TRAVEL: HOW TO TRAVEL ON A BUDGET

So it’s clear I’m doing a whole lot more traveling this year. I have over 6 trips planned and while traveling is fun and exciting it can also be EXPENSIVE. And this girl is not getting pay to travel yet, so thought I’ll do a quick post on how to travel on a budget. From where to stay to when to shop for flights, check it out!!

WHEN TO SHOP FOR FLIGHTS….

Now the trick to getting flights for the low low is to shop EARLY.  I say domestic flights at least 1-2 month early and international flights 4-5 months or earlier.  Shop around as much as you can,  watch out for deals, sign up for ALL the airline mailing lists to be notified of deals. AirFareWatchDog is one of my favorite sites to watch for flights.. And oh, the best days to shop for flights are Tuesdays and Wednesdays, those days are also the best days to fly, airports are less crazy and flights are even cheaper. If time is on your side shop one way flights and connecting flight’s are not all that bad. You’ll get the opportunity to explore an additional city for FREE.

WHERE TO STAY….

I can’t remember the last time I personally pay to stay at a  hotel, I like to be and feel at home when I travel (so of course try staying with family and or friends if possible.) BUT if not I use AIRBNB. Most of their homes are super cheap like starting at $30 a night cheap. You can rent a room in someone’s house or rent a whole house. If I’m traveling with more than two people I always go with a whole house. It’s very important to start looking as early as possible, READ THE REVIEWS, the house rules, look at the photos and contact the host if needed prior to booking. Use my code, HERE, to get $40 off your first trip.

WHAT TO DO AND EAT….

Almost if not Everything you want to do is on GROUPON, so do some research on the city/country/state you heading to, find out what’s there to do and jump on Groupon and see what  deals they have on there. As for food if you are someone that likes to cook and have kitchen access in your Airbnb home I would say cook breakfast and or maybe lunch and go out for dinner. *depends on the length of your trips, don’t stay in and cook on no weekend trip, lol

Transportation….

First, don’t park at the AIRPORT. I’m in Atlanta so if I can’t get dropped off I’ll catch a $5 LYFT to the train station and the train takes me directly to the airport terminals. Or I’ll find a really cheap paid to parking near by. When I travel I don’t really like counting on anyone to get me around so normally I’ll rent a car and I only rent from AVIS. They have the best prices and one of the top rental companies to deal with. I’ve been using them for years and as a preferred member the perks are endless. When I’m in cities I can’t drive  (like anywhere in NEW YORK) I’ll I rely on car services like Uber and LYFT.

And those are my personal short and sweet tips on how to travel on budget.