7 Cheap Ways to Travel Across Europe

Updated: 6/26/18 | June 26th, 2018

Traveling around Europe can be fairly expensive. Airline tickets, high-speed trains, overnight trains, ferries – they can all eat into your limited and precious travel budget. I mean you came to spend money on delicious food and wine, not transportation!

However, there are a few recent trends that have helped travelers get around Europe cheaper: weaker currency exchange rates, the rise of the sharing economy, new bus options, and lots of new budget airlines.

The 7 Best Ways To Travel Europe Cheap

Travelling Europe by Megabus

Megabus is a cheap way to get around the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales) as well as to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam. Tickets can cost as little as 1 GBP if you book at least a month in advance on popular routes to get these fares. However, even if you don’t scoop up these amazingly cheap deals, you can still travel for a more reasonable price than on the national bus system, as fares rarely top 20 GBP. I recently took a 5 GBP bus from London to Bristol. (The train? 45 GBP!) That ticket was only bought the day before too! Additionally, Megabus also operates trains to some destinations around the UK, starting at 10 GBP. Megabus is definitely the cheapest way to get around the UK and now is also the cheapest way to get to Paris, Brussels, or Amsterdam.

Travelling Europe by Busabout

Busabout is a hop-on/hop-off bus service primarily used by backpackers, similar to the Oz or Kiwi Experience in Australia and New Zealand, respectively. You can get on and off whenever you want along one of their set routes. You can buy tickets that let you travel their whole network with a set number of stops. For example, a nine-day flex-pass, which gives you nine stops from your starting city. The only downside to Busabout is that if you want to visit a city not on their route, you have to make your own way there at an added cost. A lot of backpackers use this method of travel to get around as well as meet other travelers. The pass also comes with a guide and sometimes include group activities. A two-week pass is $299 USD. If you figure you can visit about 6 cities in two weeks, that’s $50 a trip. When you consider the soft benefits of a guide, included trips, and meeting people, Busabout becomes price comparable to trains and flights, though still more expensive than a regular public bus! Their unlimited passes for $1,499 for 6 months of travel is the best long-term transportation deal.

Travelling Europe by Flixbus

Over the last few years, a new company has come on the market that has totally changed the bus system in Europe! German based Flixbus has routes in 20 European countries and thousands of cities with prices starting as low 5 EUR. Their buses include WiFi, electrical outlets, up to three 3 free bags, and comfy seats. It’s essentially Megabus, but less sucky and for the whole of continental Europe. Flixbus quickly became my favorite non-train way to get across Europe cheaper after it came out. It’s the best and cheapest way to get around continental Europe!

Another option is to take Eurolines. Every country in Europe has its own national bus service but for international long distance bus routes, they sort of combine into the umbrella company, Eurolines. While they serve more destinations than Flixbus, I prefer the comfort and prices of Flxibus if I have a choice between the two. Eurolines prices usually start at around 20 Euros for a 5-6 hour journey.

Travelling Europe by Budget Airline

By far one of the cheapest ways to travel long distance in Europe is by budget airline. These airlines are hugely prolific on the continent and competition leads to incredibly cheap fares. You can often find fares as cheap as 1 Euro. When I need to go somewhere and I don’t want to take a long bus or train journey, I fly budget airlines. My favorite budget airlines are:

• Vueling
• Ryanair
• Easyjet
• Aigle Azur
• Wow Air
• Eurowings
• Flybe
• Norwegian Air
• Wizz Air

I use Skyscanner and Momondo to search for the best deals. They do all the legwork for ya!

It’s important to remember that these budget airlines make most of their money through fees, and the second you mess up, they whack you with a fee. They are very strict about baggage limits or forgetting to print out your boarding pass. Be sure to follow their rules to the letter. Sometimes these budget airlines cost more money because of all their fees so if you’re traveling with a lot of bags, it may be cheaper to fly with one of the larger airlines (which have also lowered their fares in the face of tough competition).

For more information, here is a complete guide to finding cheap flights around Europe.

Travelling Europe With A Eurail Pass

Getting a rail pass is a good option if you are going to be traveling across vast distances and don’t want to fly. The European rail system is one of the best and most extensive in the world. I love traveling by train. Sitting in a big seat, relaxing with a book, and watching the stunning landscape go by. It’s more comfortable than a bus and much less stressful than air travel.

