What are /r/Shoestring's favorite Products & Services?

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I use ExpressVPN. Just follow the instructions on the website. Pick a country like Spain, or Czech Republic. Just some place where their economy sucks.

Also make sure to not do multiple searches for the same thing. That will drive up the price on its own if the algorithm think there is pent up demand for a flight.

Try the advanced, multi-city search using the ITA Matrix. They got bought by Google a few years ago and this is the tech that powers the Google Flights search. But this is still way more powerful. You can put in day ranges and it'll show you the prices for stays of varying lengths starting every day for a month.

The only downside is you can't directly book the flights though that site; you have to go to Kayak or another site and manually input the details. I used a browser plugin a few years ago that would feed the info to an Expedia search and let you book directly, but I don't remember what it was called.

Nah that’s a money symbol, used in Mexico, Canada, Colombia, Chile, Australia, Argentina, and Singapore in addition to the United States (There’s more). But yeah, post mezcal, probably not the most appropriate sub to post in.

Edit: https://www.xe.com/symbols.php

A reusable, washable, packable bag that I can use for whatever. Groceries, laundry, picnics, swimming, shopping, extra layers, misc stuff. I typically keep it in my purse when I'm out and about. I use something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Reusable-Washable-Foldable-Shopping-Friendly/dp/B01N6EGXUB/ref=sr_1_25?dchild=1&keywords=ripstop%2Bpackable%2Bbag&qid=1626820676&sr=8-25&th=1

Google flights. Put in your starting location and dates, pull up the map (says Explore Destinations) and it will show you the price to fly to various cities around the world.

I always use kiwi It’s especially good if you are extremely flexible and don’t mind jumping between airlines during your trip. Recently got a trip to the UK and back for three people for under $1500

One quick tip is to use Google Flights and then the explore option. This will let you for example search for weekend flights from PHX in the next 6 months.

https://www.google.com/flights#flt=PHX..2019-07-25*.PHX.2019-07-29;c:USD;e:1;ls:we;sd:0;t:e

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Given the temperatures in PHX how about an escape to either someplace cooler or the beach. $129 to the San Francisco area, $157 to the quirky city of Portland, or $127 to Chicago.

https://matrix.itasoftware.com/

Put in an airport that is pretty central to where you want to leave from, then the "Nearby" button appears. Set your range to the maximum and click select all.

It may take some time to search but it will find the cheapest flights to your destination.

Check out Charles Schwab. They have an account that waves ATM fees worldwide and they have no foreign transaction fees. I travel abroad a lot so I just switched to them after getting tired of Wells Fargo and all their ATM fees and foreign transaction fees.

It's called the high yield investor checking account:

https://www.schwab.com/checking

You have to open a brokerage account to get the checking account but you don't have to actually use the brokerage account. As long as you have good credit you should qualify for the account. If you travel abroad a lot it's a no brainer.

https://www.kayak.com/flights/OSL-LAX/2019-12-10/2019-12-31/ffc7f2f3c1b6d2af93e96fd993a5da5c0

Total price is $362 round trip

The cheapest one is about 3 USD cheaper but it takes a few more hours.

Of you have any questions just ask

Skyscanner is good for flexibility. You can put in your starting airport and search for flights to any country without specifying a city, or you can just search from your home airport to anywhere in the world. Also, if you don't want to choose specific dates, you can search a whole month or a whole year.

One way is to have your VPN set for where you want to travel to. For example, if you want to travel to Fl, but you live in TN, set your VPN to make it look like you live in Fl.

Also, clearing your cookies helps.

For a VPN try Private Internet Access

Happy travels!

Roadtrip! Less than 20 hours driving to the Florida coast. These folks can help set-up your ride /r/vandwellers. Places to stay? Try www.couchsurfing.com or https://www.airbnb.com/. You can camp in any National Forest for free!

Florida has the amazing Ocala National Forest is the southernmost forest in the continental United States and protects the world's largest contiguous sand pine scrub forest. Completely different ecosystem than Wisconsin.

The Forest has more than 600 lakes, rivers, and springs, including three first-magnitude springs where visitors can swim, snorkel, and dive in their crystalline waters year-round.

Rules for Dispersed Camping

You need to be self-contained. No amenities are provided; such as water, restrooms or trash cans.

You may camp in a dispersed area for up to 16 days. After 16 days, you must move at least 5 road miles for camping in another dispersed area. Campers may not return to the same campsite within the calendar year.

Please place your campsite at least 100 feet from any stream or other water source.

Keep a Pack-In Pack-Out camp. Follow Leave No Trace guidelines.

Contact the local Forest Service office to see if any restrictions, especially fire restrictions are in place.

Be Bear Aware. There are bears on the National Forest, so camp accordingly.

https://matrix.itasoftware.com/#view-flights:research=TSFDME-DMETSF

If you have to add in additional parameters, set the dates to the ones that I provided and it should show up.

Honestly, I'd eat the extra $7 and fly into DME if that's where your friends will be.

You can take ferry's from Northern France to Ireland. Cherborg to Waterford is what I did hundreds of years ago in 2003. IF you have a Eurorail pass, the ferry is heavily discounted.

On that note, trains are an enjoyable way to travel but do come with extra cost. Buses are almost always cheaper. You can use http://www.rome2rio.com/ to get an idea of routes.

Hostel dorm rooms to save on sleep. Use the kitchen to save on dining costs.

Credit card with no international fee.

Technology has changed the guidebook scene... But I always preferred to have some sort of map/recommended to-do's of the town before you step off whatever transport took you there.

You'll learn a lot on your first go and it will all be worth it.

(I did 4 weeks with less than $3k back when the Euro was crushing the dollar. You'll be fine.)

