Anyone who knows me know that I love to travel. I love adventures I feel like I belong most when I'm in places I've never been. Because I'm wandering, because I'm seeing and learning new things. Thats where I belong. Last year I had traveled more than I ever have in my life. I should rephrase. More frequent than I ever have. 2016 Travels: February I went to Austin, Texas April I went to Ocala, Florida June I went to Daytona, Florida October I went to Boise, Idaho December I went to Florida...again. I am preparing to fly out to Florida again in the next couple of weeks, and it got me thinking about a blog post. If you like traveling, are on a budget, and like traveling (oops, did I say that twice?) then this post is for you! Here are my top 5 tips for traveling, and how to make it cheap. Fly SmartWhenever I am itching for an adventure (which may be 24/7) I will first and foremost visit Southwest Airlines to check flights and daydream. They have this option called, "Wanna get away" and you can find the cheapest available flights there. The catch is that it is non-refundable, so be smart when you book. But seriously, Southwest is the bomb.com Their flights are cheaper than most anything I've seen, and whenever I saw lesser flights from another airline, they always ended up being more $ with their carry on and bag check fees. Southwest allows 2 free checked bags and carry ons. Score! As I said before I'm getting ready to leave at the end of the month, and I needed to share with you my DEAL on flights. I am heading out of Chicago and into Orlando for $80. Roundtrip. I'm for real. Many airlines have some kind of reward system for your travels and you can redeem your points! I love being rewarded for going places. I had traveled enough last year and racked up some points to pay for one of my flights. It pays to travel, my friends. Where to stay?So, you've hopped off the plane at LAX, with your dream and your cardigan. (sorry I had to quote Miley) anyways, you're off the plane and you've got to your destination, but where are you staying? Know people: The upmost cheapest route is to visit places that your friends or family live in! Every time I go to Florida I stay with my wonderful friends that are kind enough to open their home to me. When visiting Idaho, I stayed with my friend Jessie and we had a blast together! Besides visiting cool places, my favorite part of "vacations" are visiting with my friends. They live in those areas so they're going to know the best places to take you to. Win-win for all! If you are traveling to a region you do not have any connections with, Airbnb is an awesome thing. It's cheap, and like the friends, the hosts can give you pointers of where the go-to places would be. Some hosts have bikes to use, and other equipment to get around. If you want to stick to Hotels, I've used this site to book the cheapest rooms! It's kind of like the expedia for airfare. It gives you the cheapest prices on rooms and gives you reviews so you can make the cheapest, and best decision for your trip! What kind of whip are you driving?I cannot stress enough about visiting your friends! They will get you around places, and you won't be traveling with awkward strangers, but with beloved friends. but, again, if this is not your case...I had found this cool site last time I was in Florida! Sam and I flew into Orlando and needed to kill a few hours until we were able to be picked up Before we left we looked into rental cars. I was 21 and he was 20, so I was old enough to drive a rental car for some companies, but if you're like me, they're going to charge you extra fees because you are young! It got super expensive really quick, and we were not about to spend that kind of cha-ching. We stumbled upon this site called Turo. This site is like the Airbnb for rental cars. These cars are owned by people that rent them out! There is still a rental fee for 21 year old drivers but it sure was cheaper than renting from a company. Quick get-awaysMy friend had inquired about my recent travels and ended up making an adventure for herself! She flew Southwest I believe, used Turo, and stayed with friends. She did it for just a weekend too. How fun! You do not always have to go on this luxurious and extended vacation to have a good time somewhere. All of my vacations were 3-5 days in duration for the most part and I was fully satisfied. Now, it'd be awesome to stay longer sometimes, but my travels have been usually pretty spur-of-the-moment kinds. If you want to explore, go do it. If you can take off work, have the funds, and plan things out, you'd be surprised at what you can get accomplished in a long weekend. There is adventure to be had every and anywhere, you just have to find it. Now, go. Get to traveling! Make the most of your adventureThe thing I like the most about leisure traveling, so the lack of agenda. Now, I'd love to spend time in plan-able places like Disney or something, but I've usually spent more time just being. I come into my vacations with a rough list of things I'd like to accomplish. That way It leaves room for spontaneity! Do not feel like you need to squish every minute of every day. Make some attainable goals of things you'd like to do on your vacation. Otherwise, you're not going to be able to take in the wonder if you are concerned with making deadlines in the day. Make the most out of your trip! So, where will your next adventure be?
I'd love to know! -A
6 Comments
|
Archives
May 2017
|