If you’re going to travel by train, it’s hard to beat them on price and convenience for short city to city travel. For longer journeys (overnight journeys, between countries, or rides that require a high-speed line like Paris to Bordeaux or Berlin to Munich), trains tend to be very expensive. If you plan to travel around Europe in a grand tour, a rail pass is your best money saving travel option. Your cost per trip will be a lot lower than if you were to buy these tickets separately.

For more information, here is a complete breakdown of Eurail passes and when they should be used to save money.

Travelling Europe Using BlaBlaCar

The rise of the sharing economy has allowed people to hop a ride with locals going their way, and BlaBlaCar is the reigning king of this service. Hugely popular and widespread in Europe, I’ve used this service many times. This website lets you rideshare with people who have extra space in their car. You find a ride, they agree to take you, and off you go. You can find rides for as little as 5 Euros. It is the best, BEST paid way to get around Europe. You get to meet a local, have a friendly conversation, save tons of money over bus and train travel, and get off the highways and more the countryside.

Alternatively, there are websites where you can ask for rides so long as you pitch in for gas. Gumtree is the most popular among backpackers.

The Cheapest Way To Travel Europe: Hitchhiking

The best way to travel Europe cheap is to not pay for it. Hitching is quite common in Europe, and I’ve met a number of travelers who have done it. I myself traveled this way in Bulgaria. It’s important to use your head when hitchhiking.

***

There are a lot of ways to get around Europe on a budget. But what’s the best way for your trip? MIX AND MATCH YOUR TRANSPORTATION. The key to traveling around Europe on the cheap is to know when to use each one of the listed transportation methods. For short trips, I like trains and BlaBlaCar. For medium length trips (half a day), I’ll take a bus, BlaBlaBla car, or train. For long distances, I fly, take a high-speed train, or overnight buses. If you have no preference on how you travel – you just want the cheapest – use a website like Rome2Rio. All you have to do is enter where you are going and they will find all the ways to get there and list the prices for each method.

When you are looking for cheap ways to travel Europe, use the transportation options above that suit your needs and you’ll always get the best deal!

Next step: keep planning your trip to Europe with these articles:

• Continent-Wide Europe Travel Guide
• The Cost of Western Europe Travel
• The Cost of Traveling Eastern Europe
• Is a Eurail Pass Worth the Cost?

Photo Credits: 2, 4

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June 26, 2018 at 04:41PM

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How to Buy the Best Travel Insurance in 2018

Updated: 6/25/2018 | June 25th, 2018

Travel insurance is one of the most important things you’ll need for your trip. You wouldn’t have a car without car insurance, a home without home insurance, and you can’t have a trip without travel insurance.

Why? Because travel insurance is what will provide you with medical coverage when you get sick or injured, reimburse you when your camera breaks, your flight is canceled, a family member dies and you have to come home, if lose a bag, or something is stolen. It’s all-purpose emergency coverage and is the single most important thing you should get for your trip (but hope to never have to use). It’s the one thing I strongly, strongly advise travelers to never leave home without because I’ve seen it help so many – and so many others regret being cheap and not getting it! For only a few dollars a day, buying travel insurance a no-brainer.

I used it for a doctor in Argentina, when my camera broke in Italy, my eardrum popped in Thailand, and my luggage was stolen in South Africa. Each time I was reimbursed my expenses and was made whole again as they like to say.

Travel insurance was there when my friend had to be helicoptered out of the Amazon after he fell off a boat, when friend’s father died and she had to fly home, and another got her bag stolen. Travel insurance makes sure you don’t lose money and are always protected. (My favorite travel insurance provider is World Nomads. They always have my back when something like the above happens. I’ve been using them since 2003.)

Since most health programs don’t cover you overseas and credit cards offer really limited protection, buying travel insurance is something you definitely need to protect against the unknown. After all, you don’t want to end up like my friend who didn’t have insurance when her computer was stolen and had to pay out of pocket for a new one.

Since travel insurance is one of the most complex, important and confusing aspects of trip planning, I want to break it down for you, help you understand what it is about, and show how to pick the best travel insurance plans in just a few steps:

What to look for in a great travel insurance plan

Insurance is a billion-dollar business, and everyone wants their hand in the cookie jar, thus you face a mind-numbing number of choices that can be confusing and overwhelming. And, often, in the fine print, you’ll find that plans aren’t as good as you thought.

