The Bloggers With The Most To Say
Looking for Travel tips
I'm starting a travel tips series on my blog and I'm looking for any tips you guys have for other 20 somethings. I want to show people that traveling is totally possible, even if they are on a budget. My experiences focus mainly on Europe, but I'm really looking for any tips you have (doesn't need to be country/region specific).
To give you an idea, here is my first post in the series: Hotel Hunting.
Thanks in advance for the help!
-Sheila
Tags: Europe, suggestions, tips, travel
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Kate W on -
ciao! sheila! come stai a londra?? sono cosi gelosa che hai vissuto a firenze! i live in vienna now, and i would love to add to your blog... maybe check out my website and see what works for you? otherwise, i can just send something your way :)
xx kate
transatlantic sketches
-
Permalink Reply by DateMeDC on -
I used to travel a lot with my ex-boyfriend.
In particular, we used to go on a lot of cruises. I'm a desk-riding, Ramen-noodle-eating, paycheck-to-paycheck livin' journalist in my day job, so the way we kept it affordable has everything to do with our approach to shore excursions.
See, on a cruise ship, they offer outings at every port you go to, but all they're doing is contracting out with local companies then charging you the cost of the activity plus what's basically a "finder's fee" -- usually doubling the price! So, what you should do is look up the shore excursions offered on your trip ahead of time, find out which shore company is offering the activity, then book your activity directly through the shore company and NOT through the ship. We paid $70 each for a day of cave tubing and ziplining in Guatemala when we went straight to the shore company while everyone else on the boat paid $120. (A good way to find out the names of the shore companies is cruisecritic.com.)
Also, we poured alcohol into plastic bottles and hid them in our carry-on backpacks because the metal detectors couldn't identify them as contraband. That really kept our drinking on a budget, since delicious cocktails are mind-numbingly expensive on a cruise ship. But that's illegal so you probably don't really want to advocate that.
Hope this helps!
-
Permalink Reply by Sheila on -
I really enjoy cruises too! These are great suggestions (even the alcohol...I've snuck bottles of wine on before) and I'm totally inspired to do a on segment on cruising. Thanks!
-
Permalink Reply by Robert Fitzsimmons on -
Are you aiming at long term travel or short vacation sort of things?
I've been travelling for 14 months now, so know a bit about budgetting for it :) Hotels are off the agenda. Hostels are the way forward, you get to meet more people as well as them being cheaper and in just as good locations as the top hotels.
-
Permalink Reply by Sheila on
-
Mainly short vacations. So many people that i know work full time jobs and only have maybe a week for vacation. I want to show them that it' possible to travel on a budget while also providing tips on getting around a new (often times foreign) city, finding good and budget friendly restaurants, ways to save when visiting tourist sights, etc.
-
Permalink Reply by Sheila on
-
You're the second person who has brought up couchsurfing so i'm definitely going to look that up! Thanks!
-
Permalink Reply by R...RAWR on -
I'm a big couchsurfing fan too. Love it!
I do think you have to be careful with it- do your research, check out the city groups etc. Be smart about it and definitely keep your screwed on and look out for yourself! Having said that, I've always had a pretty positive experience with CS.
-
Permalink Reply by Tash on -
Oh I am getting very good at this! I have been living in Australia for the past three months, and doing quite a lot of traveling around the country. While I was in Tasmania, I carried a small thee-person tent in my pack and "roughed it" the whole time! For two weeks I traveled around the state finding caravan parks, many were FREE, and the ones that charged only cost $5-30 per night for two people (plus $5 for an extra person). It was SO cost effective and FUN!!!! And the camping courts had running water, grills, hot showers, everything needed so that "roughing it" isn't a rough experience.
Also, youth hostels are pretty good! They are fun and make for plenty of opportunities for great social experiences. They typically run $15-30 per night, but many offer meal deals and "fun nights," BBQs and whatnot. The couchsurfing is something I haven't tried yet...I am very partial to the camping!
Whats the next post in the series?? Haha, I like this topic! I have a whole blog devoted to my travels through Australia :)
-
Permalink Reply by Tracey on -
Hey Sheila! Check out the site I work for, HER JOURNEY Blog http://herjourneyblog.blogspot.com. The blog is a supplement to our e-magazine (herjourneymag.com) and although our focus is budget travel (including tips, specific destinations and reviews), we also round it out with professional and personal development!
Maybe we can do some cross-posting on each other's websites. Her Journey loves guest contributors!
-
Permalink Reply by Sheila on
-
Tracey, Thanks for replying! This is great. I would love to go some cross-posting.
-Sheia
-
Permalink Reply by Sarah Hunt on -
Here's a tip for summer travel--check to see if any universities are renting out dorm rooms. I studied abroad in London, and during my summer my college let the extra dorms out to tourists. It's nicer than staying in a hostel, and you can get one for about the same price!
© 2012 Created by Lisa.
