I don’t know about you, but I often find myself looking at my old travel photos, wishing I could go back and re-explore places that I’ve already been.

But with a world as big and as diverse as this, should we visit places we’ve already been? Or do somewhere entirely new?

Let me tell you why I LOVE revisiting places that I’ve already been.

There’s Always Something New

The place has changed, you’ve changed, and there’s no way you’ve done and seen it all when you’ve visited before. I love keeping up with blogs and Instagram pages so that I can make a list for the next time I visit a place!

There were so many things we missed doing on our honeymoon in 2015, I can’t wait to get back and explore London and Paris again. 

No Pressure

If you’re visiting for the second, third or tenth time, there’s likely no pressure to visit all of the main attractions, as you’ve probably done them before.

It can be more relaxing because you can take things at a slower pace. You can take in some of your favourite spots, without feeling like you need to do everything.

I feel this way about New York City, we’ve visited 3 times, and will definitely go again. I don’t feel like doing all of the tourist things, which gives us more time to explore and wander.

Less Planning

Now I LOVE travel planning, it gives me so much to look forward to while I’m not traveling, but it is a lot of work and can be time consuming.

When you visit somewhere again and again, you don’t need to plan as much! There’s not the same amount of research as there is when you are planning a trip to a brand new destination. 

Although Disney still involves a lot of planning, because we’ve been often, it’s not AS MUCH work as it would be.

There’s something comforting about showing up at your favourite place and you know where all your favourite restaurants are, and where to find the GOOD bathrooms (at Disney especially!)

Explore Off The Beaten Path

When you’re visiting destinations that are high on a lot of peoples wish lists, there’s always a beaten path where most people go. Personally I love the beaten path; it’s well worn, it’s usually accessible to tourists and I love seeing the places that I’ve been dreaming about.

However when you’re on a return trip, you can get a little (or a lot) off the beaten path to see what else is out there. 

After visiting Iceland for a second time, and staying only on the beaten path, I’m very much looking forward to the day that I make a third trip, and we plan to get out of Reykjavik to explore more! 

Final Thoughts

When you choose to return to your old favourites again and again, you get to explore the place a little deeper, maybe you fall in love with a place all over again, or maybe you get it out of your system and you feel ready to see somewhere new!

How do you feel about re-exploring your fav places?

Now more than ever, people are taking road trips. With the current pandemic and air travel being severely reduced, people are looking into local travel and road trips to fulfill their travel desires.

I’ll be honest, I’ve usually overlooked road trips in favor of further away destinations. We’ve also had some disastrous road trips that have deterred me from planning more. Here’s what not to do on a road trip and how you can learn from my mistakes, and have a safe and enjoyable road trip!

Don’t Break Down – Make Sure Your Car Is In Good Condition

No one likes to break down. Before any roadtrip make sure that you don’t need an oil change, and make sure you’re topped up on things like windshield washer fluid. Of course you should be keeping up on car maintenance in general, but it’s especially important when you’re going to be far from home.

Also, have a plan if you do break down! We ended up on the side of the highway 3 hours from home with no idea of what to do. 

Don’t Get Hangry – Pack Snacks and Water

Hangry passengers and drivers are no fun. Packing car snacks and drinks means you won’t have to stop every time someone is hungry or thirsty. We also usually travel with our dog, so having water for her is essential too. 

Although my friend Hannah says you can have TOO MANY snacks. Check out how she’s simplified and perfected the road trip with kids!

Don’t Fall Asleep At The Wheel – Plan Rest Stops

If you plan to drive for 12 hours straight you will get burnt out. Plan where you will stop and rest, get out for a walk and switch drivers if possible. 

Don’t Run Out Of Gas – Get Gas Before You Need It

Thankfully I’ve never actually done this, but running out of gas would be a disaster! Make sure to get gas before you get close to empty so that you don’t run out. There are plenty of places where gas stations can be few and far between.

One time we almost ran out of gas driving from Grand Marais to Thunder Bay… my best friend “knows her car” and we didn’t… but I was nervous!!

Don’t Get Lost – Have a Map and GPS

Guilty! We’ve gotten lost a few more times than I care to admit. Don’t be like us, take a GPS and a map with you if you’re going to an unfamiliar area. Just a GPS or your phone is great, but if it dies, having a paper map is a good back-up plan. 