First, make sure your travel insurance offers a high coverage limit on your medical expenses. A good company will provide up to $100,000 in coverage care, though more expensive policies will cover you for higher amounts. The maximum coverage limit you can find is around $1,000,000 USD, though I’m not sure why you would ever need a limit that large. High coverage limits are important because if you get sick, injured, or need serious attention and have to seek professional care, you want to make sure your high hospital bills are covered. The worst thing you can do is go cheap and get a policy with a $20,000 coverage limit, break a leg, and reach that limit before they are done taking care of you. Don’t be cheap with your health. Get minimum coverage of $100,000.

Second, you want to make sure your travel insurance policy also covers emergency evacuation and care that is separate from your medical coverage. If you are hiking in the woods and you break your leg, your policy should cover your evacuation to the hospital. If a natural disaster occurs and you need to be evacuated to somewhere else, your plan should cover that as well. This protection should cover an expense of up to $300,000 USD.

Additionally, evacuation also should mean from the hospital to your home country. Standard emergency evacuation usually includes this provision, but it’s important you double-check a company will cover the cost of your flight back home if you need it.

Third, great travel insurance plan will always include the following provisions:

• Cover most countries in the world
• Some coverage for your electronics (and have the option for a higher coverage limit)
• Cover injury and sudden illnesses
• Twenty-four hour emergency services and help (you don’t want to call to be told to call back later)
• Cover lost, damaged or stolen possessions like jewelry, baggage, documents, cameras, etc.
• Cover cancellations such as hotel bookings, flight, and other transportation bookings if you have a sudden illness, death in the family, or some other emergency
• Cover emergencies, strife in the country visited, etc., that cause you to head home early
• Have financial protection if any company you are using goes bankrupt and you are stuck in another country

A quick note on electronics: Most companies only have a small limit, usually up to $500 USD, as part of their basic coverage. You can often buy supplemental insurance to get a higher amount of coverage. For instance, Clements Insurance offers special coverage for your electronics. Prices vary depending on the country you visit ($145-195 per plan). Moreover, many regular and home insurance companies such as State Farm offer insurance plans that can help you cover your electronics. Be sure to check if you find a travel with a lot of gear!

What’s not covered by your travel insurance

Know what is also not covered by your plan. Most policies do not cover:

• Accidents sustained while participating in extreme adventure activities such as hang gliding, paragliding, or bungee jumping unless you pay extra.
• Alcohol- or drug-related incidents,
• Carelessness in handling your possessions and baggage.
• You won’t get reimbursed if the problem happened because you were reckless (how “reckless” is defined is a matter up to each company).
• Pre-existing conditions or general check-ups. For example, if you have diabetes and need to buy more insulin, you won’t be covered. If you want to go see a doctor for a general check-up, you aren’t covered either.
• Cash
• Your theft coverage won’t cover you if you left something in plain sight or unattended.
• If civil unrest makes your destination unsafe but your government hasn’t called for an evacuation, you’re probably out of luck too.

Travel Insurance Loopholes: What To Look For

Even the best travel insurance have their limits. Often, in the fine print, you’ll find that plans aren’t as good as you thought.

The medical portion of travel insurance is more about emergency care than being a replacement for your normal healthcare. A lot of people purchase travel insurance get disappointed when they find out they can’t go get an annual physical with it.

Remember you will get what you pay for. Maybe you see two companies offer similar plans but one is really cheap? Why? Usually it’s because the devil is in the details and they could have smaller payouts, take longer to process claims, deny more people, or have so many rules in the fine print that it turns out you aren’t going to get paid when you think you are!

Travel insurance is accident insurance. It is there to protect you in case of emergency and, if need be, get you home in a hurry. If you want a global health plan (because you now live in Beijing), you need a completely different type of plan.

To summarize:

If you want:	Include this in your travel insurance policy:
Payment for expenses if you get sick or injured on a trip	Travel medical and accident coverage
To be taken to the nearest hospital or flown home if necessary	Emergency evacuation and repatriation
Reimbursement if you get sick and have to cancel or end your trip early	Trip cancellation AND trip interruption
Payment for lost, stolen or damaged luggage or goods	Theft and lost coverage
Help finding a doctor abroad	24-hour assistance
Payment for rental car damage	Car collision insurance (CDW)

The Best Travel Insurance Companies

The world is FILLED with insurance companies. You’re going to come across thousands in your searches for a good provider so I’m going to list my favorites. Below are the companies I would be OK with my mother using. If you’ve found a company and it’s not listed here, it’s because I wouldn’t use them. I’ve researched hundreds of policies over the last ten years and have found the following companies to be good:

• Clements – Great travel insurance for high-end electronics coverage.
• IM Global – The closest thing to normal health insurance like you have back home that allows you to see doctors and make regular appointments when you. This is best for long-term expats living overseas.
• MedJet Assist – A good company all around for travel insurance that offers standard, cookie cutter plans.
• STA Travel – For cheap folks who just want a cheap plan with very limited coverage, STA Travels offers bare bones planes.

