✈How to begin your travel journey?
✈Traveling on a Budget ✈
I remember when I was 18, and planning to backpack around Brazil, had left the idea of studying in university, but had already done 2 programs abroad: in New Zealand and the USA, and found out with those scholarships that I needed to see the world before making any 'big' decision for a lifetime.Truth is, at that age most of us are broke, and so to get my dream going, I couldn't rely on my parents, so I started with cupcake baking sales. Nice! how much can I make?Initially, I thought I needed €900 for a 60-day trip, going through 5 states in Brazil. At first, I was aiming to survive with 15€/day including everything: food, accommodation, fun... The whole sales generated about €200 (for the entire 60 days) and yet I made it happen with only those, no additional help. But how?
1- Best apps for little to No-budget trips:
✨Worldpackers✨
Back then I knew ONE thing: if I'm willing to make this happen I need to find resources.Worldpackers is a worldwide volunteering program where you exchange a few hours of your week for food, accommodation + other benefits. a way of traveling for 'free'.WHAT? Just imagine: you'll save on food (most programs cover at least one meal if not all), you'll have a place to sleep, plus probably meet cool people and develop new skill sets. I've mainly volunteered in hostels back in Brazil, Italy and Portugal.This is how I learned Spanish and Italian, and also about people! Customer service, social skills, public speaking, language learning... The program is more than just having free things, drinks, parties, and accesses. You'll also find other impactful causes you can go for!Check out more details about it here:
✨Trusted House sitters ✨Stay anywhere in the world for free by taking care of Pets. This app also helps me when I want to make a spontaneous trip, so the rule here is to be flexible. I rely on this app when I just want to explore new city, or just a getaway to a different zone. The idea here is to care for pets in exchange for staying in a house. Owners might do weekend trips or longer periods like even a month!Find out more here:
2- Traveling solo?
✨Things to consider:✨- Place you'll be staying- Location- Safety of the country
Solo traveling is my favorite and I'm still learning my steps towards traveling with someone. But I first started backpacking around Brazil and as mentioned before, I relied on Worldpackers for making the initial steps towards my journey. But here are a few tips + platforms to help you with the planning:🏠Always stay in HOSTELS: The best way of meeting other solo travelers, people who've been backpacking a longer time or probably just beginning like you. Sharing a a room can be fun but sometimes inconvenient (snores, smells), SO, for this matter ALWAYS look at the reviews, and see what matches with you: Party vibes? book a party hostel!want a chill vibe? Book a quiet but social hostel.Check also if they have a kitchen you can use: it helps to save a lot if you're on a tight budget. Since I'm not much of a cook, sometimes I pick a prepared meal for a very cheap price in Too good to Go! (link bellow)🤔City center x further areas: This one depends on what you want to do, but I'd say if a small, walkable city, like Lisbon, Sofia, Salzburg... better to be in the center where you can save on transportation and do everything by foot. If in a bigger city where you have to pay for transportation anyway, then maybe considering a cheaper zone could be a good deal.‼ PAY ATTENTION ‼ : If you're traveling alone, this is an obvious but must-mention tip! I've stopped talking about 'dangerous cities to be cautious about' and switched to 'be cautious everywhere you go!' WHY? Well, I often hear people saying "oh, country X is dangerous" and even though criminality rates are higher in some places, the TRUTH nobody wants to say is that everywhere could be a place for a great but also a bad experience. Don't be terrified, I don't know your background or how much you've heard about the bad side of the world, just be aware of where you're at!Don't get back to your hostel drunk alone, keep your bags zipped, and if you find yourself uncomfortable in any situation, TALK to the local people: be it police, be it the hostel staff, or the hostel friends you made.✨Top website to find hostels:✨
✨Too Good To Go! ✨
✈Traveling as a couple🥰
✨Things to consider✨- Privacy: Hotels? Airbnbs? Hostels?- Travel pace- Car rental- Budget management
I'm still adjusting to the idea of traveling with someone, but I must say is great in all senses, there's more motivation to try different things and it's also good to have your private photographer haha. What I mean is that there's usually more planning and moments that'll make the two more connected to each other.When traveling with my boyfriend is always nice to have our own privacy, so booking a hotel/ apartment is always ideal. We often rent a car for more flexibility, we can do things at our own pace and visit smaller cities, and nearby destinations. Since we usually book hotels, we automatically filter the ones with free parking too since we have a car, to save on parking costs, we can also leave our bags there to avoid extra storage in case we rent an Airbnb where you can't keep your luggage after check out.You might want to check the following channels I use for a trip as a couple:✨Best flight deals I find in:✨
✨Where I search for the best Hotels/Accommodation deals:✨
✨ Affordable luxury hotels in: ✨
🚗Car rentals:
Other Useful channels/ Platforms to plan your trip:
Walking tours: Best introduction to the city/culture.