Don’t Be A Schedule Fanatic – Plan For Changes

No one likes a schedule stickler. It’s great to get where you are going but plan to stop wherever you see something fun on the side of the road! A scenic look-off or a fun photo-op can break up the drive and make your trip more memorable.

Don’t Be A Fun Hater – Have Fun!

You know the saying; getting there is half the fun! Pack some car games, play eye-spy, tell jokes, and singalong to your favourite songs! 

Final Thoughts

I’ll admit to being in a hurry on road trips, and not preparing adequately. Since road trips may become more frequent for us, I plan to use these tips to plan a better road trip! What about you? Are you a road trip lover?

Planning a road trip because you have a fear of flying? Here’s how I deal with my flying anxiety!

I always recommend paying for your vacation before you leave home. Why? Because no one likes to be stressed out about that credit card bill when you come back! 

We always remember the big expenses like plane tickets, hotels and car rentals, but there are so many smaller expenses that people forget to budget for (myself included). Here are some of the overlooked costs of traveling so you don’t forget to budget for them on your next trip.

Airport Parking / Cab To & From The Airport

I always always forget to factor this into my travel budget. As we tend to book the earliest flight possible, usually we are headed to the airport at 3am! We don’t like to ask friends or family to drive us that early so we usually drive ourselves and park at the airport. Well of course that costs money! 

Also don’t forget about the uber or cab from the airport at your destination to your hotel.Even if you are taking a $20 Uber to or from the airport, don’t forget to add that to your budget!

Public Transportation & Parking

If you’re using the local public transportation to get around, don’t forget to factor in the cost of those trips. Also look at whether or not you should get an unlimited use card or a pay per ride card!

If you’re renting a car, you may have to pay for parking either at your hotel or while you are out sightseeing. Make sure you have change for the parking meters!

Resort Fees

When looking for hotels I always consider the price, location, amenities, and reviews, I often forget to look if there are any hidden fees. A lot of hotels, especially in popular tourist destinations like Las Vegas and Niagara Falls, charge a “resort fee” per night. 

It could be as much as $20-$40 extra per night! Make sure to read the fine print when you are booking and factor resort fees into your budget.

Also make sure you use all the amenities to make those resort fees worth it!

Tips

I am notoriously bad at budgeting for food, but tips are often an overlooked travel cost. It of course depends on where you are traveling. In Canada and the USA you’ll be tipping a lot more than European countries for example. 

To be safe, budget an extra 15-20% for your food budget, and if you don’t use it, that’s great!

Snacks

On the topic of food, Don’t forget about all the snacks you’ll want to eat. Those little $3-$5 expenses can add up! 

I’m a big fan of eating the local food, so I don’t suggest missing out on all the delicious things you can get. 

Learn how to Save Money On Travel In This Podcast Episode

Cell Phone Fees

If you are leaving your home country and want to keep in touch back home, that may mean a cell phone plan or getting a local SIM card or calling card. 

I know personally my cell phone plan allows me to use my phone like normal for an extra $7-$10 a day. It’s an expense easily overlooked!

Foreign Transaction Fees

Don’t forget whenever you use your credit card you may have foreign transaction fees if you are out of your home country. Same goes for using bank machines/ ATMs. Before you leave home, find out if your bank has any affiliates in the country you will be in to avoid unnecessary fees.

Travel Visas

Depending on where you are from and where you are going to may need a tourist visa to enter the country. Normally you will have to apply for these before you even leave for your trip. Always look at your destination ahead of time to see what entry requirements are in place! You don’t want to make it to their airport only to get detained or turned around. 

Baggage Fees

Oh the dreaded baggage fees. The reason why we try to stuff everything we want to bring into a tiny carry on bag. My husband and I usually try to share 1 suitcase so we’re only paying for one.

Check out my post on how to pack efficiently! 

Departure Fees

Yes, it’s true, some countries charge you a fee to leave. Sometimes called “departure tax” it may be included in your flight tickets but it may not be. Always do your research.

Travel Insurance

If our current situation has taught us anything, it’s “expect the unexpected”. We will always have travel insurance now! 

