BUDGET TRAVEL TIPS: BEST WEBSITES TO BOOK ACCOMMODATIONS

BOOKING FLIGHTS

Google Flights - My all-time favorite option for finding cheap flights!

A feature this website has is you can see the prices across months in advance to figure out which date is the best deal to book or most convenient for your travel plans.

Skyscanner - Skycanner is one of my favorites when it comes to looking for a new place to visit. Type in the airport you are leaving from and type in “Everywhere” in the destination box. Then in the depart/return box click “Whole Month” on the top right corner. Skyscanner will then find the cheapest destinations for you!

GoEuro - I’ve used this site quite a few times and I highly recommend! This site shows you the price for traveling by train, bus, and plane at the same time, you can sort the results by different categories including: cheapest price, quickest travel time, and departure time.

BOOKING ACCOMMODATIONS

Booking.com - This is my go to site for booking hotels because I personally like that it displays the total price for your stay rather than per night which will help you budget accordingly for your trip.

Hostelworld - I absolutely love this site, I used it while traveling across Europe and was a big fan. They have the option of choosing between a bunk bed in a dorm for really cheap or a full-size bed in a private room for fairly cheap. The dorm option is usually about $10 per bed and the private room $20-40 which is a great deal!

ROADTRIPS

Freecampsites: Whether you are living the van life, RVlife or sleeping in your car life this site helps with finding places to park and sleep overnight. You look up a location and it will show all the locations that you are allowed to park overnight, some shadier than others but you can read the reviews left by previous visitors and whether or not they would stay there again. I do appreciate that it mentions if the roads are paved, the number of campsites available, the amenities, and the type of camping permitted.

Once you search a location there are 4 different colors of campsites that might popup:

• Green: Free campsite.

• Red: Campsite with a fee.

• Blue: Campsites you need a permit.

• Yellow: Call ahead or do more research before camping for availability.

Park Advisor: This site is a free site and app, a bit more detailed than freecampsites, it shows photos, websites, and Google Maps linked making it easier to locate.

Just like freecampsites you’re able to find:

• Campsites, RV Parks, State Parks, Public Parks.

• Rest stops, Welcome Centers, Gas Stations.

• RV & Traveler Friendly Stores: Walmart Super Centers, CrackerBarrel, Camping World, Cabela’s, Casinos.

I’ve used both of these sites and have stayed at each one of these options and honestly, if you are on a budget and have the space in your vehicle I would give it a go!

This wraps it up for my favorite apps and websites that I like to use when it comes to my travel accommodations. Share with my your favorite booking sites in the comments below!

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TRAVEL AROUND THE WORLD WITHOUT LEAVING YOUR COUCH

During this time of self-quarantine you might find yourself getting bored and aimlessly surfing the internet but I have a way you can still get your travel fix while in the comfort and safety of your own home.

LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE

While we’re all stuck at home let’s make the most of it by learning a new language. If you plan to visit France maybe take up some general French courses online. A personal favorite of mine is Memrise, I’m a visual learner and this app is all about memorization! I used this app while I was in high school to learn German and it’s interactive, you can repeat videos if needed to help you understand and memorize certain pronunciations. A few other suggestions are Duolingo, FluentU, and Babbel. The great thing about all four of these learning websites are that they are also available in the app store so you can download them on your electronic devices.

WATCH A TRAVEL MOVIE

When I was younger I first got interested in traveling when I watched The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants so maybe watching a few movies will help inspire you to visit somewhere new!

If you are in desperate need of visiting Italy a few movies I recommend are Letters to Juliet, Eat Pray Love and Call Me by Your Name. They are mainly romance movies but doesn’t romance come to mind when you think of Italy?

Continuing on with a few other romance movies, if you’re more in the mood for a UK setting maybe try out About Time, Notting Hill, or Bridget Jones's Diary. If you aren’t in the mood for romance or drama movies than have a movie marathon and watch all the Harry Potter movies, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Paddington 1 & 2, Hot Fuzz, or Austin Powers.

WRITE ABOUT YOUR PAST TRIPS

If you don’t have a journal this would be a great time to start! Writing down your past trips is a great way to relive your awesome adventures. I personally have a journal to remember my past trips and remember what a great time I had. I also like to write down activities that I didn’t get to do so that next time I am in a certain city I’ll add it to my itinerary.

ORGANIZE YOUR SOUVENIRS

Take the time to organize all your souvenirs and knick-knacks that you have picked up along your travels. One way to display your items is to make a gallery wall, if you are a collector of art this is a way to showcase the beautiful art you’ve picked up along your travels. If you collect little trinkets try building some shelves and place them in an open wall, it’ll be a great conversation piece. Do you have an old map laying around? Try pinning small pins into the map to show where you’ve been. Lastly, it’s a simple no brainer but start a scrapbook! If you like to collect postcards or brochures you can place them in a scrapbook to preserve them. Those are just a few ideas to help you display your are items but Pinterest is filled with so many more ideas!

FIND EXCITING PLACES TO VISIT

I like to take a look at Atlas Obscura every so often to view hidden gems, this website has some interesting facts and information about places all around the world. Another website I like to browse through is Culture Trip, if you are planning future adventures this is a great website to look through. Lastly, it’s not a website but it’s an app, CoolCities, is an awesome app that lets you see pictures that other travelers share. I like to look through this app when I want to find things to add to my itinerary.

VISIT A VIRTUAL MUSEUM

While museums and galleries around the world are closed you are still able to enjoy them from home, by visiting numerous different museums across the world.

