If, like me, you love travelling, you'll probably know that there are a million and one ways to save money while travelling. Book at the right time, bring your own food, avoid tourist populated areas bla, bla, bla. But whether it's your first time travelling, or your 27th time, here are 5 simple tips for travelling and seeing the world on the cheap:
1) Surfing - not just for waves.
So there's this relatively new website called Airbnb.com for people all over the world who want to travel cheaply. Strangers rent their homes out to you for a short period of time. It's a form of couch surfing but you can also rent entire bedrooms and in some cases, entire homes. It's super cheap, and totally safe. Everyone on it, the landlords and tenants (that's you) have to go through security checks, so there's a good chance that neither of you are serial killers....hopefully. In some places, you can stay in a room for less than a tenner a night. That's like 2 Happy Meals. Or a cinema ticket. Or 3 and a half chicken rolls. Well, you get the point...
2) Or, stay in a hostel.
If you can't couch surf your way there, you should stay in a hostel. You'll meet the craziest and most wonderful people there and because you're all out for having the time of your lives, you'll bond really quickly. You'll get to share stories and experience, as well as helpful advice and tips on where to stay and how to do it cheaply. Another advantage to staying there is that most hostels let you use their kitchen, meaning instead of paying 50 quid a night to eat out, you could bring back food and cook it there. Or you know, you could steal someone else's food from the fridge. Because that doesn't make you an awful human being or anything...
3) Get an international student card.
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There's hardly a business out there that doesn't advertise student discounts or student deals. And that's why you should really get an ISIC (International Student Identity Card - www.isic.ie) They have over 41,000 worldwide benefits in 130 countries. Get serious discounts on nightclubs, food, hostels, travel and even festivals all around the world. It's a must have for any student travelling on a budget.
4) Delete your internet history!
Okay, this one sounds weird. But I promise it's totally legit. Airline websites use cookies so if you go to a website to check the price of a ticket and then come back later to book it, you'll often find that it's jumped in price. By deleting your internet history you'll appear as a first-time visitor to the site, and often the price will go down to convince a 'newbie' to become a loyal customer to that specific airline.
5) Don't be afraid to get lost.
Don't go to places like Berlin and Paris and London and expect to save loads of money - these are tourist destinations and they're always going to be expensive. Besides, falling off the beaten track when you go travelling can be pretty cool. Places like Krakow in Poland aren't as popular and are very cheap to visit and to stay in, not to mention it's very hot there during the summer so you can still get a tan. Plus, you'll have some amazing, not to mention unique experiences to talk about afterwards.
Happy travelling everyone!
