So I’m going to try and backpack with my partner to the list below and we’re going via flix bus and varied ways of public transport for most of it and I was wondering if any has any advise on what we should bring/see/stay longer at/ advise for backpacking, never done it before but going to be staying is hostels and cooking and eating cheap. Our budget is 10k GBP each roughly and gonna try and do an activities in each stop off, any advise would be welcome!

Europe Trip 1. United Kingdom (Starting in Newport & London) 2. France (Paris, Nice) 3. Andorra 4. Spain (Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Gibraltar) 5. Portugal (Lisbon) 6. Monaco 7. Switzerland (Geneva) 8. Luxembourg 9. Belgium (Brussels) 10. Netherlands (Amsterdam) 11. Germany (Berlin) 12. Czech Republic (Prague) 13. Poland (Krakow) 14. Austria (Vienna) 15. Hungary (Budapest) 16. Bulgaria (Sofia) 17. Greece (Athens) 18. Turkey (Istanbul, Antalya)

Asia Trip 19. Indonesia (Bali) 20. Singapore 21. Thailand (Phuket, Phi Phi Islands, Railay Beach, Ko Pha-ngan, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pai, Chiang Rai) 22. Cambodia (Koh Rong, Phnom Penh) 23. Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hanoi, Vientiane, Hà Giang) 24. Laos (Vientiane) 25. Hong Kong 26. South Korea (Seoul) 27. Japan (Tokyo, Hiroshima)

Africa Trip 28. Egypt 29. South Africa (Cape Town) 30. Tanzania (Zanzibar)

So I really really want to visit HK. I'm from Italy so I don't need a visa either for China or HK. A flight to Shenzhen costs about 500 euro less than HK. Is there a reason why I shouldn't buy ticket to Shenzhen and then go to HK and stay there for a week before going back to Shenzhen to catch my flight back home?? I read it should be quite easy to cross the border, but I'm afraid I'm missing something.

Hello. I am planning to travel to South Eastern turkey on May 2025, specifically Adana, Urfa, Mardin, Mt Nemrut.

1. Is it safe to visit this part of turkey now?
2. Which is the better town to be based out of - Urfa, Mardin or Adana for local transport as well as proximity to sites.
3. Any must see places you would recommend apart from the above.

I love history, architecture and nature.

Thanks in advance :)

I want to visit Japan this April and I was looking for some tips on low cost airfare and accommodations, Thank you.

National parks trip help

Hello all, I’ve browsed a few posts on here regarding national parks and wanted some insight on what seems feasible and what is not. I have a list below of parks I wish to visit (don’t have to see all on one trip but would like to optimize and see as many as possible). I will be flying from EWR and will be renting a car. With PTO and work, I can do a max of 5 days. I’m thinking of visiting sometime between April to June.

Parks

Bryce Canyon

Antelope

Valley of fire

Arches

Canyonlands

Hoover Dam

Zion

Also, I was thinking flying into Vegas airport but I also saw some itineraries online showing flying into SLC airport. Any suggestions or recommendations helps! Thanks!

Hi I am planning for 2 weeks Malaysia trip from April 20 to May 4th. I am really tight on budget. Can anyone share their experience with AirAsia 7kg cabin baggage only? Or packing tips?

Thanks.

I absolutely love to go on little trips and am fortunate to have a job that not only supports that but also only has a 4-day work week, affording me the opportunity for the occasional long weekend getaway, just on a tight budget. What are some non- U.S cities that are affordable and easy to navigate in terms public transportation and overall convenience straight from the airport? Bonus points for anywhere that has nature or beautiful scenery to offer, as I know this will be mostly larger cities.. **International destinations highly preferred (probably flying out of O'hare) with Central America seemingly having the most potential! TYIA!

Hi everyone,

My partner and I are planning to travel slowly for 4-5 months across Southeast Asia with a total budget of €5,000 for both of us (excluding flights to get there).

We plan to keep costs low by using local transport (buses, scooters, walking), staying in simple private rooms (no dorms), and eating mainly street food. We’re not looking for luxury, just a comfortable and affordable way to experience the region.

Do you think this budget is realistic? Which countries or strategies would help us stretch our money the furthest? Any tips on visas, accommodation, or unexpected expenses to watch out for?

Thanks for your advice!

So, my husband and I want to travel from southern Indiana to anywhere gulf coast Florida for a fun road trip that ends on beach. Best place to go in Florida and how to do this super cheap? It's just us two.

