How do I travel so much?

Hello fellow budget hunters

This is something I’m asked all the time by my friends and family so I thought I’d put my thoughts all together in one place! So its going to be separated into a few categories to make things easier (I hope).

 

Time –

I manage to find time to travel firstly because I’m a student and have a lot of holidays, secondly I have a casual job which means I’m not fixed to working every week. Thirdly I live by the philosophy that I won’t regret missing a few days of uni but I will regret not visiting a new place.

 

Money

First of all, I save money wherever i can – whereas most students (and me last year) spend about £20-30 for a night out most weeks, I have been out twice all year – i put the money i would spend away into a different account. Every £15 for me is a night somewhere or a 1 way flight. I also rarely buy things new and if I do – I use a rule where I will only buy something if I still want it after 3 days. Its all about will power and travel is my passion so I prefer adventures to hangovers.

I also can travel cheaply, I’ve already put together 2 guides on how expensive is Morocco and Romania, but I’m usually flexible about where I go. I have a list of places I really want to go but by randomly picking the cheapest flights on Ryanair fare-finder I’ve found some great places to visit. Also sky scanner is the best invention, we just pick somewhere to fly from and see where the cheapest places are. It is still good if you’re not flexible as it compares across most airlines!

 

I also like to find alternatives to expensive accommodation – we like staying in airbnbs and although we like having our own space, private room only means you get a locals knowledge of a place! Its just like a homestay and normally a fraction of the price of a hotel. However in Morocco hotels were the cheapest option or we enjoy hostels because we meet the most incredible people. Hostels often give you the freedom to cook for yourself which can be money saving but also helpful for breakfasts and hot drinks. (the same goes for airbnb – almost every listing has kitchen access)

Travelling around the UK is another expense such as getting to the airport, long distance relationships and city breaks. I use coaches more often than trains because they are so cheap and it feels like a school trip. I usually use mega bus from Cardiff to London or Birmingham (wherever I’m off to) and the cheapest tickets are released 6 weeks before departure (that’s where the £1 fares are). Sometimes national express is cheaper or even the trains when you have a railcard so make sure you check all the options. I also enjoy having WiFi, a toilet and normally a more interesting view!

Some people who are ‘too old for hostels’ can find all sorts of places to stay but we rarely spend more than £25 per night anywhere. For comparison I like to use booking.com as it’s my favourite for directions, locations and reviews – although currently they keep emailing me about places to stay in Vrsac (on that day we had checked to see where there was hotels/hostels in case we were stranded – always need a back up plan)

 

Although at the moment I do need to invest in a new rucksack that fits as hand luggage so that’s an expense that I have but it’ll be worth it for the lack of painful shoulders.

Hope this has explained more about my travelling lifestyle!