How to Make the Most of Your Time and Money for Travel

One of the biggest challenges since finishing my ‘gap year’ and starting a ‘real job’ has been trying to balance one of my biggest passions (travel) with the realities of my everyday life. The 2 biggest constraints are of course time and money. My 2018 has been my first test of balancing these aspects and I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job… going on 5 trips and visiting 3 new countries. I’ve written posts on each of these 5 trips so check them out if you haven’t already! I’ll be sharing my limited wisdom with you in this post on how I’ve managed so far.

Before I jump in, it’s worth saying that I focus my attention in Europe since it’s definitely a cheaper option than travelling outside of the continent. I figure that when I’m mega rich (CEO of the world here I come?) I can take trips to Bora Bora and other destinations out of my reach at the moment.

Time

For most people in full time roles, there will be a set number of days to take for annual leave, on top of bank holidays/weekends/non-working days. Of course, unless you have an excessive amount of annual leave, you’re not going to be able to spend half of the year abroad unfortunately.

Fitting in Edinburgh hikes on a weekend away, no annual leave taken!

My tactic is to make the most of weekends and bank holidays which isn’t exactly a stroke of genius. For example, for a week away I will try to fly early on Saturday and late the following Sunday so that we get the most of 9 days away but only taking 5 days annual leave. Even better if it’s a bank holiday week and we only have to take 4 days leave. The other thing to bear in mind is how long you really need in a certain location. Personally, I would generally prefer to take two week long trips instead of 1 two week trip. So by thinking critically about how long I will realistically want to spend somewhere, I can make sure that I can maximize the number of trips I can take while still having enough time to see everything I want to!

Money

Travelling on weekends is a good way to make the most of your time but not as efficient for your money. There are ways to make your money go further so that you can make the most of both time and money!

Flights: My general policy is that the early bird catches the worm! Since I tend to plan my future travels so early anyway, I have the luxury of choice/time and I would definitely recommend this approach as much as possible. For Europe, I expect flights to be well under £100 per person by choosing the best priced time periods in the month/season that I’m looking for.

Flying from New York City

My favourite flight comparison tool is Skyscanner, because you can use the ‘Cheapest Month’ tool. Google flights can also be good except I find it more difficult for general browsing, when dates aren’t set. If you’re not sure if the prices that you found are likely to go up/come down in price, I would recommend Hopper for watching flights. When it comes to actually booking, always go direct to the airline and the majority of the time it is cheaper by a couple of quid.

You can find hidden gems within the budget accommodation market

Accomodation: Of course Airbnb is no secret, but I really do find it the best tool for finding well priced accommodation. In Europe, I tend to have a max. budget of £50 a night but a lot of the time find places for ~£30 a night. In my experience, Airbnb is also a comfortable way to stay in a country since you have access to a kitchen most of the time. Sometimes Airbnb might not necessarily have somewhere that meets your requirements so I also like to browse guesthouses on other sites such as Holiday Lettings (run by Tripadvisor I believe) or HomeAway (although I have found this to show pricier options). Booking.com and Expedia are also good options, especially when you are looking for a hotel instead of guesthouse.

Other pre-booked expenses: Again, I can’t stress how important it is to book things as early as possible! For car rentals for example, I’ve got some super cheap prices. If ever I’ve checked prices and decided not to book closer to the time, the price has always gone up (even if not always very significantly). This also applies to airport parking, where you can get some really good early bird deals.

You don't always need to spend much for a good meal!

Expenses during the trip: One of the most expensive parts of a holiday can be money spent while on the trip! One of the key benefits of staying in a guesthouse/apartment is that you can cater for yourself. Even with a simple kitchen, you can prepare breakfast, lunch and simple dinners. For just a weekend away, I worry less about this but for slightly longer trips it can really make a difference and leave more money in the budget for activities. Of course, you don’t want to miss out on experiencing the local cuisine but making yourself toast for breakfast or sandwiches for lunch can make a big difference to your spending.

I find that with all of these ‘hacks’, although not revolutionary, really help me to satisfy my wanderlust to the best of my ability and bank account’s ability! Do let me know in the comments if you have any other tips.