i’m 21f i’m about to graduate college, i want to go to berlin and im crashing with some friends, but the only thing is i dont want to spend a whole lot on air fare, ive already looked at hooper, im flying out of DC and going to berlin… what should i do

American, 41. Traveling since July, doing Workaway/WWOOFing in Western Europe/Greece. Yesterday I injured my back volunteering at an olive harvest in Crete. Looking for recommendations for a country/town that has inexpensive bathhouses with hot (!!) water or sauna, that one can stay for a few hours at a time, to recuperate for a week or two. Would prefer a smaller town as I am not a fan of big cities.

Budget example: ~€25 night accommodation, ~€10 day bathhouse. Flight ~€150, from Greece, (Athens or Heraklion)

Have been considering Bulgaria, Albania, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, the Stans.

Or alternately if you can’t think of recommendations, I’d be interested in relatively warm beaches that are cheap. I’ll be ending up in Tokyo in the next month or so before heading back to the US, so going farther east is an option as well, obviously would be paying more for flights.

Thank you in advance!

Planning to cover multiple cities(mostly small, remote and less known but great Internet), I am Okay with cooking own food and hostel stays? Can someone breakdown costs?

Hey fellow travelers,

My partner and I are excited to share that we're planning our honeymoon trip to Thailand from February 12th to 25th, 2025 (13 nights). We have a budget of $2500 USD specifically for hotel stays and would love some suggestions to help us find the perfect accommodations.

Our itinerary includes:

1. Bangkok (5 nights)
2. Koh Samui (4 nights)
3. Phuket (4 nights)

This trip is especially exciting because it will be my wife's first time traveling out of the country! We're looking for a mix of romantic experiences, adventure, and relaxation.

We’re open to all your recommendations on accommodations to make our honeymoon unforgettable. Your expert advice and experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

Cheers.

I live in the US. I've been to Europe many times, but this is my first time in Greece, and also my first time renting a car anywhere in Europe. I've been paying about 1.8-2.1 euros/liter for unleaded 95 gas, which is about 2x more than what I was paying in the US for similar gas. Is this price normal in other parts of Europe?

Hey guys I’m looking at doing a 3 week trip which goes through

-Amsterdam (5 days)

-Antwerp (~2 days)

-Salzburg (1 week)

-Lisbon (1 week)

I’m budgeting about $3000 Aus all up without including flight to and from Europe. In Amsterdam and Antwerp I’m visiting mainly for the culture, but Portugal and Austria is like to spend more time within nature doing hikes and what not. Does the budget seem reasonable? I’m not apposed to hostels however I would prefer a private room.

What if Austria was swapped with Italy? Specifically up north to still experience mountains.

Thank you for your help

Edit: I was planning to go around spring time, while the weathers good but before the summer rush

Obviously you want something that is not synthetic as then it won't breathe and your face will be all sweaty all night. So probably cotton or silk material. Masks tend to be either padded (insulation is hot) or contoured so your eyelashes don't hit. Any contour shapes are inevitably using synthetic material which doesn't breathe and padded material is insulating, both terrible for hot climates. It's like they assume that everyone is in a climate controlled environment. If you had that you probably wouldn't need the sleeping mask at all because you'd have blackout drapes and a ventilation system! So I'm perplexed. I think the only solution is a really basic, thin, natural fabric mask with no padding and no contour which means it won't keep out the light very well.

I've used high density foam earplugs but they really don't block anything, just reduce noise. If I push them into my ears with my fingers they really do block out most everything but that's using a lot of pressure. Is there any other design that really works for noise? I found wax earplugs fall out but they seem to give a better seal than foam. I haven't tried them in many years so maybe they've improved?

Long ago I used to leave valuables with the hotel desk but it was a hassle as everything had to be itemized. I don't want to spend much on hotel rooms as I'll almost never be there. So what do you do in cheap hotels? Nobody wants to lug around a laptop if they go to the beach in a hot country. Plus you don't want to be carrying valuables when you don't need them. And surely cheap hotels don't have room safes.

It got terrible reviews as well. Is it better to pay in person? Maybe offer cash? I notice many don't have phone numbers on the Trip Advisor /Booking/Hotels.com pages. Maybe this is a stipulation of the website so the traveler just hopes for the best and books online not really knowing what it will be like? So often people remark how the place looked nothing like the rooms. When I've traveled extensively before I never, ever paid for a room without viewing it first. That just seemed insane.

Hi!

Finalizing my plan!

Q1) Anything I need to book in advance for attractions in Istnabul?
Q2) Is it worth paying to go inside Galata, Dolmabahçe  Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace and  Yildiz Palace? I realy like history! but I'm not sure if it's worth paying for after visiting the main attractions like Hagia, Blue Mosque, Topkaki, etc.

