In this post, I will give you the information you need to know before planning your next trip!
The first thing is to find a cheap flight. The best website is SKYSCANNER.NET
Over there you can check flight prices for the whole month which will help you decide on the month and length of your trip.
If you are from Europe you can check Ryanair and Wizzair, as they have the cheapest flights. Look for some discounts. They are quite popular with Ryanair, especially during January, where they have cheap flights until March or April. I bought the flight tickets from the United Kingdom to Venice/Italy on 26-31 January for a £10 ($13) return!
In the UK I would recommend you to use coaches like Megabus (cheapest option) or National Express if the airport is far from you.
Another option is blablacar (UK link), where people can pick you up if they head to the same or similar location for a fair price, usually to cover the petrol cost. Every country has its own blablacar.
The last option (the one I always use) is to park a car somewhere around the airport area. I usually look for the closest town to the airport. To do this, I use Google Maps (Street view) and I go through the streets to look for a few places to park the car without any road markings or restrictions.
Another great website is booking.com but make sure to check Expedia first as booking.com has higher prices in some cases. Make sure to sign up to booking.com because you can get better prices and additional discount as a free Genius member + look for discount codes on Google, too.
Airbnb is a great website with cheap stays depending on your location. If you don't mind sleeping in someone's spare room (you can have your own apartment too!) you can use this website. However, make sure you check Expedia and booking.com, too, as they may have even lower prices than Airbnb! For example, Airbnb in Venice and Mallorca was nearly half the price more compared to Expedia. There is usually no discount code for Airbnb.
In the UK, you can use Travelodge which is a high-quality hotel everywhere in the UK. The prices are different every time but you can have a room for 4 people with an en-suite toilet for as little as £20 + there are always some discount codes!
If you have a return flight in the morning e.g. 5 or 6 o'clock, you don't have to pay for the hotel/room but simply go the day before (at night) to the airport and wait there for your flight. Every airport is different, but there are always free seats and long sofas to sleeps in fast-food areas at the airport when the bars are closed, usually from 11pm or 12am and they open at 7am or so. That is another option if you don't mind that.
You can use a taxi or a coach that you selected while booking the hotel to get to your place but that is the most expensive option. When I was in Malta for the first time I booked a coach transport to my hotel for £8 ($11) one way and when I was at the airport I found local buses that travel everywhere on the island for £1.50 ($1.65). There was no information on the internet about it when I was planning my trip.
The airport usually has its own local buses but they can be expensive. Look for the regular buses first (BEFORE YOUR FLIGHT), they usually don't stop on the airport but in the nearest town, for example, in Venice (Italy) the airport bus was 8EUR ($9) but 10 min walk from the airport the local bus was 1.50EUR ($1.65), and it was exactly the same bus! To find the local bus you can check it on Google map. If you have an android mobile phone you can click on the bus stop icon (blue square with the white bus) and it will show you all the bus numbers and their route from that bus stop (very useful!). If you have IOS you can find the closest town and put a pin and select a direction to your hotel. There should be a few local buses available.
If you don't have the internet, you can go to cafes or fast-food restaurants such as McDonald's where you have free internet to plan your day.
If you travel to a city and want to visit another one for a day, you don't have to use a train which can get a bit expensive but instead use Flixbus. Flixbus is a coach company that travels around Europe and between cities. Make sure to book your trip in advance as the prices go up later on. I booked the coach from Venice to Verona for £5 ($6.60) each way! This is a great company and when you book it, you will receive a map with the exact location of the coach stop and where it currently is while you wait on the coach stop. Moreover, there is FREE wifi there.
I will post more travelling on a budget tips for each country that I visited so stay tuned!
Flights:
The first thing is to find a cheap flight. The best website is SKYSCANNER.NET Over there you can check flight prices for the whole month which will help you decide on the month and length of your trip.
If you are from Europe you can check Ryanair and Wizzair, as they have the cheapest flights. Look for some discounts. They are quite popular with Ryanair, especially during January, where they have cheap flights until March or April. I bought the flight tickets from the United Kingdom to Venice/Italy on 26-31 January for a £10 ($13) return!
How to get to the airport:
Every city is different, you can use a local bus, coach or your own car. Local airport buses usually are more expensive than regular buses, so I always avoid them, especially if I travel with family.In the UK I would recommend you to use coaches like Megabus (cheapest option) or National Express if the airport is far from you.
