If you are a budget traveller like me, perhaps I can help you travel with these top tips I have learnt over my many years of travelling. In no particular order, here are my top tips for travelling to save money, maximise fun and make the most of the travelling experience.

1. Book the tour. I love a tour. Save your money elsewhere and spend it on an educational experience. It is also a wonderful way to learn so many new things, efficiently and effectively. If you are travelling solo then you immediately have people to share the experience with too. Get your guide has been a very valuable website to find tours and book days out. Recently I did a bike tour, day trip out to interesting small towns, and a pasta making class which was so fun. 
2. Try budget accomodation. Save your money by not spending it on a ridiculous hotel! Travelling solo it is more fun to meet people in a hostel, plus it saves you hundreds of dollars. As a female a good option is a 6 bed shared female dorm, affordable, social and generally quiet.
3. Take the bus. Bus travel seems to be the cheaper way to get around, often way cheaper than trains. Also you see a lot more too. I suggest taking the local bus from the airport into centre part of town, taking the local bus around town when you are travelling, as you are above ground and naturally see more as trains often go underground. For inter city and even inter country travel Flix bus is affordable, frequent and quite comfortable. 

4. Local travel pass. Recently I travelled in Munich and pre purchased the 5 day travel pass for 43 euro. Sounds pricey but this pass gave me unlimited travel on all buses, trains, trams, and even access to local Lime bike (although I couldn’t quite work that bit out). For me it’s such a hassle buying a ticket before you travel every single time so knowing I had the pass made it so easy, and encouraged me to take at least 6 different trips a day. I also took the train to the airport on the last day, which in big cities can be up to 15 euro just for the single trip. So I thought this was good value. 

5. Hire a bike. Bikes are a great way to explore a city. I love to book a bike tour, but I also sometimes like to just hire a bike. Being able to explore more freely is wonderful, covering a lot of distance and having the freedom is great. Most Euro cities have great bike lanes and felt safe, so even better. 

6. Eat local food and drink. There is nothing better for me then trying the local food and drink. It all tastes so different in different countries. I often like to buy food from the market and then make my own food too. And I love to try all the exotic and unusual drinks, which we may not have in Australia. I was drinking blueberry cider, cherry beer, and rhubarb and quince cider, so random but all so delicious. 

7. Give yourself time. I feel like my last trip I had a lot less anxiety when travelling by giving myself plenty of time to make my connections and flights. Arriving as early as you can to the airport/station, and giving yourself plenty of transit time makes a big difference. Travelling is meant to be fun, so take the stress out of it with the beauty of time.

8. Take all the photos and make the photo book. I take so many photos when I travel, but really why not? It is so good to have all the memories, and some people just don’t seem to take that many! A neat idea is to make a photo book out of your photos when you come home too. A little time consuming I know but such a great memento from your trip. 

9. Chat to randoms. Meeting new people when I travel brings me so much joy. I love to engage in random conversations with people on public transport, or in parks, or anywhere and everywhere basically. Sometimes I am quite happy in my own company but it is fun to meet new people. We learn so much from others to, and we realise that all around the world we are all quite similar in our general wants and needs in life. Travelling really is the best education, that you can’t learn in a book! 

10. Aisle seat on the plane. I know this a personal preference but for me this is one of my top tips. Being able to get up and down easily is crucial on those long haul flights. I am a restless traveller so I am up and down like a yoyo. I like to walk the aisles, chat to the stewards, get extra snacks, chat to other passengers and go to the toilet a hundred times! 

11. Walk everywhere! Not only is it excellent exercise, you will lose weight and see so much more of the city. I have come back from my trip skinnier, just from walking 25’000 steps on average per day. Love it!

12. Check out the botanic gardens. Normally they are not very expensive and show a wonderful range of local plants and trees. Recently I was in the Munich Botanic gardens and it was one of the best I have ever seen. 

13. Skip the restaurant and cook. It is nice to eat out don’t get me wrong but it certainly adds up when you eat out all the time when you travel. If you have access to a kitchen I highly recommend shopping for some local ingredients and whipping up a delicious healthy dinner. Recently in Liepaja Latvia i bought some amazing local basil, aromatic cherry tomatoes, garlic, and tri-colour penne and made the yummiest vegetarian pasta dish! Enough for lunch the next day too! 

14. Google maps is your friend. I am sure most people know to use this one when travelling for directions but it is also really handy for local transport connections. Very helpful! What did we do without it? We used the good old fashioned map!! But even that didn’t tell you where to take the local bus, you actually had to ask people or look with your eyes! 

15. Wise card. I used WISE as a travel card when I was travelling overseas and found this an excellent way to access my money and transfer money easily between accounts. No transaction fees either!

16. Pay attention and listen to your instincts. This is probably the most important one, especially for us solo female travellers. It can be risky travelling overseas by yourself, we have all heard the horror stories, that is why it is so important to minimise your risks and pay close attention to your environment. Listen to your vibes, if your spider vibes tell you to get the hell out of there, change direction, run, or whatever the message might be; stop and listen!! Your instincts take time to sharpen and sometimes people are a little too oblivious or trusting. Make sure you don’t stay out too late by yourself, try not to ever be alone on the street; I know this is unavoidable sometimes, but aim to stay as public and visible as possible. Minimise your risks as much as possible to stay safe!

So there you have some of top travel tips. What are some of your great travel tips? I always get better after every trip, every trip we learn some thing new! Love it! 

Hope you have enjoyed this latest blog!

Anita xx