Thank you!

I’ve never flown to London/UK, so it’s pretty hard for me to gauge whether or not I’m getting a good deal on prices. Just for some background info, I plan on flying from MCO to LGW from June 30th - July 8th (dates fluctuating). Right now a Norse round trip is $667, with other dates between $690-$720. When I first started looking 2 months ago, flights were at $835. For anyone who has flown there around the time I have my dates for, should I book soon or should I still expect for prices to drop? And does anyone know of any other flight pricing tools? I use hopper and google flights, I’ve heard of sky scanner but haven’t really used it.

I've been thinking about traveling for a while, after hearing some coworkers bragging about their trips. I've got some money saved up, and I wanna spend at least 5 days somewhere cheap but great.

I'm thinking South East Asia, but please recommend any place. I'm looking for experiences that made you feel like you were getting away with something because the value was so incredible.

Hi everyone!! My fiance and I decided we want to go to Africa for our honeymoon to see beautiful beaches and wildlife and are trying to figure out the best options. I don't know what our exact budget will be yet.. Obviously the cheaper the better but it is our honeymoon, so probably spend slightly more on this than a standard trip. Maybe around $10k all in? Is that considered shoestring if we want to be gone for at least 2 weeks and make the most of it! We get married in March of 2025 and are looking at going anytime next summer. We are both pretty flexible.

We are thinking of this trip so far in 3 different parts-

Part 1 is relaxing beach time. I absolutely LOVE snorkeling and seeing marine life so I would want to be where that is easily accessible. But we would happily take some excursions too. I've heard Seychelles is more expensive than Zanzibar? Is it worth it? We want somewhere relaxing and beautiful where we can see beautiful blue water and marine life so maybe there are other places we aren't looking into. We wouldn't mind having some night life but also not opposed to this being more about relaxing and seeing the underwater world.

Part 2 is Safari. Since it is our honeymoon I know there should be a relaxing aspect to it and I have seen the instagram posts with pools overlooking the nature reserves... and while that would be amazing, is it worth it? I'm not afraid to get a little dirty to see as many animals as I can up close in their natural habitat. It looks like if we are coming from Seychelles/Zanzibar that Tanzania is the closest for Safaris and from my minimal research it looks like thats a good option. But open to other suggestions!

Lastly for part 3 we are thinking Cape Town. Cage diving with Great Whites has always been on our bucket list. So we want to make sure we get to do that. As well as see some penguins on the beach. But now that all the wildlife has been taken care of, we also want to explore the nightlife here! Try the food and go to fun bars. If this is the last stop on the trip we want to go out with a bang.

Hoping to get some good recommendations of places to go and how to divvy up the trip the best way possible. Thank you in advance!!

We have a travel plan for Peru this December. We would like to make it to the jungle for 3D 2N but timing wise and money wise we can really only afford that amount of time.

This would be with Chuncho Lodge or Corto Maltes.

The reservation against going is the cost per time. Essentially day 1 and 3 are half days at best but do include some wildlife. Also somewhat worried about only basically being there for one day and being limited due to weather.

Does it make sense to do this or would we be better off doing the jungle another time and spending more time somewhere like Arequippa, Sacred Valley Area, or northern Peru?

Hello Helloo.. So i am wanting to take my first ever out of country trip, would like to go for my birthday(march 30th) so I was thinking leaving out on March 27 and come back like on April 2. Originally I wanted to go to Barcelona and nothing wrong with that but I was wanting to know more cost effective travel, I was looking for a sunny area maybe with a beach, its spring so I like a sunny vibrant area. I am a college student and this is the last travel i would be able to do before i start my nursing program so this travel is important to me. I would be leaving out from Little Rock, AR. I was wanting to spend like 500-700 on roundtrip ticket and about 500-700 also in lodging. Is this realistic and what are some ideas you guys may have for me. I am open to all you guys feedback,thanks :)

I am planning a trip through Poland for a month with only 1k-1.2k eur as a budget. Is it feasible? I obviously know it's a small budget and I'll keep that in mind during my trip. My idea is to stay in hostels and cook for myself/eat in bar mleczny/eat kebabs. Anyway, I wouldn't like to feel like I am super money restricted and that if I go out one night I won't be able to eat the next day.

The cities I have in mind are Gdansk, Warszawa, Poznan, Gorzow, Zielona Gora, Wroclaw and Krakow. I'd also like to spend 3-4 days in Belarus, in Minsk and in the village where my ancestors come from.

Hi

Are there specific banks that we should use for the lowest amount of transaction fees?