Another option is blablacar (UK link), where people can pick you up if they head to the same or similar location for a fair price, usually to cover the petrol cost. Every country has its own blablacar.
The last option (the one I always use) is to park a car somewhere around the airport area. I usually look for the closest town to the airport. To do this, I use Google Maps (Street view) and I go through the streets to look for a few places to park the car without any road markings or restrictions.
Hotels:
There are many websites to book your stay. I always use Expedia first (UK link) as it has the lowest prices - make sure to look for a discount code as there usually is one for 10 or 20%! Simply type 'Expedia discount code' in Google and check a few websites.Another great website is booking.com but make sure to check Expedia first as booking.com has higher prices in some cases. Make sure to sign up to booking.com because you can get better prices and additional discount as a free Genius member + look for discount codes on Google, too.
Airbnb is a great website with cheap stays depending on your location. If you don't mind sleeping in someone's spare room (you can have your own apartment too!) you can use this website. However, make sure you check Expedia and booking.com, too, as they may have even lower prices than Airbnb! For example, Airbnb in Venice and Mallorca was nearly half the price more compared to Expedia. There is usually no discount code for Airbnb.
In the UK, you can use Travelodge which is a high-quality hotel everywhere in the UK. The prices are different every time but you can have a room for 4 people with an en-suite toilet for as little as £20 + there are always some discount codes!
If you have a return flight in the morning e.g. 5 or 6 o'clock, you don't have to pay for the hotel/room but simply go the day before (at night) to the airport and wait there for your flight. Every airport is different, but there are always free seats and long sofas to sleeps in fast-food areas at the airport when the bars are closed, usually from 11pm or 12am and they open at 7am or so. That is another option if you don't mind that.
Transport from the airport to your hotel/hostel:
You can use a taxi or a coach that you selected while booking the hotel to get to your place but that is the most expensive option. When I was in Malta for the first time I booked a coach transport to my hotel for £8 ($11) one way and when I was at the airport I found local buses that travel everywhere on the island for £1.50 ($1.65). There was no information on the internet about it when I was planning my trip.The airport usually has its own local buses but they can be expensive. Look for the regular buses first (BEFORE YOUR FLIGHT), they usually don't stop on the airport but in the nearest town, for example, in Venice (Italy) the airport bus was 8EUR ($9) but 10 min walk from the airport the local bus was 1.50EUR ($1.65), and it was exactly the same bus! To find the local bus you can check it on Google map. If you have an android mobile phone you can click on the bus stop icon (blue square with the white bus) and it will show you all the bus numbers and their route from that bus stop (very useful!). If you have IOS you can find the closest town and put a pin and select a direction to your hotel. There should be a few local buses available.
3G/Internet:
This is one of the most important things, without the internet you cannot check your map or direction or use a Tripadvisor to look for recommended bars or restaurants. On my last trip, I found out that in my new mobile network I don't have free 3G roaming from my regular bundle and I have to buy additional data. Make sure your mobile network includes your current mobile bundle (if you are in EU) including data so you don't have to buy an extra SIM card, which is ridiculously expensive e.g. £25 for 8GB data on top of your current SIM card bundle.If you don't have the internet, you can go to cafes or fast-food restaurants such as McDonald's where you have free internet to plan your day.
Toilets:
A toilet is a common problem, but it depends on your location. In places like Paris, you have modern toilets in the middle of the pavements for FREE and they are cleaned after every person, however, in places like Venice, a public toilet costs 1.50EUR ($1.65) and they are not always clean. From my experience, the best place to use the toilet is McDonald's! It is everywhere! In Europe, it usually has a password which is on the receipt if you buy something but there is always someone coming in or out of the toilet so you just need to wait for someone to open the door or you can find a receipt (usually laying on the table where someone left it) and get the code from there. You can also go to the bars/restaurants - there is always a free toilet there.
More than one city on your list (Europe)?
If you travel to a city and want to visit another one for a day, you don't have to use a train which can get a bit expensive but instead use Flixbus. Flixbus is a coach company that travels around Europe and between cities. Make sure to book your trip in advance as the prices go up later on. I booked the coach from Venice to Verona for £5 ($6.60) each way! This is a great company and when you book it, you will receive a map with the exact location of the coach stop and where it currently is while you wait on the coach stop. Moreover, there is FREE wifi there.I will post more travelling on a budget tips for each country that I visited so stay tuned!
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