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Hello and welcome to Hopscotch the Globe
My name is Kristen Sarah.
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On the channel, you can expect lots of travel hacks, advice,
inspiration, tiny house living inspiration as well.
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(upbeat music)
Using the incognito window.
Websites have a cheeky way of knowing
what they've quoted you in the past
and will hike up the price when you return back
if you have not booked yet.
In order to make things competitive and cheap,
make sure you are browsing on the hush.
Try Couchsurfing or stay in hostels or Airbnbs
if you want to save money.
It's a great way to not just save money
but also stay in local neighborhoods
and get that local feel that us travelers seek out.
Also in Airbnbs and Couchsurfing,
you're in someone else's house.
In hostels, you have access to a kitchen,
so you can go to a grocery store,
a local grocery store,
and cook your food back at your place,
so you don't have to spend three times, four times
the money out at a restaurant.
Take a free class or go on a free tour.
One of the many amazing things about hostels,
'cause there are quite a few things that I absolutely love,
is usually at the front lobby there's a bulletin board.
On that bulletin board, they post things
that are happening within the community, within the hostel.
Many times those things are free classes
that you can participate in or free walking tours
of the city you're standing in
just the way to get all the travelers together
and create that sense of community
that we all absolutely love when we travel.
If you want to get an authentic experience
and also save money, go where the locals go.
The locals know best.
They don't just know where the best food is,
but they know where the best bang for your buck is.
Get to know the locals or start a conversation with a local
and ask them where the best place to get local cuisine is.
Many times, I've found myself at a little stall
on the street eating this delicious street food
that costs me next to nothing.
It ends up being one of the best meals
I've had on that trip.
Work for free room and board.
Most of the time, hostels are run by travelers
who have been passing through,
decide to stay for a couple of months,
and end up working at the hostel for free room and board.
If you don't really have a schedule and a timeframe
for your travels, you can extend those travels
or save money on your travels by working at a hostel,
working at the front desk
or making up the rooms or whatever.
Another option is WWOOFing where you're working on a farm
in exchange for food and a stay as well.
There are so many other options.
I've actually included those options in another video
that you can check out.
I'll leave a link in the description box below.
Choose cheaper destinations.
If you are on a tight budget, don't go to Europe
because it's gonna cost you a lot more,
and you're not gonna have as much time to travel
as if you were to go to somewhere like Southeast Asia,
Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia where you can really,
really stretch your budget.
I would say from experience that I would be able to spend
the same amount of money spending maybe two weeks in Europe
and doing the same kind of activities,
eating the same amount of food as I could spend
staying like two, three months in Thailand.
If I don't really have the timeframe
and I just want to really travel as long as possible,
I would stretch my money by going to places
like Southeast Asia.
To add to that, traveling in the off season
will also save you.
Usually when people travel,
they don't have an endless amount of time.
Maybe they have a couple of weeks or up to a month,
and they want the best weather possible.
You're gonna choose what's called high season.
This is when most travelers are traveling
in that destination because of the weather for example
is going to be the best.
But if you're more flexible and you have more time,
traveling in low season will save you so much money.
In the high season, hotels or tour companies
will really hike up the prices.
You're gonna be paying like double or even more
if you're traveling in the high season
compared to the low season.
Another great thing is, there is not as many travelers.
It's less crowded in the places that you're gonna visit.
Talk with other travelers.
If you have other friends or family members
who are into traveling as much as you are,
or reach out to bloggers or YouTube creators.
Hey.
Just talk with other travelers because a lot of the times,
they'll have advice or maybe they've even know of some deals
to the places that you want to travel to.
Perhaps they know someone you can stay with
in the destination you're going to,
or they have a friend who owns a tour company.
You never know until you talk to other travelers.
It could save you money.
Sign up for travel bloggers' newsletters like ours.
We do have a biweekly newsletter where we share deals
as well as giveaways and updates on our travels.
If you want to know more about travel deals,
be sure to subscribe to our newsletter.
I'll leave a link in the description box below.
Quick little plug there.
Use a VPN to book things like your flights
to get good deals.
If you've never heard of a VPN,
it's basically a plugin that is tricking the internet
to thinking you're in a different location.
I'm gonna give you an example.
Okay.
There is. (laughs)
Okay.
This is Bob.
This is Luis.
Bob is in London.
Luis is in Toronto.
They both want to book the same flight
from Toronto to London.
But Bob is getting a better deal
because he's located in London.
That's it.
That's the only reason.
By changing your VPN, you can act like you're in London
when you're not actually in London
and get that cheaper deal.
Frequent flyer points.
This one is one of my favorites
because you're just spending money
that you would normally spend on a daily basis
buying food, buying gas, et cetera,
but you're collecting points
that you can use towards travel.
You can use it on flights, you can use it on accommodations,
you can use it on tours.
There are many credit cards
that offer different point systems.
You have to really shop around and find the one
that's best for you.
I use the American Express Platinum and love it
because it not only gives me really good points,
but I get access to so many lounges around the world.
There's other perks with the card
that are just definitely makes it worth the annual fee.
Some of the perks for example is I get $250
that I can put towards either a hotel or a flight
every single year.
