Before I start this post, going away every other month was genuinely something I never thought I’d imagine doing. But with a bit of budgeting and forward planning, it happened!

Here are the main points I always ensure and consider in order to travel every other month:

• Am I realistically able to book it on my next pay day? I plan most of my pay days,(tithing at church, bills, travel, socials) and whatever is left over goes on a holiday.

• Have I taken the right amount of time off? Aim for the bank holidays, the ridiculously early flights on the weekends if you can’t take time off work, and go away at a time when you’re fully aware of your work schedule and have of course given them enough notice.

• Ensure that the time of the year you’re travelling to that country isn’t peak time for prices. For example, travelling to summer hotspot Malta in January (the weather was still warm) 

 

 

• Budget effectively. I don’t believe in being a ‘tight’ or overly cheap person, but if I’m flying out  next week, I’d be mindful of the social activities I’d be doing before then, taking into account the amount of spending money I’d be taking with me on holiday.

• Search through fare finders. Fare finders, such as Ryanair’s fare finder and Skyscanner are my favourites. Not only does it show you the most cheapest flight prices around Europe (I’ve once seen a one way flight to Denmark for £5!) but it will also show you the cheapest time of the year to travel

• Book hotel now, pay later. I did this with 3 of the hotels I stayed at last year, which I found much easier to do as I wouldn’t have to pay for my accommodation the moment I paid for my flight. However, now I no longer do that as it involved exchanging British pounds to the local currency and handing it over upon arrival – any money you exchange should be used for spending money, unless it’s being taken off your bank card, so the choice is yours really. 
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• Have spontaneous friends. I travel with different and trusted people all the time, most who I’ve travelled with before or have a good relationship with. My travel buddy definitely has to be Sophie, we’ve travelled to over 6 countries in the past 4 years. Friendship goals much?! It also helps if they budget similarly to you too!

 

Try it guys, explore that wanderlust. I see many people on social media express their feelings towards travelling (see below), seeing different places and broadening their horizons. If you can, do it. Stop taking time off to catch up on work or chill at home; catch up on your work … on the plane. 😉