Does the idea of taking some appeal to you? much longer vacations than usual and seeing the world? Are you considering the idea of taking a gap year?
In either case, we are sure that there are many small details that you haven't thought about. For example, doing away with your credit or debit cards during a long trip, replacing them with a specially designed bank card. Designed for traveling.
So, take a look at the following tips. Rest assured that, among them, you will find some that will help you enjoy more, save or travel safely.
Tips to enjoy the trip more and avoid disappointment
This is what you have to do to avoid disappointments and fully enjoy the places you visit:
Reserve in advance
Make reservations tours, guided tours and attractions in advance. This way you will make more use of your time and avoid running the risk of stay out due to lack of places.
Avoid large hotel chains
Large chain hotels, in addition to being expensive, usually have nothing to do with local culture and traditions. If what you want is to travel and immerse yourself in the native way of life, Look for small hotels, local inns or tourist apartments that are located in the areas of your interest.
Use native apps to discover where you are
In each country, download the local applications and dispense with the universal ones: it is in these local applications where you will find the best routes, as well as the celebrations and events that are truly typical of each place.
Be flexible in times and itineraries
Remember You are not going to travel by the stopwatch: what you have left over is time. If you find a place you love, extend your stay. And if you don't like it, change your plans as you go. Likewise, if you come across an interesting location on your route, take your time to explore it thoroughly.
Tips for traveling while saving
Fun and recreation are important, but economy also counts. The less you spend, the more places you can visit and the more days you will enjoy your trip. Here we explain how you can contain the expense:
Advance planning
This advice may seem repeated to you, but it is not: if you book with enough time in advance, Flights, trains and accommodation will be significantly cheaper.
However, try to reserve with the right to free cancellation. Don't forget that this way of traveling requires you to leave room for improvisation.
Find small local restaurants and accommodations
In almost every place you visit you will find typical places to eat and stay at prices significantly lower than those of the large resorts, Hotels and restaurants.
Set a daily budget
Set a daily limit for your spending and keep a daily spending log to stay within that limit.
And what happens if you are about to exhaust your budget and you want to travel for a few more weeks? That is not an unsolvable problem, since from any country you can request a small loan online to a Spanish banking entity and follow the route.
Be careful with currency exchanges
If you travel to countries where the euro is not legal tender, avoid exchanging cash notes and coins. Keep in mind that every currency exchange you make is money you lose, especially if you make the change at local financial kiosks in certain countries.
Our recommendation is that, instead of exchanging cash, always pay with your bank card. And if you want to carry some money in your wallet, get local currency at ATMs. In both cases, your financial institution will apply the best exchange rate.
Be careful with bank accounts and cards
In this sense, we advise you to do not carry out banking operations with your usual accounts or cards: In many countries there are organized criminal networks that are dedicated precisely to trying to empty the accounts of unwary travelers.
Most likely you will open a new one. bank account online No commissions, as this, and that you always maintain a relatively low balance. You can associate a debit card to the account.
And regarding the use of credit cards, there are banking entities that have travel-specific credit cards.
Take out good travel insurance
You must do this even if you travel exclusively to EU countries, where travel insurance medical coverage is not always essential.
In addition to medical problems, there are many incidents that can occur on a long trip. Some of them, likely to lead to you serious economic damage, in the event of theft, a total loss of luggage or a cancellation for reasons beyond your control.
The cost of secure your trips is minimal, compared to the rest of the travel expenses: you have international travel insurance that only costs between 1,5 and 2 euros daily.
Two travel tips that are relatively inexpensive
And what can you visit during a long-term trip when you don't have unlimited financial means? Obviously, the options are almost endless. We share with you two ideas:
Mediterranean route
This is a long-term route that is as attractive as it is affordable for your pocket:
- . Get to know Barcelona and the Costa Brava in depth.
- France: Enjoy the entire Côte d'Azur and get ready to jump to Italy.
- Italy Get to know the corners of the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Mediterranean. Visits to Rome, Venice and Pisa are almost obligatory.
- Greece: A stone's throw from Italy are Santorini, Mykonos and Crete. And don't forget to get to know Athens.
- Turkey: Istanbul and Ephesus will delight you if you are passionate about culture and history (and if not, also).
- Egypt: You can complete the Mediterranean tour by visiting the pyramids of Gizeh, Cairo, the Nile basin and the Red Sea.
Southeast Asia route
To discover oriental culture at reasonable prices, we suggest traveling to:
- Thailand: explore Bangkok, the beaches of Phuket and the ruins of Ayutthaya.
- Vietnam: sail around Halong Bay and visit Hội An and Ho Chi Minh.
- Cambodia: discover the Temples of Angkor in Siem Reap.
- Indonesia: Finally, take a dip in all the coasts and beaches of Bali, Java and the Gili Islands.