Pet Or House Sitting

If you have pets, or even some plants that need watering, don’t forget to include kennel or pet /house sitting expenses into your budget. You may be lucky and have a friend or family member willing to do it for free, but maybe you should budget in getting them a fun souvenir, or at least a bottle of wine when you get home.

Final Thoughts

There you have it! When you’re planning your next trip, make sure to have a look at this list so you don’t forget to budget for anything.

Although, I do recommend having some wiggle room in your budget, you never know when you might stumble onto something truly fun! 

Let me know if you think I’ve overlooked any overlooked travel costs

Narrow Down An Area By Looking At What We Want To Do

The area you stay in can make or break a trip in my opinion. Some people will choose a hotel based on price and not based on where it is. It is why people stay in New Jersey and spend half of their vacation to New York on public transport. I start by looking at what we want to do when we are visiting a city. If most of the things are in one general area I start looking for a hotel close by. I also look at public transportation options and whether or not it is accessible from our preferred area. 

Choose A Budget

This is of course the hard part. We typically don’t spend much time at hotels because we are out exploring! A budget depends on how much you have to spend, and where you are traveling. For example I could not find a hotel in Miami or Fort Lauderdale for less than $200 a night, so your budget needs to be at least that much!

Pick A Hotel

I like to use websites like Hotels.com to explore all the hotels in my preferred area. I make a list of ones that interest me and compare. If I can find one that includes breakfast it’s almost always an automatic winner! Consider things like parking (paid or free, or if unavailable) if you have a car with you, whether or not you have a kitchen or fridge or microwave or coffee maker in the room. Sometimes a pool is important to me and sometimes it is not. It all depends on your travel party and what you are planning to do on this vacation! 

If nothing in my preferred area we will have to decide if we will up the budget or choose a different location. This happened on our recent trip to Toronto. We ended up booking a little bit further away (but within walking distance) from where we wanted to be. It turned out fine!

Read Reviews

The next step of picking hotels is reading reviews. I Google the hotel to read reviews from bloggers or other people who have stayed there, sometimes there is even a YouTube video tour! I am sure it has saved me from staying somewhere less than ideal in the past. 

Repeat If Necessary

If all the hotels on your favorite list have not so great reviews I would probably start again and maybe up my budget a little bit. It is important to me to stay somewhere where I feel safe, comfortable and have easy access to exploring!

 Final Thoughts

Everyone has different opinions on staying at hotels vs Airbnb vs hostel, etc. It is all up to you and your travel style. I personally usually opt for a hotel but we have used Airbnb in the past. Hope this helps you choose the right hotel for your next adventure!

Monthly Budgeting & Sinking Funds

It should be no surprise by now that I am a big fan of monthly budgeting and sinking funds to save for travelling. Building saving for travel into your budget will help you travel more often because you’re always saving for your next trip. Set up an automatic transfer to a high interest savings account so you can’t access it with your debit card, which will help the urge to spend it on an unplanned purchase.

How much you save per month will depend on how much you can afford to save. The zero-based budgeting method gives every dollar you earn a “job” by allocating it to either paying bills, saving or daily expenses. If you don’t have much room in your budget for saving then I would recommend looking at your spending and adjusting your priorities. If you spend $50 every weekend going out to eat, but then say you have no money to travel, that is a priority problem, not a money problem!

Jenn

Travel Off Peak

Being a family of four with a love of travel means we need to travel smart in order to save money/travel more. We also live in Melbourne. A great city yes (and I don’t see us ever moving) but to get anywhere it means a long, generally expensive flight.

Travelling off peak is a great way to save money on your travels. Of course, if you are looking to book a tropical beach escape then booking during the middle of the monsoon season is not the smartest choice; but you can still travel just outside the peak periods for a significant saving.

Travelling during the off peak season can mean cheaper flights, cheaper accommodation and a chance to see your chosen destination without the crowds.

We saved thousands on a family holiday to Thailand by travelling just before the peak season started. All we had to do was change our dates by two weeks. Two weeks earlier in the season is not going to make a huge difference to your weather. Weather can be unpredictable at any time of the year anyway. By simply rejigging your itinerary by a few days you can end up saving loads of money.

The weather cycle is not the only thing to consider when looking at travelling in the off peak season. You should also look into the various school holidays, public holidays and festivals on during this time. It is generally always cheaper to travel outside of these events.

