1. “You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart always will be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place.”

– Miriam Adeney

2. “That is why we need to travel. If we don’t offer ourselves to the unknown, our senses dull. Our world becomes small and we lose our sense of wonder. Our eyes don’t lift to the horizon; our ears don’t hear the sounds around us. The edge is off our experience, and we pass our days in a routine that is both comfortable and limiting. We wake up one day and find that we have lost our dreams in order to protect our days. Don’t let yourself become one of these people. The fear of the unknown and the lure of the comfortable will conspire to keep you from taking the chances the traveler has to take. But if you take them, you will never regret your choice.”

– Kent Nerburn

3. “Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s OK. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.”

– Anthony Bourdain

4. “I can’t think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything. Suddenly you are five years old again. You can’t read anything, you have only the most rudimentary sense of how things work, you can’t reliably cross a street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses.”

– Bill Bryson

5. “To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the most pleasant sensations in the world.”

– Freya Stark

6. “Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe.”

– Anatole France

7. “Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.”

– Maya Angelou

8. “The best part about airports lies in what they symbolize. Airports are places of bookends: new beginnings and long-awaited endings, arrivals and departures, hellos and goodbyes. We start in one city to end in another hundreds or thousand miles away. You enter from a desert and exit into a blizzard. In from winter, out into summer. In from familiarity, out into something completely foreign. Or vice versa. An airport is a place of transit, and not just geographically. I wish there was some sort of time-lapse to show how people change between departures and arrivals. When I arrive back home from being away, I’m never the same person I was when I left.”

– Alex Brueckner

9. “This is why once you’ve traveled for the first time all you want to do is leave again. They call it the travel bug, but really it’s the effort to return to a place where you are surrounded by people who speak the same language as you. Not English or Spanish or Mandarin or Portuguese, but that language where others know what it’s like to leave, change, grow, experience, learn, then go home again and feel more lost in your hometown than you did in the most foreign place you visited. This is the hardest part about traveling, and it’s the very reason why we all run away again.”

– Kellie Donnelly

10. “We travel, some of us forever, to seek other places, other lives, other souls.”

– Anais Nin

11. “Journeys are the midwives of thought. Few places are more conducive to internal conversations than a moving plane, ship or train. There is an almost quaint correlation between what is in front of our eyes and the thoughts we are able to have in our heads: large thoughts at times requiring large views, new thoughts new places. Introspective reflections which are liable to stall are helped along by the flow of the landscape. The mind may be reluctant to think properly when thinking is all it is supposed to do. At the end of hours of train-dreaming, we may feel we have been returned to ourselves – that is, brought back into contact with emotions and ideas of importance to us. It is not necessarily at home that we best encounter our true selves. The furniture insists that we cannot change because it does not; the domestic setting keeps us tethered to the person we are in ordinary life, but who may not be who we essentially are.”

– Alain de Botton

12. “What you have to decide…is how you want your life to be. If your ending was ending tomorrow, would this be how you’d want to have spent it? Listen, the truth is, nothing is guaranteed. So don’t be afraid, be alive.”

– Sarah Dessen

13. “Travel keeps you young. It does this by simply putting you in situations that make you feel like a child again. Magically lost in a moment of discovery. Beautifully confused. It could be the first time you awaken to the 5:00am call to prayer from the local mosque on Morocco’s far Atlantic shore, the first time you feel the weight of the Egyptian sun on your shoulder’s, the first time you paddle out over the shallow reefs of the Caribbean, or the first time you realize that people living in squalor can achieve happiness as easily as those living in mansions. These are life’s opportunities to shed the hustle of modernity, to join the moment, and stop sprinting toward some prefabricated goal. Your heart races. Your metabolism shifts into a lower gear. Everything is new again. You’re Sipping Jetstreams.”

– Unknown

14. “If you walk a city, if you love a city, if you put in your miles and years with open heart and mind, the city will reveal itself to you. Maybe it won’t become yours, but you will become its–its chronicler, its pilgrim, its ardent lover, its nonnative son or native daughter or defender.”

– Rebecca Solnit

15. “We travel for romance, we travel for architecture, and we travel to be lost.”

– Ray Bradbury

16. “When I say I want to travel I don’t mean I want to stay at resorts and go on tours with tour guides or buy key chains from souvenir shops. I don’t want to be a tourist. When I say I want to travel I mean I want to explore another country and become part of it. I want to discover small coffee shops in Germany and Italy and France. I want to walk on beaches in Australia and browse the book stores of England. I want to hike the Great Wall of China and go cliff diving in Hawaii I want to meet people who are not like me, but people who I can like all the same. I want to take pictures of things and places and people I meet. I want my mind to be in constant awe of life on earth. I want to see things with new eyes. I want to look at a map and be able to remember how I was transformed by the places I’ve been to, the things I’ve seen and the people I’ve met. I want to come home and realize that I have not come home whole but have left a piece of my heart in each place I have been. This, I think, is what is at the heart of Adventure and this is why I plan on making my life one.”