I'll be visiting Cairo, Luxor, Aswan

Thanks!

My roommate and I are planning a trip to Europe this May/June for 4 weeks and are trying to find the best route for Italy, south of France, Spain and potentially Portugal. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Ideally it would be a circular route so we could book round trip

hi! i'm from vancouver, canada. it's been my dream for my whole life to travel as i've never left the country due to the cost and reoccurring health issues.

i'm turning 19 in january and am considering asking for only money from friends and family to save up for a trip to finland with my mom, either in the spring or summer. i'd love to visit naantali (moominworld) as well as helsinki. i would also like to check out sweden if possible!

i'm completely clueless as to how much this trip would cost. does anyone have an idea of a MINIMUM estimate for flight, transit, food and a place to stay? would it be cheaper to stay in finland or sweden? and is spring/summer a more or less affordable time to visit compared to the colder months?

we're fine staying in a hostel or something similar (i'm a camper!) not big foodies so cheap meals are fine. would love to do some shopping in naantali and stockholm though, so of course adding that to the cost.

thanks for any help! if i'm in the wrong sub please feel free to direct me elsewhere.

Have you been offered free shots or drinks by the staff while traveling? Did you always say yes?

If it hasn't happened yet... would you accept or decline? Why?

Been at this since this past Saturday but can't come up with anything cheap than $1500 that'll avoid US. Reason to avoiding US is one of us doesn't have a US visa and hence, can't transit via US.

Hard facts:

1. We are planning to travel for at a minimum, 2 weeks between Jan 8 - 31st 2025.
2. It cannot be beyond Jan 31st due to school and it can't be more than 17 days due to work for one person.
3. Cannot be via US because of visa.

Itinerary 1:

Leave and return to Bogota (within the aforementioned 17 days). In between, we'd like to travel to Lisbon, Zagreb, Rome and Ljubljana. The order for this in between Itinerary doesn't matter

Itinerary 2:

Leave Bogota but return to Cali, Colombia (within the aforementioned 17 days). In between, we'd like to travel to Lisbon, Zagreb, Rome and Ljubljana. The order for this in between Itinerary doesn't matter

Itinerary 3:

Leave and return to Cali (within the aforementioned 17 days). In between, we'd like to travel to Lisbon, Zagreb, Rome and Ljubljana. The order for this in between itinerary doesn't matter.

Please help

I work retail and in anticipation for the holiday lockdown period (20th-31st of December), I'm taking the 17th-19th of December off in order to get a little me-time. I originally just considered getting a small airbnb cabin near Traverse City (I live in Detroit and could drive) and enjoying some peace and quiet, maybe going into town, but I wanted to think of something more ambitious.

I was wondering where my absolute best options might be to travel somewhere in or even outside but near the US for 3-4 days (possibly departing the evening of the 16th and arriving back late on the 19th or very early on the 20th, either by plane or car), solo, and in mid December. I figured one of the national parks out west would be cool, like Zion or something, but the one thing that I've wanted to see the longest are some real mountains, like something part of the Rockies. I just don't know what the feasibility or the intelligence between doing a trip like that this time of year would be, and wonder if I should save it for next spring/summer instead.

I want to maximize my itinerary since its such a short period of time but also not go broke doing it either, and I'm curious about the logistics when it comes to car rentals or anything like that (I'm 24 if it matters).

TLDR basically, what would the best national parks to visit be in mid December (mountains ever so slightly preferred but I'm open to all of it).

Hey, maybe somebody is able to help. I have to get to Noumea, New Caledonia between 26 of December to 30 of December of this year on a one-way for an internship. Have been too late booking flights and now can’t find any for less than 1400€. Would be super grateful for help!!!

hey all! my partner and I are deviating from our spring break travel group for the first time this year and are planning on traveling to europe together this March. as almost-college graduates, we are certainly working on a budget, but are looking to spend 6-7 days somewhere warm(ish). we've found pretty cheap flights (thank you skyscanner) to several different destinations, so airfare shouldn't be a huge concern, but I know hotel prices vary drastically across the continent so are trying to keep that in mind.

we're looking for some sun, maybe a beach or two, but are prioritizing places with rich history/culture, walkability, cheap food/booze, good live music, and if possible, not EXTREME spring break crowds. we can handle some noise, we're young, but are looking for as laid-back of an environment as possible for mid march. think college spring break for two mildly anxious, very easily impressed individuals.

we've gone to germany, ireland, and austria in the past (bavaria was our favorite), so would prefer not to repeat. any and all suggestions welcome!

