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…

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...