Budget travel
Book - 2024
Budget Travel For Dummies will help you plan your next vacation and make it affordable, with tips on how to maximize your budget and squeeze amazing experiences out of every penny. Written by a travel expert who has visited 60 countries across 6 continents, this book will help you find the best deals, including cheap flights and accommodations. You'll learn how to pick a destination, set and stick to a budget, minimize bank and credit card fees, and manage health and travel insurance. For the adventurer within you, this guide is full of tips on traveling without a plan, living for months with just carry-on luggage, and staying flexible in case you need to change your plans. Yes, you can afford that bucket-list trip.
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- Subjects
- Genres
- Guidebooks
- Published
-
Hoboken, NJ :
John Wiley & Sons, Inc
[2024]
- Language
- English
- Main Author
- Item Description
- Includes index.
- Physical Description
- xii, 256 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm
- ISBN
- 9781394212958
- Introduction
- About This Book
- Foolish Assumptions
- Icons Used in This Book
- Beyond the Book
- Where to Go from Here
- Chapter 1. Wanting to Travel at Any Cost
- Ditching the Notion That Travel Has to Be Expensive
- Deciding Where to Go
- What kind of experience are you looking for?
- Ideas for first-time travelers
- Don't try to do everything at once
- Focusing on Less So You Can Enjoy More
- The challenge of planning to do less
- How to narrow your focus (one city, not five)
- Travel days eat into your adventure
- Budget Travel that Doesn't Feel Like Budget Travel
- Chapter 2. A Fist Full of Dollars (And Euros and Yen)
- What's a Realistic Travel Budget?
- Travel can be more affordable than you think
- Why $50 a day is a great place to start your budget
- Airfare considerations
- Unexpected costs
- Saving for Travel
- Saving money now saves stress later
- Automatic savings
- Choosing travel over other things
- Living cheaply so you can travel
- Cash? Credit? Both?
- The pros and cons of cash
- Spotting scam ATMs
- The pros and cons of credit
- Using credit cards that don't charge foreign transaction fees
- The insidious charge option that steals your money
- Some cards are bad for travel
- Unforeseen fees can eat into your budget
- The convenience and safety of using your phone instead
- Protecting Yourself and Your Belongings with insurance
- The necessity of insurance (personal experience)
- Don't assume your current health insurance covers you
- What travel insurance covers, and what it doesn't
- Chapter 3. Plan Less for More Fun
- Planning Less Reduces Stress
- I used to be an extensive planner and I was wrong
- How planning less actually reduces stress
- Trading current stress for future stress
- Traveling Without a Plan (Yes, It's Possible!)
- I've traveled for months without a schedule
- There's (almost) always lodging available
- Apps that help you navigate and more
- Not all will go according to your lack of plan
- The Drawbacks of Guided Tours, Cruises, and All-Inclusive Resorts
- Pre-planned, packaged vacations are not cost effective
- If It's "included," you're paying for it
- You rarely get to see the real location you're visiting
- You won't meet the locals and travelers from other countries
- Lightly guided tours: The potential exception
- Chapter 4. Now Boarding: Finding the Right Flights
- Booking Flights Yourself versus Hiring a Travel Agent
- Do you need a travel agent?
- What is your time worth?
- Costs and trust
- Booking Flights
- When to book flights
- When to fly
- Where to fly
- A huge exception
- Searching in incognito mode
- Using third-party booking websites
- Google Flights
- Average prices over time
- Spending a little more to fly at better times or get shorter flights
- Pros and cons of one-way tickets
- Don't expect huge discounts or deals
- Choosing between Budget Airlines and Major Carriers
- Behind the scenes (airline costs)
- How much cheaper, really?
- Hidden costs and penalties
- Accumulating miles/points
- The "Value" of Credit Card Points
- What points can do for you
- What they can't do for you
- The ever-depreciating value
- Spending More to Save Time
- A hotel near transit or your "must-see" locations
- Trains over buses
- A moment to relax
- Chapter 5. Where to Lay Your Head
- Accommodation Basics
- Comparing various accommodation types
- Finding the best location
- Similar prices across the web
- The Secret to Inexpensive Lodging: Hostels (Wait, Keep Reading!)
- This is the secret no one tells you
- Hostels aren't what you think
- Hostels aren't just for young adults
- What's a high-end hostel?
- Meet new people, or not
- The Benefits of Hostels and Hostel Life
- Drastically lower your per-day expense
- Convenient kitchens and refrigerators
- Location (location, location)
- Easy-to-get local advice for what to see and do
- Brilliant for solo travelers
- Hostels for Dummies
- Basic hostel etiquette
- Details to consider (private rooms, single-sex dorms, no kids, and so on)
- Handy must-haves to have on hand
- Hostel examples around the world
- Other Inexpensive Lodgings
- Couchsurfing
- Why Airbnb isn't as cheap as it seems
- The best? Meeting people and staying with them!