If you’re a senior and over 65, use Insure My Trip. Many insurance companies don’t cover seniors or, if they do, are bloody expensive! Insure My Trip offers the best coverage and prices for older travelers and I suggest you use them.

My favorite company is World Nomads. I’ve been using them since I started traveling in 2003. They are very reputable, and claims are quickly and fairly processed. This is a company built by an ex-nomad so he gets the traveler mindset. I enjoy World Nomads because I can purchase and renew my insurance policy online in a matter of minutes, they have a very friendly and responsive staff who answer questions and help solve problems via social media, they have great customer feedback, and most importantly, they provide a lot of coverage at a fair price. If there’s one company I would recommend, I would say go with them. They are also endorsed by Lonely Planet and National Geographic, which tells you how good they are!

Buy Your Travel Insurance As Soon As Possible

Even though you can wait until you leave, it’s best to get your travel insurance as soon as possible. Every day you wait, there’s a chance something could happen and you can’t get a travel insurance after the fact. If a hurricane ruins your trip, your travel insurance would only cover you if you bought it before the hurricane formed. Buy a plan the day after you go to the doctor but before he tells you you’re sick? Your plan won’t cover you since your original visit happened BEFORE the plan!

Don’t wait to get insurance. I’ve seen it happen too often. The second you know you are going somewhere and have the dates, buy travel insurance!

There’s a 99.99% chance you will never need to use the policy you bought, but accidents happen and life on the road is uncertain. It’s better to be safe than sorry, especially when you are in a different country, thousands of miles from home.

Don’t want to end up like my friend in Peru, who decided against coverage, only to break her arm and have to spend lots of money to get it fixed in Lima.

Be smart and get travel insurance.

You can use the widget below to find an insurance plan for your trip:

 
STILL CONFUSED? READ NEXT —-> 10 common questions (and answers) about your travel insurance

P.S. –  If you’ve found this article helpful, please consider booking via the links here as it helps keep the website community supported and advertiser free. All the companies are ones I use myself in my own travels. If you have any questions, email me!

The post How to Buy the Best Travel Insurance in 2018 appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

June 25, 2018 at 03:00PM

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TravelCon: Updates and New Ticket Information!!!

Hey all! There are only three more months to TravelCon! (Time flies, huh?) This is going to be an amazing event, so I want to share some more updates about what’s happening:

First, a refresher: What is TravelCon?

Our goal at TravelCon is to create an environment that facilitates networking between experts inside and outside of the travel industry. We want our attendees to learn from everyone’s victories, failures, and strategies so they succeed more quickly than their competition. Unlike many other travel blogging conferences, our primary goal is to help people learn the skills needed to develop a profitable and sustainable career in the travel industry. We will help our attendees:

• Improve their craft in the four major areas of travel: video, photography, writing, and blogging.
• Learn what’s new, what’s hot, and what works in the industry.
• Keep current on the best practices in digital travel publishing.
• Learn about new products and services in the industry.
• Meet destination marketing organizations and travel brands.
• Network with and learn from experts outside the travel industry.
• Make connections with other travel lovers.
• Have a ton of fun!

So what’s the latest with the event?

Today, I want to update you on some of the things happening with the event:

First, we’ve released our full schedule.

We’re going to have some really amazing, in-depth workshops and talks on how to improve your blog. You can click here to see it. You’ll be able to see who is talking on what, what their talk is about, and when it is.

Second, tickets are on sale again!

Life gets in the way sometimes and a few people have had to cancel their spots. Their loss is your gain as we’re able to open up more spots.

If you’re interested attending in person, just click here to learn more and secure your spot!

Third, we are now offering a virtual ticket.

This is something I’ve been wanting to do since the beginning but it took a long time for the logistics to work out. If you can’t make the event, you’ll still be able to have a way to get all the talks!

We are going to record of all our panels, presentations, and keynotes from the conference (photo walks and writing workshops not included). Everyone of those talks will be recorded and put up on our platform. You’ll be able to watch them online from the comfort of your home on any device. Additionally, any Powerpoints or presentation materials that are given out will also be included in the section.

