How much in the bank?

The second most important thing after buying the plane ticket is the amount of money you take with you. 

So how much money am I bringing with me? 

~$1,500 for 3 months after all transportation is purchased
. (buses, ferries, inter-Europe flights)

View from atop London Eye and Lunch near the Tower Bridge

The money you bring after all transportation is covered is completely up to your feels. Do you feel like going shopping, seeing tons of concerts, visiting many attractions and drinking the good stuff? Then the more money the better.

-If I traveled with no intention of eating out, going to pubs, going on the London Eye, hiring bikes and taking boat rides down the canals in Amsterdam, etc, the bare minimum I would take would be NO LESS than around $175 per month personally. BECAUSE some days I wake up and really need a coffee to function or need to run away and take a bus to the beach. If you never went out at all, wanted to live the eco-organic farm life, then I am sure you could get off for much cheaper. 

Cellular Devices

No matter how hard you want to resist and/or think having a phone while overseas is not necessary, it is. You might use your phone once a week to never at all, a cellphone is still important. 
Why? 1. Safety 2. Having contact with hosts (if volunteering) 3. Convenience (Need a cab? You don't have to walk a mile just to use the payphone to get one) 4. Emergencies I learned this the hard way. I never thought I would be put in a situation where my family from the US would NEED to speak to me right away. I ended up finding out about a very tragic event hours after it had happened. 
Biggest problem about cellphones overseas: The outrageous overseas fees.  Solution: 1. SIM Card OR 2. Buying a cheap prepaid phone


SIM Card:  If you select this option see if you can suspend your current cellphone account while gone. What you will need before you leave home: An international phone with a SIM card slot. (FOR iphone users like myself: Iphone 4S or 5) What you will need to buy while in Europe: A SIM card (that you will 'top up' = load money/pay as you go) I have a Vodafone SIM card. 

Prepaid Phone: What you will need before you leave home: Nothing.. other than your important phone numbers.  What you will need to buy while in Europe: A cheap pay as you go phone (starting at $25 for old-school no-touchscreen bricks) that you will top up = pay as you go. 


Important reminder for everyone with smartphones:  Keep cellular data turned OFF at all times when not in use.  Data is still being used when you aren't using your phone because apps continually update themselves.

Buck, quid, banks and cards!

Money doesn't buy happiness? But it does buy plane tickets and music festivals to see your favorite bands in Ireland. This is happiness to me!

Longitude Festival. Dublin, Ireland. July 2013.

General money and card information for travel: Things you are going to need (hopefully obvious at this point): 

• An ATM(debit) card 
• One or two credit cards 
• Paper money  

Things you must take into account:

• Exchange rates- Study the exchange rate of your home dollar to that of the destination country a week before leaving so you know when you are getting a good exchange deal. 
• Never exchange your money at the airport. That is financial suicide, just as you would never go to the airport solely to eat a dry or soaking-soggy $12 sandwich. 
• ATM fees- In most cases, at least that I know of, you will be charged to withdraw money from any bank that is not your own. Both your bank (for cheating on them) and the ATM will charge you anywhere from $2 to $5. Getting charged for taking out money that belongs to you is just wrong to me.
• Some major banks have ATM partnerships worldwide - meaning no fees.
• Those banks can be found here <- I have highlighted it for you.  
• If you are a US resident, Schwab Bank's High Yield Investors account debit card has a zero ATM fee protocol meaning they give back all money charged by ATMs at the end of each month. Sweet deal! I have created a second bank account with them and just transfer funds when needed from my chase account to avoid those stupid ATM fees. 
• Watch out for ATMs that have been tampered with! Villains install devices on ATMs to get your account information and rob you.  I wish they would get a real job.

These ATMs all have skimming devices.

• The best travel credit card: Capital One offers rates closest to the official exchange rate.
• All credit cards charge a 3% fee when overseas except: Capital One's No Hassle Card, Chase credit cards and some American Express cards. I'm not sure about other countries sorry! 
• Bringing a credit card along is crucial in case something goes wrong!

