12/03/2021
HOW TO SAVE MONEY WHILE TRAVELLING
1. Challenging itinerary = interesting itinerary!
Do you know where you want to go, but tickets are unreasonably expensive? That's not a reason to get frustrated - rather try building an itinerary yourself with the help of low-cost carriers. In this way complicated route becomes not complicated, but interesting!
Flight options can be very diverse, you can lay out a route through several places at once, guided by the availability of tickets at a minimum price. It all depends on your imagination and what cities you want to see. For example, if you take Malta, then the way back can be made through Rome, Nuremberg, Vilnius, Madrid, Warsaw and other places - you don't have to look for minimum connections, you can even stay in the city you are interested in for a couple of days.
Speaking of connections: if you plan your itinerary and buy your tickets separately, make sure you have enough time to make the connection. If there is less than 2 hours difference between the departure and arrival times, you may not catch your next flight.
It's also possible to take trains, buses or even hitchhikers for some parts of the trip and save a lot on that.
2: Free accommodation, 'like a local'.
In fact, it's an opportunity to stay with a local for free while you're travelling.
In Europe, the U.S. and other countries this service is very popular and seen mainly not as a way to save money, but as a cultural exchange. For you it's 2in1: first, you don't have to pay for accommodation (especially when it comes to expensive cities), and second, you can get advice from locals, who probably know better than any guidebook where to eat, what to see and where to hang out.
How does it work? You register and contact the hosts (the owners of the flat or house), telling them about yourself with a request to host you on certain dates. Then, if the host agrees, you arrange everything: when you arrive, will they wait for you or give you the keys through your neighbours, where will they arrange your sleeping place, etc. Hosts vary: some may give you the keys to the flat and that's it, while others will organise a whole entertainment programme for you.
Hotel for the price of a hostel - is it realistic?
Previously, we gave universal advice on choosing bargain accommodation abroad: pay attention to hostels, hotels like "Bed & Breakfast", avoid the high season, etc. And now we'll tell you a few more tricks that not everyone knows about.
A bed in a hostel will always be cheaper than a hotel room and apartments in the suburbs are cheaper than in the city centre - but what if you don't want to live in a hostel and the suburbs?
3. Communication that helps you save money
At first glance it might seem that the obvious way to stay in touch on a budget trip is via free Wi-Fi, but that's a bit of a stretch. It's not available everywhere, so you limit yourself by depending on a free hotspot.