As a tour guide myself and most of the time solo traveler, joining tours not only gives me an idea on what to do and what to visit according to locals, but also have the chance to meet other people (when I stay in hostels for example) and to connect with the culture and history from that placeYou search and book from:
SIM Cards
It is a pain in the 🍑 to buy local SIM cards every new city you go just to have data. If you're like me who has an iphone, it's not like you can have both, you need to switch and use only one SIM card, which is not ideal if you need to receive calls from original number.Or, if you're coming to Europe thinking you can buy a SIM card and use everywhere: well, actually you can! But it's very expensive. I used to think and believe the salesmen/women that if I bought a Vodafone SIM card it would work everywhere. Truth is: it doesn't and you'll have to pay for roaming which will cost you a lot.Since I'm not a fan of both mentioned above, I'm glad someone has created the E-SIMs which is basically buying a digital version of the physical SIM card—identifying your device virtually to provide network connectioncheck out:
Tours & Activities:
Besides Get your guide, I also search on
Alternative transportation: Buses and trains
All over the world:
Trains in Europe
Who's helped me after flight issues (delays, cancellations, etc):
How to make money while you travel:
1- Selling your experience:
2- Selling guides
Also part of selling your experience and knowledge over travel subject, but in here you could explore different channels like Thacth.com where I prepared this guide here. You can make it more complete and import your maps from places you've been and recommend, also links to the affiliate programs.
3- Affiliate programs
If you found a platform that helps you with something and want to recommend it to others? Search if there's an affiliate link associated, at least you'll be earning commissions over a valuable tip you'll be sharing with your audience.I must mention that some of the channels I've mentioned above, besides being on my top-pick websites to find good deals for myself, they also have an affiliate program where you can indicate to someone.It's a win-win situation: You help them with a new platform tool, and you earn a small commission for sharing.ps: There's no additional costs in joining through an affiliate link!
4- Content creation/ Freelancing
It's not an easy one, might require some creative skills, but let's say you have a good camera... Why not offer properties, Hotels, and restaurants your services? It could be a service exchange, OR in case you're already familiar with some video making or photography, put together a portfolio and start pitching to them! Research the hotel/property, see if they're active online in their socials and what the needs for their image are (Maybe better pictures for their website, maybe an engaging video in UGC format) You might end up being surprised how many places collaborate with creators.
5- UGC
In case you're not familiar with this term it means User-Generated-Content. If you're from the US, Australia, UK, or Canada you might have heard of it, and it's helpful for the properties to engage with customers on a loyal level.That is: you offer your services as a UGC creator to highlight visibility and trust for the hotel's clients: Potential guests are more likely to trust reviews and real-life experiences from other travelers. It provides fresh, relatable content.
Congratulations on making it to the end of this guide! I hope you've found the tips and resources helpful as you embark on your journey into the world of travel. From budgeting and solo adventures to traveling as a couple and finding ways to make money on the road, we've covered a lot of ground. Remember, the key to successful and enjoyable travel lies in thorough research, resourcefulness, and flexibility. ALWAYS!Have questions?Send to missjulietravels@gmail.com🔥Follow me on Instagram:🔥
See you next time!! 🥰
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