This is possible with some extensive planning. Like someone else said, buy the National Parks pass for a year of access to all National parks. Plan your route around these parks and take advantage of what they have available; showers/ self guided tours/campgrounds etc. Prep your van so you can comfortably eat and sleep in it. Look up places that allow free camping or the laws on free camping in National forests or on BLM land.

Meal plan easy and affordable meals & snacks that you can keep in a cooler and eat while on the road; Sandwiches, fruits, cheeses, deli meat. Refill the cooler along the way with trips to the local supermarkets. If possible a small portable stove will allow you to make some easy hot meals (look up some 'One pot' recipes) Limit your soda, try and stick to refillable water bottles you can refill (with water) at gas stations.

Plan your route well and use websites like Atlasobscura.com and Roadtrippers.com to find entertainment along your route.

Check out this covid travel map from https://www.kayak.com/travel-restrictions. It shows which countries are open for travel. It is the most easy to use and up-to-date map I could find.

Can not recommend [Project Gutenberg](www.gutenberg.org) and [Internet Archive](archive.org) enough as sources of free ebooks. They have a lot of books ranging from philosophy to fiction with the caveat that many are classics. If you're interested I strongly recommend Propaganda by Edward Bernays who effectively paved the way for the concept of PR and modern advertising or Meditations by Marcus Aurelius the philosopher king which is a personal dialogue on what he thought it took to make a good person.

Also the piratebay has thousands of very good (recent and older) ebooks. You're just not looking in the right places, also try mobilism.org (still pirating but it's direct downloads).

PM if you want further suggestions.

Have you read the Galapagos Island Wiki? You bought the tickets, don't forget about the $100 Park fee (mandatory, sorry). That being said your best bet is to look for tours once you get to the island. Often you can get a discount because they are trying to fill up their last few spots. As far as finding things cheaply... Follow the general rule of thumb, find the touristy area and walk as far away as you can.

You are going to have a blast!

Edit: Find out what you can and cannot fly in with as far as food stuffs, food in Guayaquil is going to be WAY cheaper than food on the islands.

I fly out of LAX, and if you're flexible with your trip's dates, you can find pretty cheap flights. Here are a couple for a 2 week trip that is under $500. Granted it's with Xiamen, which has mixed reviews, although my personal experience with them hasn't been bad at all. They offer free hotel accommodations at pretty high-end hotels and a tour in Xiamen city if you have a layover longer than 6 hrs.

https://www.google.com/flights#flt=/m/030qb3t.r/m/03_3d.2018-08-31*r/m/03_3d./m/030qb3t.2018-09-04;c:USD;e:1;ls:2w;sd:0;t:e

Domestic travel in the U.S. can be pricey, but there are two resources that immediately come to mind you can use to keep an eye on the cheapest flights possible: Google Flights and Momondo.

It seems like if your other costs are being covered, finding a flight under $300 is a decent deal, especially if you're planning to travel over a holiday weekend.

Keep in mind that cheaper flights usually come with a connection and long layovers. Also, booking within 3 months of your intended departure can be more costly than if you were booking a little further out.

It seems like there are some decent flight prices for your travel dates, though!

I did a little research and you can fly to Kuala Lumpur for those dates for about 150 Euros (12000 INR) roundtrip, each. KL is nice, cheap and there is lots to see. You could consider visiting Malacca, I enjoyed my time there. Other than that, it seems like staying in or around India is the best alternative (kochi, goa, the usual suspects). Considering its high season, you wont find many cheap flights.

Heres a link to those flights

https://www.google.com/flights/#search;f=MAA;t=KUL;d=2017-12-27;r=2018-01-02

If you can swing a day earlier (Aug 30 - Sept 3) it's $158: https://www.google.com/flights/#search;f=RDU;t=DEN;d=2017-08-30;r=2017-09-03

But still within your budget ($252) is Sept 1 - Sept 5: https://www.google.com/flights/#search;f=RDU;t=DEN;d=2017-09-01;r=2017-09-05

https://www.google.com/flights/

Just put SJU (assuming San Juan PR) as your starting location and for your destination just put United States and you'll get a variety of locations and fares based on the dates you want.

More information is needed to give a definitive answer, not sure where you're seeing 200 Euros, though.

Emirates flies non-stop, LCA (Cyprus) to MLA (Malta) pretty much daily for $165 round-trip (155 Euros). Your first checked bag is free, too. It's a 2.5 hour flight.

This is probably going to be the best, fastest and cheapest (after baggage fees if you need to check any luggage) you'll find.

Actually, I found a better price. Chicago to NYC for $162, then from JFK to Prague for $414. Total under $580.

Caveats. You'd have to chill at JFK for a long while with both flights, but $576 aint too bad. Also Norwegian and Jetblue have some steep baggage fees.

AirBnB will help with short stays if necessary. I attended UCSB, and I've lived in Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as Orange County. I can say, without a doubt, that 3 of those 4 are the most expensive areas in CA, in terms of rent. To share a room in SB, LA or SF, you're looking at ~$450(really modest)-$750 (obviously more expensive in particular areas). To live in your own room, it will probably cost ~ $600(really modest) - $1300. In OC, prices are a bit lower in most areas except, perhaps, Newport Beach, Corona Del Mar, or Laguna Beach. Those places will probably have prices similar to the 3 above. OC rent will probably run $100-300 less expensive in the other areas, though the low end is probably ~$350-400 to share a room. If you want to stay in Santa Barbara, I do know that there are several co-ops in the lovely paradise that is Isla Vista. Very open-minded residents and they live by modest means and don't spend as much as residents outside of the co-ops do. Many cities/metros will have co-ops, I'm just less familiar with their locations/condition.

If you're making about $1100/ month, I'd say living fairly modestly is very possible in even the expensive areas of CA. In other locales, you'll be able to live (sort of) like a king!