Travelling during the off peak season can also give you more flexibility and cost savings whilst at your destination. Transportation such as buses and trains could book up months in advance during the busy season at a premium cost, but during the off season you may be able to pick up last minute deals at the time that suits you best.

Being wary of peak seasons and low seasons is a sure fire way to save yourself some money when traveling and help you travel more!

Amber, Hill Tribe Travels

Little Savings Add Up

Travel together: It’s best thought of as a perk or a side benefit, but traveling with a partner (spouse, BFF, whatever) means each of you pays a bit less. Two couples in the same place? As long as it’s big enough, even better!

Go grocery shopping: Even for tourist trips of less than a week, eat at home more often than eating out. This is easier said than done in some cases, but even modest hostels have kitchens for its guests. Just because they’re too often used for ramen doesn’t mean you can’t put a bit more effort into it!

Choose destinations carefully. You can do a lot of research to figure out how expensive a place will be. Some places (think Switzerland, Iceland, etc.) are known to be quite expensive, while others (think Eastern Europe) are known to be quite inexpensive. Use numbeo.com, among other sites, to get a sense of how much a place costs.

Chris,  Worthy Go

Use Overnight Transportation

Travel can be expensive, so saving a few dollars wherever you can while on the road is a great thing for most travellers. One way I enjoy to save on accommodation during my travels is to take overnight transport.

Not only does taking overnight transport save a day in travel, you’re travelling while you’re sleeping rather than through the day, it also makes travel cheaper.

If you were taking a long distance bus or train during the day, you would still need to book a place to stay. But travelling at night, that bus or train acts as your rolling accommodation. Most overnight buses are least equipped with a reclinable seat, and trains are usually set up as rows of bunk beds, or a private carriage.

I’m a pretty tall guy, just hitting the 6-foot mark, and sometimes I do find it difficult to have a full unbroken 8 hours as the bus winds around tight corners or the train rattles over its rails. Taking earplugs/headphones, an eye-mask and possibly some sleeping aid will make the journey a lot more manageable.

These hostels on wheels are one of my favourite ways to save money and time while travelling.

Ben, Horizon Unknown

Couch Surfing

There is nothing like the freedom that comes from traveling full-time.  Once we had a glimpse of it, we focused all our energy on making travel a bigger part of our lives.  We needed more than the 4-5 weeks of vacation we got from working our full-time jobs.

With long-term travel, budget becomes such an important part of daily life. So we had to get creative on finding ways to get more bang for our buck. One of our favourite ways of doing this was to couchsurf.  Whether you’re traveling full-time or just taking a few weeks to discover a new destination, Couchsurfing is an amazing way to truly immerse yourself.

Beyond getting free accommodations, you get to make new friends for life. There is nothing like staying in a traditional home with locals, seeing what daily life is really like, and talking about things that you normally wouldn’t. It really redefined our way of traveling.

Although we love the fact that Couchsurfing is free, it should be known that there is etiquette to follow. So if you’re not looking to invest time into getting to know someone, their story or their way of life, this may not be for you.

However, if you’re looking to make new friends, learn about a culture, spend time cooking, drinking and hanging out with locals, discover places that not many tourists know about and make lifelong bonds, then Couchsurfing is perfect for you.

Carine and Derek, We Did It Our Way

Combine Business with Leisure

Who doesn’t want to travel more in an affordable way? Bleisure travel can do the trick! You don’t have to be a travel writer nor in the travel industry. You do need a job that needs you to travel often and you must be able to work from a distance.

If your boss sends you on a business trip somewhere you can add additional days for leisure. Work in the early morning and evening several hours and have the day free to explore. Business trips are often a few days and extending the trip to over a week usually gets the airfare down a lot. Your boss even saves money too and you can explore an area without having to pay for an airfare.

I, Chris from Chris Travel Blog, have done this for several years before starting my blog. The blog isn’t the reason I started to travel but does contribute now to travel even more. I still have another job that requires me to travel to each continent once a year. Adding 7-10 days per trip is possible so that I have about 70 leisure days a year without expensive flights. At some point I made a great deal for my other business while having a 5-star lunch high up in the Atacama Desert in Chile.

Bleisure travel is a great way to travel affordable!

