Where to begin...

Jan 15

So many people want to travel but think that they can't afford it, they don't have the time, or both. I'm here to tell you that not only can you afford to travel, but you do have the time! It's easy to get bogged down with the daily grind and all that our lives require of us (both at home and at work). However, with the right amount of planning, travel is completely attainable. Let's break down the two biggest concerns: money and time.

Money:

Like anything in life, traveling requires money. However, it is not always as much as you may think! First and foremost, not all travel has to be five star luxury travel, flying first class and staying at the best hotels in the world. In fact, for most of us, that is never how we will travel (one can dream though, right?!). The main components of travel costs can be broken into three categories: transportation, lodging, and food.

Transportation:

Depending on where you are going, your options are driving, flying, taking a train, or taking a bus. Let's start with DRIVING. The biggest expense here is gas. Luckily gas prices currently aren't as astronomical as they once were (I actually paid $5.00 a gallon once when living in California!). When beginning your travel budget and determining how much money you need, start with a fuel cost calculator (easy one can be found here). You simply enter the distance you'll drive, the cost of gas, and your car's fuel efficiency. This calculator will give you a pretty precise total of what you will spend in gas. It will probably be less than you think when you do the actual math. Now you have the first piece in your budget puzzle.

Let's move on to FLYING because for most travel, flying will be how you get to your destination. We are fortunate to live in the era of the internet, so we have TONS of options when searching for flights. Whether you use Kayak, Expedia, Priceline, Orbitz, or any of the other similar sites, you have a plethora of options to find the best deal. One thing to keep in mind is that (1) not all airlines will be listed on these sites (e.g., Southwest Airlines) and (2) often times the actual airline's website will have the same fare (if not slightly less) listed. If that is the case, always book directly with the airline because that gives you a lot more protections in the event of delays, cancellations, or other issues on your day of departure.

Budget airlines keep popping up and let me tell you, budget airlines are your friend! I recently flew on Norwegian Air round-trip from NYC to Copenhagen, Denmark for under $400. Not only is that insanely cheap for a European fare, but the plane was a new Boeing Dreamliner with meal service and a great in-flight entertainment selection for all passengers. After searching the above sites, always check the budget airlines' websites. Two of the most popular budget airlines with routes from the US are Wow Airlines and Norwegian Air. If you plan in advance, you can score some pretty great deals on these airlines! Just be aware of all "hidden" costs when booking (baggage fee, in-flight food, etc.).

Don't forget booking with miles/points = free flights! Ok, not completely free since you'll have to pay tax, but on airlines such as United and American Airlines, the tax is about $5.60 each way, so under $12 for a round-trip flight is basically free :) A post will follow soon describing in detail how to earn miles/points and book travel with them. I have flown numerous times using miles/points and not only does it allow you more money for other aspects of the trip, if you book at the right time you can even score business class or first class tickets! There's nothing better than having a lie-flat bed when you're on a plane for 10+ hours (trust me, I've done both and the bed is obviously a life-changer!).

TRAIN travel is another option for East Coast travel within the US and throughout Europe and Asia once you've secured your flight deal. I live in Washington, DC and I've taken the Amtrak train to and from both NYC and Boston on multiple occasions and it has been great. Not only do you avoid all the hassles of air travel, but you can get up and move about as you please, visit the dining car, and spread out far more than you can on a plane. In Europe, train travel is a whole other ballgame! First off, trains are a way of travel for millions of Europeans on a daily basis, so the quality and route options are much more advanced than in the US. The dining cars are a true dining experience and the sightseeing through the countryside of some countries is beautiful. Plus, the costs are fairly inexpensive. With so many people traveling by train on a daily basis, the prices have to stay low. As a tourist, that is a huge plus!

Finally there is BUS travel. In addition to train travel to NYC, I have taken the bus to and from many times. Operators like Bolt Bus offer fares for as low as $13 one-way! You really can't beat $26 for a round-trip to NYC, even if it does mean you're on a bus. When you're on a budget, sitting on a bus for four hours isn't that bad, especially since the buses have outlets at each seat and free wifi!

Lodging:

Where you stay on any trip can require a lot of money or a little bit. It all comes down to personal preference and planning. With the right amount of planning, anything is attainable (and sometimes that even involves last-minute planning when you see a great deal and jump on it!). So when it comes to lodging, the first question is what do you need from your accommodations. Personally I need my own bathroom. I've stayed at a hostel before in which you share a bathroom and I never felt comfortable. In contrast, I have friends that ONLY stay in hostels because they like meeting new people and saving money. It all comes down to personal preference. Once you know where your bottom line is, start researching. Websites like Trivago, Hotels.com, Booking.com, and TripAdvisor are great resources. As with flights, it is always good to check the actual hotel's website as well because often times they run specials or as with flights, you have more options if your trip is interrupted or there is an issue before you arrive. TripAdvisor is a great tool when picking a hotel because they have tons of reviews and traveler photos. I always check TripAdvisor for traveler photos before booking a hotel because the photos on the actual hotel's website will always be the best (and highly edited). Seeing what actual travelers saw and experienced when staying at a hotel is always helpful.

Know the difference between a hotel and a motel! Motels have exterior corridors, while hotels have interior corridors. For those traveling by car, often times a motel is not only a cheaper option, but you can park your car right in front of your room. Depending on the area you're staying in however, you may feel safer being in a hotel and not having direct access to the outside. Motels are generally much cheaper than hotels, so when money is tight, this is always a great way to save.

Booking with points, like with flights, is often a great choice because it frees up cash for other aspects of your trip. Hotel chains such as Hilton, Marriott, and IHG have great rewards programs in which you can earn points through hotel stays and credit card sign-ups/purchases. Depending on what your destination is, this is often a great chance to stay at a property you normally couldn't afford (or wouldn't want to spend money on) and save money for activities once there.

