[bctt tweet=”Nobody: Nosey People Who Lack Manners: Do you have sugar daddy that funds all your travels?” username=”@WhatsNextTIa”]
I have been asked more times than I can count how I am able to travel so frequently on a teacher’s salary. Now, although the question can quite frankly come off rude depending on how one is asking; it is a very valid inquiry for an aspiring traveler.
And who better to give advice on the subject than me: an avid explorer, scrapping a teachers salary and doing close to everything except joining Joanne and her guild of scammers to get to my next destination.
So, if you’ve ever wanted to pack your bags while still remaining financially responsible to this involuntary bulls$%@ called adulting then follow along as I unveil my top hustler hacks to traveling while saving.
NOTE TO READER: Adult responsibly!
Travel in groups
Traveling with more than one person cuts the total cost in several ways. Groups automatically save money if you split room and board or the cost of transportation.
You can also cut cost if you reach out to hotels to inform them of your group’s arrival. Sometimes hotels offer group discounts that you wouldn’t get by traveling alone.
Group traveling can also land you discounts at theme parks and restaurants.
Check out the Air BnB that my friends and I stayed in during our recent trip to Casablanca. 4 days and 3 nights for $60 a person.
5 bedrooms, 5 beds, 5.5 bathrooms
Use discount codes
If there is a discount or a promo code….point me to the checkout counter. I’m all for reduced prices. There is absolutely zero shame in my game and hella stamps in my passport because of them.
I’ll let you in on one of my savings secrets. I have hella email addresses. This comes from years of not knowing that you can just change the name, failing to hit the unsubscribe button for unwanted mail, and just wanting to filter out the mail that I receive. The beauty of hoarding emails is that I can use them on multiple sites for the same deals. Here’s what I do. There are a lot of first-time user perks. This means that if you sign up with a new email they will give you discounts.
Use the following links as a first time user to receive discounts:
This link will get you $40 off of your home booking. And they get $15 to use toward an experience worth $50 or more. Oh, and you can help your travel bestie get a little change too!
When you book and stay using this link, you’ll get a $25 reward and guess what? Your travel bestie will get a $25 reward too!
Viator is my absolute favorite site to book tours when traveling to different countries or cities. If you sign up as a new user you can get 10% off of their tours. No discounts for your travel bestie this time but seeing you save makes me smile!
Be flexible
A lot of the time you can save money by booking error fares. You can also catch great flight deals by flying with budget airlines that may have you travel Indian style and require you to skydive for your landing. Either way, there are plenty of chances to fly on a budget.
Many times, error fares happen as a result of the low seasons in certain countries or cities. So, you may find a flight for around $200 dollars but the dates are during the week which means taking some unpaid vacation time from work or missing your favorite uncles birthday party. Sorry Uncle Rico you’ll have another birthday next year. Sometimes you may even have to go to a destination that was never on your radar just because the flight deal is so good.
NOT 👏🏾ON👏🏾 MY 👏🏾RADAR👏🏾! An impromtu trip to India, a place that I said I would never go back to after being deported 2 months prior. Ticket cost $100. The trip was amazing by the way.
Being flexible is key to catch those mouth dropping deals. Sign up for email alerts and follow the sites below on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date about the best error or discount fares. These are my top 5 resources for snagging the best flights.
Secret FlyingError/discount fare site for all regions
MomondoFlight booking app (Best flight prices)
HopperFlight watching app. Predicts the best time to book
Fly4FreeError/discount fare site for Europe, USA, Asia, Australia
AirFareSpotError/discount fare site for USA, Canada, Europe
NOTE: Make sure to clear your cookies or go private when you are searching for flights. This ensures that you get the best deals.
Research
Lack of knowledge or plain ole ignorance is the leading cause of people spending more than they have to.
To avoid spending coins unnecessarily, research where you will go prior to your trip. One of my favorite online sites and PLUG to the travel game is TIMEOUT online magazine. Timeout does an awesome job of highlighting the best “to do’s” in most places you may travel. Timeout publishes content for major cities and gives you insight on where to eat, places to go, how you can party and for all intents and purposes of this article HOW TO SAVE MONEY!
Another site that I typically use for research is TripAdvisor. I love using this app/website because it is filled with real-life human being reviews. We live in the digital age where people fake pictures for the gram and basically fake about what they’ve done but to me, TripAdvisor is the most authentic place to get reviews. I mean, to be honest, folks reviewing aren’t getting likes, or going IG famous so, why lie?
Researching can save you lots of headaches in the end game, so do your due diligence to “know before you go.”
[bctt tweet=”In a battle of saving vs. traveling and I had an epiphany! I CAN DO BOTH!!” username=”@WhatsNextTia”]
You don’t always have to pick and choose between traveling OR saving money. Thanks to your travel bestie, you can do them both at the same damn time. I hope that my mini hustler’s hand guide can help you reach your next destination.
Until next time,
Take The World!
$1,300usd for three countries with flight, room/board, and transfers!! That’s amazing. Travel smart. Can I get in on these group travel!
$1,300usd for three countries with flight, room/board, and transfers!! That’s amazing. Travel smart. Can I get in on these group travel? Great info
I’m really hoping to start setting up some group travel trips in the near future.
Stay on the lookout. Take The World travel is launching very soon.
Good info on the discounts! How does one go about finding these promos though??
If you sign up with your emails on the sites listed you can stay up to date with new flight deals. I would also suggest following them on social media.
This post is giving me life! Thanks Soror for the travel tips!
You are welcome! Thank you for reading. Make sure you share with some of our sorors so that they can save some coins too.