Special thanks to Massey Hosseini for the photo. Check out his rockin’ Instagram!
Christmas and New Years are just around the corner, which means that traveling is high in demand!
I may not have much experience traveling but last summer my best friend and I were planning for a trip to Europe, and since we were students that were unable to financially support an expensive trip like this one, we planned to make it as cheap as possible. We both gained a lot of experience and knowledge just by researching and planning this trip even though it never happened.
Here are my tips to make your travel cheaper:
TIMING & FLEXIBILITY
For timing, if you’re planning a trip ahead of time, pick flight dates where either everyone is in school or working.
- Cheap fall dates: Sept-Oct
- Cheap winter dates: Doesn’t really exist (Dammit, but there’s still hope don’t worry!)
- Spring dates: Feb-Apr
- Summer dates: End of September
- Anytime it’s “work/school season”, flights are cheap
You have to be flexible in order to find cheap flights so be ready to get notifications of cheap flights and to leave the next day with your bags. Yes, this is rather inconvenient but imagine the amount of money you are saving. And come on, the idea of spontaneous traveling, sounds really appealing to me, especially if it’s with your soulmate or best friend!
FLY FROM A CITY THAT HAS A LOT OF AIRPORTS.
New York and Chicago have more than a couple airports which makes the city sell less expensive plane tickets! Economics 101, when you have more of something, it will cost less. LA also has a great deal of cheap plane tickets. If you live in the US, buy two plane tickets: one for a trip to LA or New York (roughly around $150-200) and the other from New York to Europe ($600-900). I know it still seems pretty expensive when you add it all up, but if you compare it to your previous planned tuckets, it turns out to be a better alternative with getting two tickets. And we’re just now getting to the good parts, so keep reading!
FLYING INTO A CHEAP PLACE
The place you choose to fly INTO is crucial because if you’re flying into Paris, a highly populated city, the prices will most definitely be expensive. For example, when I was planning my trip to Europe, I wanted an affordable round trip flight from Seattle to London. But the prices were close to $900. I then researched more and found out that I can fly from Seattle to a cheap citysuch as Dublin, Ireland for almost $500-600 and have a European flight take me from Dublin to London. Now you may be thinking, “Two Flights! I dont have the time, patience, or money for two flights!”.
Thankfully, I have good news for you. European flights are very cheap and range from $30-60 depending on the date and time you buy them. And if you don’t have the patience for another flight, you can buy a business class ticket for close to $80-100. I would recommend Ryanair.com as it provides the cheapest airlines.
AIRBNB
Hotels are stupidly expensive in European countries such as Paris and London. So why not just rent a whole “charmante” apartment in the center of Paris? However, be careful whether you are in North America, Europe, the Middle East, or etc, because Airbnb is a trustworthy site, but be cautious not to get involved in a scam.
TRANSPORTATION
When my best friend and I were planning all of this, we knew that we wouldn’t have enough money for a taxi driver and etc. But uber is cheap along with a new creation that is just… genius. Bikes! In Europe there are bikes on almost every block. You rent out a bike for cheap, and return it to the closest bike parking.
FREE ATTRACTIONS
This will require a lot of research but will all be worth it. Believe it or not, there are some free places to visit in Paris. I’m only familiar with the parks and bridges in Paris, but research for places you could stop by without having to empty your wallet!
I hope my tips helped you make your trip less expensive and a lot more convenient!
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