How I Save Money While Traveling Abroad

Looking to travel the world, see the sights, live your best life, but don’t want your bank account to look at you sideways? Say less. I love traveling, but I'm not trying to have Mr. Wells Fargo, Mrs. Bank of America, Miss Capital One, and Mr. PNC on my back. They’re so annoying! They stay looming in the background. I hear them wherever I go. “Did you really need that?” “That was HOW MUCH?” “Ok, but you haven’t deposited enough money to buy that yet.”

The worst is when they talk to each other. “Y’all see what she did there? HA!” “Who does she think she is?” “Alright, someone needs to stop her.”

Basically, I’ve compiled a list of ways you can save on almost all aspects of your trip so that you don’t have to deal with those annoying banks. Incorporate some of these tips into your next trip and I promise Mr. Wells Fargo (my arch nemesis) will leave you alone.

HOUSING

Skip the hotel. You don’t have that kind of coin. Stay in a hostel, Airbnb, guesthouse, or go couchsurfing! Hostels are a great way to meet other travelers, they usually have great recommendations for places to check out in the area, and they are going to be your cheapest option. Downsides include sharing a room with about 6-12 other people, sleeping on a bunkbed, and possibly hearing your top-bunk neighbor have sex (true story). Most of you are familiar with Airbnb’s, and I love them if I’m staying somewhere for a while, but on a quick trip I find they can be isolating. Also, you never know what you’re going to get (check this out to see what I mean).

Guesthouses give you the chance to “live” with a local family (get that local experience) and they’re about as cheap as a hostel, but some guesthouses have rules that you must abide by (ex. no guests after 9pm; no loud noise after 10pm). Lastly, COUCHSURFING, my fave. If you don’t know what it is, click here. This is the cheapest option of all, because it’s usually free, but not all couches are created equally.

FOOD

My favorite pasttime! Let’s cut this short. DO NOT EAT AT TOURIST LOCATIONS. Stay far away from those traps. Eat at local restaurants, go further away from the city, try street carts (stop being bougie sis, it’s clean, and be adventurous for once). A nice trick I have when abroad is to look for the restaurants that are packed with locals. If the locals are eating there, then so am I. I love to google translate “where do you like to eat?” and ask locals. If you just ask for recommendations, they’ll give you places they think you’ll like, which will more than likely lead you back into touristy locations. Ask about their preferences and follow their lead!

TRANSPORTATION

Sure, Uber is nice (although it’s not available everywhere) and taxis can be convenient, but we’re not talking convenience, we’re talking KEEP MR. WELLS FARGO OFF YOUR LINE, so listen up. Take public transit! In Milan, the above-ground trains are free. FREE, BISH…FREE! Get on that tuk-tuk (unless they’re only where the tourists are), hop on that bus and carry your tail to the metro. You’ll save a fortune. Also, if you find yourself absolutely dying and needing to hail a taxi, please make sure you are far, and I mean far from the touristy locations. If you’re pressed to get the taxi at least save some coin and walk a minute or two up the block so the prices aren’t jacked up!

ADVENTURES

Alright, this is the most difficult to try to save money on. I always flick off Mr. Wells Fargo when it comes to activities, but I’ve found some things to do in almost every city that didn’t break the bank. Most museums have at least one free day, or are free everyday (shoutout Smithsonian); find that free day and put it on your list of things to do! Also, if there is a popping museum, make sure you get there well ahead of time and plan for crowds…you’re not the only one trying to get this steal!

I also love to explore cities by going on walking tours! Get that exercise in, feel that breeze, explore the streets. I’ve also joined a walking tour that I haven’t paid for by lollygagging in the back, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that. Honestly I totally recommend it, I learned so much about the town lol but I felt bad for jipping the nice tour guide. Lastly, if/when you go shopping then make sure you haggle! Nothing is as it is listed. I don’t care where you go. Make a deal. Find a deal. Secure the deal and the bag, sis. Secure the MF’n bag.

AIRLINES

Last on this list is how to save money with airlines. I want to start off by saying FLY BUDGET AIRLINES! I’m sick of y’all. You can’t be broke and bougie baby, pick one! I promise I wish I could be bougie too, but that’s not the case here. So, since we’ve all decided we’re flying budget airlines (shoutout WOW, RyanAir, Spirit * ooh that one hurt to give props to *) The key with these airlines is to pack light. If you do , there are rarely any fees attached, and you’ll be saving those coins you barely have (don’t mind me, I’m really dragging myself here). Also, when it comes to airlines, make sure that you’re flying to your destination during the offseason. You can’t expect to go to Carnival in Trinidad and find a $200 flight. It aint happening sis. Fly during the offseason and swerve on those price hikes!