Chris W,  CTB Global® (Chris Travel Blog)

Rent Your Place on AirBnB

Anytime my husband and I go traveling for more than a few days, we rent out our apartment on AirBnB while we’re away. This goes a long way towards paying for our trip. Depending on the cost of living in our destination, we sometimes even come out ahead and make money by traveling!

Of course, we don’t get to keep all of the profits. We have to pay someone to manage the bookings, clean the apartment and check in the guests while we’re away. Since AirBnB rentals are very popular in Lisbon, Portugal where we live, there are several companies that specialize in this kind of short-term rental management. They typically charge between 20 and 30 percent of the rental price.

We’ve actually had quite a few problems with the rental management company that we’ve been using, so we’ve recently switched to another manager. When dealing with a large company, we found that no one wanted to take responsibility when things went wrong.

So this time we’ve hired a single individual who will take care of everything while we’re gone. Despite the headaches we had with our previous property managers, we have no regrets about renting out our place. It’s been a great way to make passive income that will fund our travels.

Wendy, The Nomadic Vegan

Be Flexible

Making travel a priority in life is a great idea, but how do you make it happen when there’s bills or a mortgage to pay? I’ve employed a simple system that lets me travel more often for less.

We all have a bucket list of dream destinations right? Well I simply watch the deals from my home airport and when any cheap flight to one of my destinations comes available I book it, typically getting the airfare for half off.  While I might not get to pick and choose my next destination as much as a typical traveller, being flexible like this allows me to travel twice as much as I would otherwise.

Being flexible doesn’t just apply to destinations either. That fancy 5-Star hotel by the river? Sure it’s nice, but if I stay in equally nice accommodations just a few blocks outside of the tourist area I save huge amounts of cash & get a more authentic experience too!

Apply this quality to everything you do while traveling and suddenly everything becomes more affordable. I’m not saying you have to skimp—Treat yourself; nobody goes on vacation to save money—but being flexible can save your wallet!

Patrick, Adventographer Travel & Photo Blog

Use Public Transportation

One of the best ways to save money while travelling is by using local and public transportation. If you are travelling to developed countries or big cities, the public transportation network is usually well developed with multiple modes of transport. These may include metro/subway, skytrains/trains, trams and buses. Remember the golden rule: No Taxis. Taxis are the most expensive means of transport and end up eating a substantial chunk of your budget. For instance, airport transfers are best done by airport shuttle bus or metros. Most airports around the world will have regular shuttle bus services to take you to the city. Another tip: Most cities have tourist bus/metro passes of different durations. If you intend to sightsee a lot within the city, work out the individual ticket costs and check whether buying a pass is cost effective.

On the other hand, if you are travelling to developing places where the transportation options are limited, make use of local options like tuk tuks or cyclos. Not only are they cheap, they are a fun way to experience the place. In any case, buses and trains are present everywhere for airport transfers and inter city transfers.

Neha, Two Flashpackers

Home Exchange

Five years ago, we made the decision to turn our dream of travelling into reality. We sold our home in New Zealand and took the opportunity to transfer to Germany and then on to the USA. While uprooting with a 3-year-old and newborn may seem like a crazy idea to some, relocating gave us so much more opportunity to travel.

With cheap airline flitting around Europe flights were only a small expense but accommodation was still taking a large chunk of our budget. It was a trip to Copenhagen that prompted us to try home exchange and after saving more than 1000 euros in one week we were hooked!

A few years later we are on our 12th home exchange, I am even writing this from our beachfront house swap in Hawaii! There are pros and cons to home exchange, it is not for everyone. For us it has allowed us to stretch our budget, travel more, get off the beaten track, live like a local and make lifelong friends.

Kaylie, Happiness Travels Here

Final Thoughts

We firmly believe where there is a will there is a way, and if you are looking for a way to afford to travel more, then you can find it! You can always combine these tips to make the most of your vacation dollars. Do you have any tips to save money on travel? Please share them in the comments so we can all save!

When I graduated from massage therapy college in 2010 I had about $17,000 in debt. I knew I had to make more than the minimum payment in order to pay it off faster, so I upped my payment and then left it to do it’s thing. Through all that time we travelled whenever we had the money to do it. After my husband graduated paramedic college in 2014, we did the same thing. At times I did think about how much faster we could have paid off the debt if we didn’t travel, but I wouldn’t trade any of those trips for anything.

