Yes, You Can Travel On a Budget, Here’s How.
For all of us that want to do all the things but are highkey ballin on a budget…this one is for you! Well, at least when it comes to the traveling side of all things.
We had a chance to talk with travel expert, Bridget Scotti owner of the surprise travel agency, Whym. Yeah, you read that correctly, Whym Travel will create a surprise, budget-friendly (or not… go big or go home), vacation for you based on an in-depth questionnaire they give to you. So if you’re looking for something to spice up the travel experience have Whym plan it for you and let them surprise you as your trip unfolds!
As an expert trip planner, Bridget, was nice enough to share some of her insight when it comes to traveling on a budget and just how to do it.
Here’s what we found out.
The airfare
Travel during the week if possible, don’t stay committed to Friday to Monday. Days like Tuesday, Wednesday, and sometimes Thursday are some of the cheapest to fly on.
Use the flights explore page on Google. You can literally put your airport and then just type anywhere, US, Europe, or whatever then you can pick the month you want to travel, and just like that you see what there is. I've traveled to a lot of places based on if that flight was affordable, and I'll just go there for a few days.
Skyscanner, Hopper, Flagstaff, Google, and Skip Lag are all good places to check for deals on flights. Skip Lag isn’t always a recommended solution but sometimes if you want to go somewhere and the direct flight is expensive but it’s not expensive to fly to a different destination and the layover is in the city you want to visit you can always book that flight and just get off on your layover. This is a good option but don’t check a bag because that will go to the final destination.
Don’t Discount Your Own Backyard
There are a lot of really awesome places in a close domestic flight that you might not think to go to but Portland, Maine is the largest collection of James Beard Chefs in the country or there's a place in Columbus, Ohio that has an entire park where they've replicated classic artwork out of topiaries or you can go do the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky or there's amazing art and music in Minneapolis. There are so many cool little towns that we kind of forget about. But a three-day weekend at one of these places is a blast, it's affordable and it's not hard since it's just right there.
Budget Tips
Just like everything right now, it’s expensive so just be aware. if you can go somewhere you don't need to rent a car huge. Something walkable if you can, I personally would always recommend spending a little more money to stay in a hotel that's in a walkable area than saving money to stay further away. And my reasoning is, you're going to end up telling yourself you're not going to take that Uber to back to the hotel at night but when the time comes, yes you are.
I would also recommend if you're going to a bigger city, Free Tours by Foot is actually a super cool tour company that does all of their tours in big major cities in the US completely for free. Just you tip the guide at the end and these are like locals who love their town and who are just like down to kind of brag about some cool stuff.
If you're traveling with one or two people like a small group hotels are a better deal than usually Airbnb and stuff. Because Airbnb and other like it have huge fees, usually cleaning fees and additional taxes. Where hotels don't usually have that.
My other opinion is I'm traveling alone or there are two of us. I want to be able to walk down and talk to my concierge and be like, “hey, what can I do real quick?” Or “what do you suggest?” If you've got like eight people you’re traveling with, of course, rent a house and do the whole thing. But I usually find that dollar-for-dollar value hotels are a good call. I mean you can use Hotwire, Priceline, Expedia, or whatever and look for those as well for discount hotels.
Female Solo Traveler Tips
Stay city center in a good, walkable neighborhood that isn’t far from what you will be visiting during your stay. Don’t make yourself travel far by yourself cause that can be scary.
Be aware of your surroundings and don’t be afraid because it’s a new place it’s all unknown. The people who are afraid because the place is unknown are the ones who I think more times than not really let it color their trip in a negative way. Just because it’s a new place doesn’t mean you have to be home by sunset. If it’s late at night, take a cab, but don’t be the person who’s like afraid someone will jump me and strap my bag to the front of me and hold it and walk really fast because that's just asking for trouble.
Make sure your phone is charged and bring an extra battery pack. I never travel without multiple battery packs.
If you feel uncomfortable, trust your gut, especially as women we sometimes have a tendency to doubt our own instincts and be like No, it’s ok. If your gut is telling you that you don't love this space, that's okay. Feel free to call or feel free to go up to even like a bartender and be like, “Hey, I'm going to talk to you while I wait for my car cuz you're right here and I don't want to like have this creepy guy talking to me in the corner.” Which we've all had happen to us before.
If you want to hear more about Whym and Bridget’s travel tips take a listen to our full interview below! Find out about all the fun trips Whym is sending people on via their Instagram.