I hope these helped y’all avoid Mr. Wells Fargo, Mrs. Bank of America, Miss Capital One, and Mr. PNC! You don’t need them on your back and I don’t want them on mine either. What tips do you have for saving money when you’re traveling? Let me know below! Hip me sis, HIP ME! I’m ready to save the coins!

Happy Wandering…

The Easiest Way to Find the Cheapest Flight

You can save hundreds, and cumulatively thousands of dollars with a couple simple steps. Your flight could quite possibly be the most expensive aspect of your whole trip. While it can get annoying to search, search and continually search for a cheap flight, it's usually worth it. Initially, you must conclude whether staring at a computer screen for hours is worth hundreds of dollars. I figure I'm staring at a computer screen all day at work or on my cell phone at any other point in time, so I might as well make these machines work in my favor, right?. Also, I'm broke as shit, so I need all the savings I can get. I don't mind spending a couple hours clicking back and forth between tabs to find the best deal.

So while I know it gets annoying, I've created a little guide to help you find the cheapest flight in the least amount of time. If I'm looking to go somewhere and I'm over the whole "patience" thing I continually preach about, these steps are how I go on purchasing a ticket and still feel comfortable about the overall price. All it will take you is three tabs. Each very important. There will be some time spent within each tab though so don't throw all your patience out of the window, you'll still need some. Since I'm amazing, I've even screenshot what it should look like for you, so you don't get lost while on your hunt! Get ready to save big money on even bigger adventures...

TIPS TO KEEP IN MIND

• Websites jack up prices if you're using a Mac, so try to stick to a PC when searching

• The time of day you search for a flight just might matter! Supposedly searching in the early morning gives you the best (and cheapest) options.

• Also, the time of your flight might make a difference. Not many want to catch a red-eye (overnight or late night) flight, which means you should probably board one to save some coins

• The cheapest days to fly are usually Tuesdays and Thursdays

 

THE BASICS

• Know the difference between a one-way flight, a roundtrip flight, and a multi-city flight
  • One-Way: flying from your departure city with no intentions of coming back. Going to your intended destination and never turning around to go home. Basically the flight you wish you would have booked once you get to a tropical island or what you do when your boyfriend cheats on you, whatever example suits you best.
  • Roundtrip: flying from your departure city with a set return time and date. Going to your intended destination understanding you have a job and bills and a car note waiting at home for you, so you gotta return. Basically the flight you book when responsibilities are knocking on your door and you just left to escape them for a while.
  • Multi-City: flying from your departure city to another city and then another, and possibly many more. Going to your intended destination and realizing that you have more than one intended destination. Basically the flight you book when you're about to go on a hell of an adventure. Forewarning, this multi-city flight might mean that you realize your constant desire for travel and never return for those responsibilities you left behind.

 

THE PROCESS

Start off by scrolling quickly through @theflightdeal, @suzzstravels and @airfarewatchdog on Twitter to make sure there aren't any crazy deals you're missing out on. (If you're not hip, read-up on this article.)

Quickly scroll through @theflightdeal and @suzzstravels and possibly @airfarewatchdog on Twitter to make sure there aren't any crazy deals you're missing out on. Remember that if you find a deal to your intended destination, but the departure airport is far that sometimes it's worth it to travel to the further departure airport and leave from there. Sometimes flights are so cheap that you still end up saving a shitload of money after traveling to the further airport.

For example, on my last personal trip, I found an amazing flight leaving from PHL (Philadelphia) to DPS (Bali) for approximately $500. The only issue is I live in Richmond, Virginia, not Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After a little research I found a MegaBus ticket for $15 to Philadelphia. This meant that my whole trip to Bali cost $515, a STEAL! I was over the roof knowing that regular tickets to anywhere in Southeast Asia cost about $1,000! Now you see the importance in extra research, so put your patience caps on and start scrolling through those previously mentioned Twitter handles.

If you've scrolled and haven't found any deals heading towards your intended destination then move on. If you have, you know your next step is to figure out how cheap you can reach that destination for. Is it worth it? If so, book that sucker. If it's not, move on to the following steps.

 

Step one: Google flights

Before delving into Google Flights, understand that this site is my favorite of all the three I'll be showing you today. Just informing you of my bias. Also I can be pretty lazy (especially when it's not beneficial to me) and this site makes that laziness a whole bunch easier. It could quite possibly be a one-stop shop.

Your first step would obviously be deciding what type of flight you're looking for (one-way, roundtrip, or multi-city). As you can see from above, in terms of a destination the world is your oyster! If you don't have a particular place in mind then typing in anything from as broad as 'South America' will give you the opportunity to explore pricing to different cities via the provided map assuming you've input your dates. Another cool aspect of Google Flights is that you can enter more than one departure airport to try to find the cheapest flight (remember it's sometimes cheaper to not fly from your local airport). Once you've chosen a destination and input all the airports you're interested in flying from, you can narrow down your search by other factors that are important to you. Some people refuse to get on more than one flight, so you can choose to filter through direct flights only. Others will only fly through certain airlines, also a filter-able option. According to my bank account, the only thing I am and ever will be concerned about is price. 

