Traveling Tips and Tricks!
Everything from packing, to transportation, to apps, to cheap flights, here is what I have learned! This post is very long so follow the headings for the advice you need.
Packing- Before you leave the States:
Lay out the bags you're planning on taking with you. Open the suitcases, lay them down, unzip your duffel or your backpack and lay it in one area. Next lay out all the clothes you want to take with you. Girls this includes make up and cosmetics. The next part is dependent on your destination. If you're going somewhere very remote or to a village in a third world country then this might not be the best guide line but if you're coming to Europe, or somewhere like Europe, you might want to take out. Now eliminate at least 1/3 of the clothes. Yes you've read that right. One. Third. Although Europe is halfway across the world they have a lot of the same stuff here. When I got to Spain I realized I liked the Spanish fashion wayyyy more so I wanted to buy some clothes when I got here. This will also help you fit in to the culture you're about to adapt for the next few months. You don't have to totally change your style or who you are but dressing like the locals and not getting weird stares can definitely help you adapt quicker.
When it comes to the clothes you are taking have a mix of comfy and maybe do some research into was the style is like abroad so you won't have to buy so much when you get there. You're going to want your comfiest shoes possibly because you're going to be doing a LOT of walking.
When actually packing the suitcase, I recommend the following: First start with what you're going to wear the day you leave and set that aside. Now add a coat to the outfit. Jackets take up a lot of room and can be extremely heavy but if you carry the jacket on your journey then you won't have the extra weight in your suitcase and you can make sure you never get cold on the plane. Start with the shoes you're taking. Now stuff them with underwear and socks to save room and preserve the shape of the shoe. Lay them the way the normally are in a shoe box, in the suitcase (see the picture). Fill any space between the shoes with small linen things like extra underwear/socks, swimsuits, t-shirts, work out shorts, etc. Now take you lighter items and get ready to pack those. USE THE ROLLING METHOD! It can actually save you a bunch or room. Roll the lighter items to make the bottom layer even. Then whatever is left, roll them and make another layer making each one even. Got a belt you're taking? Run it along the inside edges of the suitcase so it takes up almost no room and doesn't get weird kinks in it. Once that done move to the heavier stuff like jeans, dresses, jackets, sweatshirts, etc. This next part is a little hard to explain so bare with me. Put the top half of the jeans into the suitcase (long wise) and leave the bottoms hanging out of the suitcase on the sides. Then lay another heavy item the same way but opposite direction. Keep doing this until you have no more items like this or it is full. Now one by one fold in the other half of each item alternating sides.
Your liquids and cosmetics will go on top or around the edges of the bag. Did you get confused at any point? If so, here's the video that explains all the packing hacks I have talked about. I do not take credit for the video but I have learned many of them from it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIk8v__Osm8
Packing for weekend vacations:
You CAN travel with the bare minimum, I promise. I traveled for two weeks on spring break with only my backpack and a duffel bag so trust me, I know what I'm talking about. First, there is no need to check a bag for spring break/weekend trips. It will save you time and money if you just take it as a cabin bag. Buy travel containers for your liquids. Most grocery stores in Spain have them and even some retail stores. All your liquids must fit into a small baggie that the airport will provide you with before you enter security (usually) so you could always just get there early for the free baggie instead of buying a box of them. Then you can keep that one and continue to use it for future trips. GIRLS: every airport is different and sometimes they consider foundation a liquid (dumb I know) so keep that in mind. Some also consider curling irons and hair straighteners electronics so put those in easily accessible pouches. Pack your comfiest clothes. Remember, you traveling is not about meeting the hottest person in the bar, it's about you living your dreaming, seeing the world, and going on the best adventures and your outfit rarely matters for those things. If you are insistent on bringing cute clothes I recommend two things. 1) Make sure you can wear it with multiple things. Got a cute shirt for clubbing? Great, make sure you can also wear it with your leggings or jeans for the day time. 2) Depending on the duration of the trip, pack ONE cute outfit if it is a weekend. Pack TWO if it is a week. Pack THREE (max) if it is two weeks.
