Tips for planning a trip on a budget

As Spring Break is just around a corner, people are planning their next travel destination. Traveling does not require you to visit faraway places and to be costly. The trip could be local and inexpensive. Here are my top 5 tips on planning a trip on a budget:

1) Get the Flight and Place to Stay

Booking the Flight and Hotel is the first important task to do when traveling. Some of the websites I use to check for flights and hotel, hostel, or Airbnb deals are Expedia, Trip Advisor, and Google Flights. Google Flights give you a range of ticket prices during the year.

2) Have an Itinerary

Whenever I am planning a trip, I always like to see what is near the area I am visiting. It could be museums, heritage sites, restaurants, beaches, parks, performing arts shows, and many other activities. Once I have narrowed down the places that are near my hotel or Airbnb or how to commute to places, my vacation can begin. Another tool that helps me out with traveling is Groupon and Travel Zoo. I would also recommend using YouTube to plan your itinerary. Watching videos helps me with a visual of the places I want to go to as well as have an insight into other people's experiences.

3) Budget

Before I travel to my destination, I set out a budget for the amount I am going to spend on the trip. The budget depends on the type of vacation that I will be traveling. If the destination is out of the country, the amount will be higher than what I will set out within the USA. For example, when traveling to Europe, you are only allowed to withdraw about $200 per day in some countries. There is also the conversion fee when withdrawing money. It is also important to notify your bank that you will be using your card if traveling outside your home country.

4) Research on Weather Patterns

Part of the whole traveling experience is packing what to wear to the destination. I like to google the place I am going to and then check out the weather patterns for the duration of my trip. For example: If I am traveling to Florida and it is 80 degrees the week I am going to be there, I will pack a few summer clothes such as shorts, capris, tank tops, and swimsuits. The outfits should be according to the weather for the trip.

5) Transportation to Airport

The last tip is finding transportation to the airport. If you are traveling alone, make sure that you have a way of getting to the airport such as Uber, Lyft, or taxi. The same method of transportation applies when traveling in a group. The only difference is splitting the cost of the taxi ride. There are cheaper alternatives like train or buses, plan on time.

Another way of getting to the airport is asking a family member to take you there. However, you will have to plan with the family member to see when it is convenient for them.

Have fun planning your next destination! It is not just the destination, but the journey getting there is just as much fun.

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