Though you’ll miss out on all the networking and fun parties (and even cooler people), you’ll get all the educational benefit of the talks so you can improve your business and boost your career in the travel industry. We have over 70 speakers and you’ll get over 50 hours of talks and material to watch. This is as good to attending the event you can get!

The virtual ticket is $199 and can be purchased by clicking here.

The talks will go online a few weeks after the event ends!

If you’ve been wishing to attend the event and hear these speakers but can’t, this is your way to do so.

Fourth, we’ve brought on even more amazing partners for our expo floor and media marketplace.

During the conference, you’ll be able to meet with companies and tourism boards from around the world as well as schedule specific business meetings with them on the last day. Here are some of the new sponsors we’ve added in the last month or so (you can see a full list of sponsors here):

Costa Brava – Welcome to the Costa Brava and Girona Pyrenees, a territory where the past and present become turned into a living landscape. The Costa Brava is the sum of amazing sensations from Blanes to Portbou.

Intrepid Travel – Intrepid Travel is the world’s largest adventure travel company, operating amazing small group experiences in over 120 countries.

Mediavine – Mediavine offers full service ad management including display ad optimization, video monetization, and influencer marketing. We help content creators build sustainable businesses.

New Orleans & Company – New Orleans & Company is a nationally accredited, 1,100-member destination marketing organization and is the best resources for everything NOLA related!

Norwegian Air – Norwegian offers cheap flights worldwide, operating over 400 routes to more than 130 destinations in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Thailand, the Caribbean and the US. Today, they have more than 100 aircraft and one of the world’s youngest and greenest fleets.

SmarterTravel – SmarterTravel, a TripAdvisor Company, is a leader in the online travel industry reaching over 200M unique visitors each month. In addition to operating a portfolio of expert travel sites like Jetsetter, Oyster, Airfarewatchdog and more, they also help hundreds of third party publishers like you make money through its network.

Travel Manitoba – Welcome to Manitoba, the heart of Canada. Here, you feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere, but at the centre of everything. Manitoba is where golden wheat fields meet infinite blue sky.

Additionally, sVisit Memphis, Hosteling International, Agoda, Czech Tourism, Visit California, and Go Rving will be at our event too! (I’m just waiting for their logos to get up on the website but they are confirmed too!)

All in all, our marketplace is going to be full of incredible companies that you can partner! (If you work of a brand and want to be at the event, please send me an email at matt@nomadicmatt.com)

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So come and attend TravelCon, learn from the best in the indsutry, and meet other wonderful travel professionals.

(Or, if you can’t make it, get the virtual ticket — and make plans to attend next year!)

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments!

– Matt

The post TravelCon: Updates and New Ticket Information!!! appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

June 21, 2018 at 01:57PM

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How to Stop Making Excuses

Note: Six months ago, I read Ramit’s “Manifesto for 2018” and got inspired. I ended up cranking this out.

Remember New Year’s? When you were going to lose weight, drink less, read more, save more, cook more, and maybe ride a unicorn (hey, anything is possible!)?

But deep down you — and I — knew you probably wouldn’t.

Time would pass, your excitement would fade, and you’d come up with a plethora of excuses for why you couldn’t stick to your goal:

“It’s too cold to walk to the gym.”

“It’s John’s birthday so I have to drink.”

“I had to binge-watch Netflix so I didn’t have time to read.”

“I can’t save extra this month because I have to buy (insert some commercial object you just need).”

“It’s too hard to cook.”

“Unicorns don’t exist so I can’t ride them.”

Inaction is the easiest action. Doing nothing takes less work than doing something. Then, when we start to feel guilty, we tell ourselves a story that justifies our inaction.

I do it all the time. I mean I pay for a gym membership and I’ve only been once this year. (And a gym membership in New York City is not cheap!) There are so many other things I want to do too, but when I don’t do them, I can always find an excuse as to why.

No one likes to wake up and look themselves in the mirror and go, “Well, I failed again.”

So we create our own myths as to why we couldn’t live up to our own expectations — and why it wasn’t our fault. We all have elaborate tales we tell ourselves to make us feel better and not like a disappointment.

I know mine. “I didn’t do X because I had to go to an event and there was good wine.” Or “I didn’t do Y because I got carried away with work.”

I know all the other stories people tell themselves about travel:

“I don’t have enough money.”

“I can’t save enough.”

“I don’t earn enough.”