Hey everyone! My girlfriend and I (both college students) are planning a spring break trip and looking for budget-friendly destinations on the East Coast. We’ll be traveling with her dad (45), who has never seen the ocean or even left Michigan, and her little brother, who hasn’t either. Since this will be their first time experiencing the coast, we really want to make it special—but we’re all on a tight budget. Does anyone have recommendations for cheap but beautiful beach destinations on the East Coast? We’re open to driving if it saves money, and we’d love tips on affordable lodging (budget hotels, hostels, Airbnbs, or even camping). Any advice on good, low-cost activities or ways to keep food expenses down would also be super helpful! Thanks in advance for any tips! Edit: girlfriends brother is 9 yrs old so children activities are great too!

How can I afford to travel to Russia to meet the woman I love?

Disclaimer: Guys, I'm not asking for advice on whether I should go. I'm doing this, even if it kills me, even if I regret it afterwards. I've already lived through some rough stuff in my life, moving to St Petersburg is a nice adventure by comparison. My dillema is getting there in the first place.

This is 100% real. I’m not asking for donations or sympathy, just advice on how to afford a trip that means everything to me. I know parts of it might sound like some cheesy naive sob story, but I've given it a lot of thought for a long time, and I'm set on my destination.

TL;DR: I (35M) met a Russian woman (33F) in 2020 during the pandemic (32M and 30F respectively), and we fell deeply for each other despite the distance. Life, war, and financial issues kept us from meeting, and we eventually drifted. I can’t let this end without at least meeting her once. I’m determined to travel to St. Petersburg by June 2025 to see her. I work as an interpreter in Buenos Aires, where round-trip tickets cost $3,000, but I only make $1,000 a month and work is tight. I need advice on the best ways to earn/save enough money in time or somesuch Hail-Mary alternatives. I'm pretty desperate and would do almost anything at this point.

Full story:

Back in 2020, I met a Russian lady while playing SwTor (an MMO). It started casually and at first I was naturally cautious about this stranger, but over time, we actually got to know each other quite well and ended up forming a deep connection over months without me realizing it. We spent hours every day talking, sharing our cultures (I’m Venezuelan, was living in Peru from 2018 to 2024), and eventually, we fell into a long-distance relationship. We had video calls every day, complete openness to one another, and an understanding that we wanted to meet in person someday.

But life kept throwing obstacles in the way. I ran into financial struggles and the death of my father back in Venezuela (hadn't seen him in years and couldn't even attend a funeral), and then the war made traveling even harder. The distance wore us down, and eventually, we argued and drifted apart. I regret not doing more to meet her when I had the chance, and I refuse to live with the regret of never even trying.

She’s skeptical that we’ll ever meet, but I know that if I show up, she’ll see me. I’ve even been learning Russian over the last year. I need to prove, to her and to myself, that all this wasn't in vain, that at least I could keep my promise, that I made it possible for us to finally meet after talking so much about it and all the disappointment. Even if nothing else comes of it, at least I'll be able to close that chapter properly and not regret things for the rest of my life.

Here’s the issue: Flights to Saint Petersburg cost around $3,000, and I only make about $1,000 a month. I recently moved to Buenos Aires, and between immigration costs and basic expenses, I haven’t been able to save much. On top of that, an ex-employer still owes me $4,400, which threw me into financial trouble. I tried sending emails to Turkish Airlines (stupid, I know, but again, I'm desperate), and I'm wracking my head every day on how I could actually make this possible now before it's too late.

I’ve thought about side gigs, freelancing, and even crowdfunding, but I need a solid plan to raise the money. I can't ask her to help with this, since this is something I have to do on my own. If necessary, I could meet her in Moscow or Volgodonsk (where her best friend, who's a self-confessed romantic who's rooting for us, always a bad sign, lives), but I still need to afford the trip.

So, Reddit, I am desperate for advice:

• What are the best ways to get $3,000 (or 2.500$, or cheaper tickets!) in the next few months while living in Buenos Aires?
• Any ideas on alternative, cheaper routes to get to Russia?
• Has anyone pulled off something similar before?

I know this might sound crazy, but I’d rather try and fail than live my life wondering what if. Any help or insight would mean the world to me. If I don't do this, I won't have peace.

We have 2 weeks in June and want to go somewhere fun, but flights for a family of 4 (2 kids ages 5 and 12, 2 adults) get pricey pretty quickly. Is there a tool that can show me the cheapest international flights? Sounds obvious, but I haven't found it yet. Or, do folks have recommendations for places to go that are interesting/fun but not super expensive?

i am trying to find some hotels that are clean and decent for her.

i dont know the exact budget, but the lower the better. but no hostels. i would say at most $100-$200/night.

although i live in washington, since i live here, i dont really know what hotels are good or not.

Im looking for information on how to fly to Thailand from Denver as cheaply as possible. Do I make a pit stop in another city or county in order to get a cheaper flight there? I'm completely new to this, so please forgive me if it's a silly question or there is no hard and fast rule.