I personally use NordVPN which seems to be pretty widely accepted as a good VPN service, I also hear about TunnelBear pretty often. A VPN extends a private network across a public network, and enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network. Because of this, it allows you to bypass a lot of location-specific websites or mechanics and to do things like getting promotions only available in certain places.

We spent one month in Costa Rica. We lived in Samara and Santa Teresa, If you aiming for Samara we lived in an amazing AirBnB owned by an Italian couple. Super nice and we got breakfast every day. We paid around 16 USD per night and we had a nice room.

The house and the garden is huge and they have two dogs and a cat. Everything is super chill.

Here is the link. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/12889773?location=S%C3%A1mara%2C%20Guanacaste%2C%20Costa%20Rica&s=mkCxD0IJ

First is flights. Depending on your schedule, where you're flying from and to which island you're flying to, it's going to eat up a good chunk of that budget. Keep an eye on Google flights, usually this month and next are prime times to fly there.

Next is lodging. Hostels on the Hawaiian islands are pricey. $40-50 for a dorm bed at it's cheapest. Since you're with a group, consider AirBnb. This link leads to an AirBnb search for all of Hawaii, whole house with at least 4 beds and under $200 a night ($50-67 a person).

On island transportation. A rental car is an option, but you're going to be killed with fees if none of you are older than 25. If you wanna move around to different islands, flights are usually around $50 or so. Honolulu's public transportation is ranked pretty high, so you can rely on that if you end up on Oahu.

Food is last, and will be expensive. Hit up a grocery store and try and cook as much as you can if you get an AirBnb, basically doing breakfast and lunches there, and maybe going out at night.

Budget breakdown:

Flight I can't see being more than $500. (Let me know when and where you're traveling from and I'll see if I can sort that out for you)

Lodging at an airbnb, $50 a person a night over 5 days, $250.

Leaves you with $50 (or more) a day for food and drinks, local transportation, and fun.

Hope that helps!

FWIW, I found Jaisalmer pretty touristy when I visited during Feb. YMMV of course, but I prefered Jaipur since it actually has a real-life city around it; 90% of the people in JSL are just there serving the tourist industry.

Be warned - if you're planning on visting palaces/museums, many places in India use alternate pricing for foreigners. Wise to do some research beforehand.

As for quiet beaches, there are are some nice ones in South Goa (avoid North Goa - Baga, Anjuna, Calangute, etc.). There's also Gokarna, which is a bit more hippie, but considerably less crowded than Goa. Around 150km from Goa.

It's been a while since I went to these places, so instead of giving misleading information, I'll leave you to research them on your own. Also check out Indiamike.com, some good info there.

Not beaches, but since you're near the north, have you researched Manali? If you're in Delhi for a while you can take an overnight bus to Manali (around $10-12 US). From there, you have access to the Himalayas - Leh, Lahaul-Spiti, Dharamshala (I'm going there in Nov myself).

Manali itself can be pretty crowded around the time you're going, be warned. But if you can worm your way out of the heavily populated centres, there are some beautiful roads and vistas there.

For those dates departing anywhere 1 Sep to 7 Sep and returning 28 Oct to 30 Oct the best price is $836 with Ethiad or $900 with Emirates. Both are similar timing departing night flights and arriving in India early morning 2 days later. Ethiad flies to CCU and the Emirates fare is to DEL.

Ethiad details

The cheapest option in that general time seems to be 5 December to 8 January. Flying to Melbourne is about £60 cheaper than Sydney at £713 with 2 stops or £728 with 1 stop.

https://www.google.com/flights#flt=/m/04jpl.MEL.2019-12-05*MEL./m/04jpl.2020-01-08;c:GBP;e:1;sd:1;t:f

I second Google flights to look at the matrix and determine the best dates. Leaving on July 4th will be the cheapest for last minute since it’s not as much of a travel day. https://www.google.com/flights#flt=PHX.TPA.2019-07-04*TPA.PHX.2019-07-16;c:EUR;e:1;sd:1;t:f

Be aware of the total price you’ll pay. If you can fly without a checked bag you’ll save on those added fees.

I found a nice route, the total comes down to just $395 in October.
It's a total of 20 hours travel time, which isn't bad considering the price!

First you want to go from SDF to JFK (New York) and take a separate flight to Sofia from there.

I got back from Costa Rica and I didn't find it at all cheap compared to other Latin America countries. Even the lady at the coffee plantation said they relied on cheap foreigners (mostly Nicaraguans) to work the crops because locals expected too much. Ecuador and Peru were cheaper, but SE Asia is cheap. I'd consider Thailand. Easy language to learn and most speak some English. It reminded me a lot of South America, only tons safer. I guess we need to know what your budget is and your airport that you're leaving from to assist further?

Also redditor /u/PhilosophicPanda made this site that along with Google Flights might help you narrow down something.

There's a lot cheaper options than hostelworld. I built a site that aggregates all the different accommodations options, including hostelworld, but also Airbnb, Couchsurfing, Hotwire, Groupon, etc. It's http://AllTheRooms.com.

Some more things to consider: check Groupon for getaways in your area (https://www.groupon.com/getaways#category/Great+Lakes+and+Plains).

Have you considered camping? There's so many amazing places near you.

I typically run parallel searches on Google Flights and Kayak. If there are cities that most flights have layovers in, I’ll see if I can get a cheaper price by breaking it up into 2 round trips (home<->city a, city a<->destination). Skyscanner is good for European flights. I know it’s probably superstition but I typically use a different browser than normal with all trackers disabled, might not do anything but I figure it can’t hurt. This is another software I use, it’s a good starting point to find out the cheapest departure/arrival airports in a general area.