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Now since we have declared war on our debt, I have been struggling with how to travel with debt. Should we wait until it’s paid off? But I am a travel addict and the thought of not going anywhere for 2 years is torture! I have still been saving a little money for travel, and just booked my ticket to meet my best friend in Vegas at the end of May!

Read about our debt repayment here

I don’t feel bad about traveling because I’m not going into debt to do it.

Life is all about balance right? I could definitely make some progress paying off the debt by using the money I have saved for travel right now. It might cut a few months off of our debt repayment, but I just can’t stand the thought of not traveling.

I’m definitely not saying you should go out and spend whatever you want because YOLO, but if your not putting yourself further into debt, and you’ve saved for it, then I think you should enjoy. Paying off debt may take you years, and if you deprive yourself you’re more likely to give up.

How To Travel With Debt

Save For It

Save for it. DO NOT take on more debt to travel. Don’t ruin any progress you’ve made to take a trip. Start by figuring out how much you will need to take your trip and transfer money monthly or bi-weekly into a sinking fund in order to save up enough to take the trip. Building travel into your budget is the best way to make sure you get to travel!

You can read all about saving for travel here.

Keep Paying Off Your Debt

You should never delay debt repayments in order to travel. Trust me, you’ll be able to travel so much more when that debt is gone! Read about how we’ve paid off $26,500 in 21 months!

Travel Locally

One thing we’ve started doing more is travelling within a couple of hours of where we live. We can drive, so that avoids expensive airline tickets, and if you do a day trip you can avoid hotel costs! We have learned so much about our city and province over the last few years just by visiting overlooked towns!

Move Abroad

If you really want to travel and can’t afford it, consider moving abroad. Of course you would have things like immigration and visas to figure out, but consider teaching English in another country for a year; you’ll get paid and also get to experience another country!

Final Thoughts

I hope that if you have debt you haven’t lost hope on traveling. If you’re on track in your debt repayment journey, you’ll have all the freedom to travel as soon as the debt is gone!

Method 1 – Save Then Decide

If you have some money saved and you’re ready to book a vacation this may be the easiest method. You could look at all-inclusive resorts, or start pricing out flights and accommodations until you find somewhere that fits your travel budget. Don’t forget to factor in daily activities, food and souvenirs.

The basic formula is money saved – flights – accommodations = money left for food and souvenirs ÷ days of vacation = daily budget.

Let’s say you have a $3000 travel budget and you want to head to Florida for 6 days. Flights are $500 and accommodations are $1000. That leaves $1500 left, divided by 6 days is $250 per day for meals, daily activities and souvenirs.

Method 2 – Decide Then Save

This is usually the way we go. We decide where we want to go and research how much it will cost. Your major costs are going to be flights, and accommodations. You will also have to look into any tours or daily activities, as well as estimate food and souvenirs.

After you’ve guessed how much the vacation will cost you need to decide when you will take the trip. Then divide the cost by the number of months and that’s how much you need to save. Then you can add this expense into your monthly budget!

For example if you want to go to Italy and you guess it will cost about $5000 and you want to go in 10 months, you have to save $500 a month. Keep in mind when you book your trip, you usually have to pay for flights immediately, and possibly for hotels depending on who you book through.

Bottom Line

You need to budget for trips! I know how tempting it is to pull out the credit card and figure it out later but you’ll be much better off saving regularly in order to travel. Plus I love the anticipation of planning and saving!

I’ve made you a super fun printable that you can get here!

How do you budget for travel?

Christmas Ornament

Every time we travel I pick up a Christmas ornament to put on our tree. It’s so much fun as you are decorating to reminisce about trips and dream about new ones. Also they’re usually pretty small and easy to get home!

Coffee Mug

We drink a lot of hot beverages in our house and so we use a lot of mugs! All of our mugs are special and a lot of them are from trips we have taken. My husband has used his almost every day since we got home from Disney World in June. I usually rotate between a few.

Coins

If you exchange to the local currency you usually have some coins left over! I decided to make a few into magnets to use on our fridge! Useful and interesting.