– Becca Martin

17. “Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in an office or mowing your lawn. Climb that damn mountain.”

18. “Traveling messes you up, but in all the good ways. It leaves you always craving more, an addiction that can never quite be met. Every place, every trip, every person is a new adventure; pulling you deeper into the love of wanderlust. Your heart begins to hurt when you’re standing still, and your mind begins to itch over the idea of new places you haven’t been. Fill your soul with adventure and traveling and you will live a fulfilled life.”

19. “And if travel is like love, it is, in the end, mostly because it’s a heightened state of awareness, in which we are mindful, receptive, undimmed by familiarity and ready to be transformed. That is why the best trips, like the best love affairs, never really end.”

– Pico Iyer

20. “I’m in love with cities I’ve never been to and people I’ve never met.”

– Melody Truong

21. “I travel because I need to… because my wild, adventurous spirit can’t live according to the ‘norm’. I travel to regroup, to reinvent myself, to be the best me I can be, to find joy in the ordinary and peace in exploring. I travel to be.”

22. “Is there anything, apart from a really good chocolate cream pie and receiving a large unexpected cheque in the post, to beat finding yourself at large in a foreign city on a fair spring evening, loafing along unfamiliar streets in the long shadows of a lazy sunset, pausing to gaze in shop windows or at some church or lovely square or tranquil stretch of quayside, hesitating at street corners to decide whether that cheerful and homy restaurant you will remember fondly for years is likely to lie down this street or that one? I just love it. I could spend my life arriving each evening in a new city.”

– Bill Bryson

23. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all of one’s lifetime.”

– Mark Twain

24. “Let’s not travel to tick things off lists or collect half hearted semi treasures to be places in dusty drawers in empty rooms. Rather, we’ll travel to find grounds and rooftops and tiny hidden parks, where we’ll sit and dismiss the passing time, spun in the city’s web ’til we’ve surrendered, content to be spent and consumed. I need to feel a place while I’m in it.”

– Victoria Erickson

25. “And then there is the most dangerous risk of all — the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.”

– Randy Komisar

26. “I beg young people to travel. If you don’t have a passport, get one. Take a summer, get a backpack and go to Delhi, go to Saigon, go to Bangkok, go to Kenya. Have your mind blown. Eat interesting food. Dig some interesting people. Have an adventure. Be careful. Come back and you’re going to see your country differently, you’re going to see your president differently, no matter who it is. Music, culture, food, water. Your showers will become shorter. You’re going to get a sense of what globalization looks like. It’s not what Tom Friedman writes about; I’m sorry. You’re going to see that global climate change is very real. And that for some people, their day consists of walking 12 miles for four buckets of water. And so there are lessons that you can’t get out of a book that are waiting for you at the other end of that flight. A lot of people—Americans and Europeans—come back and go, ohhhhh. And the light bulb goes on.”

– Henry Rollins

27. “I urge you; go find buildings and mountains and oceans to swallow you whole. They will save you, in a way nothing else can.”

– Christopher Poindexter

28. “We travel because we need to, because distance and difference are the secret tonic of creativity. When we get home, home is still the same. But something in our mind has been changed, and that changes everything.”

– Jonah Lehrer

29. “The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. If you want to get more out of life, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty.”

– Jon Krakauer

30. “It’s a funny thing coming home. Nothing changes. Everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same. You realize what’s changed, is you.”

– Eric Roth

31. “The wish to travel seems to me characteristically human: the desire to move, to satisfy your curiosity or ease your fears, to change the circumstances of your life, to be a stranger, to make a friend, to experience an exotic landscape, to risk the unknown..”

– Paul Theroux

32. “Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.”

– Ray Bradbury

33. “We find ourselves after airplane doors close and wheels touch the heavens. We discover the maps to our hearts when we lose the maps to this world. Wander, and find home in the people you meet. Wander, and find home inside yourself.”

– Tyler Knott Gregson

34. “I need to move around a bit. To shuffle my surroundings. To wake up in cities I don’t know my way around and have conversations in languages I cannot entirely comprehend. There is always this tremendous longing in my heart to be lost, to be someplace else, to be far far away from all of this.”

