TIPS FOR TRAVELING

I have just finished a 1 month solo trip to Central America recently. The question I get asked most often is “How do you find enough time and money to travel for so long?” With full disclosure, I am a 23 year old U.S. citizen and graduate student which gives me the privilege to travel to a majority of countries without incurring the cost of visas. Being a student, I’m on the academic calendar which allows me to travel for summer and winter breaks. Keeping that in mind, I’ve compiled some travel tips that I think would be beneficial for all those who enjoy traveling taking into account money, time, family, nationality, accessibility, etc.

MONEY

• Budgeting for Travel

The first word of advice is know what your budget is for travel. What is the most you are willing to spend? Write it down. The more people your are paying for in your trip, the more you will have to budget aside. But, if you are traveling with others that will pay for their own expenses, this can help you cut the costs on certain things like accommodation.

• Travel Credit Card

Before finding the right travel card for me, I did some major research. Eventually, I found that travel card to fit my spending habits. Every year or so I rack up enough points equivalent to a $300-400 plane ticket so my credit card basically pays for my flights. My travel card can be used for domestic flights, as well as Airbnb’s, Uber’s, Lyft’s, or anything travel related. Traveling within your home country can just be as eye-opening as traveling abroad.

For my undocumented friends living in the U.S., I would also look into the possibility of travel to Guam or Puerto Rico as they are U.S. territories. When I went to Puerto Rico in the winter of 2018, I only had to show ID, no passport required. I am unfamiliar with the process for undocumented folks but have found these blogs to be informative: https://mijente.net/2016/10/01/undocumented-traveling-puerto-rico-lanzate/ & https://remezcla.com/lists/culture/7-things-know-youre-undocumented-plan-travel-summer/

• Currency Exchange Rates

If looking to travel abroad on a budget, I ALWAYS like to pick countries with the best exchange rates to stretch your money as farthest as possible. But also, just because the exchange rate is in your favor does not mean a country is cheap to travel.

For an example, check out my Costa Rica blog https://thewanderingmoon.travel.blog/2019/06/10/manuel-antonio-costa-rica/#more-135

Keep in mind, islands are always going to be more expensive to travel to because they have to import food and goods due to geography.

• Flight Tickets

Flight tickets determine where I am going to travel to next. I never have a set destination in mind. Instead, I just pick a cheap flight that can be covered by the current points on my credit card. I use Google Flights (on private mode) to find the best deals. Then, I purchase directly from the airline’s website. If you buy on third party websites like Expedia, ALWAYS check the actual airline’s website to see if tickets are cheaper. It’s typically better to buy direct because the middle person always gets commission somehow.

• Cook on Vacation!

Eating out at home or on vacation is EXPENSIVE! A cheaper alternative is to buy ingredients at the local supermarket or open air market and cook your own meals (especially in more expensive countries). When you are looking for hostels/Airbnb’s/hotels, look for the ones that have a kitchen so you can make meals. Easy meals include pasta, veggie stir-fry, and rice and beans. I find that most hostels have a kitchen for shared use. For most of my travel days, I bought chips and instant cup noodles to satisfy my hunger.

TIME

• How many people are you traveling with?

Perks of traveling with a family or in a large group is you can split the costs of traveling. Perks of traveling solo is that you are on your own schedule. Whether you are traveling by yourself or with family members always figure out the best time of year to travel for everyone and look for tickets ~2-3 months in advance. If traveling with younger children, older adults, or anyone more susceptive to extreme weather (hot or cold) keep in mind that seasons are switched dependent on hemisphere i.e. U.S. summers are Australia/New Zealands winters. Also, traveling to extremely cold or extremely hot places can put a damper on vacation plans as it might take everyone a few days to adjust to the climate.

• When is the best time to travel?

I find the best time to travel for families with kids are when they’re out of school for summer/winter breaks. My family and I plan our summer trips around this schedule for family vacations. For solo travelers, it’s a bit easier to plan because you only have to work with one schedule. A good tip for finding time to travel with large groups is to write down all the months that are best to travel for EVERYONE and find the overlaps. Then, plan the amount of days you would like to travel for that also fits your budget. Note that a plane ticket for 1 month in Belize was also the same price as a plane ticket for 1 week in Belize; however, that also meant that I had to budget enough time off and enough spending money for 1 month abroad as well as being able to manage my financial responsibilities at home.

• Does anybody need accessibility accommodations?

Don’t fret if you or someone in your travel group requires accessibility accommodations. Contact accommodations or tour groups in advance via email or Facebook and ask about the intensity of the activity or accessibility accommodations. Also, never hesitate to ask your accommodation if they have what you require for an ideal vacation.