Google Arts & Culture’s collection of museum tours such as the British Museum in London, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Guggenheim in New York City, Galleria d'Arte Moderna in Milan and many more!

Google Arts & Culture also have virtual walk-throughs of items such as Frida Kahlo’s diary,

Explore locations too, such as Tower Bridge in London, The Taj Mahal in New Delhi India, to the Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro Brazil. It’s just like browsing through Google Maps!

Here are a few museums that offer free virtual tours:

• View the impressive collection at the Vatican in the Rome, Italy.

• Visit exhibition rooms and galleries at Louvre in Paris, France.

• Browse through the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C, USA.

• Visit various rooms in the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid, Spain.

• One of my favorites, The British Museum in London, UK.

That wraps it up for my list of ways to travel around the world while sitting on your couch. Although silly, it’ll definitely keep you busy during these times of self-isolation. If you have any suggestions or know of any tricks that I might’ve skipped comment below!

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15 ESSENTIAL TRAVEL APPS EVERY TRAVELER SHOULD HAVE ON THEIR PHONE

Technology has made it easier for us to virtually get anything we need with the touch of a button, which is why it’s helpful to know that all these apps will help you travel safer, easier and smarter. You might know some of these if not all of them since there are so many apps in the app store I want to show you my personal favorite and how they will make your next trip more relaxed.

BEST BOOKING APPS

BOOKING.COM - This is my go to site for booking hotels because I personally like that it displays the total price for your stay rather than per night which will help you budget accordingly for your trip.

SKYSCANNER - If you can’t decide where to travel to and you wish there was a “just surprise me” option, well with this website there is! Honestly, the best site for finding the cheapest location to travel to when you just aren’t sure where you want to go.

Google Flights - My all-time favorite option for finding cheap flights! A feature this website has is you can see the prices across months in advance to figure out which date is the best deal to book or most convenient for your travel plans.

Omio - I’ve used this site quite a few times and I highly recommend! This site shows you the price for traveling by train, bus, and plane at the same time, you can sort the results by different categories including: cheapest price, quickest travel time, and departure time. It’s one of my absolute favorites especially when traveling in Europe, I have gotten train tickets for as low as €5.

BEST GOOGLE APPS

Google Drive - I use Google Drive to write out all my itineraries, and it also has the offline feature so you can see all of your documents offline without connection to service or wifi. I also used this app to save a copy of my passport & license.

Google Translate - Google has such great travel apps and one of them is Google Translate. This app just like the previous others allows you to download, that’s right you can download a whole language on your phone! Definitely comes in handy when it comes to asking for directions! This app also have a neat feature where if you take a picture of a sign that is in a foreign language to you it’ll translate it, this was a life-saver in France since I can’t read French fluently.

Google Maps - Google Maps is a life saver when it comes to navigation. The app has a downloading feature to be able to see your maps offline. A neat trick I used was entering multiple destinations from my itinerary into Google Maps and once done I would choose the walking route and begin the day.

Google Duo - Google Duo is a video-calling app that allows you to audio call or video call anyone who downloads the app, similar to FaceTime but is not limited to just iPhones. You set up Google Duo with your phone number and

On the app you are able to leave a video/voicemail in case the person you call doesn’t answer. Once you get a notification that someone left you a message, you can watch or listen to your message by clicking on your contact’s picture then after you watch or listen you get the option to save it to your camera roll, which is so nice!

BEST ENTERTAINMENT APPS

Spotify - Spotify is by far my favorite music app, although there is Apple music, Pandora, Youtube, none of these are as good as Spotify in my opinion. I do think subscribing for their premium plan is definitely worth it since you can download all the unlimited music that you want and listen anywhere! Subscription for premium is $9.99 a month or $14.99 for a family subscription, if you’re a student there is a great deal (50% off $9.99 and a free subscription to Hulu & Showtime, $5.99 for all 3 is a DEAL!).

Netflix - A subscription for Netflix is $8.99, with the option to change how many screens are able to watch at the same time on multiple devices.

Amazon Prime Video - A Amazon Prime membership is $99 per year, but you can sign up to be billed monthly at $8.99 a month rather than all at once. Not only will you get next day shipping in amazon for all your travel essentials, you’ll get Amazon Prime Video! All the shows that Amazon Prime Video has exclusive to prime and aren’t on Netflix nor other apps.

Both Netflix and Amazon Prime Video offer offline watching by downloading shows and movies.

OTHER USEFUL TRAVEL APPS

XE Currency - This is a great app for calculating currency in different countries with current exchange rates, it’s a great resource to have on your phone regardless if you use it or not it doesn’t hurt to have it just in case. Especially if you are traveling on a budget it’s a reliable app to keep you on budget!

wordoftravel - This is a neat app to have on your phone if you are stuck at the airport and want to do some research on a new city. This app lets you look through blog posts relating to a specific city, if you enjoy reading other’s blogs and always adding to your itineraries then you’ll enjoy this app.

Mapify - Mapify is an app that helps you find exciting things to do while visiting a certain city, you’ll find the best eats, community spots, where the best nightlife is, and a glimpse of all the best sightseeing sights.

LoungeBuddy - I can’t recommend this enough! Whether you have a long layover and just need a place to crash and freshen up or want to relax in comfort LoungeBuddy helps you book a room or access into a lounge. It’s a lifesaver if you are looking for a quiet relaxing place to lay down and take a nap, or a quiet secluded place to work while at the airport.

I hope you find this information helpful and useful for your next long trip! Start your trip with your electronics equipped with these apps to help you have a relaxing trip.

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