– Beau Taplin

35. “Traveling alone will be the scariest, most liberating, life changing experience of your life. Try it at least once!”

36. “Every one of a hundred thousand cities around the world had its own special sunset, and it was worth going there, just once, if only to see the sun go down.”

– Ryū Murakami

37. “To move, to breathe, to fly, to float. To gain all while you give. To roam the roads of lands remote. To travel is to live.”

– Hans Christian Andersen

38. “Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things: air, sleep, dreams, sea, the sky. All things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.”

– Cesare Pavese

39. “If you want to know the truth of who you are, walk until not a person knows your name. Travel is the great leveler, the great teacher, bitter as medicine, crueler than mirror-glass. A long stretch of road will teach you more about yourself than a hundred years of quiet introspection.”

– Patrick Rothfuss

40. “You get a strange feeling when you leave a place. Like you’ll not only miss the people you love, but you miss the person you are at this time and place because you’ll never be this way ever again.”

– Azar Nafisi

I hope you’ve enjoyed these travel quotes! These are my personal favorite travel quotes, and I hope they inspire you to go on your next adventure!

The post 40 Non-Cliche Travel Quotes That’ll Inspire Your Next Adventure appeared first on GoAnnieWhere.

As international travel is still not a widely available option, more and more people are looking at domestic travel for this summer. Many want a change in scenery and enjoy the outdoors again after months of self-quarantine. Like most American travelers, I have turned towards taking road trips within the U.S. due to the coronavirus pandemic. If you are looking to travel, please do so responsibly and cautiously which include practicing social distancing and wearing a face mask. I do not encourage any travel that cannot be done safely. That being said, I have taken a few road trips to my surrounding areas, and want to share safety tips from experience for those who want to take road trips today. If you’re planning to hit the road, follow these safety tips for road trips during coronavirus times to lower the risk of getting yourself and others sick.

1. Plan in advance

Gone are the days of spontaneous road trips. Please be responsible and plan your route in advance. Preparation is key in taking road trips during the coronavirus outbreak. Research the places you’re visiting and ask yourself these questions:

• Are there any restrictions imposed on visiting?
• Are there any requirements for self-quarantine upon arrival?
• What is the rate of infection in the area you’re visiting?
• Are you visiting communities hit hard by the coronavirus or are more susceptible to the virus?
• Will you be able to maintain a 6-foot distance between yourself and others throughout your travel?

Map out your route and plan for your stops for gas, food, and breaks. Download an offline map on your phone in case you lose cell signal. Have a backup plan in case of road closures. Research if there are any relevant travel advisories for the states you’ll be passing through.

2. Take extra cautionary measures at rest stops and gas stations

Rest stops and gas stations are popular spots for travelers from all over to gather. Take proper measures to avoid close proximity with others and wear a mask. Try not to touch anything and avoid crowded bathrooms. Additionally, the gas pumps, number pads, and touch screens at gas stations are touched by a number people in a day so make sure to sanitize your hands after getting gas.

3. Pack snacks and drinks

Pack snacks and drinks to minimize the number of times you have to stop for food on your trip. I like to keep several bottles of water and a variety of snacks such as almonds, crackers, peanut butter, granola bars, and fruit handy to avoid going into a gas station or pulling up at a fast food establishment. The less you have to interact with other people the better.

4. Use electronic payment methods

Handling paper money and coins increases the chances of spread so use electronic payment methods such a credit and debit cards or even your smartphone when you can. You won’t have to hand the cashier your card at most places and can simply swipe or tap. If you’re extra cautious, you can wipe down your plastic afterwards.

5. Bring sanitizing supplies

It’s important to bring along sanitizing supplies for road trips during coronavirus times. These can include products for keeping both hands and surfaces clean and disinfected. I would bring items such as hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes. Needless to say, practice good hygiene on the road as you would at home which includes washing your hands thoroughly after using the restroom and before eating. Additionally, you want to make sure you bring plenty of extra masks to wear in all indoor public places, or outdoor spaces where you can’t maintain a 6-foot distance from others.

6. Get food to-go or eat at off-peak hours

While dine-in service have resumed in many places, it is best to order takeout or go through a drive-through. I’ve noticed that many local restaurants have online platforms where you can easily place your order and pick it up when it is ready. Typically when I grab takeout, I find a nice park or quiet area to eat rather than being cooped up in my car. For sit-down meals, it is best to eat at off-peak hours to ensure social distancing. Most restaurants have enforced changes such as limits on the number of guests allowed inside and extra space between tables, however, based on experience, there have been establishments that are business as usual. It is best to eat during off-peak hours such as lunch at 11:00 AM and dinner around 5:00 PM to avoid crowded dining situations.