We got Apps!
Some of these apps are helpful and some are just for fun. Let's start with the helpful ones.
Hopper:
You can type in when you want to leave and your destination and it will bring up the months displaying what days have historically been the cheapest to fly and it will find you the lowest fair for that day. It can also send you alerts that will say when the flight is planned to raise in price or if you should book now to avoid paying more. I used it to book my flight to Australia and it was super painless and easy!
Skyscanner:
Another great cheap flight app. Warning: you will want to spend hours on it exploring your options. It does kind of the same thing as Hopper but one feature that I really like about it is you can type in "Everywhere" for your destination and the dates you want to be away and it will pull up the cheapest overall flight during that time frame so it can take you to places you never thought of or that you never knew you needed to visit. It is possible to get flights (in Europe at least) for $20 it just requires some watching, waiting, and knowing when to book.
Omio:
I use this one mostly for trains but it does have options for flights and buses. Tells you the cheapest and fastest routes and you can book within two clicks. I used it all the time for traveling within Spain and never had an issue. All my tickets worked as E-tickets and were easily accessible. Be sure you keep the email confirmation it sends you for each trip until the trip is done just in case.
Moovit:
In a city and don't know your way around? No problem. Type in where you want to go, it will calculate all routes (bus/train numbers and all) from your current location and tell you where the stops are and how to get there. Google Maps does the same thing if you feel more comfortable with that app.
GetYourGuide:
Awesome way to find tours and book tours for the places you are visiting.
TripAdvisor:
Another great way to find tours and things to do. They use E-tickets and make the bookings easy.
Airbnb:
Create an account because sometimes these can be cheaper than hostels. I stayed in one in Ireland because it was cheaper and I like it a lot more.
Hostelworld:
If you're down for a hostel this is an easy to use app to make a booking and find the perfect place for where ever your destination is. Typically, hostels offered the cheapest prices and saved me a lot of money. I'll be doing a separate paragraph about that a little ways down.
Cabify:
Kind of like the "Uber" of Spain and other countries that don't have Uber and Lyft.
Fun Apps:
CoolCities:
You can make albums a city then add places you want to visit while you're there. After you visit, change it to "already visited." It makes it easy to keep track of all the things you want to accomplish.
Airlines (Not an actual app but...): If your using a popular airline to travel, like Ryanair or Frontier, download their app so you have easy access to bookings and if there are any issues you know you have all your info in the app. ALSO: if the option is available, add your e-ticket to your AppleWallet (Iphone users only, sorry). It makes it so much easier to access and you don't have to worry about wasting battery on getting it to load.
App in the Air:
When you first download the app, it'll ask you to upgrade for some amount per month but just click decline and you'll be fine because you don't need those other fancy features. This one just tracks the places you've flown to on a world map and how many miles you've traveled. It's just a fun app to look at an think, "wow, look how far I've traveled."
Transportation: How to get from point A to point B!
Use the apps I recommended above. At the bare minimum have Google Maps. Public transportation is a big thing in Europe and is very easy to adapt to. Some places (like Germany) mainly travel by trains while others (like Spain) mainly travel by public buses. Just do a little research to get to know the area before you arrive. Public transportation will save you a TON of money and it's environmentally friendly! From all the airports I flew into, there is always a cheap bus or train that can get you to where you need to go instead of using a taxi. With that being said, taxi's are also great! They are almost always around and if you can fill one with your friends and split the fair between everyone, they end up being pretty cheap. My thought order is this:
-Can I walk/do I want to walk?
-Should I take a bike? (Valencia has a public bike system if you're into that)
-No? Okay, what about a bus?
-No bus? Okay I'll look for a train.
-No train? Okay fine, I'll spend extra and just grab a cab.
WARNING: I found when it came to traveling, I really underestimated how much I would spend on transportation. Next to food, this is one thing you're going to want to budget heavily for. Do your research and find out what method is cheapest and gets you to where you need to go.
