There are many travel-planning companies who offer tours, vacations or are simple custom-travel agencies. Of course they wouldn’t be in business if they didn’t collect a sustainable profit from their customers. While many of these options are fine avenues to turn to, I believe the entire experience of planning one’s own trip throughout the world is a large part of the fun - plus, it can save you a good amount of money. How else can you learn in-depth about the areas, the attractions and the reasoning of where you are visiting? I would never base my entire trip, hour by hour, on what I see solely based on my research from books and online resources - because many of those attractions and areas are teaming with tourism - hence, why they may be easy to find online. If you’ve taken at least one thing from my writing so far, I hope it’s this: while touristic places and monuments are great to see, do not surround yourself in only those - stay outside of the cities, get lost and connect with the real.
The idea of planning your own trip may seem like a daunting task but if you are willing to set aside your apprehension, the quality of your experience can become forever richer. For me, planning my own trips and itineraries started off being about saving money - it quickly turned into how much can I learn now and where might I find the most enlightenment. As I’ve stated one way or another, many times prior - travel is not the same as vacationing, it’s about self-discovery by pushing your limits and escaping your comfort zone. Paying top dollar for an American style hotel to feel as though you’ve never left home is simply insane! Getting off the tourist trail is easier than you think - with enough courage, street smarts and research, you can even find the ‘backdoor’ paths right in the middle of even the largest touristic areas. But no matter if you stay in the cities or go far out into the countryside, it’s best if you get lost in the world you are visiting and find the real local spirit of the destination.
If you’re considering traveling, and planning your own trip is about saving money, getting off the tourist trail makes it even easier to travel cheap. Soon, I will post further in detail about how to find the best prices no matter where you travel, but keep in mind that you can take care of most of your major planning online ahead of time - with resources like Kayak.com, Hostelworld.com, Couchsurfing.com, Hospitalityclub.org, Vayama.com, and RoverPass.com.
A few suggestions on where to start:
-Start first with a map, (Google maps works just fine) then pinpoint where all you want to go and decide on the best routing for your trip - but try to leave yourself enough room for possible change.
-Stay in hostels, not hotels. (they’re safe, ignore whatever idea that idiotic movie has conjured in your brain)
-Better yet, use CouchSurfing and for free accommodation - I’ve used this service many times and it’s fantastic. (often your host will become your own personal tour guide, as well as your chef)
-Compare prices of transportation, especially if you wish to hop area to area. Research the price differences between buses, trains, airplanes and car rentals.
-Book early, duh!
-Be flexible with your dates - sites like Kayak let you view future rates, up to months in advance even.
-Don’t expect pure luxury - traveling cheap isn’t always easy and it’s definitely not always comfortable, but neither is opening yourself up to change from a whole new world.
-Budget for cheap eating - street food vendors and grocery markets are best. Plus, you have the chance to try a lot of local favorites! (while I was on the little island of Vieques, Puerto Rico, I tried conch - you know the sea shelled creatures)
-Don’t be afraid to ask for help - there are plenty of spectacular resources online, like Lonely Planet, Fodors or Rick Steves. Don’t forget about travel forums, these are great places for personalized help from people who have been through what you’re going through - I would suggest Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree forum or the destination-based forum groups of CouchSurfing.com. And of course, you can always shoot me an email - I would love to help!
(Photo by Brandon Elijah Scott / Eye & Pen)
If you’re considering traveling, and planning your own trip is about saving money, getting off the tourist trail makes it even easier to travel cheap. Soon, I will post further in detail about how to find the best prices no matter where you travel, but keep in mind that you can take care of most of your major planning online ahead of time - with resources like Kayak.com, Hostelworld.com, Couchsurfing.com, Hospitalityclub.org, Vayama.com, and RoverPass.com.
A few suggestions on where to start:
-Start first with a map, (Google maps works just fine) then pinpoint where all you want to go and decide on the best routing for your trip - but try to leave yourself enough room for possible change.
-Stay in hostels, not hotels. (they’re safe, ignore whatever idea that idiotic movie has conjured in your brain)
-Better yet, use CouchSurfing and for free accommodation - I’ve used this service many times and it’s fantastic. (often your host will become your own personal tour guide, as well as your chef)
-Compare prices of transportation, especially if you wish to hop area to area. Research the price differences between buses, trains, airplanes and car rentals.
-Book early, duh!
-Be flexible with your dates - sites like Kayak let you view future rates, up to months in advance even.
-Don’t expect pure luxury - traveling cheap isn’t always easy and it’s definitely not always comfortable, but neither is opening yourself up to change from a whole new world.
-Budget for cheap eating - street food vendors and grocery markets are best. Plus, you have the chance to try a lot of local favorites! (while I was on the little island of Vieques, Puerto Rico, I tried conch - you know the sea shelled creatures)
-Don’t be afraid to ask for help - there are plenty of spectacular resources online, like Lonely Planet, Fodors or Rick Steves. Don’t forget about travel forums, these are great places for personalized help from people who have been through what you’re going through - I would suggest Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree forum or the destination-based forum groups of CouchSurfing.com. And of course, you can always shoot me an email - I would love to help!
(Photo by Brandon Elijah Scott / Eye & Pen)
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