7. Know where you’re spending the night

Going back to my first point — if you need to stay at a hotel overnight, you should have a confirmed reservation prior to beginning your road trip. I’ve stayed at Marriott hotels during my recent travels, and I felt very safe. The check-in and check-out process is contactless, the staff all wore masks, and there are plastic shields between the front desk and guests. No one gathered in the lobby or other public areas in my experience. Another change I noticed is that breakfast is grab-and-go versus the typical breakfast buffet.

I would also suggest keeping to your room and not using any of the amenities such as the pool or gym. Additionally, to maintain social distancing, wait for an empty elevator rather than getting on one with other guests. I would also sanitize “high-touch” surfaces in your room which includes doorknobs, handles, light switches, and TV remote. If you’re staying more than one night, you could request to forgo housekeeping services which allows you to control sanitization and limit the number of people who come in and out of your room during your stay.

8. Avoid areas where social distancing is difficult

Downtown areas and popular tourist attractions make maintaining a 6-foot distance hard. I suggest avoiding areas where social distancing can be difficult. During my travels, I’ve been waking up super early and going to popular areas first to avoid crowds. Plan your day around when you expect others to NOT be there.

Practice the safety tips for road trips mentioned above to keep your and others safe during the current coronavirus situation. Before you hit the road, please look at CDC guidelines and check continuously for updates as the situation changes. Once again, I cannot condone any travel that cannot be done safely. If you choose to go on a road trip today, please act responsibly to minimize the risk. Wear a mask, wash your hands thoroughly, avoid close contact with other people, don’t touch your face, and take extra steps to protect yourself and others.

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One of the questions I get asked most frequently is how I afford to take as many trips as I do. Although I am a travel blogger, we are more alike than you think. Travel blogging is purely my hobby, so despite what many believe, I don’t travel for free. Much like everyone else, I work a full-time job and save up for each trip I take. You want to know how you can afford to take more trips? There is no trick or secret. Simply spend less on each trip. I keep my travel costs low which has allowed me to travel more frequently. I don’t take luxurious trips, and I actually love budget traveling! Here are my tips for traveling on a budget.

1. Stick to a budget

2. Find a cheap flight

I actually only travel when I find cheap flights. This means subscribing to sites such as Scott’s Cheap Flight to get notified when there is a mistake fare or searching yourself on sites such as Google Flights. However, booking a cheap flight means that you don’t get to be as picky as to when you want to fly and which airline you want to fly on. Typically, this means flying budget airlines. You also have to be flexible in order to book a cheap flight. A good deal within the U.S. is typically less than $150 round trip, and bargains to Europe or Central America are typically $200-$400 round trip. Flights to South America, Africa, Australia, and Asia are a bit pricier from the states, but still considered a bargain if it is between $400-$600 round trip.

3. Travel during off season

Traveling during off season can result in significant savings. Any destination has a “high” season which is when the travel industry hikes up prices to take advantage of popular travel times such as holidays and events. Research your destination and the best times to visit and go just before or after those dates. I always try and travel during this “shoulder” season where I can still enjoy good weather with smaller crowds and also spend less. You’ll find cheaper accommodations and flights, and there will be more availability on tours. For example, I avoid traveling to Europe in the months of July to August as those are the busiest and most expensive months.

4. Plan your own trip

A key tip to traveling on a budget is to plan your own trip. I have always enjoyed planning my trips as I love researching about a place. It also gives me the freedom to adjust my schedule during the trip if needed . If you elect to pay for a trip planner or go with a tour group, you will be paying a high premium. First, you will be paying more for the convenience of someone else organizing the trip for you. Secondly, the organizers will not be scouting for cheap flights or budget accommodations for you. I highly recommend you to plan your own trip and choose options that fit your needs and budgets.

5. Explore different accommodation options

If you choose to stay at a hotel, it could run you hundreds of dollars a night. There are much better accommodation options than a hotel. When it comes to choosing accommodation, I have three criteria that I consider. First, the accommodation must be clean – it doesn’t have to be fancy. Second, the accommodation needs to be accessible by transportation. Lastly, the accommodation must be located in a safe area. There are plenty of budget-friendly options that fit these criteria when it comes to finding lodging. Remember just because something is more expensive, doesn’t make it better. When I travel, I typically use hostels, Airbnb, or Booking.com. I’ve had better luck using Airbnb internationally than in the states (as Airbnbs in the U.S. are overpriced in my opinion), but I always check what my options are before I book.

