Share the love: Budget travel

[Wanderlust Tips May 2018] The four travellers will share about how to have an enjoyable trip on a budget.

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LE HA, HO CHI MINH CITY – I USED TO VISIT EUROPE WITHOUT ANY MONEY IN MY POCKET

I have had the opportunity to travel to many countries in Asia and Europe. With my foreign language proficiency, experiences of studying, living and working abroad for many years, as well as friend networks in many countries around the world, I feel very lucky to have had many chances to go on trips by myself and experienced extremely interesting things. Each trip has a lot of interesting or even crazy stories, and travelling by myself helps me remember those special experiences for a long time.

One of my most memorable trips was to Europe with my close friend for three weeks without any money in my pocket. At that time, I was her supporter in the Ultra Trail Mont Blanc (UTMB) race at the crossroads of Switzerland, France, and Italy. I did everything for her, carried her backpack which weighed 8 kilograms, and also crossed 25 kilometres of mountain road in cold winds and rains, with temperatures of below 10 degrees Celsius for 24 hours. Although I was not the one who completed the 100-kilometre mountain route, I felt very happy to be able to provide support for the athlete who is also my very close friend.

THAI PHUONG THANH , HO CHI MINH CITY – WORKING AS TOUR GUIDE IS MY WAY TO RETURN TO MY FAVOURITE DESTINATION FOR FREE

After a period of solo travels to many destinations, I now guide tours to beautiful tourist attractions where people still face difficulties when travelling by themselves. Honestly, this is a way to return to my favorite places for free. I value experiences more than money, so almost all of the payments I have got from guiding tours is spent on trips. From my personal experience, I advise you to plan your trip early. For me, I often spend at least half a year to hunt for cheap flight tickets. Then you will have enough time to prepare everything like things to do or must-bring essentials.

You should also compare the prices of accommodation services, restaurants, and entertainment activities on TripAdvisor site. It is recommended to read the feedback carefully to make the most appropriate choice. Finally, buying travel insurance is a necessity. By calculating the expenses mentioned above, you will have an idea of how much to budget for your trip, and additional expenses will include shopping and dining.

DUY HOANG, HANOI – THE TYPE OF TOURISM AND TRAVELLING TIME WILL DIRECTLY AFFECT THE BUDGET OF THE TRIP

I like to travel and often go by myself because I can follow the schedule that I like, and I am not limited to the time of a tour. So far, I have had the opportunity to visit many places in Vietnam, most countries in Southeast Asia and some other Asian countries. I think the type of tourism and travelling time will directly affect the budget of the trip. For example, a relaxing and shopping vacation will cost more than a backpacking trip. Travelling time of the year and duration of stay in each location need to be taken into consideration to have the most beautiful scenery or to get good deals.

In my experience, we need to thoroughly reserve the destination before we depart. The two biggest expenses of travel are transportation and accommodation. You can use Skyscanner or register to receive promotional emails from airlines to find the best deals. In terms of accommodation, you can compare the prices on some reputable sites such as Agoda, Booking.com or Expedia. And do not forget to check out banks’ promotions for credit card holders when purchasing flight tickets and making hotel reservations.

NGUYEN ANH VU, DAK LAK – PLANNING AND SETTING A BUDGET BEFORE THE TRIP IS REALLY IMPORTANT

My passion for travelling is inspired by the desire to test my limitation while travelling on long roads, to discover the beauty of nature, people and the cuisine of different regions. The feeling of conquering yourself and experiencing new things is really exciting.

A few years ago, I did my first trip with a group of friends to Vung Tau when I was a freshman. Driving far away for the first time, I got lost many times and due to not planning in advance, we went over our budget. Therefore, the trip had to end early as we could not afford to go to all of the beautiful places in Vung Tau. After that, as we travelled more often and gradually gained experience, we learned how to balance the cost of a trip. In particular, I strongly believe in using the Travel Budget application to book hotels, transportation and search information about destinations and dining places. Planning and setting a budget before the trip is really important. When you are young, don’t hesitate. Just go and experience the amazing life of travelling and learn as you go.

Wanderlust Tips