Hey everyone!
Recently, I've been getting some messages on Tumblr or a DM or two on Instagram or someone asking me to my face how I'm able to travel so often! I use the generic answer of "I find really cheap flights and I have two amazing, well paying jobs". But since I'm currently in London (for work - literally), I thought I would share some specific details. I'll break it down a little so it makes some more sense.
Before I book: I'd like to preface this by saying that my parents don't help me with any money or funding or whatever! In fact, my dad is a very abusive man who I have no contact with, and my mom is a foster parent and has to deal with all of the behind the scenes with that on top of my brother, so I get no money from any of them! The only help I had was when my dad fulfilled his promise to me of paying for my college undergrad, and that alone was wonderful. I hardly eat out, I don't drop $300 on ModCloth every chance I get, I shop at cheap places, etc. My money goes into the basic needs which are some bills. I've gone several months without paying rent and living at my mom's house or at the apartment of a friend (I earned my stays by running errands, cleaning, making food, etc - sort of like a live in housekeeper if you will) and that saved me thousands of dollars that way. Traveling for leisure and not for work is a whole lot different (if I'm traveling for work then that's already paid for for me), so I'm sure to really pinch my pennies.
When I book: I might be daydreaming of Thailand right now, but I'm not going to book a flight all willy nilly just because I want to go there. That's entirely too much for me. One thing I like to do when I have a spare minute or two is to just look up cheap flights from my location to anywhere in the world, even if I'm not going anywhere. If something comes up that's within my budget, then I'll go and book it, however, I haven't traveled for leisure in awhile, but that's what I do when I can. I follow Pomelo the most, and then I'll look up Google Fights as well. Also - it's not the end of the world if you don't fly on an airline that you haven't heard of. Some of the cheapest airlines you'll ever find are usually super uncomfy, but they'll get you there, I promise! And if you have a lot of time and you're going to Europe, the tickets there are insanely cheap (or at least to me they are). I lived in Lithuania for a couple of months last year, and I was able to go to most of the countries I wanted to go to when I had free time. I was even able to go to Iceland, and it was amazing! If you want to go to more than one location in Europe and it's longer than a train ride away, fly there! For example, Google Flights right now says that it's $173 round trip from London to Amsterdam nonstop. Amsterdam to Rome is $234. Seriously worth it.
When I'm there: To save money when you arrive in your destination, get out of your comfort zone and stay in a hostel! There will probably be other people there with you, which is cool that you get a roommate or two for free! And if there aren't other people there, then congrats, you have a place all to yourself! You don't need to have the Instagramable views that those people with 100,000+ followers have, because you can walk around the city you're in and find your own views, and that's just as fun. You also may not need to spend as much on transportation, because you'll be able to walk from place to place! I do recommend setting aside X amount of money for transport just in case, because you never know what you may want to see. Like I said, I spent some time volunteering last year in Lithuania, and it was amazing being able to walk 300 feet to a cafe!
What you may want to spend money on: If you're in Rome, definitely rent a scooter and put put around the city, because it's beautiful and it was a favorite of mine when I was in Venice, myself. If you're in Paris, you could go to the Louvre if you'd like, but it's actually not something you really seriously have to do. But if you like art, pretty things, and the Mona Lisa, give it a whirl! If you're in London, go in the London Eye and snap a picture of the view! There are some things you'll probably want to do and some things you might not want to do, so it's really up to you at the end of the day. The odds of you going to a city or a location with a rich history are extremely high, so go out and learn about it!
Those are my quickest tips for travel and how I'm able to afford it, but if you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email or DM me on one of my social medias!
xx
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