6. Don’t eat your wallet

Food can be one of the most expensive items on a trip. These costs can easily add up, especially on longer trips. However, you can keep food costs down by not eating at a restaurant for every meal. Consider alternative dining options such as fast food, mom-and-pop shops, food trucks, local establishments, street food, and markets. If you do eat at a restaurant, avoid ordering multiple courses and drinks and alcoholic beverages. I always pack snacks such as protein bars when I travel, so I end up eating two larger meals in a day versus the typical three meals. I do this personally to maximize travel time and save money.

7. Use public transportation

When there are options to take public transportation, choose to only use public transportation. This means no taxis or rideshare services such as Uber or Lyft. I know that a private transport could be quicker, but those prices can be quite steep (especially in the U.S. and Europe). Consider taking the metro, train, bus, or tram instead. If you’re staying multiple days in the same city, look to see if there are multi-day unlimited public transportation passes.

8. Keep miscellaneous travel costs low

An important part of traveling on a budget is keeping miscellaneous travel costs low. While we tend to be more aware of larger costs such as flights, car rentals, and lodging, miscellaneous costs do add up. Here are some miscellaneous charges to be aware of:

• Checked Bags: If you are flying a budget airline that charges for checked bags, try and do carry-on only. I typically only fly with a smaller backpack (which is my “personal item”) and a carry-on that’s either a large backpack or suitcase.
• Seat Selection: Most low-budget airlines don’t allow seat selection until check-in time unless you pay a premium to select seats beforehand. I’ve never paid extra for a seat selection as I don’t mind where I sit.
• In-flight food and beverage: Most airlines serve complimentary snacks and beverage for shorter routes and full service meals for longer and international routes. However, I have flown airlines which don’t serve food or drinks during the flight. How do I deal with this scenario? If it is a longer flight, I will buy food and drinks at the airport to take onto the plane.
• Souvenirs: We’ve all been there where we see a cool souvenir and instantly want to purchase it. But ask yourself, do you really need that?

It’s important to be aware of all the “little” things you’re spending for your trip. These costs will add up. However, if you take note of these tips and apply them on your next trip, you’ll be able to save money and travel more frequently!

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Accommodation

Checking In

When you first arrive at a hostel, you can expect to check in at a reception area. These are typically open 24 hours, so you don’t have to worry about your arrival time. However, do confirm with the hostel you book with that there will be someone working the reception desk at all times. Similar to a hotel, you can check in and leave your luggage in storage if you arrive before your room is ready. This is convenient for you to go out and explore if you arrive earlier than check in time. During check in, the hostel staff will typically go over the hostel rules, gather the necessary documents from you such as a copy of your passport, any remaining balance for your stay, and a deposit (typically by cash or card) for incidentals. Then, they will give you the keys to your room if your room is ready.

Public Areas at the Hostel

After you check in, you will notice that there are public areas for all guests. These can include a kitchen for cooking, common areas such as a lounge for everyone to socialize, and a dining area for communal meals. Sometimes hostels provide free breakfast and/or simple dinners for a very reasonable price. Depending on the hostel, you could also expect to find board games, computers, printers, TV, video games and consoles, bars, restaurants, swimming pool etc.

Sleeping Arrangements at the Hostel

The hostel could have a mix of shared and private rooms and bathrooms. The private dorms and bathrooms are typically more expensive than the shared ones. For shared rooms, I’ve typically seen dorms with 4 to 8 beds, but some could have as many as 16 beds. Some hostels even provide the option of female-only dorms. I’ve stayed in both a female-only dorm and a mixed dorm before, and I felt comfortable in both. The bathroom could be located inside your dorm room or it could be located in a shared space and used by anyone staying at the hostel. There are usually one or two bathrooms per floor.

For shared rooms, you can expect twin-sized bunk beds lined up against the wall and lockers to put your belongings in. Never leave valuables laying around in the dorm or stash anything under your mattress. Make sure to bring a lock with you for the lockers as most hostels don’t provide one. In terms of the bed themselves, the hostel will provide a pillow and clean sheets as mentioned earlier.

Activities

Typically, hostels will organize activities and events for guests to take part in. These activities can include organized walking tours, bar crawls, happy hours, etc. Be sure to take advantage of these as it is a perfect opportunity to meet fellow travelers. Plus, these activities are typically priced at a discount! These activities are the great way to get to know a new city or country. When you check in, ask about all the activities that the hostel organizes during your stay. Don’t miss out on anything!

Additionally, the hostel staff is a great source of information for activities in the city. Typically, the hostels are staffed with workers who are travelers themselves, and they are very knowledgable about the area. The staff will give recommendations on things to do and places to eat if you ask them. Some of the best hostels I have stayed at had amazing and fun people working there. 

