Travel at times is a privilege, and at times can be cost prohibitive where it is not always accessible for individuals, let alone couples or families. Airfare, hotel, car rentals and food can all add up, and a budget must be considered to see if travel is even feasible. But, all is not lost. There are ways to find deals and find savings to help make a domestic or international excursion more obtainable, and a trip less stressful. In this post, I will tackle oe of the biggest budgetary drivers of any trip: airfare. Airfare was up 14 percent in 2022 as compared to 2021, but that does ot necessarily mean savings cannot be found if a few tactics are employed.
Inside My Planning
I often get asked “Hey Dave, why do you travel so much how are you able to do this?” I’m able to travel because of a couple blessings that I have and hard work to get my life and career to where it is in my 30s. The plain truth is that it does take a little money and time to really travel internationally, and even domestically. Cost effective travel can be done through smart timing, shopping around and having a little flexibility in when to travel. The other thing is I schedule my time well when I travel on long weekends I often travel so well I don’t need as much time in a place to get the most out of it because I cover A lot of ground when I solo. I will sometimes and put in 12 miles a day on my feet and sometimes I’ll cover 200 miles by car or 400 miles by train as I did in my two trips to Japan. When I book my time I have to buckle down long holiday weekend and just add on one or two days off from work this week I’m not burning out my paid time off. Recently I’ve also been working in a hybrid or semi remote capacity, so I do have a little bit more flexibility in my schedule. However, if you do work a regular, in-office full-time work and don’t have a lot of family obligations you can schedule 2 to 3 international trips a year if you schedule correctly and budget correctly.
Timing is Everything.
There are peak and lulls in airfare. Take a look at setting alerts for a home airport sometime special deals will pop up unexpectedly. Another thing that saved me a lot of money is following several airlines that I really enjoy. They will be special deals that will pop up and if you budget your time as well as your money correctly you’re able to save even up to 50% off of certain airfares. One such example includes my upcoming trip to Paris France the total cost of airfare is costing me less than $400 round-trip with a check in that all because I paid attention to special deals provided by the airline. Follow these airlines social media accounts as well sometimes there are deals that will not be found on third-party vendors such as Expedia or copper.
There are several things you do need to consider when budgeting airfare. It is worth shopping around between multiple airlines and multiple third-party vendors it is also worth shopping around between direct flights and layovers sometimes one will be cheaper than the other doing the research before hand will save you both time and money in the long term. The other thing you need to consider is that while you can travel on a budget you do need some money and more importantly you need the time and flexibility in order to travel.
Recently, I took a booked a trip to Faroe Islands through Atlantic Airways, and it was almost spontaneous trip. Why? I saw an incredible deal n airfare form New York to Paris that was too good to let pass. I sign up for a few airlines that I like so I get their emails and text notifications on deals. I was able to secure a trip to and from Paris for cheaper than a. Normal fight to Chicago. If you are able to be a little flexible, and plan around weekends and holidays, and target mid week day travels, it could save your a few hundred dollars/euros on travel costs.
Another important note on airfare is to look into the meal, check in bag and seat reservation policies. Sometimes the next price their up will allow for all of this without all of the extra surcharges. It could save some money overall.
The same can be done for hotel and car rentals as well. It is worth signing up for a few sites like Expieda, or Hopper, or other sites of your choosing to see if you get offers and promos, or doubling of rewards points or reclaiming of points to help drive down costs. It is worth shopping around just to see what is out there.
With the US Dollar being strong, currency exchanges are not quite as prohibitive. In my recent trips to Europe, the dollar has performed anywhere from $1.08 to $.20 to the Euro compared to eight years ago when I traveled to Ireland and paid almost $.60 per Euro and currency exchange services were more limited. Check with your bank to see if your debit or credit card can be accepted overseas. I have a global card where I can go to the ATM and withdraw most currencies abroad. There are some fees, not it is not radically more than Going to currency exchanges at the Airport typically have a larger surcharge than the ATM fee r foreign transaction fees.
Food and drink can vary greatly per country, and even per city or state/province. Norway is expensive, ,while wine in France and beer in Germany is cheaper than bottled water. I am used to the inflated costs of living in greater New York, so paying 120 kroner for a beer (10 dollars or so) isn’t that different than Manhattan prices. I tend to eat light and pick up a few snacks at local food markets to have a light breakfast or lunch. I tend to only eat one heavy meal when I travel, usually a. Lunch or dinner.
Penultimately, keep the souvenir shopping at a minimal too. Not everywhere is a tourist trap, and you can find some nice trinkets for family and friends relatively reasonably. Caution must be taken that the closer you get to very popular tract ions, the probability of price gouging or cheap gifts may increase. You als don’t want to broadcast that you are *that* tourist either to others who may Ray to scam you or steal from you. I also find it more helpful to shop at local vendors for truly meaningful gifts. You will find more culture, relevance and meaningful gifts that way, ad you get to help local businesses at the same time.
My final tip, is don’t just get one source of advice. I write based on my experiences, experiences of friends and some research. What worked or failed for me might not be your experience. There are many more well traveled wanderers out there. Read their blogs, follow their YouTube channels. Their experiences are great teachers. Most importantly, never be afraid to do your own research and exploring and enjoy the journey.
To facilitate how to wrap one’s head around budgeting, AirTreks has a good calculator tool that can help you get a frame of reference.
Hopefully in this piece, I helped you make travel a little less stressful and more accessible for you. Travel should not be a rich person’s privilege, but a right and enjoyment for all. The world is meant to be experienced.