How to Plan a Trip on a Budget

Many people have asked how we are able to travel so much...one month it's New Zealand, and another month it's Canada. The key is to plan ahead - and to use a couple of trip planning strategies that we've really nailed down. And yes, I'm a bit of a detailed planner - so much that people say I should plan trips for a living - so here are my tips on how to travel on a budget!
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Deciding Where to Go

Ever see photos on Instagram and think, "Wow I'm putting that on my bucket list"? Or read travel articles like "Top 10 Places to Visit This Year" but never actually think to really go to those places? So here's what I do: make a Google Map of all the amazing places you see. This tool is truly revolutionary in trip planning - I continuously add to this map and organize it by continent. This helps me see how close different locations are, as well as start to get a concrete idea of where I might want to go next. I also create my own legend by changing the icons based on what they are. Feel free to organize it by other categories.

Buying Flights

Buying flights is one of the biggest reasons people don't travel. It's a huge expense, but luckily there are ways to keep that expense down.

TIP #1: Subscribe to flight deal newsletters like Scott's Cheap Flight Deals and The Flight Deal. We scored a $360 round trip flight from San Jose to London because we saw a flight pricing error through The Flight Deal and snagged it before it was gone.

TIP #2: Track flights on Google Flights. Because we both work full time jobs, I set flight alerts around any upcoming holidays with multiple dates and locations. I usually set these alerts 6+ months in advance, allowing me to also see the price history and judge whether or not it's a good time to buy tickets. 
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TIP #3: Pay attention to sales. We bought our tickets from San Jose to Boston for $250 round trip through JetBlue, which often has sales on their deals page. 

TIP #4: Use a travel rewards credit card with no foreign transaction fees. Whether it's for purchasing flights from international airlines or to use while you're abroad, travel rewards credit card can save you a lot of money. Check out The Points Guy to compare different cards. We personally love our Chase Sapphire Rewards card - which, while it has a high fee - pays itself off through the bonus points from signup, $300 annual credit back for any travel expenses, 3% back on travel and dining, and travel insurance for any flight delays, lost baggage, etc. (which has saved us in a very dire situation where our flight was cancelled an hour before it was supposed to leave and we had to stay overnight to wait for the next flight). Plus, it gives us free access to airline lounges, our new favorite thing and a great way to get refueled so you don't need to buy food when you land. In Australia, we found that instead of lounges, the card gave us 36 AUD off for the card holder and each guest (even if you only have one card) at a few airport restaurants, so we stocked up on breakfast and lunch to max out the value.

TIP #5: Once you've booked the flight, if you don't have seats already, call the airline. We've had a few flights that didn't let us pick seats online because they were booked through a partner airline or other reason, and we made the mistake of waiting until we checked in. The second time we noticed this, we called a week before and were able to get seats next to each other.

NOTE: When buying off-season flights, one thing to keep in mind is hours of daylight. We went to New Zealand during its off season, and while it was still amazing, we didn't get to do some of the activities we wanted because of the weather, and found ourselves rushing every day to make it to our destination before sunset.

Planning the Trip

Now the heavy lifting - planning the actual trip can be a long process. There are two main documents we use to plan - Google Maps (this one specific to the place you are traveling to) and Google Sheets. For the map, start putting in the locations you already know about - the airport, the Airbnb you're going to stay at, the restaurant someone recommended you. Once again, color code them for easy viewing. For the Google Sheet, start writing down each day of your trip and filling it in. These are the columns we include from left to right: Date, Activity, Cost in Foreign Currency, Cost in USD (use the Google Finance formula to automatically calculate the cost), Notes, and Links (guides, directions, etc.). 

TIP: Check out our itineraries for ideas on where to go! We've been to Bali, New Zealand, Scotland..and the list is always growing!

Then the fun part - finding all the unique places to visit and hidden gems. Here are a few great places to look:

• Pinterest - Search the place you're going for and you'll find a treasure trove of travel articles and places to visit. Because of this site's focus on images, it's easy to pick the articles that interest you.
• Google - Use keywords like "Places to Go In __________," "Itinerary in __________," "Hidden Gems in _________" or "Cheap Eats in ________." I also like to search "Hipster Guide to ________" or "Instagrammable Places in __________."
• Instagram - Search for city related or region related Instagram curators that tag locations or list them in the comments. For example, @scotland_insta reposts photos from Scotland with the location listed in the description. You can also search by the tagged location directly.

As you're finding things to do, you'll likely find that there are many tours and activities to choose from. Compile all the activities you want to do in an Excel list and the cost. Write down any details that might make one more attractive than the other (more reviews, longer time, etc.). Once you've looked up all the different options and tour operators, look them over and book the ones that look the most worth it while still being cost-efficient. Before you book anything, do a quick search for coupons or promo codes. Keep in mind that sometimes it's not always the cheapest option that's the most worth it - we opted to splurge for a seaplane on our trip to Whitehaven Beach in Australia because we knew that the best views were from the sky, and how many chances would we have at landing on the ocean with a seaplane?! It was definitely worth it.