“Flights are too expensive.”

“My credit isn’t good enough to get a points card.”

“My currency is too weak.”

“I don’t have anyone to travel with.”

I’ve heard every excuse there is. It’s not to say these aren’t valid excuses. They are. We all have barriers to success. We all have problems. We all have things that get in the way. Not everyone is going to be able to travel.

But we’re now half-way through the year.

What if instead of letting those limits define you, you were the hero that defeats the dragon and saves Princess Travel? What if you became the person who travels and has amazing adventures?

It’s time to say to yourself, “OK, I want to travel, and maybe it is expensive, but if all these people I see online are doing it, maybe it’s not so hard. Let me look into it. Let me Google some information.”

Admit that you don’t know what you don’t know.

Admit to yourself maybe – just maybe – there is a way to travel but you just don’t know what it is and your preconceived notions are demons holding you back!

Turn your excuses upside down – and into action plans:

“I don’t have enough money…so I will look to cut my expenses as best I can and change my spending habits.”

“I can’t save enough…so I will create a savings plan and take proactive steps to make it happen.”

“I don’t earn enough…so I will look for a second job or something in the sharing economy. Maybe I’ll become an Uber driver.”

“Flights are too expensive…so I will go someplace cheaper or start collecting points for a free flight.”

“My credit isn’t good enough to get a points card…so I’ll start with an easier card to build my credit up.”

“My currency is too bad…so I’ll go somewhere cheaper.”

“I don’t have anyone to travel with…so I’ll go on a tour or alone.”

Yes, travel can be expensive. Yes, it costs money. And yes, not everyone can travel.

But when you start with a negative internal mindset, you’ve already lost the game. I’m not saying that magical thinking is the solution. No, magical thinking doesn’t work. The Secret is BS. Wishing for something won’t make it happen.

Actions make something happen.

Americans trade time for money, and although we all complain about it, it’s an arrangement we’ve kept in place for decades. Taking extended time off is not in our culture. Although we say we envy Europeans and their long vacations, in the US, we still, on the whole, follow the “work, retire, travel” model. It’s a system that isn’t going to change soon.

I was a victim of this arrangement until I met some backpackers in Chiang Mai, Thailand. As we discussed travel, time off, and doing what you loved, I kept thinking about how unhappy I was with the American bargain. I had never really thought about it before.

The more the backpackers I met told me about their lifestyle — meeting people around the world, living in bungalows on the beach, eating delicious and cheap food, taking local transportation, and just having fun — the more envious I became.

I went home and changed my mindset.

I created spreadsheets, bought guidebooks, researched online, and cut my expenses as much as I could. I was merciless.

I know people are going to read this post, roll their eyes, talk about my privilege middle-class upbringing, wonder if my parents paid for everything, tell me how they are in debt, and yada, yada, yada.

And there is no doubt I’ve been blessed. There’s no doubt I had a head start.

And there is no doubt not everyone is going to be able to travel.

But I still had to save, plan, and find ways to make that trip (or future trips) happen. My parents never gave me anything for my trip. They actively tried to discourage it.

If I asked you to turn the mirror inward and be completely honest, could you really say to me you’ve exhausted all your options? Could you really say you looked at your expenses to the penny? That you looked at working overseas as a way to fund your trip or pay off your debt? That you couldn’t have a piggy bank where you put at least penny a day? That you tried and tried but could never get travel hacking to work? That it’s truly 100% impossible for you to save for trip?

I’ve seen people in wheelchairs, seniors on pensions find ways to travel, and others take on work to pay off debts.

I think — nay, I know — from experience that most of us haven’t really done that kind of inner searching or planning. I know people don’t know where every penny goes, got into travel hacking, tried to work overseas, or change their habits to make that trip possible. T

The ones that have? Well, they’re traveling right now.

Most of us haven’t done anything more than come up with an excuse as to why our situation is special and unique.

But it’s not.

Our stories are not that unique.

Lots and lots of people have been in your shoes before.

And lots of people have found a way to travel.

Which is good because that means it is possible for you to travel too.

A few years ago, I helped a number of readers plan their trips and was a sounding board for their fears. One of them was Diane, a senior from Canada living on a strict pension. She had dreamed her entire life of visiting Australia but never believed it could happen.

We talked extensively about how she could cut her expenses. She created a list of wants and needs — then stopped buying the wants. Changed her phone plan. Monitored her bills. Got her husband to cut back on smoking and her grandkids to stop asking for things. She got them all on board by explaining why this trip was important. It took close to two years, but eventually, she saved enough to go with her sister.