Idk if this is the right sub, but If I were to cross the Canadian border by foot, car, or train, when they ask me why I'm there, would it be acceptable to say that I'm catching a flight in Canada? Or would that somehow be suspicious or unacceptable?

For example in egypt I sometimes cant be arsed to haggle and just pay the price because a dollar extra for me is nothing. touts, drivers, etc, will upsell me and lie to my face quite often. Love the locals though; people offered to pay for my food and shared food for free and ppl are very welcoming❤️, just hate the touts/ppl try to scam you lol But!!

I hear a take from another traveler that it gives leeway for those people to try keep scamming others and for a higher price. What are your guys' thoughts on it, I feel a bit bad now lol. Although I sort of became a better negotiator/know how to see scams coming out of egypt hahah

Hi y’all, I’m trying to plan a Europe trip that isn’t too costly. I’ll be going in late March (flying out of Chicago), hopefully for around 5-7 days, and bringing my partner. We are an interracial (black + white) lesbian couple, and my partner is considered “visibly queer”/gender-nonconforming, so safety is a primary concern. Because of our safety concerns, hostels are not ideal either. So based on flight cost and safety, these are our possibilities right now:

⁃	Barcelona and/or Madrid
⁃	Milan and/or Venice
⁃	Vienna and/or Budapest
⁃	Lisbon
⁃	Dublin
⁃	Iverness and Edinburgh
⁃	Swiss Alps (fly into Geneva)

Which would be the least costly? I’ve read that Switzerland is very expensive but I’ve found plenty of affordable places to stay in the Alps that are cheaper than places in Italy or Dublin. I’m struggling with narrowing down my list and deciding so I would really appreciate the help!

25M American with elementary English solo traveling CN for the first time!

Let me know what you think -- I intentionally added extra days to parts of the trip for rest since I'm going to many parts of the country.

• Hong Kong - 4 days

• Shenzhen - 1 Day (20min train from HK)

• Guangzhou - 3 Days (1.5hr train from SZ)

• Yunnan Province

• • Dali - 3 Days (3hr flight from GZ)
• • Lijiang - 2 Days (2.5hr train from Dali)
• • Shangri-La + Tiger Leaping Gorge - Day trip

• Chongqing - 3 Days (2hr flight from Lijiang)

• Zhangjiajie - 3 Days (1hr flight from Chongqing)

• Chengdu - 5 Days (2hr flight from Zhangjiajie)

• Xi’an - 4 Days (2hr flight from Chengdu [only on T, Th, Sat])

• Beijing - 5 Days (2.5hr flight from Xi’an)

• Nanjing - 2 Days (3.5hr train from Beijing)

• Hangzhou - 3 Days (1.5hr train from Nanjing)

• Shanghai - 5 Days (1hr train from Hangzhou)

• • Suzhou - Day trip

Would you add or modify anything? :) I go in March!

A few friends and I are going on a trip to japan. It won't be for long maybe 7-10 days at most but I'm just wanting to know how much I should have in savings and how much most of you have spent. I already purchased my plane ticket and passport. I just wanna know how much for accommodation and other iffy things, I wanna be as prepared as possible. Around 4 of us will go so how much should we each save up? If there are any other questions I'll gladly answer

In March I travel to Paris. My trip home to Dallas has 2 separate flights. My flight from Paris connects in Montreal and then lands in Newark. I have a separately booked flight on American from Newark to Dallas.

My flight from Paris lands in Newark at 8:45 pm. My flight to Dallas departs at 5:45. That whole thing makes me tired just thinking about it.

I am trying to decide if it is worth booking a nearby hotel room OR if it is worth staying at the airport all night and trying to hopefully catch ZZZ's there. One issue will be that I will probably have a checked bag, so I'll have to go out to baggage claim when I land from Paris and I am NOT sure if they'll let me back in on the secure side since my flight is not until the next morning.

Anyone have any advice on this ? I mean-- yea I'd love a bed, but by the time I grab an Uber or Lyft and get to a hotel and get checked in - I'm gonna get little sleep when I have to get up very early to be back at the airport for the flight back to Dallas.

I would have chosen a later flight, but this one was chosen for me...... ugh.....

Any more traveled flyers than me on this issue ? I welcome your advice ?

I'm going to travel alone to Europe with my savings and I need 50GB of mobile internet. I have enough money to visit 4 countries, and the fifth will be Germany, where I'm going to meet up with my dad. He's is currently using TooSim and yeah, it's quite cheap for Europe and he's happy with the quality, but is there anything else cheaper? I need a stable provider, since I play several mobile games and I don't want to lose my login rewards

I’m traveling to the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Viernam for around 5,5/6 months. (Only staying in Singapore for like 3 day) I’m planning on just staying in hostels and i’m not on a super cheap budget but I’m definitely not doing luxury backpacking, just the usual. Would €15K be enough?