I like using kayak: https://www.ca.kayak.com/explore/YTO to mess around and see what's availible or https://matrix.itasoftware.com/ but I'm sure there are others. Note that the stricter your dates are, the harder it will be to find affordable flights to destinations you want to go. Fudging with the dates by a day or 2 can vastly change the prices somehow. Also prices fluctuate a lot. I've seen prices change +/- over 500 dollars before for the same flight. You're best bet might be somewhere in the Caribbean, since flights are pretty consistently affordable from Toronto to there, but it might not be what you're looking for. Also maybe check out central america, like guatemala or costa-rica. Some nice beaches and chill places there for sure with usually affordable tickets from canada.

I don't think you are booking a ticket properly. $1500 is outrageous for a round trip ticket. I am also looking at going to Vietnam, I can get a round trip ticket leaving from YYZ to SGN for $586 in late May. You are most likely being too strict with your dates, leaving from a small airport or not booking the right airline.

Checkout https://matrix.itasoftware.com/

Is this one way or return? That's a pretty solid price for a return.

If you're going one way you should be able to get it down to ~$800. I would do this by finding a good deal to LA and then a flight from there to Sydney. LA-NY deals come up for stupid cheap sometimes and LA to Aus deals exist but they won't be the possible $70 ticket you can find to LA.

Edit: A quick search using the ita matrix shows one way tickets starting around $860 (in February-March 2016) and $1239 for Feb 2nd with a two week stay and return ticket.

I'm guessing this is one way? Greyhound for $109, ya can't get much cheaper than that. Or you can fly for a bit more.

This will depend on the exact dates, but you're looking at around $750+ with this.

Two separate flights.

Detroit to JFK (New York) April 25th May 4th, $210. Would be on Delta, so $25 for checked bag.

JFK to Prague April 25th to May 4th, $560. Would be on American Airlines partner flights, so first checked bag is free.

There are several different flight and date combos you can take which are all around $750+. Make sure that your wife has a considerable amount of time between flights, especially if she checks a bag (she'll have to go to baggage claim and then recheck it for international flight, then go to international terminal, through security etc etc).

Beep boop, I'm not really a bot, yet. If you need any help finding flights, feel free to PM me.

Quick quick quick quick. Wow Air is having a sale. No idea how long that will last. You can play around with the dates, but it's look like most of June has some flights under $500.

Two golden things you need to keep in mind, find a price you're comfortable with and buy it when it hits that, and keep looking. Find the route on Google Flights, example search of SEA and YVR to Ireland in June, bookmark it, and check it every day. Deals like the above happen occasionally, but prices shift all the time. You can also sign up for the flight alerts that are out there. Scott's Cheap Flights is great, and with Google Flights you can set up alerts on specific routes. Hell, I might even start one, maybe a subreddit or something.

If you want, throw me your budget and time frame and I'll see what I can find. The example search had a Vancouver to Dublin flight for $650, which is pretty good.

Set up a price alert on Kayak in case anyone has a fire sale.

Google flights has a more flexible search than most, but rarely seems to find the best deal. You can expand your search to other parts of Europe since EasyJet and RyanAir are often dirt cheap (but less so if you have heavy bags).

Google flight explorer. I use it in incognito mode and used it to save 500 a flight for a roundtrip for my Europe trip from the USA. Try other nearby airports and remember how easy it is to get around. Frankfurt isn't too far from Denmark and Deutsch bahn is pretty great.

https://www.google.com/flights/explore/#explore;f=SEA;t=r-United+States-0x54eab584e432360b%253A0x1c3bb99243deb742;li=3;lx=5;d=2015-07-15

Also, just a heads up, you can get flights from NY to Lima,Peru for $252 one-way in October. That is somewhat influencing our decision :).

https://www.google.com/flights/#search;f=EWR,JFK,LGA;t=LIM;d=2015-10-19;r=2015-10-23;tt=o;mc=m;q=new+york+to+lima+peru

Bring a 12volt to AC converter to charge your laptop and power other electronics, and/or a 12volt to USB charger.

You can camp out in any Walmart. Get there at night, around 10pm or later assuming it's a 24 hour one, or before closing if it isn't open all night. You can brush your teeth and wash up inside, then sleep in your minivan. I have done this probably 20 or more times recently without incident. Employees have seen us inside and said nothing. Cops have seen us inside and said nothing. One time I got there early and spent a few hours reading in my car before going inside then going to bed. When I left my car to brush my teeth, I noticed a cruiser parked strategically behind me. He was gone before I came back, and I slept in that same spot that night without incident.

You can find dirt roads in the middle of nowhere and sleep on those. They are a bit riskier, I've only done this a few times, I'm not even sure that they weren't someone's property, but the few times I've done it I haven't had any trouble. Arrive late and leave early. And the night sky is BEAUTIFUL in the middle of nowhere.

Make sure you have a sleeping bag rated for the night temperatures you will be sleeping in. A 20 or 30 degree bag has kept me reasonably comfortable throughout America between March and May.

A water container

Non-perishable snacks (beef jerky, dried fruits)

https://roadtrippers.com/

A black bed sheet to cover all your stuff so it isn't visible from the outside.

Are you between 20 and say... 40? Try hostels in big cities. You'll meet lots of interesting people traveling. Most have dorms, and private rooms.

What about Spain and maybe Portugal? You could take a red eye to Madrid. Not sure which FL airport you're traveling from, but there are direct flights to Madrid from MIA. You could do a night or two in Portugal. The flight between both countries is like 1.5 hrs. Haven't been to Portugal, but Madrid and Barcelona are both beautiful cities and I believe both are currently open to US passport holders. I like the explore function on Kayak when I'm looking for ideas for places to go. This link is set from MIA:

https://www.kayak.com/explore/MIA-anywhere

Safe & happy travels!