EDIT: budget is ideally under $500 round trip for flights (which we have found many of) and around $100 for lodging each night (if possible- flexible but the cheaper the better)

My mom and I are looking at going to Europe in the beginning of September next year. Neither one of us have been out of the US and my mom is more or less putting me in charge of the itinerary. My dream has always been to travel the world and now that I finally have a real chance to do it I’m feeling a little overwhelmed. We are looking to be there 10-14 days and it’s looking like Paris will be the city we fly in and out of. As someone who is from a land locked state in the US and has only been to the ocean once I really want to hit the Mediterranean. My mom would like to go to Switzerland, and I threw out the idea of going from Paris to the the south of France, exploring that for a few days and then working our way to Switzerland through Milan/ northern Italy. I have also heard that traveling to cities and countries just to say you’ve been to them is a bad way to travel; which makes sense to me, but on the other hand not knowing when I’ll get the chance to go back to Europe I want to go too as many countries as I can. I guess I’m just asking for advice about feeling overwhelmed and what people did to combat the feeling of potentially missing out on countries or cities. Also anyone that has experience with the train somewhere along that possible itinerary I mentioned I would love to hear and advise or recommend people have.

THANKS!!

Hello!

I'd love to immigrate abroad but I wouldn't move to another country sight unseen ever again (that worked only once out of 4 moves so I'd rather do scoping trips).

I love animals and traveling so I wonder if maybe I can unite my two passions and look after people's pets while I get a feel of a country as a way to save on hotels/hostels?

Does someone here house/pet sit abroad? Is it easy to land a house sitting gig in the EU as an EU citizen, say a few months in advance? What if they cancel on you?

I really think walking around with a dog would tell me more about a city than walking alone. Many local people open up easier when you're walking a dog. Also, it will show me how people react to you walking a pet, whether there are suitable parks available, etc. I wouldn't even take a job in some countries that are known to have lots of aggressive feral dogs but honestly I'm not interested in visiting such places anyway. For me societies that let dogs live on the streets and throw them away just like that are not healthy ones, even if the COL is low.

In fact someone in my home country and city (Sofia, Bulgaria) was killed by a pack of feral dogs and this tells me my country isn't a good place to live in, with or without pets. Oh and often small dogs get killed by larger dogs here. Just in the past few months one Yorkie was killed and another one got seriously injured by someone's large dog wandering around without a leash.

And that's one of the many problems, there's also bad healthcare, unreliable public transport (if you live in the suburbs of the city so you have to use a car), it's the country with the most car fatalities in the EU, toxic work environments are the norm, etc.

Anyway, as I will most likely scope the places alone looking after a pet I won't be lonely. Heck, even if it's not a dog but a cat or rabbit walking alone outside would be less of a downer knowing I will go back to a fur baby. I've also thought about things like Workaway or farm stays but they're all far away from the cities and you need a car for them. Has anyone done pet/house sitting abroad and used that as a scoping trip of a culture?

((Now this will be pretty annoying to read and is more on the advice side of things, i apologize if this is off topic)) I found this subreddit by watching Endventure, I just found him after months of struggling to come up with a good plan for my future, his videos mean a lot to me. I'm in a tough spot right now, I want to and dreamed of just being independent at the age of 20, although that is not normal for a Korean (both parents are Korean) as most of my middle and high school I grew up with a American philosophy/educational system and was a international student for most of my life. I am going to be 19 next year but I graduated just 5 months ago, all my friends are at some super expensive college their rich parents pay for. And I hated the idea of going to college ever since my parents brought it up. I also don't have much friends around me and a solid base of part time job experience.

I like to cook, write, read, exercise, and most anticipate traveling. Thats what I want to do...straight up. I applied to korean unis just because I was told to after my parents struggled to come up with a solution because that is their only solution. I don't want my fate to be someone else's wishes conversely mine just thrown in the gutter. I still cant fathom traveling alone all of a sudden with no experience since in Asia most ppl just live with their parents till like their mid 20s WHICH I ABSOLUTLEY DO NOT WANT TO DO. Doomsday is getting closer as I type, I also need to take this stupid test to go to Australia which I anticipated because while all of my mates were submitting applications my parents told me to wait just for me to go ahead and apply to australia for a nursing degree to become a paramedic. The obvious problem is the price and the idea of my parents just supporting all that dough, IF i manage to even get a acaceptance letter, rn i have a conditional offer.