Don't forget about the not-so-fun things to research as well. Important things to be aware of are:

• Stay - Airbnb is almost always the cheapest way to go (use this referral link to get $40 toward your Airbnb stay!) The only exceptions may be homestays in countries where your dollar goes further. Do a quick search on Google for "Hotels in [Destination]" to get a good idea of what the prices generally are. When booking accommodations, always try to book near a main transit station if you plan on using public transit. This can make a huge difference in travel time and convenience when you've been walking all day. Also think about the basic necessities you may need - if you're traveling to a hot, humid place, make sure the place has air conditioning. Almost all places have WiFi, but it doesn't hurt to double check that as well. Look for bed and breakfast places that don't cost much more than places without breakfast - this'll save you a meal that'll likely be more expensive if you eat out. When you find a place that is promising, add it to your Google Map and label it with the cost (we also add in number of reviews and rating). This will help you see where the accomodation is in relation to other places you want to go and public transport. 

• Converting currency - Oftentimes the currency converters at airports are much more expensive. See if your bank has a partnership with international banks. If they do, you can withdraw cash from that ATM with only paying a small transaction fee. Find a bank location near where you're staying and put it on the map.
• Getting a SIM card - You'll want at least one travel SIM when you're abroad - it's good to get an idea of what the best networks are abroad. Then look at the travel sims they offer - typically I look for ones with data as that can be very useful for researching things abroad. I've found that I typically use about 125 MB/day.
• Meals - Look for both popular places you've always wanted to try and cheap eats. Balance the two out - one of our all time favorite meals abroad was this Korean pancake cart in Auckland called No.1 Pancake. And it cost us less than $10! For the US, search for Most Reviewed $ restaurants on Yelp. For countries that don't use Yelp, search "restaurants in ___________" on Google Maps or filter by Cheap Eats on TripAdvisor. If we notice that there's not many popular or raved about restaurants in a certain area, we'll just look for fast food restaurants to get by. Also, if you're traveling with someone, share meals! This allows you to also try more places without overeating or spending too much.
• Grocery stores - While you should certainly try new foods abroad, you might also want to consider making some meals yourself or buying cheap ready made meals. Food can be one of the highest expenses of the trip. We bought 4 days worth of food for 2 people at Pak 'n Save in Scotland for a whopping total of...$40 USD. And guess what - we had the best meat pies, pulled pork sandwiches, and beef stew on our campervan adventure - plus some coffee, biscuits, and Kinder chocolates to snack on. Not bad for $40 huh? If you don't have the means to cook, stock up on bulk drinks and snacks to avoid making impulse purchases later on.
• Public transit - If you're planning on taking public transit, make sure to look up what the ticket system is like. For example, in London you can get an Oystercard that you can use on multiple public transit systems. While you might notice there is also a Travel Oystercard, it is actually cheaper to get the regular card. If you're planning on using public transit from the airport, make sure you know where to purchase tickets with your credit card if you don't have foreign cash on you as soon as you land. If you do not have your SIM card yet, look up the public transit routes ahead of time so you won't get lost.

TIP: Subscribe to Likeacoupon - this site is the best for all kinds of deals - from $50 off $150+ Airbnb purchases to free $50 Visa gift card from test driving a car (which we didn't even have to do when we got to the dealership). 

Making the Itinerary
​Once you've made your map, start thinking about the day to day itinerary. This is important because it helps you to see how ambitious your plan is and how much time you will have for each activity. Create an Excel sheet to write down your itinerary - here is an example below. Not all of our itineraries are this detailed, but this one for New Zealand had to be more detailed to account for long driving times. Because we also had some activities booked ahead of time, we needed to make sure that we'd be able to make it in time.

​If you're planning on doing a road trip, map out your itinerary on Google Maps. Here is a sample itinerary from New Zealand. As you're putting locations in, move them around to see what the most efficient route is. You can save the link of the Google Map to access it or edit it later.

Making It Happen

Getting Around
Download the area you are going to offline on Google Maps. This way, you can still access it even if you don't have data abroad. You'll still be able to search for locations if you know them by name, or even set directions. The only downside is that you won't be able to see your personal map if you don't have data.

The workaround is to download the Maps.me app. On your personal Google Map, click on the three dots next to the map name, and click on "Export to KML." Checkmark "Export to .kml file (for full icon support, use .kmz)". Then email the file to yourself. On your phone, hold down the .kml file in your email, and then scroll across to where you'll see the Maps.me icon with "Import with maps.me." Once you import the map, you'll be able to open this map whenever you want! You can also use this app to set directions. The only downside is that you'll lose the color coordinated icons set in Google Maps.
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Before You Go
Because we often drive through countrysides and mountains, I always account for not having any cell service. So just in case, I prepare a few things ahead of time:

• Save any phone numbers you may need - such as the Airbnb host.
• Screenshot any bookings you made.
• Set alerts for flight check ins.
• Save a note with all of your flight departures and arrivals.

And remember, even with all your planning, things may not go as planned - but hey, that's what traveling is all about - making your own adventure! So enjoy it, make it yours, and explore the hidden corners of the world.

happy adventuring!