Items to Bring

Make sure to bring these items to ensure you have a good first stay at a hostel.

• Ear Plugs: You will have roommates that wake up earlier than you or go to bed later than you and some that even snore. You will want to bring ear plugs to get a good night’s rest.

• Eye Mask: Same point as above. If you want a good night’s sleep be sure to bring an eye mask or you might be awakened in the middle of the night. The light will turn on at a time that you didn’t plan to wake up and you will regret not having an eye mask (especially if you sleep on the top bunk).

• Lock: As mentioned above, you’ll need to bring a lock for the lockers at the hostel. Typically, the hostel will not provide you one.

• Towel: Unlike hotels, hostels typically won’t provide you with towels, at least not for free. Bring your own towel or you’ll have to rent one from the hostel for a fee.

• Shower Shoes: You won’t want to forget these – trust me.

Choosing a Hostel

Now that you’ve read this guide and feel comfortable to experience staying at a hostel for the first time, there are several factors to consider before deciding on which hostel to stay at. Before you reserve a stay, be sure to ask yourselves these questions to choose the best hostel and make your experience a great one:

1. How central is it to the city?

Consider how central to the city your hostel is located – is it close to the attractions and sights you care to see or is it out of the way?

2. Is it located in a safe area?

Safety first – always. Make sure to look up the area the hostel is located in and check that it is a safe area to stay in.

3. Is it walking distance to public transportation?

If the city you’re visiting has public transportation, make sure to take advantage of it! You don’t want to end up staying far from accessible subway stations, bus stops, train stations, etc.

4. What do the reviews say about the hostel?

I typically look for hostels on HostelWorld and I only look at hostels that are above a 4.8 rating. Then, I look at the best options among those that are left based on the other criteria I have mentioned.

5. How clean is the hostel?

Cleanliness is a very important factor. You want to feel comfortable where you’re staying! On HostelWorld, there is also an option to filter for what others who have stayed at that hostel have said about the cleanliness. I only consider those that have 4.9 or 5.0 ratings for cleanliness.

6. Does it offer laundry facilities or service?

This criteria might not be as important for short-term travelers, but if you’re staying for a longer period, be sure to check if you have the option of doing laundry.

7. Is breakfast included?

Finally, the most important criteria – food. In all seriousness, having breakfast included can save so much time and money when traveling. You are ready to go after having a quick meal at the hostel rather than having to go out and looking for a breakfast spot. I don’t mind paying a few bucks more if breakfast is included!

I hope these tips have prepared you for your first time staying at a hostel. Now that you know what all to expect, I’m confident you’ll have a great first hostel stay experience!

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Does planning an entire trip seem daunting to you right now? What if I can break the trip planning process into six simple steps? Trip planning is actually one of my favorite parts about traveling! Your entire itinerary is in your hands, so you get to decide exactly what you do! Plus, planning the trip yourself saves so much money. If you hire a trip planner or travel with a tour group, you would be paying a premium. I’ve single-handedly planned most of my trips. I really enjoy planning, and I want to share the steps I take each time I plan a new trip. Follow along for the 6 steps to plan any trip!

1. Book That Plane Ticket

That’s right, the first step is to book your plane ticket! I know booking a plane ticket might sound strange being the first step, but trust me on this. I know there is a destination you’ve been eyeing or a place you’ve been dreaming about. Well, here is a sign…BOOK THAT FLIGHT! (P.S: If your trip does not involve a flight…please do not book a plane ticket :)) Even if you see a flight deal pop up to a place you’ve never thought about visiting, book it!

For me, I don’t start planning the details of my trip until a ticket is purchased. So many things could change between me looking at plane tickets for certain destinations to when I actually book them, and I don’t want to start laying out the details of my trip until I am certain of when I will be there.

However, it is important to note that prior to me booking any flights, I do have a rough idea of how many days my trip should last. The duration of my trip is based on what I want to see and do in a new place.

2. Build the Foundation for Your Itinerary

As soon as I have my flight details finalized, I add those details into my trip itinerary to build the foundation of my travel plan. If you don’t have a set travel template, I highly recommend creating one for ease of planning purposes. I keep my travel itinerary on Google Sheets so I can easily share it with friends and family. If you don’t have a travel planning template, fear not – I have the one I use in the screenshot below.

3. Research, Research, Research!

Next, read up on everything about your destination. Look up what all there is to do in the places you’re visiting.

