and back to enjoying the sunshine from the boat deck! At night, we went into the city center to visit Nah Nah Bah, the restaurant that is home to the Toucan burger, one of the top 50 burgers in the world! It absolutely lived up to its reputation; the special sauce and grilled pineapple were fabulous. I haven’t eaten much red meat since coming to Spain and it was so satisfying to sink my teeth in a big, juicy burger. I devoured the thing in an embarrassingly short amount of time, but according to the wristbands they gave us for the weekend, “You only Lagos once!”

 My friend Ari and I on the sangria boat cruise

 Inside the grottos


The famous Toucan Burger!

On Saturday, we met as a big group for the buses to take us to Ponte da Piedade, which is a lookout point where you can see some beautiful views of the ocean and rock formations we had seen on the boat tour. I couldn’t help but take a million photos because everything was so gorgeous! Afterwards, we headed to a beach called Maia Praia for the day and spent a perfect afternoon relaxing on the beach, getting tan, and drinking....you guessed it! Sangria. Upon returning to the hotel, we had a little time for some dinner before heading back on the bus to visit Cabo San Vicente, more popularly known as “The End of the World.” I can see where it got its name; the cliffs there were breathtaking. We sat and watched the sunset and I couldn’t help but think about how beautiful the world is and how lucky I am to have been able to see so much of it already. Sunsets make you think about deep things like that.





On our last day, we took advantage of every hour of sun possible. Most of our friends had signed up for surfing or kayaking and left right after breakfast for the day. Paige and I spend our day on the rooftop pool of the hotel where, for the majority of the day, we were the only two guests up there. From the rooftop, you could see out onto the ocean and it was the perfect last day in Lagos. I loved the whole weekend and really enjoyed not having to plan anything for once. I highly recommend Portugal if you ever have the chance to go, and I hope to return to visit Porta or Lisbon in the future!