Always dreaming of far flung places, beautiful views, new friends and meeting locals? Does being able to afford to travel seem like a distant dream? It doesn’t have to be! We’re on a mission to make travel more accessible for everyone, which is why we’ve got loads of pricing options to fit your needs and are super flexible with our installments. That’s not the whole battle though – part of the issue is making yourself believe that travelling is really possible! So here’re Euroventure’s tips – both practical and mental – to give yourself the best shot at doing that trip you’ve always dreamed of…
The most important thing when making travel plans is to be realistic about what you can really achieve. First things first: Where do you dream of visiting? If you want to visit expensive cities on a budget, this will impact how much time you can stay for. If you don’t have a specific destination in mind, think about what it is that you most want to see; Is it beaches? Amazing nightlife? Beautiful natural parks? Once you’ve got it in your head what you’re looking for, you can start to make your trip happen – and if you’re looking to save as much money as possible you can research the cheapest locations to make your dream a reality. Not sure where to visit? See if our travel styles matcher can help you out!
Did you know that flights to Europe from the UK regularly sell from as little as £9? If you want to make your trip the cheapest possible, a great way to do it is to decide on your destinations based on where you can find cheap flights, and then join up the dots in between! Skyscanner has some great tools to help everyone afford to travel – you can search flights to a destination from any UK airport and scan the prices for the whole month – allowing you to find which journey is the very cheapest. Alternatively you can enter your nearest airport and search “everywhere” as the destination to find which are the cheapest places to fly to from your home town. Remember, just because your nearest airport is easier to get to doesn’t necessarily mean it will be cheaper. In many cases it costs less to book yourself a flight from say London or Manchester and then get yourself there by train or coach.
Keep an open mind to different destinations – smaller airports may have subsidised flights to certain destinations which make for unbelievably cheap journeys. For example, Doncaster airport regularly has flights to Sofia, Bulgaria for £9. And make sure you plan to pack light to save on unnecessary luggage costs!
There’s no excuse not to travel when you stay in hostels. Even in Western Europe, these amazingly good value spaces will provide you with a bed, somewhere to cook your food and plenty of new friends. With prices starting from around £10 a night in Eastern Europe, or around £25 in Western Europe, there’s really no reason why you can’t afford to travel. Ok it might not be the most luxurious experience you’ve ever had – but that’s not the point! If travelling is a priority and you’re on a tight budget, hostels are your best friend. When you book hostels through Euroventure, we make sure that you’ll only stay in the best. We’ll also book all your trains for you and include any reservations you need too – then you can book the whole thing in one go with no unexpected costs later down the line. This way your budget should be certain and you’ll have everything out of the way before you go! If you’re not sure what to expect from different types of accommodation, check out our accommodation guide here.
Once you’ve got your flights in mind and you know how much you’re looking to spend on hostels and travel, it’s time to start saving. Be realistic and give yourself plenty of time. Work out how much you can save each month, and then from that how many months you need to pay for the trip. Check out our accommodation guide for an idea of how different stays compare in cost and experience.
If you’re booking it through Euroventure, we can break the trip down into monthly installments for you. This way any trip becomes affordable as long as you give yourself time!
Say you want to travel 6 weeks and it’s going to cost you £2000 – if you’re able to save even £80 a month it would take you just under two years to save up. It might seem like a long time – but it’s possible and we promise it’s worth it! If that seems like too long, you’ll just have to adjust your budget down or save more each month. Saving £200 a month you’ll get there in just 10 months – or cut your trip down to half the length and it’ll only take you half as long to afford it.
Saving money is hard – we get that. Life is expensive and there’s so much stuff to spend your money on – it doesn’t always seem like an option. But it’s the little things that add up, and just by making travel a priority you’ll find it way easier to cut them out and put that money towards the trip of a lifetime! Every time you think about buying lunch at work or uni, think about what you’d rather spend that money on… Just £3 a day on a sandwich adds up to £15 a week, which is £60 a month! Add in your daily coffees, or taking the bus instead of walking, and many people can easily save themselves £100 a month without really trying!
Still feel a bit lost when it comes to travel? Don’t worry – loads of people are in the same boat! Why not give us a call to discuss your dream trip. We’ll happily help you put together a route as well as a plan for how to finance it… which means all you have to do is pack your bags! Head to our route planning help section, or check out our ultimate guide to travelling Europe!
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