Mishal Humayun

7 cheap ways to travel Europe on a shoestring, saving money Did you just land here after seeing your colleague enjoy her vacation to Italy? Or after watching your boss soaking up the Sun in Greece? Well, I don’t blame you - it is normal. But you know I don’t think you can't travel to Europe, you do not need to break the bank or get a promotion if you already have some savings, you just need to spend them wisely. Throughout all your search results you will see ways for traveling to Europe cheap or some random tips you already know about. I have been someone who was born in a country where traveling is a luxury so I value my money while I travel and I have started saving a lot for traveling as it is my passion. Moreover, I have been an English tutor side by side where I used to tutor a pilot in Europe working for a local airline and I did gather a lot of information from him so I think I will have to split my credit with him. Well, let’s dive in for some wily life hacks. 1.You DO NOT need a travel agent Trust me when I say this. When you are traveling on a budget, never consult a travel agency because they are in the business to profit, and when you are traveling on a budget, you do not want someone making a profit out of you. I know it is hard planning a whole trip by yourself but trust me it is better to save those dollars for a nice Italian meal than to spend it on your travel agent. This is a big NO. All trains, airplanes, and cars can be booked online along with hotels and other amenities. Just search a little harder. 2. Find your cheap flight This might be the first time you are hearing this but third-party apps like Skyscanner, Cheapflights, etc, charge you more, and they do not show the cheapest flights sometimes. For example, if you are traveling from the South American region, try finding the cheap airlines that operate there, and then go to the official websites for these Airlines, for example, if you are traveling with AirAsia then book your tickets directly through them. You may even find a better deal than Skyscanner. Edit Image 3. Land according to your budget. Okay now, this is one of the best hacks out there which no one could tell you (except my pilot student) that your flight may vary to where you are coming from and where you are going to land. I will give you an example. I will give you two. If you are coming from Morocco the cheapest country where you can land is France (if you book through Air Arabia it will be even cheaper). Similarly, if you are visiting from Pakistan the cheapest country for you to land in is Spain. BOOM! Tell me you are not shocked. 4. DO NOT travel at the best time This one sucks I know, you might have to wait for all of your Insta-freak followers to return before you can enjoy it but that is the key to traveling on a low budget. One of the tips the Pilot told me was to travel after September. It is the cheapest time and you will find the best deals, on hotels and flights. Also, I want to emphasize the importance of BOOKING ALL TRAINS, FLIGHTS, AND HOTELS, AT LEAST 4 MONTHS BEFORE, I hope the emphasis was enough. This saves you thousands of dollars, it is my go-to technique always. 5. Pay with your card You need to use your DEBIT card while you are shopping, I do not mostly promote using Credit Cards as that is a personal NO for me. But when you pay with cards instead of cash you save money. If the exchange rate is $1= 0.98 euros, the bank will exchange it accurately with a little fee, but if you go to the money exchange they might give you 1 euro per dollar, giving a loss of 0.2 dollars. Hey, I am not being cheap “ a penny saved is a penny earned,” so here we are losing two pennies. Plus the rate keeps fluctuating and sometimes you are at loss. Edit Image 6. Eat the traditional local cuisine You can eat your food once you are back home, so please step out of the comfort zone you are in Europe, so eat European. The local food is very cheap, a Euro or two, and you are done with lunch. Try eating street food and maybe once you can have the famous European dining experience. So try saving your money. Grab a croissant and get out the door. 7. Use TRAIN, BUS, METRO, and cheap FLIGHTS If you are traveling cheaply in Europe you need to use the metro or the local transport, taxi is way too expensive at times, especially for long distances. Try opting for services like Busabout that tour you around the whole city. If you have booked flights quite early it is super cheap to travel with Airlines like RyanAir but if you have not been planning to use Eurial or FlixBus to get around countries in Europe. Edit Image Now you are all set to pack your bags and catch the red eye. Just be sure to follow all the tips and you will be good to go. Have a nice journey.