The world gives you nothing. You have to work for what you want – even if it takes years to get to where you want to go.

Too often we think about the million steps we need to take to get to where we want to go, get overwhelmed by it all, and simply give up.

But, remember, you can only take one step at the time.

Think about the ONE step in front of you and nothing else.

It doesn’t matter if it takes ten years to save for your vacation. All that matters is the first step in front of you. That’s the only thing you need to focus on.

Tomorrow, wake up and ask yourself, “What is the one thing I can do today that will make traveling easier?”

Not sure you can come up with the money? Track all your expenses and figure out where you can cut and put that money automatically each month into a savings account.

Not sure you can take three weeks off work to fly to Australia? Think of destinations closer to you. Or take multiple shorter trips.

Not sure you can get the visa? Find a new place to go.

For every negative excuse, there’s a positive solution.

Don’t let your excuses win.

Start thinking about your first step, plan your trip, ride that unicorn, and become the traveler you were born to be.

And, when you get to your dream destination, send me a postcard!

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June 17, 2018 at 04:00PM

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How to Spend 24 Hours in an Airplane

I’m an aviation geek, which means I love all things related to planes (even if I’m terrified of flying). Planes fascinate me. They have like 8,000 parts and weigh multiple tons but still manage to stay up in the sky without falling apart! I mean have you ever seen one of those bolts holding up a wing? It boggles my mind how such a tiny thing can hold so much weight. Thank you, aerodynamics, engineering, and the workers at Airbus and Boeing!

In March, I was invited to the Boeing plant in South Carolina for the delivery of Singapore Airlines’ new 787-10, the first 10-series Dreamliner plane. As part of the invited media crew (including some other AV geeks, like Brian Kelly, Ben Mutzabaugh , Zach Honing, and Kendis Gibson), we spent a few days at the plant (in my next post, I’ll take ya behind the scenes at the Boeing plant and in the flight simulator) and then flew the delivery flight from Charleston to Singapore.

It was truly one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever done. For those other guys, it’s par for the course. They go on these all the time. But, for me, this was brand new! I mean getting invited to the factory and then to fly on the first flight? Woah! So cool.

But South Carolina to Singapore is a long flight. The total flight time is 22 hours. The total time on the plane for us? 24.5 hours, as we weren’t allowed to leave the airplane during our refueling stop in Osaka.

That’s right. I spent a little more than an entire day inside an airplane.

And how does one spend a full day on a plane? Here’s how:

Hour 1
We board the plane (Boeing has their own gateway at their plant), where we are greeted by the crew and Singapore Airline executives. I sit down in my business-class seat, get my pre-flight champagne, and marvel at the new in-flight entertainment (IFE) system. It was the best I’ve seen. The screen is huge and super sharp, and the system saves all your information and preferences so you can get back to your movies quickly. It also minimizes the back-and-forth between menus by keeping options open at the bottom of the screen while you scroll and loads them without having to toggle. Compared to the crappy IFEs we have in the states, it was like magic.

Hour 2
After takeoff, I start to watch Justice League. It’s terrible, so I move to the galley to get drunk…I mean sample the wine selection. OK, we got drunk. There’s no other way to put it. Those flight attendants pour heavy glasses.

Hour 3
Continue to drink in the galley.

Hour 4

After getting sufficiently toasted, I bid everyone good night and go back to my seat. While the other AV geeks pick apart the seat for length, angles, cubby access, and everything in between, I am just happy to be able to sleep in such a wonderful seat. The seat is 26 inches wide, which is plenty long enough for a guy like me. The padded interior muffles noise and is set back enough so that you can create a little cocoon hidden from the rest of the cabin.

Hour 5
Keep sleeping.

Hour 6
More sleeping.

Hour 7
Counting sheep.

Hour 8
Dreaming of Batman. Wait? Am I Batman?

Hour 9
Still out like a light.

Hour 10
Eventually, I come to and pound some water to get rid of my hangover. I feel pretty good for someone who got just six hours of sleep. I wander the cabin quietly as most of the other passengers on the plane are still asleep. I have the dinner I missed and begrudgingly finish Justice League (seriously, it’s terrible).

Hour 11
I spend an hour writing blog posts and working on my upcoming memoir about my decade as a nomad. (More on that in the future!)