Qatar Airways has a sale for 809 RT: Hopefully link works

https://www.kayak.com/flights/MSP,nearby-BKK,nearby/2018-07-02/2018-07-24?fs=flexdepart=20180702;flexreturn=20180724;quality=-wifi&amp;sort=price_a

https://www.kayak.com/flightreservation?searchID=vpAiCVIkD0&amp;resultID=3854d887992cdc0bc938fe710c027d6e&amp;clickId=v0F3juVXk4UBTqw%24YrRfqQ&amp;subOptId=E-1894ed44b9e&amp;ProvidedByCode=37&amp;searchTime=1499216392537&amp;providerCode=NK&amp;Nu...

171 for spirit but they Charge for everything!! be careful

OTHER airlines: AA - 194 Southwest low 200s

Try Allegiant Air, it's like flying in a yellow school bus, with even worse service, but it's cheap. Or try Kayak, I use them a lot as well.

Also, unless you're constrained by school holidays and the like, go in the off season. Between April-May to September-October all the airlines raise their prices in unison.

Travel costs, lodging, entrainment and food are your biggest costs. So if you can get there for cheap, crash at your uncle's and make your own meals, you should be pretty set. The big island has many amazing National Parks and attractions you can visit for free.

Enjoy.

If I were you I'd check "most accessible cities" in Europe. As u/bookmonkey786 said, taxi price is pegged to the cost of living, and expensive places will be expensive. What places do you actually want to go to? Best way to check prices and options for transportation is to use Citymapper.

I lived in London, UK and it's a really accessible city with great public transport (buses and metro goes everywhere, lots of steps free access), and uber is everywhere (affordable if you are in a group). I live in Barcelona now and it's really accessible, great public transportation, no uber though, taxi is more expensive compared to the cost of living. But you'd probably walk quite a lot in these cities.

I know this isn't quite the answer you're looking for, but maybe check out subs such as /r/workonline, /r/beermoney, and /r/slavelabor ?

Using skyscanner.com to search for the cheapest flight out of the country out if CNY did not yield anything $250 or cheaper.

There are plenty of opportunities to go overseas and volunteer or work abroad for accommodation, but all of them require you to get yourself there, which you don't have the means for (sorry). Unless I'm missing something in your post, you're going to need a more fleshed out idea of what you want to do/where to go, and the cash to get there.

I have no experience using them on the west coast of the US, but on the east coast for money-saving, I'd consider checking out airbnb.com or hostelworld.com for accommodations. If you can find hostels in the areas you're headed with shared dorms, you can save a lot (I've had costs of $10 per person, per night). Just be sure that there are a bunch of decent ratings before booking. This is really the only way I can see staying within the $50/night goal as hotels will surpass that exceptionally fast in most places.

Depending on what you drive, it might actually be cheaper to fly. I just plugged in an average Honda Civic to a roadtrip calculator and you get roughly $250 round trip - flights are basically the same price and faster (saving hotels / food along the way).

Worth a look, anyway.

EDIT: Sorry, there's two of you, so that doubles the flight cost but not the fuel cost. Still, if you're adding two nights in a hotel (~$300 ish?) for the travel days then it would be worth it to pay more for the transit itself. If you can couch surf for less than the cost of the extra flight, it's better to drive.

Haha I didn't realize until I saw this question how much I can talk about powdered milk! Short answer is no preference but most stores carry non-fat powdered milk. The good stuff is by Hoosier Farms https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D4VO58E?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

This one is 4.3oz, is silk, and measures 73x34 inches. It's a mummy bag type, so there are no zippers to get damaged or add weight. Some people don't like the mummy bag style due to it taking a little bit of maneuvering to get in and out of. But knowing it won't stop working for you is an advantage.

Maybe choose an airline with the most service in your area? A lot of people have very strong opinions about what airlines are good and bad. I’m not picky, they all seem to have strengths and weaknesses as well as trade offs for pricing. Having said that: If she can fly Frontier using only a personal bag (not a carry on), they’re constantly offering cheap flights and currently no change fees. Here’s the personal bag I use, it fits exactly under the seat as long as you don’t overstuff it.

Basically what you do if you’re backcountry camping or backpacking. Peed in patches of trees and such we found at exits off the highway 😅. Usually drove a few min away from the highway and found a secluded spot. Note, keep your toilet paper in a ziplock bag and throw it away later, don’t litter! Thankfully I didn’t have to poop during my drive, but I had backpacking poop shovels to dig a hole & plastic bags just in case of an emergency.

Example of a poop shovel on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BS05Z6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_40dpFb3AC77G2

Not my most glamorous moments, but better than catching COVID & giving it to elderly family members.

Hi there, thanks so much for watching the series :)

1. How much time do you have to travel around? I think this is important because it's very tempting to try and pack in WAY too much on a trip to China. It's obviously a huge country, so it's best to try and focus on a smaller section of it if you have less time. We found a good deal to fly into Hong Kong and we knew we wanted to visit Japan next, so we would leave from Shanghai. So we basically did a big loop around and researched what made sense from place to place. So moving on from Yangshuo, it made sense to travel up through Yunnan (Dali, Lijiang, Kunming). Then we knew we wanted to go further north after that. We took a mixture of trains and internal flights which were both affordable. I would try and get to Beijing if you can, the Great Wall is so worth it. We stayed on a farm near a really untouched section of it (really looking forward to putting that video together).

2. My travels I'm China were actually about 3 months ago, so I'm uploading from Vietnam at the moment. When we were in China we used a VPN (we got one called Astrill, which we could use on our phones and laptops) which worked well for Facebook and google and all the western social media sites that are banned. It has a small subscription fee, but there are some free ones I think.

I hope this is useful and not too much rambling!

> and winter about to get cold AS FUCK

Where the fuck are you from?

Current long-term weather forecasts foresee similar winters to the ones we had lately - WARM AS FUCK.