Taxi's:
Just a little blurb about taking a taxi. In Spain, they are very safe. There is usually a line of them and you have to go to the cab at the very front to even get them to talk to you. To get to a well known place like a night club or a tourist attraction you should just be able to tell them the name and they know where to go. To get home, I recommend you know a little more about the area. Sometimes, cab drivers will take you to a place and say, "okay here we are," and then you're like, "ummmmm no this is not my apartment," and then they'll say, "ohhh, you mean the other Calle Martinez." They do this, not to sketch you out but to get more money from you because they typically won't reset the meter unless you verbally tell them they need to and get into a bit of tense argument with them about it. They know what they are doing but they tried this trick multiple times with me. usually it's because they think we are tourists (because we spoke English in the cab). This does not happen ALL the time but it is something to be aware of. So like I mentioned earlier, when I tell them the address to my apartment I say, "Cerca de Plaza del Ayuntamiento, Plaza de la Reina, y Hotel Lys," (which means near....). If you feel unsafe in an area never be afraid to pay extra to get a cab because they can be fastest and safest depending on where you are, who you are with, and what time it is.
Hostel, Hotel, or Airbnb:
The question depends on two or three things, money and purpose/comfort. If you've got money to spare then I say go for a hotel or Airbnb. Personally, I like having my own space so hostels can sometimes be stressful for me, and I'm not going to lie to you, I've spent a night in some pretty sketchy hostels.
Hostels:
With hostels, here are the pros and cons. Pros are as follows. They can save you a lot of money. I stayed in a really nice hostel in Palma and it not only saved me money but was also very similar to a hotel and had a bar downs stairs and an upstairs lounge. If you are a social butterfly or you're traveling alone and want to meet other people, this can be a great way to interact with people from all over the world. I met some very nice girls who I went to dinner with one night because we were all traveling alone. Usually if check out is at 11am or something, you can ask the hostel to hold on to your suitcase for a little while you explore the city before you get on your flight. There are some cons though. They can be sketchy/dirty. Even if you do you're research sometimes you show up and it is not what you thought it would be. Sometimes they're just as expensive as Airbnb's or hotels and therefore not worth it. Sometimes the people in you're room are rude or strange.
Hostels really weren't my favorite place to stay but they did make for an experience and saved me a bunch of money. Some tips with them:
-Look at the reviews of the hostel, they've got some good info from people who have stayed there.
-Make sure your hostel has lockers to store your stuff in. You don't know what creeps are there too! With that, bring your own lock for the lockers. Sometimes they will charge you to rent one of theirs.
-IF YOU HAVE ROOM, bring your own towel. Some hotels will charge you to rent one and so bringing one is a simple was to save money.
-Look for hostels that include breakfast and wake up for it. Not only is it usually something traditional to the culture but it's also a free meal. And hey if they have individually wrapped muffins or something, bring some (sneakily) back to you room and put them in you back pack and save them for later.
-If you can get a group of good friend together, book a room! If you've got enough to fill the room then it really is like staying in a hotel and can be a lot more fun and safe.
Airbnb/Hotel:
I didn't stay in a hotel while I traveled in Europe so I'll talk about the Airbnb more. Sometimes these can be the same price as hostels/ hotels but better quality. Ask a friend who already has an account to send you and invite code and you and that friend will get a discount when you set up your own. I really don't have "pros vs. cons" here, just some tips. Look at the relative location the profile of the place gives before you book to see if it's in a location close to where you want to be. See how many reviews the place has to see if it is good quality/safe. Check the amenities it has!! Some have washers and dryers or little extra things like that to make it an even better stay. There were also some places that didn't have wifi? Which was a no from me because I have limited data every month out here. So just, again, do your research. I really like Airbnb and I've used it multiple times before. It's my preferred option for lodging when it comes to traveling. One of the hosts even said we could leave our luggage with them after check out because we had a late flight!