Hour 12
Now, I’m going stir crazy because I’ve been in this plane for 12 hours and still have another 12 more to go! I drink another glass of wine and keep on writing. It’s pretty unexciting. I’m at the point where the novelty has worn off and start to fidget around.

Hour 13
Work some more while watching Geostorm (another terrible movie). I’m not sure what is with me and terrible movies but I seem to gravitate towards them on planes. I think it’s because it’s good time to just get lost and not think. I just want to see cheesy plots and stuff blow up.

Hour 14
Time for another nap!

Hour 15

I wake up and notice everyone is also getting up so I go chat with people. It was really interesting being on a plane with journalists. Here I am under no deadline (I mean this article is for something happened two months ago), and these guys are furiously filing stories for when we land so they can all be the first to report on the plane. Here are some of the articles they wrote:

Singapore Airlines New 787-10 in Photos (Flight Global)
Boeing Delivers the World’s First 787-10 Dreamliner to Singapore Airlines (The Points Guy)
The New Singapore Airlines Boeing 787-10 (Sam Chui)
That New Airplane Smell (USA Today)

Hour 16
The cabin lights finally come on and we get ready to land. There’s a light snack, I write some more, and then get to reading a book.

Hour 17
After 16 hours, we’re in Osaka. By now, you’re probably wondering how the plane made it so far? I mean this plane is only supposed to be able to go fly around 8,055 miles and Osaka is 7,255 miles away. Simple: without a fully loaded cabin of people and luggage, the plane was extra light and can make it very far on a very full tank of gas!

Hour 18
While on the ground, they refuel the plane, switch out the crew, and bring in some new food (catered by Singapore Airlines this time and not Boeing). I watch all journalists make videos and do interviews then chat with the CEO of Singapore Airlines, who gives me some sushi recommendations in Singapore (I never got to eat at them but he recommended Kuiiya and Chobei). The most I did was take some photos.

Hour 19
Takeoff time again.

Hour 20
After another breakfast (delicious eggs with spinach and seaweed), I move to economy class to see what it’s like back there while trying not to wake up all the Singapore Airlines employees trying to sleep. There’s a lot of legroom and the seat has a steep recline (which is good when you recline but bad when the person in front of you reclines since it cuts off a lot of your space). The seats are also really comfy and with a soft padding. After Qatar’s A350 economy, they might be my favorite economy seats.

Hour 21
I take advantage of having my own row in economy to go for another nap.

Hour 22
Dreamland.

Hour 23

I wake up and go back business class for breakfast. The sun is coming up and we’re getting ready to land. I’ve given up on movies and just started writing. Before we land, I take some photos, chat to some folks, and see who wants to get dinner. (We ended up a terrible place. It’s best not spoken of but let’s just say this person got their recommendation off TripAdvisor and it further cemented my view that TripAdvisor sucks!)

Hour 24

Time to land in Singapore. I’m always awed by the fleet of cargo ships off the coast of Singapore. As far as the eye can see, the denizens of global trade go to and fro as we land and pull into the gate, we are welcomed with water cannons and a celebratory event.

***

Spending 24 hours in a plane was an experience I’ll (probably) never have again, but surprisingly, it wasn’t as bad as I had thought it would be. The Dreamliner is pressured at only 6,000 feet compared to other planes which are pressured at altitudes around 8,000 feet. feet. So, walking off the plane, I felt pretty refreshed and less fatigued. I never really noticed it before but after spending 24 hours in a tube, that science Boeing was talking about does really hold up to snuff.

I didn’t feel as jetlagged or that normal gross feeling I have after a long international flight. (Who else loves to shower right away after a long flight? Anyone? Makes me feel refreshed!)

This new Singapore 787-10 will be a regional craft so, at most, you’ll be in this plane for only about six hours. They are only going to fly it around Asia and Australia to start. I would say this will be one of the nicest six hours you’ll have on a plane, no matter what class you are in.

I have a new favorite plane to fly around Asia, which, thanks to Singapore’s partnerships with Chase, American Express, SPG, and Citi, as well their partnership with United means I can use points to do it for free! I already was a huge fan of Singapore Airlines and this plane just makes me love them even more!

But, the next time I get on this plane, I’ll be happy it won’t be for another 24 hours. That’s a little too long for me.

Note: I was part of the press core for the launch of this plane. Singapore Airlines covered my hotel, flight, and any meals I had during official events. I was not compensated monetarily for this.

The post How to Spend 24 Hours in an Airplane appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

June 07, 2018 at 03:00PM

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