The Jet-lagged Journalist

I know how hard it can be to have the desire to see the world with not much extra money to spend, it’s my life story. Throughout the years I have discovered a few tips that could possibly help you too.

Transportation:
Train rides are typically cheaper than gas would be if you’re planning on going somewhere you could drive to. Amtrak has round trip offers from New York to Washington DC starting at $16. I have a Nissan Sentra, which is pretty fuel-efficient, but that eight-hour ride would cost me roughly $95. Not only is it cheaper, but you would also save anywhere from 35-53 minutes depending on the time you leave!

Flying can be expensive, however, using the Skyscanner app can give you more affordable options. Sometimes there are long hours in between connecting flights attached to the cheaper tickets, but that’s what comes with saving a few hundred dollars. When I flew to Hawaii for $120, that nine-hour layover didn’t bother me one bit. I personally haven’t used Hopper myself, but I’ve heard good things. Hopper collects data from websites all over the internet to give you the best predictions on the cheapest flights, hotels, and rental cars and is 95% accurate.

If you are a frequent flyer, a travel credit card may be something worth looking into. Not only do you save on flights, but also hotels depending on the card carrier. This is definitely an investment that becomes rewarding over time, but the nice thing about travel cards is that you can simply put all your typical purchases on it that you would be buying anyway and get rewards in return.

Sleeping Accommodations:

I know you’ve probably heard it before, but hostels can be a great opportunity for a cheap stay. Always read the reviews and look at the ratings before booking, especially if traveling alone. Not all hostels have gender-specific rooms, so if you are not open to mixed rooms, this might narrow your options. Most hostels have availability for 6-8 people to be accommodated in twin bunk beds. I’m planning on going to London in January, either with my friend or solo! I’ve been researching hostels and am very pleased to have stumbled upon Wombat’s City Hostels; they have an award-winning business with four locations. I’m looking forward to staying here and will keep y’all updated on how it goes!

In my first blog post, I wrote about communes. If you want a free stay and are more open-minded to something less of a relaxing vacation and more of a learning experience with the opportunity to explore on the side, this is for you. WWOOF, Workaway, and Coolworks give you the chance to work for your stay. Whether you’re staying for a week, a month, a season, or even a year, you could meet like-minded people in a new area. I made some fantastic friends that I still talk to today through wwoofing! Depending on the place, you may even be able to stay for just a weekend.

Couchsurfing.com is another option for a cheaper, more flexible stay. For a monthly subscription of $2.39 or an annual subscription of $14.29, you can enjoy the benefits of couch surfing. I do have to say, this may be something you want to do with one other person or make sure the host has many good reviews. There could be a potential safety issue with this platform if you don’t do enough research.

General Discounts:

Travel Packages can offer savings on hotels and airfare if you are willing to be flexible with your hotel or travel dates. They may also include savings on local activities to where you are traveling and they may even create an itinerary for you. You can explore this option further on Expedia, Travelocity, and Cheap Caribbean.

Get Hotel rewards apps! I have the Hilton app and rack up points as often as I can. This is definitely rewarding over time as well, but if you’re a frequent traveler spending money at hotels anyway, what’s there to lose? For my fellow flight attendants: some airlines offer discounts on hotels through your “discounts and rewards” in your work login accounts. My airline even lets us link our Lyft rides to get points on Hilton stays.

I hope these tips were helpful to you and sparked an interest in exploring a new town, or taking a vacation! Feel free to message me with any tips you have; I would love to learn some new ones and use them on my journey.