How can we afford traveling so much? Tricks & lifehacks

Last updated on February 7th, 2017

In this post, I’ll tell you about how can we afford traveling so much! This question has been asked to us so many times (especially on Instagram), so I’m trying to make it clear in this post.

Many people say that traveling is expensive. Well, it can get expensive, that true. However, traveling doesn’t necessary HAS to be expensive.

Plenty of my followers on Instagram has asked me that question: “Wow, you travel so much! Are you rich?” And well, I wish I were, but no, I’m not rich. I don’t have a job that would send me around the globe every once and a while and I don’t have a job which pays 50K a year. I have an average job in a country where the salaries are famous for being low (mainly because of the crisis and a terrible exchange rate, guess which country is it), but yet I travel at least once a month to meet with Pepe. So he also travels a lot and you can ask him pretty much the same question.

Well, let me explain you how do afford traveling so much.

The secret is in good planning in advance, some lifehacks we know, tons of reading (forums, blogs, books) and careful spending of money. It is true that a carefully planned in advance trip can be up to 2 times cheaper, and we can prove it.

In one of our previous articles, you can find some lifehacks for cheaper traveling. I would also mention some here plus add some new ones and tell you an example of our trip planning.

So well, how do we afford traveling every month? (We still have full-time jobs)

Low cost airlines

We often use the low-cost airlines and buy the tickets in advance. I would suggest using Ryanair or Wizzair. I also love Easyjet, but it’s a bit more expensive. In Asia, you can use Jetstar or AirAsia and fly from Singapore to Siem Reap for as low as 25 US dollars!

 

Best flight deals on Skyscanner and Momondo

We always use Momondo and Skyscanner to find the best flight deals. Just check it right now, maybe your dream ticket is waiting for you.

 

Trains and Buses

We don’t forget about trains and buses – especially buses can be really a lot cheaper than anything else. If Megabus operates in your country, you can really travel for 1 euro. Just buy the tickets in advance! For example, I managed to buy tickets for 1 euro already twice in my life: both times when we went from Amsterdam to Brussels!
 

Newsletters

We sign up to every airline/ rail or bus provider we know and collect miles. In order to collect enough miles for a flight you need to fly a lot with airlines from the same alliance. BUT (!) you don’t have to spend your miles on flights: you can book your hotels with them. For example, during our recent trip to Balkans, we booked 2 hotels with miles: one with Aeroflot Miles and one with British Airways Avios. Not bad, huh?

 

Debit/Credit “Miles”Cards

We have some debit/cresit cards that would get us more travel miles. The one I have is from a Russian bank called Alfa Bank: for every 30 rub I spend (50 cent) I get one mile. That’s really not much at all, but nonetheless, in 3-4 months I collect enough miles to book a night in a budget hotel or last time I even booked a flight with Aegean from Athens to Thessaloniki for free (I didn’t need to pay for anything else, not even taxes)

 

Coupons and discounts

We often use coupons and discounts. We’ve got some prepared for you:

First of all, it’s Airbnb: if you use that link, you’ll some credits to use for free. Some time ago, before Airbnb introduced new rules, you could have booked a flat with that. Now a minimum amount of money, with which you could use your coupon is 70 euros, but anyways, isn’t 30-40 euros a nice discount?
Free Airbnb Coupon

In case you’re heading to a big city and want to hire a car, use Getaround. This link will get you 20 dollars for your first car rental: Click here!

Sign in to Uber: they send some really cool discounts from time to time. But in case you want a free ride to try, here’s your promo code: elizavetas41ue

Use Viator for booking tours around the world! With this link you’ll get 10$ discount!

 

Groupon

We also use groupon or similar websites for getting some nice offers on dinners and excursions. For example, in Edinburgh you can have a tea ceremony (afternoon tea) for 2 just for 15 pounds.

 

Notifications for flight prices

We always set up the notifications for the flight prices, so we know when the price goes down and can rush to buy a ticket.

 

Genius account on Booking.com

We have a genius account on Booking.com and get the best deals
There’re always some deals of the day, when you can book a really nice hotel with a significant discount.

Booking.com

Renting cars in advance

We often book cars in advance – more chances that we’ll get a great deal. Check these car rental services:

Homepage of AVIS

Sixt.com generic

Hertz discounts and coupons

Save up to 30% on Car Rentals Worldwide – Search Now

Money exchange

We always try to exchange money in advance – otherwise you might end up being without money in a foreign country. You’ll get the best exchange rate if you order your travel money in advance. We often use Travelex – foreign exchange for that.

 

Travel insurance

We always buy buy a travel insurance (it’s useful in many cases). For example, I had an accident I’m Zurich, Switzerland, and I could barely walk – my foot was hurting so much. Without the insurance, we would have paid like 200 Swiss Franks for the treatment we got in the hospital.

 

Some other posts you might find useful:

10 ways to save money when traveling
How to start traveling on your own

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