Patches

My husband decided to pick up some patches for his backpack on our honeymoon. They’re usually pretty cheap and easy to find!

Food / Alcohol

Of course this is limited to what you can bring across borders but my last trip to Minnesota I picked up a bag of locally roasted coffee. It’s soooo yummy and reminds me of a great trip with my best friend! We also bought chocolates in Paris to bring home to our families.

Clothing

I bought these amazing woolen socks in Iceland, they are so cozy! I also bought mittens for my husband. It’s always nice to buy something locally made.

Art

We picked up some art on our last trip to Disney, I LOVE them! My parents have also bought us some art on their travels!

What are your favorite things to bring home when you are traveling? Or do you skip souvenirs all together?

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So I decided to conduct a little experiment: I am going to fake pack for a 7-day trip in this suitcase using 3 different methods! This is a carry on size suitcase, and I’m going to pack 7 shirts, 2 pair of pants, 1 sweater, 1 pair of shoes, 7 pair of socks, and my cosmetic bag. Let the best method win!

Method #1 – Regular ol’ folding

I thought this would be worse but it didn’t go too badly. I don’t usually have this much room so obviously in real life I pack more!

Method #2 – Rolling!

There is a bit more room than the folding, but not a lot. I think it’s easier to find things when they are rolled vs folded. It supposedly keeps them from getting winkled but I don’t know about that.

Method #3 – My prized packing cubes

I was worried that my packing cube wouldn’t save room but it did! Look at that empty space!! I was able to get all the clothes (except for the socks) in the smallest packing cube I have.

In conclusion:

Packing cubes WIN!

I wasn’t that surprised that the packing cube saved space since you can squish the clothes in there. It proved to me they are worth it since I usually try to pack carry on. I hadn’t used the smallest cube before so I’m surprised how much I could get in there!

Related: Tips For Packing Your Carry On

Overall I think this experiment was a success! Were you surprised? How do you usually pack?

Do you have anxiety about flying?

Fear of flying is so common and sadly it stops a lot of people from flying at all, which makes them miss out on so many awesome destinations! Most of the time I have anxiety when I fly, but I’ve come up with a lot of ways to cope so I want to share them with you.

*I am not a doctor but I am sharing things that work for me. For advice for your specific situation please see your family physician and / or psychologist

General Tips

It will help to drink water, get lots of sleep the night before your flight and avoid consuming caffeine before/during your flight, as caffeine tends to increase anxiety in general.

Be Prepared

One source of anxiety is the unknown! Make sure you know how you are getting from the airport to your hotel/destination. Buy travel insurance so you aren’t worried about getting hurt/sick or missing luggage. Have print outs of your confirmations just in case. I need the peace of mind that I have done everything I can to make my trip go smoothly.

Sleeping / Relaxing

The way a lot people deal with fear of flying is medications, either prescription or over the counter. Some people get a prescription from their doctor for an anti-anxiety medication to calm them down. Some people take Gravol or something similar to “knock them out”. I don’t enjoy the groggy feeling after so I don’t use medications, if that works for you then that’s what you should use.

Relaxing music is another way to calm yourself down. I have some spa music on my phone (that I use sometimes at work as a massage therapist); it’s great for closing your eyes and relaxing!

I find that getting cozy on a flight really helps me feel calm. I like having warm socks, comfy clothes and a nice scarf.

Use Mind Tricks

My best trick is for a few weeks leading up to my trip I keep telling myself how excited I am to get on the plane. I really believe if you are dreading it and think it will be a negative experience then it likely will be awful. I just keep thinking about how awesome it will be and keep myself in a positive mindset.

If the plane trip is especially turbulent I usually close my eyes and try to imagine I’m in a car on a bumpy road. It usually works!

It also helps to think of your destination. Use this time to read and plan your trip, or go over your itinerary and get yourself pumped up!

Have Things To Do

Another thing I do is download a TV show, movie, or podcast that I’m really excited to watch or listen to, and not let myself start it until I’m on the plane! You could also bring a new book or listen to your favorite music. It definitely helps to have something with you that you are really looking forward to checking out.

Make sure your carry on bag is well stocked with things to do, snacks, and everything else you might need, you can read about what I keep in my carry on here.

What are some of your tips and tricks to help with flying anxiety?

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