Make sure to spend adequate time looking up things to do, places to eat, and sights to see. Once you have finished researching, try and group them by location and estimate realistically how much time you’ll spend at each place. If you’re visiting multiple cities or countries on your trip, you’ll need to decide how many days you want to stay at each place. Add these estimates onto your travel itinerary with the dates, locations, and things to see filled out, and play around with the itinerary until you are happy with it.

4. Figure Out Your Transportation

If you are staying in one place on your trip, then you can skip this step. However if you are traveling to multiple destinations, then I would go ahead and book transportation. I don’t like leaving things up to chance, and I book ahead of time, especially if I am traveling to less developed countries where there aren’t as many options.

Using your travel template, look at the routes where you’re going to need a plane, bus, train, or private car. Research the options that will get you from point A to point B.

Remember that your itinerary is not yet set at this point (other than your original departure and return flight), so if you find a ridiculously cheap transport option a day before or a day after you had planned on the travel itinerary, ask yourself if the price difference is worth adjusting your itinerary to that price (I’ve done this plenty of times when I am trip planning).

5. Secure Your Accommodations

You’re almost there! Now that you have your itinerary set and transportation booked, it is time for you to decide where you will be staying during your trip! Using your itinerary as a guide, look for places in a safe and central area of where you’ll be.

I’ve stayed in a variety of accommodations including hotels, Airbnbs, and hostels. I take into consideration the number of people I am traveling with, public transport infrastructure, and affordability to decide which option I will take.

For example, if I am traveling to Europe where there is great public transport, then I will be looking for an affordable Airbnb or hostel that might be a little outside of the city center with easy access to public transportation. Meanwhile, when I was in Southeast Asia, the hotels were fairly cheap so I stayed in nicer accommodations in central areas.

6. Add On Those Extras

Finally, it is time to book anything extra that you are planning to do during your trip. Typically this includes tours, guides, attraction tickets, entrance fees, and/or photo sessions. Now that everything is pretty much set – your flight is booked, you know what you want to do, your transportation is arranged, and you know exactly where you’re staying – go ahead and add on these extra items and finalize them. At this point you should be feeling good about your trip. You can finally relax and countdown the days before your trip begins!

The most important thing to remember in trip planning is that this is a process, and you shouldn’t try and do it all at once. You don’t have to do it all in a day. Take breaks from trip planning and give yourself time to think through logistics before fully committing. Embrace this process. I hope that one day trip planning becomes one of your favorite parts about traveling!

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1. Packing Cubes

Packing cubes are truly a must have essential for any trip. I swear by these things. You will be able to pack so much more in a neat, organized way with a set! I have the set pictured below which I bought from eBags several years ago. These are highly recommended as the material and zipper are super durable. I have a combination of small, medium, and large packing cubes! I typically put my socks and undergarments in the small, tops and shirts in the medium, and bottoms, pants, and dresses in the large. These packing cubes have saved me so much space. Plus, I’ve been able to easily find where I packed something without rummaging through my entire suitcase.

2. Travel Adapter

Please make sure to check that you have the correct travel adapter to the country you’re visiting! There are about 15 different types of electrical outlet plugs in use today. Even if you have a “universal” travel adapter make sure that the adapter fits all the needs of your trip. The last thing you want is showing up to a foreign country and realizing that you cannot charge your phone.

3. Lightweight Packable Backpack

I never knew I needed a packable backpack until I purchased one. It is super easy to just throw an extra packable backpack (which is the size of a sock) in your luggage just in case you need a daypack during your travels or if you decide to buy souvenirs or bring home extra items. I have used mine on every trip I’ve taken since I bought it 2 years ago. I highly recommend the Outlander Backpack (which is less than $20). It is extremely compact, lightweight, roomy, and durable. Trust me – I have put some weight in my backpack and there has been no rips and the zippers have been great. Probably one of my favorite must have travel essentials!

4. Ear Plugs

You never know when ear plugs will come in handy – even if you are a heavy sleeper. You will be grateful to have a pair when there’s a crying baby on the plane, you’re sharing a room with someone who snores, or the streets are a bit too lively at night. In these scenarios, you will be wishing you had packed a pair.

5. Eye Mask

If I’m to mention ear plugs, then I have to put in a plug (pun intended) for an eye mask too. Ear plugs and eye masks are definitely must have travel essentials! I pack an eye mask for every trip, because I like to block out all the light when I sleep on the plane. If you’re planning to stay at a hostel or if you’re planning to share the room with someone, I would also recommend packing an eye mask. It takes up so little room, and it could give you some extra sleep.