Budgeting
I will not pretend to be an expert budget-er, because I am sure as heck not, but I have learned a lot about how to budget for travel. First off, budget sheets can help. Learn to use Excel and make a spreadsheet of where you want to go and how much each place will cost. Include stuff like flight, lodging, transportation, excursions, eating out, souvenir costs, and extra spending money. You will spend more on transportation and eating out then you think. An easy way to save money on eating out is to bring snacks! Fill a pouch in your backpack with bars, muffins, chocolate, etc. so when you get hungry you've got something. Some nights when I traveled, I would find that I wasn't very hungry so I would eat a bar instead of going and spending money on a dinner I wouldn't finish. Most importantly, remember to give yourself wiggle room with the budget. It shouldn't be a set number but more like a range of what you expect to spend. Be conscious of what you are spending your money on but don't forget to indulge yourself at times too.
Links for the two pictures that aren't mine because I'm not trying to get sued:
Packing- Before you leave the States:
Lay out the bags you're planning on taking with you. Open the suitcases, lay them down, unzip your duffel or your backpack and lay it in one area. Next lay out all the clothes you want to take with you. Girls this includes make up and cosmetics. The next part is dependent on your destination. If you're going somewhere very remote or to a village in a third world country then this might not be the best guide line but if you're coming to Europe, or somewhere like Europe, you might want to take out. Now eliminate at least 1/3 of the clothes. Yes you've read that right. One. Third. Although Europe is halfway across the world they have a lot of the same stuff here. When I got to Spain I realized I liked the Spanish fashion wayyyy more so I wanted to buy some clothes when I got here. This will also help you fit in to the culture you're about to adapt for the next few months. You don't have to totally change your style or who you are but dressing like the locals and not getting weird stares can definitely help you adapt quicker.
 |
| How shoes should be: |
 |
| The rolling method: |
Your liquids and cosmetics will go on top or around the edges of the bag. Did you get confused at any point? If so, here's the video that explains all the packing hacks I have talked about. I do not take credit for the video but I have learned many of them from it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIk8v__Osm8
Packing for weekend vacations:
You CAN travel with the bare minimum, I promise. I traveled for two weeks on spring break with only my backpack and a duffel bag so trust me, I know what I'm talking about. First, there is no need to check a bag for spring break/weekend trips. It will save you time and money if you just take it as a cabin bag. Buy travel containers for your liquids. Most grocery stores in Spain have them and even some retail stores. All your liquids must fit into a small baggie that the airport will provide you with before you enter security (usually) so you could always just get there early for the free baggie instead of buying a box of them. Then you can keep that one and continue to use it for future trips. GIRLS: every airport is different and sometimes they consider foundation a liquid (dumb I know) so keep that in mind. Some also consider curling irons and hair straighteners electronics so put those in easily accessible pouches. Pack your comfiest clothes. Remember, you traveling is not about meeting the hottest person in the bar, it's about you living your dreaming, seeing the world, and going on the best adventures and your outfit rarely matters for those things. If you are insistent on bringing cute clothes I recommend two things. 1) Make sure you can wear it with multiple things. Got a cute shirt for clubbing? Great, make sure you can also wear it with your leggings or jeans for the day time. 2) Depending on the duration of the trip, pack ONE cute outfit if it is a weekend. Pack TWO if it is a week. Pack THREE (max) if it is two weeks.
We got Apps!Some of these apps are helpful and some are just for fun. Let's start with the helpful ones.
Hopper:
You can type in when you want to leave and your destination and it will bring up the months displaying what days have historically been the cheapest to fly and it will find you the lowest fair for that day. It can also send you alerts that will say when the flight is planned to raise in price or if you should book now to avoid paying more. I used it to book my flight to Australia and it was super painless and easy!
Skyscanner:
Another great cheap flight app. Warning: you will want to spend hours on it exploring your options. It does kind of the same thing as Hopper but one feature that I really like about it is you can type in "Everywhere" for your destination and the dates you want to be away and it will pull up the cheapest overall flight during that time frame so it can take you to places you never thought of or that you never knew you needed to visit. It is possible to get flights (in Europe at least) for $20 it just requires some watching, waiting, and knowing when to book.