This brings me to Google Flight's most important feature (in my eyes, and in the eyes of my dear Mr. Wells Fargo), the ability to see how prices change based on the day you travel. I like to call this feature "sorcery", no Harry Potter though. 

As you can see, if you have flexible dates, this feature can change your life. If I were to book a flight on the 8th of February, my flight would be $995 versus flying on March 1st with a $395 flight. Thats a difference of $636! TALK ABOUT SAVINGS! Not only did Mr. Wells Fargo approve, but this "sorcery" has continued to allow for Netflix in my budget for the next five years or so. My binging habits are ever so thankful. Amen! If you find a flight on here that fits your budget and you aren't interested in doing any more research, then by all means go ahead and book. My conscious and coin allocation force me to look through at least three sites before booking, so I continue on. If you got it like that, be about that life sweetheart!

step two: Skyscanner

Another favorite site is SkyScanner because of a couple different features. When you get to the site, make sure you choose whether you want a roundtrip or one-way flight. There are no options for multi-city on this site, unfortunately.

Some favorite feature include the "Add nearby airports" feature and its "Everywhere" feature. Clicking the "Add nearby airports" allows for the system to find neighboring or nearby airports to showcase the lowest prices for that date in time. It's like the Google Flights feature except you don't have to manually input the airports, it literally finds them for you. Lazy hack? I think so. The "Everywhere" feature allows for you to see where the cheapest place to fly to in the world  based on your selected dates. Once you click search, you'll see the same image as below and you can choose where you'd like to go depending on price. We all know that's most important to me, and should be to most of you if you're on a budget!

If your dates are flexible, you're able to open up the calendar and instead of choosing a specific date, select "Cheapest Month" or "Whole Month". These will allow you to find the cheapest flight month for your intended destination throughout the whole year or search the cheapest days throughout the month you're already searching in.

SkyScanner usually has good deals and I love the way they organize the trips in "Everywhere" based on price. They also compare prices with a bunch of other sites (or so they say) to try to help you find the best deal. I have found amazing prices through this site, like $800 flights to select cities in Africa and $80 flights to Atlanta. If you find an amazing deal on here then as I've stated before, go ahead and book. As you know, I still have one more site to search so that my conscious will allow me to sleep peacefully post-purchase.

 

step three: Cheap-o-air

Cheap-O-Air is my least favorite site of the three I've exposed you to. So why do I even bother? Well, sometimes their deals are so remarkable that they just might be worth the hassle. The features they offer are pretty basic, but a little patience can save a good amount if it's worth it to you. Again, it might not be worth it for you to go through all of this research, but Mr. Wells Fargo doesn't like when I act out of line, so I just abide by what I can afford here. As you can tell, unlike SkyScanner, you can choose multi-city flights through this search engine. Rejoice my fellow wanderlust spirits.

One of the most amazing features, and probably the only if I'm being honest, is the fact that the price calendar pops up for you as soon as you have your locations selected. You don't need to click "Search Now" to render results. They literally pop up in seconds. Searching through the dates, you can see that if I can save $322 on my flight if I book it late February to early March versus the early February date I have selected. This tool allows you to look ahead up to 9 months to plan (you know, just in case you're trying to go somewhere before you pop out that kid).

The worst aspect of this site, and the one that will take you the most amount of time, is their lack of a "nearby airports" button or capability. If you want to find prices from different airports, you must either open numerous tabs for each airport or go through and jot down prices for prices from each airport. This can be a huge pain, but not worthless. Think about the hundreds you'll save. You know you're broke, and what else are you doing with your time besides scrolling through someone's feed? Not a damn thing. Take the time and look through. Other than that, the format is pretty basic once you decide to hit the "Search Now" button. You have numerous options to choose from in terms of filtering and they offer you select dates that might give you a better chance for a cheap flight. Don't sleep on this site. Although it's super basic, I have found deals on here that have beat any deal I've seen on Google Flights and SkyScanner. 

you got this

So I know this can be a grueling process, but breathe and remember patience. I know I preach it all the time, but there is nothing in this world that is more necessary. If you want something bad (like I want cheap flights) then you gotta work for those cheap flights, they don't come easy. This is the easiest way that I know of to find the cheapest flight. Some people get lucky and find a deal through the Twitter handles mentioned above. Others see a price on Google Flights that sits well with them. Then you have those crazed budgeting freaks who must visit a minimum of three sites to ensure that the deal they are getting is really a deal, and not just some mumbo-jumbo crap advertised to trick me into spending my coin. As you all know, coin doesn't come easy in this world, so spend it wisely and honestly what better way to spend your coin than on an experience?!

