Tips and Tricks for the Perfect International Getaway // Budget Friendly

Choosing A Flight

When choosing your international flight, there are several features to keep in mind. First, is budget and second, is time and place. Personally, budget was the biggest factor when I chose my flight. My first tip to you would be to go ahead and use the Google Flight Tracker. It will show you the best prices and what time of year will be cheapest to fly.
Summer months are going to be more expensive as it is the time of year everyone wants to travel. I would suggest looking outside of the typical Travel seasons. My friends and I traveled mid October and we were able to secure a round trip flight for as little as $270 from California to London/Paris!
The second tip about international travel is to remember that there will be a time change. Before leaving I was a little nervous about the dreaded jet lag! What I soon found out was because we had an overnight flight, jet lag on the way to London really didn’t hit me at all. Of course this won’t be everyone’s experience but for me I was able to sleep the entire flight and when we arrived the next morning I was ready to start exploring this new and exciting city! Also, because the flight was overnight, our plane was super empty. In fact, I got a whole row to myself which definitely made sleeping easier!

Finding Lodging

After you have established your flight, you will want to look into lodging. Now this can be super hard! Where do you stay that is budget friendly, but still nice?
Look at reviews before you book. More stars is best and keep in mind that you need to stay somewhere close to where you will be walking and traveling around. Look for loving near public transportation. This will help you a lot, especially if your trip is short! You don’t want to spend extra time trying to get to all your must see stops.
I would suggest looking into hotels/lodging with free breakfasts. This will save you a lot of money! On the first leg of our journey we stayed at a small hotel near Earl's Court and it was okay. One pro was that I felt fairly safe in this hotel. One con was that it was small (especially the bathroom area).
On the second leg of our journey we stayed in an Airbnb. This was nice and allowed us to save a lot of money but it was not in the heart of the city.
All in all: Do your research and make sure you find lodging where you feel safe, comfortable and can afford!

Money Exchange and Cell Phone Service

So you’ve planned the trip, now you need to do a little leg work to get ready!
Let your credit card company know you will be leaving the country. They will turn off your card if you make a transaction without consulting them first. You should do this at least 2 week in advance of your departure.
Look into service fees. Some credit and debit cards have international fees and you don’t want to be paying more than you have to because of this. Maybe exchanging currency before you leave is a better option for you. Personally, I went to my bank and exchanged money for both pounds and euros: No service fees on this.
Cell phone service is typically available in other countries but for a very hefty price! After looking into it, I found using an app would work better for me and it was completely FREE! WhatsApp (not sponsored) allowed me to call or text my family whenever I was in a WiFi area.

Make An Itinerary

Figure out what you want to do ahead of time and write it down.
You will be too busy to figure this out when you get there, and it will save you time so you can enjoy your vacation more!

Food

Before you depart, make sure to research the best places to eat when in these new cities. This was one of the biggest mistakes I made.
This is so important because you don’t want to spend money on CRAPPY food!
Figure out some top restaurants and bakeries to visit and go there!
Try something NEW! Your in a new place and you should eat some of their best local cuisine!

Now That You're Ready!

Adventure Awaits