Omio:
I use this one mostly for trains but it does have options for flights and buses. Tells you the cheapest and fastest routes and you can book within two clicks. I used it all the time for traveling within Spain and never had an issue. All my tickets worked as E-tickets and were easily accessible. Be sure you keep the email confirmation it sends you for each trip until the trip is done just in case.
Moovit:
In a city and don't know your way around? No problem. Type in where you want to go, it will calculate all routes (bus/train numbers and all) from your current location and tell you where the stops are and how to get there. Google Maps does the same thing if you feel more comfortable with that app.
GetYourGuide:
Awesome way to find tours and book tours for the places you are visiting.
TripAdvisor:
Another great way to find tours and things to do. They use E-tickets and make the bookings easy.
Airbnb:
Create an account because sometimes these can be cheaper than hostels. I stayed in one in Ireland because it was cheaper and I like it a lot more.
Hostelworld:
If you're down for a hostel this is an easy to use app to make a booking and find the perfect place for where ever your destination is. Typically, hostels offered the cheapest prices and saved me a lot of money. I'll be doing a separate paragraph about that a little ways down.Cabify:
Kind of like the "Uber" of Spain and other countries that don't have Uber and Lyft.
Fun Apps:
CoolCities:
You can make albums a city then add places you want to visit while you're there. After you visit, change it to "already visited." It makes it easy to keep track of all the things you want to accomplish.
Airlines (Not an actual app but...): If your using a popular airline to travel, like Ryanair or Frontier, download their app so you have easy access to bookings and if there are any issues you know you have all your info in the app. ALSO: if the option is available, add your e-ticket to your AppleWallet (Iphone users only, sorry). It makes it so much easier to access and you don't have to worry about wasting battery on getting it to load.
App in the Air:
When you first download the app, it'll ask you to upgrade for some amount per month but just click decline and you'll be fine because you don't need those other fancy features. This one just tracks the places you've flown to on a world map and how many miles you've traveled. It's just a fun app to look at an think, "wow, look how far I've traveled."
Transportation: How to get from point A to point B!
Use the apps I recommended above. At the bare minimum have Google Maps. Public transportation is a big thing in Europe and is very easy to adapt to. Some places (like Germany) mainly travel by trains while others (like Spain) mainly travel by public buses. Just do a little research to get to know the area before you arrive. Public transportation will save you a TON of money and it's environmentally friendly! From all the airports I flew into, there is always a cheap bus or train that can get you to where you need to go instead of using a taxi. With that being said, taxi's are also great! They are almost always around and if you can fill one with your friends and split the fair between everyone, they end up being pretty cheap. My thought order is this:
-Can I walk/do I want to walk?
-Should I take a bike? (Valencia has a public bike system if you're into that)
-No? Okay, what about a bus?
-No bus? Okay I'll look for a train.
-No train? Okay fine, I'll spend extra and just grab a cab.
WARNING: I found when it came to traveling, I really underestimated how much I would spend on transportation. Next to food, this is one thing you're going to want to budget heavily for. Do your research and find out what method is cheapest and gets you to where you need to go.
Taxi's:
Just a little blurb about taking a taxi. In Spain, they are very safe. There is usually a line of them and you have to go to the cab at the very front to even get them to talk to you. To get to a well known place like a night club or a tourist attraction you should just be able to tell them the name and they know where to go. To get home, I recommend you know a little more about the area. Sometimes, cab drivers will take you to a place and say, "okay here we are," and then you're like, "ummmmm no this is not my apartment," and then they'll say, "ohhh, you mean the other Calle Martinez." They do this, not to sketch you out but to get more money from you because they typically won't reset the meter unless you verbally tell them they need to and get into a bit of tense argument with them about it. They know what they are doing but they tried this trick multiple times with me. usually it's because they think we are tourists (because we spoke English in the cab). This does not happen ALL the time but it is something to be aware of. So like I mentioned earlier, when I tell them the address to my apartment I say, "Cerca de Plaza del Ayuntamiento, Plaza de la Reina, y Hotel Lys," (which means near....). If you feel unsafe in an area never be afraid to pay extra to get a cab because they can be fastest and safest depending on where you are, who you are with, and what time it is.