I already have a bad relationship with them and dont want any of their support. THey want to control the path of my life (which i think is fair since they want the "best" for me) and do not want to to go on further I have big dreams and adventure makes me happy. I just need to make my own decisions now. I live in Korea at their house alone (mom occasionally visits) and I just feel so stuck with just 600 bucks and no friends around the idea of just traveling scares me. I need to get out of this shithole of a situation and need some air to breathe like I hope santa comes by chrismas and tells me to hop in his sleigh so I can get out lol. I can be socially awkward or awkwardly social at times but most of me is introverted...I think maybe. I don't even know if anybody is going to read this comment but if you do I appreciate it making it this far. I have no idea what to start doing and even this post itself is contradicting since I want someone else to lead the future of my life or maybe it isnt....idk anymore

Hi all, I'm planning a trip to Azerbaijan and would love your thoughts on my itinerary, especially regarding how much time to spend in Sheki and Gabala. I’ve created an itinerary, but I’m unsure whether I’m spending enough time or too much time in some places, or if I should adjust my plans.

Itinerary Overview:

March 29th (Day 1) - Baku: Arrival at 14:35. I’ll head straight to the funicular up to Highland Park to see the Flame Towers at night, and then enjoy a traditional Azeri dinner. Afterward, I'll rest up for the night.

March 30th (Day 2) -hire a private driver to take me to Shamaki, Lahich, and Gabala: I’ll visit the Diri Baba Mausoleum, Jame Mosque, and Yeddi Gumbez in Shamaki. Then, drive to Lahich (either staying in Lahich or Ismaili depending on where I sleep). If I stay in Ismaili, it’s about 4 hours in the car, but if I stay in Lahich, it’s about 3 hours.

March 31st (Day 3) - Drive to Tufandag Resort in Gabala, take the cable car, see Nohur Lake, then head to my hotel in Sheki (about 3 hours in the car). Spend the evening chilling in the old town of Sheki. Ask driver to leave me here and drive back to Baku himself.

April 1st (Day 4) - In the morning, I plan to visit Kis Village (30 mins each way). Afterward, I’ll return to Sheki to visit the Sheki Khan Palace, Karavansaray, the Street of Sweets and Potteries, and possibly the Botanical Garden. I’ll spend my second night in Sheki.

April 2nd (Day 5) - Either head directly to Baku (4.5 hours) or stop in Quba (6 hours drive). If I go to Quba, I’m thinking of exploring the Red Village and would love recommendations for other things to do around there. I’ll either spend the night in Quba or Baku (depending on timing).

April 3rd (Day 6) - I’m considering visiting Shahdag Winter Resort (45 mins from Quba), where I’ll try the cable car, alpine coaster, and other activities. However, I’m also interested in Xinaliq Village (it’s 2 hours from Shahdag and 1 hour 20 mins from Quba), though I know it’s not the best of time of year to visit. Between Shahdag and Xinaliq what do you recommend?

April 4th (Day 7) - In Baku, I’ll visit the Carpet Museum, Little Venice, Boulevard, the Old City, and Nizami Street. I’d also like to catch an Islamic opera at the opera house, if possible.

April 5th (Day 8) - On my last day, I’ll use the morning to catch anything I missed in Baku before my flight at 16:30.

Questions for the Community:

1)Sheki & Gabala: Do you think I'm spending enough time in Sheki and Gabala, or should I add more or less time in these locations? 2) Quba & Shahdag: Once I am back in baku on day 5 via bus. Should I spend Day 5 driving to Quba via private driver and then head to Shahdag Resort, or would it be better to spend those days in Baku instead? Is visiting both Shahdag Resort and Xinaliq in one day feasible, or should I stick to just one of them?

General Feedback: Anything else I should consider, especially in terms of travel time between cities or activity suggestions? I am not interested in the trips to the petroglyphs, mud volcanos or burning mountain. Thanks in advance for your help!

Hey!! I was wondering how I could find more affordable lodging when visiting somewhere. It doesn’t have to be glamorous just like, safe? I’m looking to visit a close friend (who unfortunately cant host me cause shes in a dorm) for a few days, and I already have some cheap flights lined up, I just cannot manage to find anything reasonably priced except for maybe a motel 6 for $50 a night. I’ll also be going somewhere alone for the first time so I don’t want to worry about the place I’m staying being super sketchy.

I’m a 33M planning a solo backpacking trip starting from Vienna on December 14th for about 1.5 weeks. The catch? I haven’t decided on the exact itinerary yet, so it’s a “go with the flow” kind of adventure! 😂

I’ll mainly be relying on Ryanair flights or trains to hop around, staying in hostels, and keeping things fun but budget friendly. If anyone’s got plans and wouldn’t mind a tagalong, let me know! Or if you’re like me and love spontaneous travel vibes, feel free to join the ride.

The trip will be all about enjoying new places, getting into the Christmas sprits! If this sounds like your kind of vibe, hit me up!