What is a Realistic Budget for Traveling?

One you can afford – seriously. 

Look at how much you earn. What can you put aside for a trip? What are you prepared to sacrifice to make your trip a reality? Maybe you’ve been saving for a while and have a few thousand dollars in the bank. You do? Great. Well that’s your realistic budget. If you want to fly to Europe tomorrow and you only have ten dollars in the bank then you are not being realistic. But it might be enough to get you in to the local museum for a few hours escape.

When you are setting your budget, be practical. Everyone has different needs for their travel experience and if your travel plans include overseas flights, you will need to budget accordingly. Sure you can find great deals and get there cheaper than you might have expected, but make sure you have enough money in your budget to not only get you there but to travel around, find a place to sleep, oh and have enough money to be able to eat! 

So how do you go about setting a budget? Following these steps might help:

1. Draw up a table with two columns.

2. Column A is for Expense Items. Column B is for Approximate Costs.

3. In column A write down all the things you can think of that will cost you money while traveling. These might include: air flights, car hire/fuel allowance, travel passes, sight-seeing tours, accommodation, food, insurance, immunizations, and

Great Guides to Help You Plan Your Travel Budget

There are literally hundreds of guides on budget travel to be found on the Internet and in bookstores. Some are useful, some are not. It really depends on what you want and where you are going. Many web sites offer email subscriptions and regular updates on where the best deals are. So how do you decide which ones are the most useful? A lot of the sites are confusing, so how do you find the ones that are going to give you the information you need?

Online bookstores have sections on travel guides. Try Amazon or specialty travel book stores like the Globe Corner Bookstores. They have an amazing array of guide books for the traveler on a budget. The most important thing to keep in mind about published guidebooks is that once the information is printed, it is probably out of date. Although most of them are updated annually, you cannot take what is written as set in stone. Internet guides are preferable in this area because their information is updated sometimes on a daily basis so all the deals on offer are available when you see them.

The best guides seem to be the ones that give you specific information on either your choice of destination or the type of holiday you will be taking (family vacation, backpacking, students, seniors, etc). There are the well known guide books/web sites like The Lonely Planet that will give you information on just about every destination you can think of. Or you can contact the

Student Discounts and Other Travel Deals

Being a poor student doesn’t mean you have to put your travel plans on hold. In fact traveling as a student, whether it be at home or abroad, can be done on a small budget as there are many deals there for you to take advantage of.

Use the fact that you are a student to get discounts. Before you go traveling get yourself a student discount card and use it. The ISIC (International Student Identity Card) will get you concessions on tourist attractions, food and shopping among other things. This card is for any student regardless of age or for youth aged between twelve and twenty six and can be used in over one hundred countries. This student discount card comes complete with an international phone card and a voice mail account. This ensures you can be contacted while traveling.

There is also the International Student Exchange Card (ISEC) which gives travel discounts across the globe. Discounts can be as much as fifty percent on such things as museums, movies, transport options and accommodation. Not only will this card save you a lot of money while traveling, it also provides other benefits including assistance with medical expenses and evacuation fees if caught in a disaster. You also have access to toll free emergency phone service world wide should you need help in urgent situations. The ISE card will also provide you with airline bankruptcy protection. If you book

Visit Your ‘sister City’ for Economical Traveling

What is a ‘sister city’ and how can you travel to one on a budget? 

 

A number of cities all over the globe have adopted a sister city in another part of the world to promote greater understanding, among other things, between the two cities and their nations. The sister city ‘movement’ began at the end of World War II and was instigated by America.

 

Participating cities aim to develop friendships and foster relationships between their chosen sister cities (some cities have more than one sister) and to encourage peace and understanding between nations. This is done in a number of ways – encouraging business and economic relationships through trade and technology, stimulate cultural and creative networks, develop partnerships between cities and countries and to provide the opportunity for sister city citizens to experience other cultures through travel.

 

Traveling to your sister city may be something you wish to do and it can be done at relatively low cost if you are able to become part of an exchange program. Cultural exchanges between sister cities are generally paid for by your home town. Some cities select students to travel to their sister city for a period of time, (it could be weeks or months) and pay all expenses. If you are a student, investigate what opportunities are available for this type of travel.

Could You Work in a Foreign Country to Pay for Travel?

Of course you could! There are plenty of opportunities for travelers who want to work overseas especially if you speak English or better yet, are bilingual. But to work abroad there are some things to consider before you go.

1. Find out if Americans can work in the country you intend to travel to. Not all countries allow foreigners to work there while they are visiting.

2. Get a work permit. This documentation is different from your passport or visa. You can organize a work permit before you leave home or once you arrive in the country you want to work in. This will depend on where you intend to work. 

3. If you are a traveling student, it may be easier to get work through a student work exchange plan. Or you may even be able to organize a transfer through your company to work abroad. If so, all the leg work will be done for you.

4. If you have a particular job in mind, in a particular country, then you will need to do some research and contact potential employers before you go. If you do find someone wishing to employ you before you leave on your travels, get them to send you a letter stating the employment offer with a copy to their respective government. You will then be issued with a work permit for that country.

5. Consider working as a volunteer on your travels. Volunteer organizations are looking for helpers to assist with programs all over the world. You will be paid by