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!
