Wondering how to afford your dream trip? All my life I have wanted to go to Europe, and last year I finally got the chance. I never thought I would be able to afford it, but after a lot of research, I found that I could. If even a college student like myself working part-time could do it, anyone can. Here are a few tips on how to afford your dream trip.
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1. Buy Your Plane Tickets Way in Advance
Buying in advance is one of the best tips for how to afford your dream trip. I’m talking 70 or 80 days ahead of time. Not only are you going to get a better deal, but you’ll have time to save more for your trip since you’ve already purchased the ticket.
2. The Closest Airport to You Might Not Be the Cheapest
I live right outside of Detroit, but I ended up flying out of Windsor, Ontario. Often its more expensive to fly out of big airports, but if you can find a flight out of a smaller airport with a layover at a larger one it could save you hundreds. The flight out of Detroit was $300 dollars than the one out of Windsor.
3. Stay in Hostels
I know, you saw the movie Hostel and now you’re afraid to stay in one, right? I stayed in hostels at every stop on my trip and I’m here to tell you it's not like what you see in the movies. Think of hostels like cheap hotels, and they are not just for college kids. There are plenty of websites where real people rate these hostels and you can find one that’s best for you.
4. Plan Everything in Advance
It’s not always easy to be organized, but for the sake of saving money, it’s worth a try. When my friend and I went we knew exactly how many days we had in each country, so we made a list of all the things we wanted to see. Once we had our list we figured out approximately how long we were going to be at each site and where it was in relation to our next stop. By doing this we were able to purchase tickets in advance. Most popular places to visit in Europe are cheaper to see when you buy the tickets in advance, the only downside is you usually have to pick a time frame of when you’re going to be there. But that’s why being organized is so helpful. If you stick to your schedule you will be able to know when you’re supposed to be somewhere.
Traveling isn’t easy, it can be stressful and tiring. But never let the reason you don’t go on your dream trip be because you can’t afford it. It may take time but you can do it!