Thanks :)

I hope to record my journey -- I love trying new foods both on the street and restaurants. But, I want to travel minimalistically and use my Pixel 8 Pro phone.

Anyone tried this before? What accessories are needed? I've heard this:

• Microphone: (like DJI mic 2)
• Gimbal: (like DJI Osmo)
• Tripod: (not sure what's good for this eating purpose)
• Lighting: Maybe portable for food pics or attached to a phone?
• External storage: Or maybe Google Drive upload is better?

Apps?

• What about recording and photo apps? (like FilmicPro or BlackMagic over stock?)

Making life easier?

• Every time you record, do you create folders to organize and make it easier to edit and upload later?

Would love to learn from you -- I would like to do short-form content like Reels, TikTok, or even XiaoHongShu.

Looking to get to Amsterdam from DC March 7th-March 16th. I’m thinking of flying into London and taking a flight from there. Round trip to London im seeing ~850 and ~150 for London -> Amsterdam. Is this the best I can get? Note: trying to avoid long layovers that will cut into travel time.

I’m not certain if this is the appropriate forum for my question, so I welcome any recommendations for a more suitable subreddit. However, I believe that credit card points fall within the shoestring travel category. I’m seeking advice on how to maximize the value of the points I’ve accumulated. Currently, I have 165,000 Amex Cobalt points, which I would like to use for a one-way flight to Southeast Asia in mid-September 2025, departing from either Montreal or Ottawa. I am flexible with the exact location and date, as long as I can find an affordable flight from my destination in Southeast Asia to Indonesia, which is where I plan to start my trip.

I find the process of booking travel with points somewhat confusing, particularly when trying to determine how to get the most value from them. I understand that I can transfer my points to Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio, which seems to be a viable option based on my research. However, I’ve also read that booking business class may provide better value when using points. As this will be my first time booking with points, I want to ensure that I don’t miss out on maximizing their value. I would greatly appreciate any guidance.

Hostel owner who runs a guide service is insisting that I am required to have a guide. I was under the impression that the law requiring foreign trekkers to have a guide is not being enforced? I am doing ABC, Langtang valley and three passes. I understand that hiring a guide gives back to the local economy but I am on a shoestring budget, and if I don’t HAVE to get a guide, then I won’t. Please no unsolicited financial advice or guilt tripping.

I live in Switzerland, the rental prices are incredibly high and the houses are also very old. How much would it cost me to stay in a simple single house with just one room for 3 months in L.A. during the summer season? Prefabricated style things are simple, ergonomic and peaceful. Also, my other question is that I want to visit the beautiful natural deserts of California. How much would a car cost me per day including tax and insurance? Could it be $30-40, for example?

Hey all,

25F taking a gap year starting from June and will be coming back and forth to the UK to take breaks and visit family for a few days - weeks at a time.

I plan to go to the below places, can anyone please give advice on how I can stick within my budget, if it is realistic/possible. My maximum budget is £10k, even better if I could do £8k or below. I am also using working abroad opportunities to cover some expenses (food/accomodation etc.)

• 10 weeks USA work abroad Summer Camp with additional 7-9 days to explore Boston and Rhode Island
• 13 weeks work abroad in 4-5 cities in Australia
• 19-27weeks in SEA or Africa (undecided)

During my breaks, returning to UK, I can find temporary work from retail recruitment agencies if need be.

25M solo from California with elementary mandarin planning my trip.

I'm wondering:

1. I want to see these places, but which cities should I add more days to chill and rest a bit so I'm not exhausted city hopping?
2. What is the optimal route between these cities?
3. How much travel time should I account for?

This is what I have so far:

• Hong Kong: 5D
• Shenzhen: 1D
• Yunnan Province (Kunming, Dali, Lijiang): 5D
• Chengdu: 3D + Jiahaigou: 1D
• Chonqing: 3D
• Zhangjiajie: 2D
• Xi'an: 4D
• Beijing: 4D
• Nanjing: 2D
• Hangzhou: 2D
• Shanghai: 3D
• Fly back to California from SH

That's ~35D, not accounting for travel, I wouldn't mind adding 10 more days to make this plan more restful!

I’ve been thinking about traveling lately. I think whats most important to me with traveling is nature and trying new food. But buying food at a market like fruit, not as much restaurants. I basically want to act like a local for a bit and be in nature haha.

The reason I am thinking of England is because of all of the hidden forests and national conservation parks. Theres so many rate biomes that are overlooked. I’d love to just be in the English rainforests and country side.

I looked into Dartmor and Somerset.

Is England expensive to travel in?

I was thinking costa rica because I prefer warm weather. Also I hear there are many good fruit markets and agricultural efforts here.

Is Costa Rico expensive or unsafe to travel ?