Do not forget to tell your bank about your travels! You don't want your card to be blocked for suspicious activity.  PS. If you know of a money tree near Arizona, USA please contact me ASAP. I must help with quantity control. 

Before you leave..

Do you have a general plan mapped out yet? Are you going to volunteer in exchange for food and accommodations? Are you going to couchsurf or hostel it every night? How long do you want to travel?

Backpacking is tight son.

Once you have an idea of where you want to go, it is time to get down to the serious business!  Some of the key things you need to research are:

1. How long am I allowed to stay in the country? (Ex. Americans must leave Western Europe after 90 days)
2. Are there any visa requirements for the destination country? Side note: If no currency is being exchanged, you do NOT need a volunteering visa but because this often brings up a problem at customs,  I would suggest not specifically saying you plan to volunteer but that you are backpacking instead. Nothing illegal here. Pinky promise!
3. Tell your bank and/or credit card company about your travels so they don't shut it down for suspicious activity. I will go into more detail about the best bank and credit cards for travel in a separate post.
4. Scan/email/print all important documents such as your passport, ticket details, insurance policy, emergency numbers (parents, bank theft/fraud, country embassy, etc) in case of theft or loss and keep them in a separate place. 
5. Find a good packing list! BE A MINIMALIST. Here is a good one! Freaking long, but the best and most informative packing list! 
• "Take the lightest suitcase you can find, fill it with the least amount of clothing that your courage will allow, close your eyes and remove half of what you have packed and then rapidly depart." 
6. Leave your shy, TIMID side at home. You are traveling the world, you can be anyone you want! Forget about that embarrassing/awkward thing you did 2 years ago. 
7. Do things that make you uncomfortable and PUSH you outside of your comfort zone. Be able to interestingly share at least 4 of the craziest things you did in that insane country! Make other people jealous! It's fun! <- And that's cruel Rachel. 

This hotel room is damp, dirty, and smells of stale urine and I still can't afford it.

Hotel rooms are just not in my budget and I am guessing that if you're here, on my blog now, it probably isn't in yours either. Do not let this stop you from traveling! There are some cheap, even free alternatives!  Backpacking Hostels

Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Backpacking hostel I worked for in 2012.
Hostels get a bad rep. If you have ever seen the horror movie Hostel you probably want nothing to do with one (severed limbs, no thank you!) but please remember it is just a movie folks. Hostels are actually a fairly ordinary thing in Europe and in many cases, just seem strange and foreign to us Americans. I like to think of it as having a sleep over with a potential friend!  If bringing a towel is an inconvenience you can rent one for a few dollars! HostelWorld is a very well known/popular hostel finder worldwide. Use it too!

Airbnb

San Lorenzo, Italy $67/night 2ppl
If you aren't comfortable sleeping with 4+ others in a single room and can't afford the outrageous prices hostels charge for individual rooms then Airbnb is perfect. You pay for a room in someones home. A private room for less than what it costs to sleep next to several others in a hostel? I'LL TAKE IT!
Couchsurfing

Don't want to pay for a room at all? Sleep on someone's couch (or bed!) This is a groovy travel platform that connects you to other travelers who have a couch to lend! You might even get lucky and sleep in a bed! Stick with people who have good references. But whatever you do, be respectful and don't treat it as you would a hotel room. Create relationships with your hosts, not sleep and leave. 

University Dorms

Trinity College. Dublin, Ireland. Twin ensuite accomodation. While students are away for the summer some universities rent out dorm rooms to travelers at a low cost. Isn't that innovative? Here is a link that will guide you in the right direction for college dorms! I must make a confession: After working at several backpacking hostels, a dirty and damp hotel room doesn't sound half bad if it means privacy!