Cold as fuck in Poland is:

below 0 Celsius at nights in October (note: it's not),

freezing all day in November (note: doesn't look like it)

and below -20 starting December with episodes of -30 and below (note: nope, looks like avg may be around 0)

Here, have a look at Suwałki - worst case scenario: https://www.accuweather.com/pl/pl/suwa%C5%82ki/265549/december-weather/265549?year=2022

Wunderground heat map for Lubbock, TX to Roswell, NM area isn't too bad, and is within reasonable driving distance. If you have a tent, see if campgrounds with pools and showers have space available.

I think you could do California for a week on that budget, even after subtracting airfare (Assuming you get a good flight price). As long as you don't stay in downtown San Francisco I think you could make it work. But since you want to go to the beach, I would stick to Southern California.

If you flew into Los Angeles, you could take public transportation to an affordable place. There should be some cheeper hostels in and around LA, I don't have experience with these so maybe someone else can chime in. That city would work well for going to the ocean as well.

Depending on what mountains and landscapes you want to see it is do able as well. There are some mountains around LA, they more desert like than what you are probably imagining. But you could take a train or a bus from there to Yosemite and see something a bit more iconic. It would be a long day of traveling but it would probably be worth it to you. Check out this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g61000-c64594/Yosemite-National-Park:California:Traveling.To.Yosemite.By.Train.And.Bus.html

Lastly if you are going to California, be mindful of the time of year you are going as some areas might be busy, unpleasant or not very accessible.

I recommend getting yourself a copy of this;

Rolf Potts - Vagabonding

It will answer all of your questions, plus will help you develop an idea of how to go about planning such a trip.

These baffled silicone plugs solved my problem. I have tried the regular foam ear plugs as well as the wax ones, but hated how they amplified my body's noises. I don't understand how they work, but am thankful they mute the sound of the highway outside my window as do not amplify my breathing or heartbeat. $15 well spent and I bought three sets just in case I ever lose one (eek!).

Pharmacies in Colombia don't really sell earplugs. You can find them in cheap kits with an eye mask but they are very low quality.

Amazon is your best bet. Ones similar to these: https://www.amazon.com/Sleeping-Cancelling-Reduction-Airplanes-Musicians/dp/B07X26Z1L2

I used a Three SIM I bought ahead of time (actually, my method was more convoluted that just buying the month sim) and used it in Edinburgh and London, then my wife used it when she went to France the next year. Note: do not use voice minutes, they're stupid expensive; call using whatsapp or facetime/data. I'm pretty sure you can get it, put it in the phone, and test it out.

When I signed in and it asked for a physical address I think I used one of the bars near where I was going to be staying in Edinburgh.

I'm on T-mobile now, so int'l texts are free, calls are 25c/min, and data is slow (like dial-up slow - 128kbps) but unlimited. Voice is 25c/min, but if I'm calling via old-school voice it's because I'm probably about to die.

Anker is a decent brand. Failing that, I've got a 10,000mAh Redmi that does the business just fine. It's about the size/weight of a smartphone;

https://www.amazon.co.uk/XIAOMI-ECO-SYSTEMS-10000MAH-CHARGE-POWER/dp/B08426JMHK/

I just picked up a MINIX 66W from Amazon here in the US and it looks like it's avail in the UK too. Its a us-centric charger with us/jp plugs and adapters for eu and UK. So for its been working well, charging my laptop, ipad, and steamdeck - but I've only had it two weeks.

> In the end, it's not me teaching them to travel cheap, it's them making my travel very expensive

If it's affecting your own budget travel significantly, then simply answer is don't travel with them again.

Some people want different trips. I once went around Cuba with a few friends; three of us turned up with backpacks, the fourth had a wheelie suitcase. We were after different trips.

You could try recommending them a copy of Vagabonding to read prior to traveling. If the philosophy doesn't resonate with them, then wish them the best with their own travels, and you can swap stories next time you're all back home.

As an alternative, just because you're traveling together doesn't mean you have to stay the same places and move the same way. Say you're traveling for three weeks and hitting three cities.

Arrange one fixed meet in each city (museum, temple, monument...something with a fixed low entry cost) and just do that. Rest of the time people can experience the trip their own way, and if you find more time to hang out then so be it. Might not be for everyone's tastes, YMMV etc.

Fair point that 29L is impossible, but there are plenty of near-cube bags that should get you at least 25L. Pro-tip: it's fine to have a bag slightly larger than the size limit, as long as you don't fill it to the brim. For example, I travel with this.

I would recommend getting a Hot Logic Mini. You can plug it into the cigarette lighter in your car and heat up food. We do this on all our road trips and it works great. Some things we make ahead of time, or just save and freeze leftovers and something’s we buy on the road (extra Arbys roast beef sandwiches is a favorite). We reheat pizza on foil and it has a crisp crust, eat leftover shrimp and grits at roadside stops. You name it, we have probably eaten it on the road. Check the vendor website as opposed to the Amazon link I posted. I’ve gotten off colors on clean e for under $15

Hot Logic Mini - 12V Version - Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074TZKCCV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_0G69341B52X41XPM1YAM

These are my favorite containers for the cooler. The hot logic does not get so warm you need to worry about melting plastic. I use these almost exclusively. They have a solid sealing lid that never leaks. They do OK in the freezer, they are rectangular so they fit in the cooler well, and the empties stack nicely together.

50 Plastic Food Storage... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076YT3GHG?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Don’t get one of the plug in ones. I drive a truck they don’t work well.

Measure your trunk and see if you can fit one of the Walmart yeti clones by ozark mountain.

Liquid/Fuel Transfer Siphon Pump - Large Squeezing Syphon for Lawn Mowers & Manual Pumping Petrol, Water, Alcohol and more! (By Luigi's) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XKHP8Q4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_WBTT7010ACKCT79P3EJX

Keep ice in it let the water stay in it until it gets kinda full then you can pump most of it out and start over.