Airbnb has changed the game! Airbnb is an awesome way to feel like a local when you travel. While you won't usually have the comforts of daily maid service, room service, security, etc. that hotels offer, you get a unique experience that hotels can't offer. Airbnb's can be a private room within an apartment/house or an entire apartment/house. One benefit of staying in an Airbnb is that there is a kitchen. If money is tight, this is a great option to visit the local grocery store and stock up on food which you can make in your kitchen during your stay. Like at home, it is often cheaper to cook at home than dine out. However, it's always good to dine out at least once when you travel in order to experience the local cuisine and culture!

Food:

Budgeting for food definitely involves some planning. Depending on where you're going, food can be very expensive. However, it is important to remember that no matter where you travel there are ALWAYS inexpensive food options. They might not be the fanciest establishments, might be off the beaten path, might not have anything in English, but inexpensive dining options can be found anywhere.

When planning your food budget, start with what you spend on a daily basis at home. Use that as your base for what you're willing to spend, but leave a little wiggle room in the budget if you want to splurge one day/night. Also, if you book a hotel which includes free breakfast (which MANY include), then you really only have to buy food twice a day. Most times when traveling, during the day you are exploring or engaging in an activity in which a sit down meal for lunch is neither attainable nor desired. Whether you're in the US, Europe, Asia or anywhere else in the world, you can always be sure of two things: there will be a Starbucks and some sort of convenience store. Whether it be a Starbucks or a convenience store, there will be options for a quick bite to eat. On most of my travels, lunch usually involves some type of sandwich that I can grab on the go and continue my day. A safe bet is to budget no more than $10 a day for lunch. Depending on where you travel though, this could be your budget for the whole day! Places such as Thailand have full meals for roughly $2.00. $10 goes a long way in a lot of places in the world!

Research, research, research! When traveling to any new destination (even if in your own country), it is always a good idea to research dining options. Yelp and TripAdvsior are good places to start. Not only can you narrow it down to cuisine and location, you can read traveler reviews and see photos of what the actual food looks like instead of just reading a menu. I also recommend researching popular dishes/cuisine for the area you are visiting. When you're in a foreign country, they often have dishes you can never get at home. It is always fun to try new things when traveling and food is a great way to do just that. I'm not promising you'll like it and after researching you may determine it's a hard no (hello herring in Denmark!). But you can also learn about something you end up loving (and end up craving once you're home)! Research also gives you an idea of pricing since most restaurants (or Yelp/TripAdvisor) will provide menus where you can see just what everything costs. This obviously helps when budgeting.

Time:

Once you've made your budget and determined that you can afford to travel, the next obstacle you'll hit is time. I constantly get people asking me how I find the time to travel. My answer is always the same: I plan my travel! For most people, your job allots you a certain amount of vacation days per year (and for most companies, if you don't use it, you lose it). In addition to vacation time, most people will have time off around national holidays. Start there! I have traveled so many times around holidays in which my office was closed, so no vacation time needed! Also, by traveling around holidays you can use less of your personal vacation time. For those with families, often times it is impossible to travel around the major holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas) and I totally understand that. However, there are so many other national holidays which you can plan around. From Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, to Good Friday, to Memorial Day, to the 4th of July, to Labor Day, there are plenty of times in which offices are closed and you have the time off.

One of the main focuses of this blog is to encourage travel as a way to maintain a healthy work/life balance. It is very easy to let our jobs take over our lives. I have been a victim of this many times. We have so much to do at work and people that depend on us and our work product that we feel a sense of guilt if we take time off. I've checked my emails and done work on more trips than I'd like to admit. But this is where we get in our own heads! There have been countless studies on how beneficial taking time off is for both employees and their employers. There are some very insightful articles which discuss this topic (e.g., here and here). Taking time off can also benefit your health (read more here) and who can argue with that?! Remember, vacation days are there for you to use. If you look at them from a financial standpoint, they are PAID days off. If you don't use them, you are essentially throwing money away and that is never a good idea.

Once you get over the hurdle of believing you don't have the time to travel, it is time to determine how much time you actually need for your trip. Depending on where you're heading, you may only need a long weekend or you may need a couple weeks. Don't forget when planning on how much time you'll need off work, weekends don't count! So while you may be on vacation for two weeks, you only need to use ten vacation days. That leaves more days in your bank to use later. A good thing to keep in mind as well is that depending on where you're traveling, days can be lost (and gained) to travel. For example, if you're flying from the US to Asia or Australia/New Zealand, you will lose a full day to flying. However, on the way back you will essentially gain a day. I recently traveled to Asia and on the way home I left Tokyo at 10:05 am and landed in DC at 8:58 am on the same day!

Pick your destination and then decide what you want to do when you're there. This will help you to determine how many days you actually need. Also, remember that depending on where you travel, you can often add in other nearby destinations. I traveled to Europe this year and in two weeks I visited seven countries because it is so easy to travel within Europe. Likewise, in certain parts of the world, a quick flight will take you somewhere new and you won't use more than half a day to get there. At the end of the day, time is what you make of it. There are twenty-four hours in a day, seven days in a week, 365 days in a year. It is up to you how you use those days, but if you want to travel, do it! Don't let time stop you.

START PACKING!!!

There you have it. This is how you begin planning your travel. I promise you that you CAN travel. Don't let the fear of money or time stop you from seeing the world. If you want to travel, do it. It may take a little planning and setting money aside for a while until you've saved what you need, but it will be worth it in the end.

Blonde Voyage Esq.