HAVE ANY TIPS/TRICKS OR IDEAS ON FINDING THE CHEAPEST FLIGHT? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW! MAKE SURE TO SHARE AND SUBSCRIBE MY LOVES!

Happy Wandering...

Best App for Cheapest Travel

When I travel, my number one concern is always money. I believe in the philosophy of making my dollars stretch. What do I mean by that? I mean that I am a cheapskate. I don't like to spend money on things that I can buy for a cheaper price somewhere else. Clothes? 7 times out of 10, I'm thrifting. Food? I'm skipping Chipotle for now. Ok, I'm lying. I love food, so I try to refrain from Chipotle as much as I can (every girl has got a weakness, right?). Gas? You better believe I'm checking for the cheapest price at all times. You get the point. So when it comes to traveling, I am no different. I love a good deal of any kind! One of the things I try to save the most money on when I travel? The flight ticket.

Your ticket might be one of the most expensive parts of your trip. You're paying hundreds, and maybe even thousands, just to reach your destination. This doesn't even include your stay, food, experiences, and local travel. "Finding cheap flights is hard", I hear you all wailing right now. Well, here I am, WanderlustWad, to your rescue. Let me introduce you to the app I utilize the most when I want to find a cheap flight. You may have heard of it, it's called Twitter. *GASP*  

So you already have Twitter? Great! Let me show you how to use it to your advantage. Wait, do you not have Twitter? Please make your way over to their website (just click here) and create an account. 

Twitter has been my favorite travel app by far, and the best part is that it isn't intended for travel necessarily. It's moreso for stalking your significant other, giving unsolicited relationship advice, and posting pictures that never made it to Instagram for a couple of "fav's" and "retweets". Well ladies and gentlemen, the game is about to change, because you're about to use Twitter in a whole new way.

See on my Twitter, I follow two specific handles that allow me to travel for a price unlike any other. Get out your handy dandy notebooks and write down @theflightdeal and @suzzstravels. Head to their page and turn on their notifications. This way, any time they send out a tweet, you get an instant notification sent to your phone about amazing deals!

Listen to me, your phone is dry AF anyways, add some variety to your life with these notifications. Not only are they great motivation to travel non-stop, they hip you to the hottest deals! Most flights are leaving from major airports (i.e. JFK, LAX, ATL, PHL, IAD, MIA) but there is always a sprinkle of flights from Arizona, New Mexico, and other places nobody lives. Just find the closest airport to you and GO! 

 

utilize these notifications

The best part of twitter is that everything is happening in real time. Once the tweet is sent, it is being directly sent to your phone, which works out in your favor since you're working against time here. Working against time? Yes, working against time. Deals don't usually last for long, these airlines are profit-driven, just like any other business. So while you contemplate whether or not you're going to fly to South Africa for $500, the tickets have probably already skyrocketed back to their regular price. A good rule of thumb is that if the deal is past two days old, it's pretty safe to say that you'll have a harder time finding it than finding your uncharged phone after a drunken night. I know, difficult.

Deals are sometimes gone within the hour, so you have to always act fast. This means pull out that credit card and buy, buy, buy! If you're a money-conscious individual, then you're all, "oh hell no, she not about to mess up my credit". Give me a second to explain. In case you were unaware, if you book airfare in the United States, there are regulations in place for you to be able to cancel your flight within 24 hours of booking. See a flight you're interested in? Pull out your credit card and book it! You can now have a smooth 24 hour gap to think about when and if you can accommodate for the oncoming experience. If you can, great! If you cant, just call and cancel. Penalty free, for almost all tickets. Mind...BLOWN! (unless you already knew this fun fact in which case please skip right over and move along).

The notifications make these the easiest ways to stay up to date with the newest deals or glitches so that you can buy them, and possibly cancel later, before the deal disappears. Twitter has made it possible for me to fly from JFK, in New York, all the way to  DPS, in Bali, Indonesia for $500 USD which is unheard of. Remember when I went to South Africa? Thank you @suzzstravels and @theflightdeal for getting me there under $550. And they're not just for international travel! Domestic flights are always included, which give the term "getaways" a whole new meaning. 

Twitter notifications were the best thing for my 2015 journeys. That being said, I believe strongly in saving and financial responsibility. So although I joked about pulling out the credit cards and swiping away, I want to make it clear that you should be responsible. You think you'll forget to cancel the ticket? Don't buy it in the first place, and inherit a financial burden. Financial literacy is extremely important, and your credit doesn't need to be ruined so that you can see the world. Everything takes time, and things come to you when they're supposed to. Don't rush into it, save a bit at a time, and you can make it anywhere!

Note: A savings plan would be an intelligent decision at this point in time. 

 

MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER FOR CONSTANT UPDATES ABOUT...LIFE, LOVE, AND TRAVEL! @WANDERLUSTWAD 

Happy Wandering...