If you park at the Harrahas casino - you can park for free by getting a validation -- you join the casino club and play for 30 minutes and parking is free for 24 hours, also, some local eatery's also validate the ticket I think. I played slow on a keno machine -- I spent less than 10 bucks...

The tours from the tour booths downtown are pretty pricey -- but my wife and I went on the Swamp tour and it was a lot of fun!! -- The bus driver who picked us up at the tour place was a great talker and gave a narated tour on the ride to the swamp --- so it was like 2 tours in one.

Might check on Groupon for discounts also

Here's your New Orleans Groupon link: https://www.groupon.com/browse/new-orleans

Have fun :)

Here is the groupon page for NY. Keep in mind, for museums, it is much better to check admission policies, because, again, some are "pay what you want" though some are pay what you want if you live in the tristate (which is mostly the Met and affiliates). And check ticket sites for off broadway, broadway, concerts and other misc shows.

The Northern Pacific side of Costa Rica was pretty good a couple of years ago. I drove from San Jose and really enjoyed it. Cars are cheap to rent and its not too bad driving around that country. Playa Conchal was pretty cool. But all of Guana Coste is nice.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/SmartDeals-g309242-Playa_Conchal_Province_of_Guanacaste-Hotel-Deals.html

• Trainpal is better than Trainline for trains - no booking fees and they give you the option of split tickets which can significantly reduce the cost of a ticket.
• Better yet - Megabus and National Express (UK equivilant of Greyhound) are better forms of transport around the country in my opinion - yes they are far slower than trains, but they are far cheaper. For example, it is possible to get from London to Edinburgh for £10 using Megabus, whereas the train would cost you £50 or £60. You are also guaranteed a seat and a place to store your luggage, whereas trains can run out of seats and luggage space very quickly.
• You can get a cheap SIM card for £3.95/month from Lebara that gives you 1gb of data and enough texts/calls to get you by, unless you plan on being on your phone a lot. But most cafes and restaurants have wifi. I hope these help you with getting your money to go further while you're here!

I think 4 days will be enough for Paris. You would certainly find trains going from Brussels to Paris and they will be much cheaper than taking plane. Just search in the internet. I found this one: https://www.raileurope.com/popular-routes/paris-to-brussels.html?country_origin=AM Is this your first trip to Paris? If yes, then there are some must-see places like Tour Eiffel and Champs Elysee's. You just need to plan your time right to manage to visit as many sites as possible. You can find some useful tips about Paris in my article. Take a look at it, it may help you somehow: https://tripplannera.com/blog/paris-tips-facts-secret-things/

I checked out the zoo while I was there. Also there's a nice lookout you can walk up to to watch the sunset. I didn't stay long, and it was 9 years ago, so I don't have much else for you.

And you can check out http://wikitravel.org/en/Kota_Kinabalu

Hi! How are your mechanical skills? ;) There are a few things that you should consider: what if your van breaks down in a less than favorable area? Which documents/visas will you need for your car and yourself? Entering certain countries via land is completely different than landing there at a major airport (Myanmar for instance). You should also think about safety and road conditions outside EU, depending on the route. A couple of routes are defined here: http://wikitravel.org/en/Europe_to_South_Asia_over_land

https://www.google.com/flights?hl=en#flt=/m/0d6lp.EWR.2020-10-02*EWR./m/0d6lp.2020-10-04;c:USD;e:1;sd:1;t:f

Departs 10/2, back 10/4 from SLC to EWR --- if you don't need to pack a carry on, $198 on Frontier.

Google flights

https://www.google.com/flights/#flt=/m/07bcn..2020-02-21*./m/07bcn.2020-02-25;c:USD;e:1;ls:1w;sd:0;t:h

Quick google search. $558 from nyc, round trip.

https://www.google.com/flights?safe=off&amp;hl=en-us&amp;lite=0#flt=/m/02_286./m/0fn2g.2020-04-09*/m/0fn2g./m/02_286.2020-04-23;c:USD;e:1;sd:1;t:f

https://www.google.com/flights?hl=en#flt=PTY./m/056_y.2020-03-23.PTYJFK0CM809~EWRMAD0UA51*/m/056_y.PTY.2020-03-30.MADZRH0LX2033~ZRHYYZ1AC879~YYZPTY2AC1948;c:USD;e:1;sd:1;t:b;sp:2.USD.44431*2.USD.44431

Bangkok $438 roundtrip https://www.google.com/flights?hl=en#flt=LAX./m/0fn2g.2020-04-11.LAXPVG0MU578~PVGBKK1FM855*/m/0fn2g.LAX.2020-04-18.BKKNKG0MU2804~NKGLAX0MU2855;c:USD;e:1;sd:1;t:b;sp:2.USD.43725*2.USD.43725

Hi, the $115 deal is still showing up for me, maybe try searching again or following up the link in incognito mode or a different browser. But if I chose two passengers then the cheapest flight is $414 rather than $115*2 = 230, so maybe you and your travel companion can try booking on two computers .

