General info to plan your trip
This section is about basic tips for beginners travelers, but we also intend to surprise the most experienced with some new information that may change their way to travel. Traditional travel guides are still rich tools; today, however, the web offers an unlimited universe of useful sites and apps with updated information. In each section below, we organize links to ease your search.
Budget and time
How much money and time do you have for your trip? Especially for those with a tight budget and few days available, a good travel planning is essential. All the money you intend to spend on tickets, lodging, travel insurance, tours, meals, transportation, shopping, gifts, souvenirs should be included.
The following tips will make you identify what type of travel is within your budget and we will help you to make your trip a possible dream.
Airfare and transport tickets
The first thing to do is to visit travel search websites, where you can find transport options and fares. You can save a lot of time and get a good deal. Try to avoid high season and holidays whenever it’ s possible.
Here a list of resources that we find really useful when we travel: Momondo, Skyscanner, Rome2Rio, Kayak, Expedia, Google Flights, Hipmunk.
Accommodation
Accommodation is a central point in your planning. Usually, this is where you spend most of your budget during the trip, but, at the same time, where you can make big savings.
The options available are many: from the most traditional accommodation, such as hotels or hostels, to new experiences like Couchsurfing, share house and house exchange.
Check these sites and choose what suits you best: Airbnb, Trivago, Booking.com, Couchsurfing, Hostelworld, Houseexchange.com.
Travel insurance
Travel insurance is not frequently part of the package of many travelers. It’s often considered as an extra dispensable expense. Unfortunately, it can be greatly needed in case of an event. In addition, it’s required by many countries.
Travel insurance can make a difference in various situations of your trip. Once again, what will count here is how much you are willing to spend and what you consider important to include, types of coverage and services. If you use a credit card, there might be some kind of insurance included in your contract.
There are so many around that provide different coverage depending on your age, country of residence, activities or extreme sports you want to practice during your trip.
We use mainly Worldnomads and Globelink and we are happy with them, so far.
Tours
People sometimes forget to calculate tour costs. Depending on the city, the biggest attractions can cost a lot. In others, even if the individual amount is not exorbitant, to visit all of them, could cost you a fortune.
So check the prices and promotions like 2×1 or family tickets. Once a month or once a week, the entrance to museums or monuments is for free. Take advantage and save money.
Food & Drinks
Be local: try local food, small family businesses, markets and street food. It’s one of the best parts of a trip and, certainly, the most delicious. Save money buying grocery in supermarkets and local stores. For good deals, take a look at group buying websites like Groupon, Goodlife or LivingSocial. And, please, avoid big fast-food chains like McDonald’s or Burger King, at least when you travel.
Shopping, gifts, and souvenirs
If you have the habit to buy gifts and souvenirs, remember to spare some money. Focus only on local products. After all, crossing the ocean to give someone something that could be bought at their corner store, does not make much sense, does it?