Hostel, Hotel, or Airbnb:The question depends on two or three things, money and purpose/comfort. If you've got money to spare then I say go for a hotel or Airbnb. Personally, I like having my own space so hostels can sometimes be stressful for me, and I'm not going to lie to you, I've spent a night in some pretty sketchy hostels.
Hostels:
With hostels, here are the pros and cons. Pros are as follows. They can save you a lot of money. I stayed in a really nice hostel in Palma and it not only saved me money but was also very similar to a hotel and had a bar downs stairs and an upstairs lounge. If you are a social butterfly or you're traveling alone and want to meet other people, this can be a great way to interact with people from all over the world. I met some very nice girls who I went to dinner with one night because we were all traveling alone. Usually if check out is at 11am or something, you can ask the hostel to hold on to your suitcase for a little while you explore the city before you get on your flight. There are some cons though. They can be sketchy/dirty. Even if you do you're research sometimes you show up and it is not what you thought it would be. Sometimes they're just as expensive as Airbnb's or hotels and therefore not worth it. Sometimes the people in you're room are rude or strange.
Hostels really weren't my favorite place to stay but they did make for an experience and saved me a bunch of money. Some tips with them:
-Look at the reviews of the hostel, they've got some good info from people who have stayed there.
-Make sure your hostel has lockers to store your stuff in. You don't know what creeps are there too! With that, bring your own lock for the lockers. Sometimes they will charge you to rent one of theirs.
-IF YOU HAVE ROOM, bring your own towel. Some hotels will charge you to rent one and so bringing one is a simple was to save money.
-Look for hostels that include breakfast and wake up for it. Not only is it usually something traditional to the culture but it's also a free meal. And hey if they have individually wrapped muffins or something, bring some (sneakily) back to you room and put them in you back pack and save them for later.
-If you can get a group of good friend together, book a room! If you've got enough to fill the room then it really is like staying in a hotel and can be a lot more fun and safe.
Airbnb/Hotel:
I didn't stay in a hotel while I traveled in Europe so I'll talk about the Airbnb more. Sometimes these can be the same price as hostels/ hotels but better quality. Ask a friend who already has an account to send you and invite code and you and that friend will get a discount when you set up your own. I really don't have "pros vs. cons" here, just some tips. Look at the relative location the profile of the place gives before you book to see if it's in a location close to where you want to be. See how many reviews the place has to see if it is good quality/safe. Check the amenities it has!! Some have washers and dryers or little extra things like that to make it an even better stay. There were also some places that didn't have wifi? Which was a no from me because I have limited data every month out here. So just, again, do your research. I really like Airbnb and I've used it multiple times before. It's my preferred option for lodging when it comes to traveling. One of the hosts even said we could leave our luggage with them after check out because we had a late flight!
Budgeting
I will not pretend to be an expert budget-er, because I am sure as heck not, but I have learned a lot about how to budget for travel. First off, budget sheets can help. Learn to use Excel and make a spreadsheet of where you want to go and how much each place will cost. Include stuff like flight, lodging, transportation, excursions, eating out, souvenir costs, and extra spending money. You will spend more on transportation and eating out then you think. An easy way to save money on eating out is to bring snacks! Fill a pouch in your backpack with bars, muffins, chocolate, etc. so when you get hungry you've got something. Some nights when I traveled, I would find that I wasn't very hungry so I would eat a bar instead of going and spending money on a dinner I wouldn't finish. Most importantly, remember to give yourself wiggle room with the budget. It shouldn't be a set number but more like a range of what you expect to spend. Be conscious of what you are spending your money on but don't forget to indulge yourself at times too.
Links for the two pictures that aren't mine because I'm not trying to get sued:
Shoes in the suitcase:
Rolling method example:
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