Cheapo Transportation

The plane ticket over to Europe has to be one of the  most expensive things about my whole travel itinerary.  In 2012, I flew from Phoenix, AZ, USA to Dublin, Ireland  for around $804 USD in September. This year I will be flying from Phoenix, AZ, USA to Dublin, Ireland  for around $944 USD in June.  If I really looked hard enough I could find better deals but these are STILL going to look incredibly cheap next to the price of the same flight from websites like Expedia and Travelocity. 

What do I use?  Hipmunk You won't find cheaper airfare then on Hipmunk. I've compared Hipmunk to other airfare listers such as Expedia and Travelocity, Hipmunk has always been the cheapest.
How can I find the cheapest days to purchase my ticket?  Matrix Airfare Search It is what the travel agents use.   
Other important tips:  - Fly out midweek (cheaper than flying Friday when everyone else wants to) - Buy tickets on Tuesday (when new deals are released) - Allow your dates to be flexible (it could be $1200 on the 25th but $850 the 27th)

Cheap budget airlines: 

Ryanair (Europe)
Easyjet (Europe)
Allegiant Air (USA)  Have a cheap flight from Phoenix to Honolulu, Hawaii for around $300 round-trip (even next day)

Ryanair the Ikea of Airlines? Spain 2012

ALSO one of my favorite websites for traveling cheaply excluding flights is Seat 61 *Highly recommend*

Low cost volunteering program.. finally!

So in my last post I talked of travel dreams and how it is often limited by us being well.. students or non-students with about $5 in our bank accounts. In this post I will talk about the major loophole I found in the travel world which allowed me to travel for months at a time (hell yes!) with about $300 USD/month for spending money.  *No I am not paid by companies to promote their product. (Pssh I wish!) This is 100% me posting about things I love.* 

The Program:

What it is: Volunteering program where a few hours of your work a day is exchanged for accommodations and in most cases, food. *4-5 hours/ 5 days a week.
How much: €20 EUR ($25 USD)/ 2 years
How does it work: 

1. Pay the flat fee (Gives you access to email hosts and read reviews)
2. Create a catchy profile (Make yours stand out. Don't induce yawning!) 
   
3. UPLOAD A HAPPY PICTURE OF YOURSELF (Who wants a grumpy complainer?)
4. Pick a country
5. Find a host that interests you and message them (Hosts receive many messages from other helpers. Personalize each one of your messages. Don't think sending the same message to 5+ hosts is going to get you somewhere. Hosts can tell. They want someone who is interested in their particular offer, not someone who is desperate to get in ANYWHERE **sketchy**)
6. Wait for a reply! If they don't get back to you right away, don't fret. Give it a week before messaging them again. 

Helpxers at Spain Hostel 2012

How can I trust that it is safe:  For 1. I went alone when I was 18. A young female traveling alone.. can we say in unison, sex trafficking! Have you seen the movie Taken? Seems extremely dangerous, I know but here I am. Not dead, not even a scratch. 
2. Hosts have reviews left by other helpxers, if you are really worried, stick with the hosts that have many good reviews. Also, their addresses are on the top left corner (most times), plug that into Google Maps and explore the area, make sure you are happy with it!)

Possible? YES.  A little different? YES.  Are you completely insane? Yeah. But that is what makes life exciting!

Similar site: 

Should I stay or should I go?

I haven't met a single person whose dream didn't involve packing up their clothes and getting the hell out of town. I speak for myself and possibly a thousand others when I say this offer is 100% appealing:

London, United Kingdom 2012

They say "follow your dreams", I say "with what money." 

|

That is the problem, I'm young and to be honest, my dad still pays for my phone bill. I don't have a bottomless bank account or a trust fund from the rich side of the family. I have my paychecks from working at part-time job at a frozen yogurt shop and that is about it. So how do you chase after your dreams when money is the biggest factor and you well... don't have it? 

Loop holes! 

I researched hours before I found many loop holes around the traditional way of travel. This blog is where I will share all of them with you because keeping them to myself seems a little selfish. 

If you are stuck on whether traveling is the right thing for you, please read this beautiful story, shared by http://solotravelerblog.com, which inspired me to go.