6. Luggage Locks

I used to be terrified of being pickpocketed. I feared having my phone or wallet stolen, but I have found the perfect solution with luggage locks. These luggage locks are not for your actual suitcases, but rather purses or backpacks. Simply place these locks on the zippers of the bag that you are carrying around. I found myself more relaxed knowing that my personal items are safe on me.

Note: These will only work if you have zippers on your bag that the lock can fit through.

7. Passport Holder and RFID Wallet

Having a RFID wallet that also fits a passport has easily helped me kept track of where my money and passport are. I’ve been using the wallet pictured below for years and I love how many slots it has.

8. First Aid Kit & Medicine

I always make sure to pack a first aid kit with antibiotic wipes, different sized bandages, and gauze just in case. I also bring travel sized medicine such as Advil and Dramamine. Depending on where you go, certain medications might not be available or super overpriced.

9. Collapsible Water Bottle

How many times have you been forced to throw out a plastic water bottle because of security? Not only is a collapsible water bottle eco-friendly, it also takes up minimal room. It is handy to carry around when traveling, and you’ll be glad to have it whenever you see a public water fountain.

10. Portable Battery Pack

Having a portable battery pack on hand will save you from many stressful situations. You will be wishing you had one on hand when your phone is low on battery and there’s no way to charge it. However, be sure to keep battery packs in your carry-on and not in any checked bags.

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How I look back upon that purchase knowing what I know now. I know now that $1200 would equate 2 to 3 roundtrip flights to Europe.

Here is what I use to find cheap flights:

Google Flights

Google Flights is my go-to site whenever I want to go anywhere. It is very easy to use, and I play around with the calendar to see when the best time to fly is. If there are certain airlines you prefer, you could filter for those as well. I am based out of Atlanta, which doesn’t have great flight pricing most of the time so I’ll also look at airports near ATL where I can drive to (Nashville, Charlotte, Greenville, Chattanooga) or fly to (Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, NYC) to get cheap flights out of. I recommend looking at airports near you as well as where you could drive or fly to or and fly out of.

Skyscanner

Skyscanner is a great app for those who don’t have a location in mind or a specific time frame in mind. For those of you (like me) who just want to go somewhere but don’t care about when or where, Skyscanner will show you the cheapest prices and what dates to go where. I love their “Explore” feature that shows the cheapest prices to numerous locations based on your airport. Spend some time playing around on the app and get inspired!

Scott’s Cheap Flights

If you’re not signed up for Scott’s Cheap Flights, you need to do so now! Scott’s Cheap Flights is not a website or app, but rather an email distribution list that will notify you of mistake fares. The regular subscription is free and there is a premium option to receive all the best deals and mistake fares (for only $49/year). You can select your favorite departures airports and then wait for emails to come for
deal alerts. I’ve booked several flights from these deal alerts including a $600 roundtrip from ATL to SYD. Click here to sign up now:

Momondo

Momondo operates like a search engine and has proven to be excellent at finding cheap flight prices. The site is easy to use and allows use to search for flights from a departure airport to anywhere based on set dates. I like to use this site when I have exact dates of travel but am open to going anywhere.

Priceline

Priceline is another great site that I’ve used. I was introduced to it through Scott’s Cheap Flights, so you should check out this website to see if it offers better pricing for your flights.

SkipLagged

SkipLagged is an app that searches for cheap flights based on connecting flights. It shows hidden city fares that might be cheaper than flying direct. For example, you want to go to Dallas from LA but the cheapest price you’re seeing is $300. However, a fare on the same airline from LA to Austin with a stop in Dallas might be $150, so you buy the flight to Austin and ditch the plane in Dallas. The risk is that a flight can be rerouted and you’ll be stuck with a useless airfare. You also can’t check a bag, as that bag will be routed to the final destination.

I know people typically use Orbitz or Expedia, but I haven’t had luck with these sites as the ones I’ve mentioned. Google Flights allows me to book at the best rate directly from airlines while the other sites each have special features.

Another tip is to be flexible with your departure airport. From research and experience, there are several airports with extremely good pricing (due to availability of low-fare carriers and popular routes) while there are airports that have higher pricing.

I’ve noticed that the airports (in U.S) typically with good deals are MIA, FLL, NYC area airports, PIL, Washington D.C area airports. You should always check if it is cheaper to fly from your departure airport to one of the airports mentioned and then continuing the journey from there.

For example, if I want to go to Europe, I typically fly from ATL to FLL and FLL to Barcelona because Norwegian operates out of FLL. Once, I flew from ATL to BWI to go to Iceland, because WOW Air operated out of BWI.

Happy travels and good luck deal hunting!

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