&#x200B;

https://www.google.com/flights?hl=en#flt=ATL./m/0d6lp.2020-01-31.ATLLAX0AA1409~LAXSFO0AA6085*/m/0d6lp.ATL.2020-02-03.SFOORD0AA2614~ORDATL0AA2872;c:USD;e:1;so:1;sd:1;t:b;sp:2.USD.11440*2.USD.11440

Andorra to Nice May12 for $15 one way flight Easyjet (I've flown with them not bad)

https://www.google.com/flights?hl=en#flt=x/m/0g77l1.NCE.2020-05-12.BCNNCE0U21698;c:USD;e:1;sd:1;t:b;tt:o;sp:2.USD.1440

https://www.google.com/flights#flt=MSY,IAH,CLT,ATL,BHM,CHA,MGM./m/07dfk.2020-03-31.IAHPEK0CA996~PEKHND1CA181*/m/07dfk.MSY,IAH,CLT,ATL,BHM,CHA,MGM.2020-08-01.HNDPEK0CA168~PEKIAH1CA885;c:USD;e:1;sd:1;t:b;sp:2.USD.95155*2.USD.95155

https://www.google.com/flights?hl=en#flt=/m/0fpzwf./m/06flg.2020-05-25.MSPKEF0DL260*/m/06flg./m/0fpzwf.2020-06-03.KEFMSP0DL261;c:USD;e:1;sd:1;t:b;sp:2.USD.44825*2.USD.44825 Not quite that cheap, Reykjavik

Since your budget is pretty large, I won't use bare-minimum pricing, but keep that in mind that everything here is over what I'd normally spend so you have a little breathing room.

It's £49 per flight from London to Amsterdam (March 23-29). Per day it'll cost one person about £93 to live, eat, see, etc. in Amsterdam.

Adding up the costs, it'll cost both of you £1115. Really honestly, you can go much cheaper than that in both the flights (go to Eindhoven, perhaps) and the housing (try hostels or AirBNB)

Most of these aren't applicable in my country and the ones that are seem like too much work.

My favourite way to get free money to travel is to give out my airbnb referral link. You get some money to travel and I get some money to travel. Win-Win!

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/15568653?checkin=10%2F29%2F2016&amp;checkout=10%2F30%2F2016&amp;guests=2&amp;s=wG7-6zlE

maybe check out this place? it's just a shared room futon but it's in astoria so super close

if you're willing to pay a little more, i saw a place in williamsburg for $85 and it looked cute

edit: nvm it's not available anymore :(

I stayed at this Airbnb last year and it was great -- right in the middle of Condado, which is the nice part of town, and only $90 / night. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1817970

The beaches in that area were terrible. We went to a national park beach that was somewhere east of the airport and had a good time. Not the best beach I've ever seen, but it was relaxing and deserted. I don't think the locals go to the beach when it's in December and only in the 70s outside.

You'll definitely want to get a car so you can see more of the island. I think the place I rented my car was called Charlie Car Rentals, which was also in Condado. Very cheap, just grab a Hyundai and you'll be good to go. I think it was about $30 / day and I booked online in advance. Be careful driving though, the locals are insane on the roads.

Take a day trip hiking through the rainforest, it's amazing. Also drive through the Pork Highway and stop at one of the many roadside BBQ stands. In the evening, head to Old San Juan for bar hopping and tapas. There are also some roadside restaurants that sell fresh cut coconuts for like $2 so you can drink the water. They'll toss in a shot of rum for another $1.

The locals are insanely friendly, probably the nicest of anywhere I've traveled.

Yes, I budget. You may find this book useful.

Inflation- Good For You, Not For Locals.

Here’s the current situation: https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=USD&amp;to=TRY

When researching inflation in Turkey, the internet only stated prices would fluctuate. That’s it. No one talked about what a traveler would actually experience in a high inflation scenario. So, here’s a snapshot:

1. The first day folks are stand offish. You are benefitting from their loss. Emotions are volatile. Surprise/s.
2. Days following folks are aloof. There’s nothing that can be done. Acceptance is quick and no one blames you.
3. Enjoy the adjusted conversion. Businesses don’t change their prices as quick as the internet makes it seem.

Tip: Use a credit or debit so your bank can handle the conversion. Some establishments will charge you in your currency and incur a mark up for it. Looking at you Starbucks. Even with the occasional conversion loss, it’s still best to use card. Your bank will adjust the rate they’re willing to pay every 24 hours, unlike cash which will have locked you into the rate you withdrew with.

Shoulder Season- Happy Locals, Few Tourists

Living in Liman, which is the place for Eastern Europeans, has been enjoyable. November has been cold enough locals bundle up, but tourists bask in the sun. Temperatures have been in the low 70’s (F)/20’s (C) and constantly sunny with no rain.

Some establishments have started to store away outside furniture. None of them have fully closed for the winter season. The locals appear to appreciate this time of good weather and diminishing foreigners. There are still enough tourists to make friends and explore with. The quality of tourists is also high, rather than those chasing a party, the ones I’ve met seem to appreciate the simple joy of travel.

————

If you're looking for a budget friendly place to travel. Turkey is climbing the ranks. Wether that's good or bad, you decide.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Indianapolis

Wiki travel is an open source travel guide. You can search most cities, and they have a pretty hefty list of all sorts of things to do - arts, museums, festivals, outdoor activities.

Edit:

Also, TripAdvisor is pretty much you want on the search front. You can plug in city names in their "attractions" section and it will pull up a list of stuff to do. Here's Indy's TripAdvisor list.

gas stations and McDonald's are not actually cheap and will leave you feeling sick if you try to eat there every meal for seven days, but of course its your choice. "New York has some of the most expensive accommodation in the world. Expect to pay up to $50 for a hostel, $100-200 for a budget room with shared bath." this is from wikitravel a site I used often while traveling and found helpful.

I used to just be a free email subscription to Scott's Cheap Flights which is how I found the Brussels ticket, but then I did a free trial for the premium and forgot to cancel it so now I'm a premium member which is like 50 bucks for the year and you get to see certain deals that free email subscribers can't see which honestly with the amount of money it's saved me so far, it's so worth it!

They notify me when there's a deal and send me a link to the google flights search (here's the link, happy traveling!) https://www.google.com/flights?hl=en#flt=/m/01_d4.CDG.2020-05-06*CDG./m/01_d4.2020-05-18;c:USD;e:1;a:-DY,-DI,-FI*-DY,-DI,-FI;sd:1;t:f