- Chapter 6. Taking the Tug" Out of Luggage
- What You Can't Leave Behind (but Should)
- Why traveling light is the best gift you can give yourself
- Move fast, don't break things
- Save on luggage fees
- Travel easier on buses, trains, cars, and more
- Shocking game changer: laundry
- Don't Waste Money on Luggage
- Expensive luggage is a waste of money
- Most of the world isn't smooth concrete
- Smaller luggage lets you focus on what you really need
- If you can't easily carry it, it's too much
- Backpack versus Luggage
- My subjective opinion; Backpacks are best
- The brilliance of "travel" backpacks
- Reasonable reasons to get wheeled luggage instead
- Hybrids
- To Carry On, or Not to Carry On
- Chapter 7. Packing Light, Packing Perfection
- What to Pack for Unlimited Travel
- Don't try to bring everything
- If you "think" you might need it, you won't
- Seriously, just do laundry
- Packing less than one week's worth of clothes
- Packing for different climates
- Shopping Locally
- The joy of buying something you need while traveling
- Most of the world has the same things you can find at home
- Tech Must-Haves to Bring on Every Trip
- USB-battery packs (aka power banks)
- Plug adapters
- Cables and a good charger
- Headphones (preferably noise canceling)
- Memory cards (if you have a camera)
- Travel laptop or tablet
- Kindle or other e-Reader
- Saving money on camera gear
- Gadgets and Gear to Avoid
- Pretty much any "travel gadget" (especially advertised on social media)
- "Travel SIMs" (probably)
- Special "travel clothes"
- Bulky laptops
- Money belts
- Anything that attaches to an airplane seat
- Portable solar panels and solar-charging batteries
- Sleeping bags
- You probably don't need a camera
- Packing for Dummies
- Core items
- Climate/trip-specific items
- Optional items
- Chapter 8. Getting Online While on the Road
- You Don't Need to Do without Data
- Why you should make sure you have data/internet abroad
- How to get inexpensive international data anywhere
- Unlocking your phone and other potential issues
- Password managers and locking down your accounts
- Making Sure You Can Back Up to the Cloud
- What's a cloud backup?
- Saving all your photos and videos on the go
- Stashing a copy of your passport and other info
- Downloading Movies, Maps, and Other Cool Apps
- What are you going to listen to?
- Download maps to use later
- Shows and movies to watch on the plane
- Must-have apps
- Apps to (probably) avoid
- Chapter 9. Living Locally on the Cheap
- Eating Like a Local
- Thinking of grocery stores as an adventure
- Restaurants eat your budget, but go anyway
- Checking out familiar chains in unfamiliar places
- Avoid eating in tourist spots
- The fridge at the hostel or hotel can save you money
- The glorious wonder that is "street food"
- Exploring Efficiently … or Not
- Loosely planning your route
- Taking advantage of "free" walking tours
- Checking for free days or discounts at museums and monuments
- Allowing yourself to get a little lost
- Knowing how to get from anywhere to anywhere
- Car rental dos and don'ts
- Sleep in your car?
- Electric scooters
- Bicycles
- Metro Movin'
- Navigating local metro systems
- Getting a metro card
- Using the local metro app
- Fitting In
- Spoiler: You won't fit in and that's okay
- The faux faux-pas of different places and offending people
- Local clothes (proceed with caution)
- Ask locals
- Learning the language
- Homestays
- Chapter 10. Sidestepping Common Blunders
- Shopping in a Marketplace: Hustles versus Bargaining
- Cultural differences
- The hard sell (just say no)
- Bargaining is a skill and they're professionals
- Spotting Hidden Fees and Trying to Decline Them
- Airline fees
- "Late" checkout fees
- "Resort" and cleaning fees
- Can you decline the fees?
- Being the Least Obvious Target
- Most places are safe … mostly
- Look like you know where you're going
- Don't display expensive items
- Locks and codes
- Don't keep everything in one place
- Be aware of your surroundings
- What to Do if You Get Robbed
- An unfortunate possibility
- Reporting the incident to the local police
- Canceling cards and changing passwords
- Contacting your insurance
- Finding local replacements
- Other Common Blunders
- Overpacking
- Overplanning
- Jetlag!
- Not incorporating rest or downtime
- Chapter 11. Time to Head Out - Or Is It?
- Staying Flexible
- Following the weather (or not)
- Being able to change locations for any reason
- Going Slow (No, Slower)
- Avoiding burnout
- Enjoying yourself instead of checking things off a list
- Remembering it's all an adventure!
- When It's Time to Move On
- Finding new accommodations
- Transport options
- Heading to a different city or even a different country
- Following friends
- What to Do if There's a Problem
- Local emergency numbers
- Other phone numbers
- Letting Your Family/Friends Know Where You Are
- Chapter 12. Settling In for an Extended Stay
- Sticking Around When You Can't Tear Yourself Away
- Staying for an extra day, week, or month
- Can you just not go home?
- What to do about mail, bills, and more
- What about all your stuff now, and later?
- When remote isn't an option
- Changing Flights versus Canceling Flights
- Costs/fees/hassle
- Can you postpone instead?
- Canceling and getting a new flight
- One-way tickets
- When Do You Need a Visa?
- What's a visa?
- Options for extending your visa
- The perils of "visa runs"
- Exploring different ways to stay
- Volunteering (aka volunteer travel)
- Becoming a Digital Nomad
- What's a digital nomad?
- Working from "home" when home is anywhere
- Downsides
- How It Works from Someone Who Has Done It for a Decade
- A typical day
- A typical week
- A typical month and more
- Chapter 13. Ten Things Worth Splurging On
- Great Local Food
- Unique Local Activities
- A Night to Relax at a Nice Hotel
- A Good Backpack
- A Decent Flight and Location
- Comfortable Sneakers/Walking Shoes
- USB Battery Pack
- Good Noise-Canceling Headphones
- Literally Anything on Your "Bucket List"
- Travel Itself
- Appendix: Travel Checklists
- Index