I've also gotten $250 that I can use at duty-free
to get a crap ton of alcohol that I'll never drink.
But my friends love coming over.
Pack light to avoid baggage fees.
I've been preaching carry-on only for years now
because that's how I've been traveling,
and it's benefited me in so many ways.
One, I always know where my stuff is.
Two, I don't have to pay those stupid baggage fees
that cost too much.
Three, I never have to worry about someone going into my bag
or losing my bag when I get to a destination.
If I have a tight connection,
I don't have to worry about my bag
not making it to my destination
and getting lost who knows where.
But we're talking about money here.
We want to save as much as we can, wherever we can.
Not having to pay baggage fees, that's gonna save you
an extra up to even sometimes $100 on your trip.
Get around by foot, by bike, or by public transportation.
Taxis and Ubers are great.
They're convenient and all, but they cost money.
They definitely cost a lot more than using your two feet
and walking around, or renting a bike for day,
or taking public transportation, which are all awesome ways
to really immerse yourself in the culture
and get to places where you can't get to by cars.
There have been so many times
where I've just been walking around a new place
or biking around, and I find like little areas
that I get lost in, and I wouldn't have been able
to get there if I were to have been driving
or taking a taxi.
There have been times where I've found myself
in little tiny alleyway type places where I discovered
a really delicious restaurant
or I struck up a conversation with a local,
and those end up being one of the best travel stories
that I have on that trip.
Fly to one destination and then take public transportation
to your final destination.
An example of this for me would be
flying from Toronto to London again.
It is probably the cheapest way to fly out of Toronto
to get to Europe.
Let's say I'm trying to actually get to Hamburg, Germany.
If I choose that cheaper flight to London,
and then I just take a train to Hamburg,
I still get to my destination,
but I'm saving money in the meantime.
To go with that, if you also take an overnight train
or an overnight bus,
then you're saving money on accommodations.
This one doesn't work for everyone,
but if it does work for you, it will definitely save you.
Being flexible with your travel dates.
On Skyscanner, you have the option
of looking at the overall month
and seeing where the cheapest date is
to travel to your destination.
If you are flexible, then you can choose that cheapest date
to fly out and save money.
Book a flight on a Tuesday or a Wednesday.
The reason is, booking flights on these days
is in lower demand, so you can get better deals.
Not many people want to fly in and out on a Tuesday.
Usually they want to flight out on a Friday,
come back on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
If you have the flexibility, I recommend flying in and out
on a Tuesday or Wednesday to save money.
Sign up or continuously go and check out sites
like YYZ Deals or YVR Deals, Scott's Cheap Flights
because these resources are some of my favorite
for finding the cheapest flights ever.
YYZ Deals is my favorite because it's only flights
leaving out of Toronto going everywhere in the world.
If you live in the GTA, this is specifically for you.
Go and check out the website right now.
It will blow your mind
because the guy who runs this is amazing.
He posts the cheapest flights.
However he finds them, I don't know,
but I love him for it.
The cheapest flights leaving from Toronto
everywhere in the world, and I'm talking like $150,
all taxes in, return to places like Morocco or Costa Rica.
What's also really great about it
is it's not just last-minute deals
where you have to leave within a week.
You usually have a two- to three-month window
where you have to travel to get that deal,
which I think is pretty great.
Scott's Cheap Flights is another one I highly recommend
signing up for because it's flights
leaving from all over world.
It's not specifically leaving out of Toronto
going to other destinations.
It works for a lot of you watching.
KAYAK.com is also another great resource
to find cheap flights.
You can sign up for alerts.
Let's say you're flying from Los Angeles, California
to Bangkok, Thailand, and you only want to spend
anywhere under $1,000 for a return flight including taxes.
You can sign up for an alert,
tell them how much you're willing to pay,
and you'll get notified
when there are flights for $1,000 or less.
I would highly recommend taking out money
when you get to your destination
using your debit card at an ATM.
You will get the best rates this way.
If you feel a little bit uncomfortable
not having money on you when you get to your destination,
then you can always exchange just a little bit back home,
so you have enough to go from the airport to your hotel
and maybe buy a couple of meals.
Bring a reusable water bottle with you.
This is especially beneficial
if you're traveling for long periods of time.
You'll be surprised how much money you can actually spend
on bottled water.
It really adds up, especially if you're traveling
destinations where the weather is really hot
and you're drinking a lot.
I was actually surprised in places like India
or Indonesia, Thailand how easy it was
to find filtered water systems
where I could fill up my water bottle.
I thought it would be more inconvenient than ever,
and I would just have to end up buying bottled water,
but I end up reusing my reusable water bottle quite often.
At least have it on you, so you have that option.
Eat a bigger lunch and a lighter dinner.
A lot of restaurants are food joints
who charge double for dinner than they would for lunch.
So, you might as well eat as much as possible for lunch,
go for a lighter dinner.
You can save money that way.
Or eat lunch out at a restaurant, food joint,
and then go and get some groceries and make your own food
for dinner at your hostel or Airbnb,
and save money that way too.
Fly when no one else wants to.
I am talking about those red-eye flights,
those early morning flights where you have to get up
at like three a.m., and it sucks, but you can save money.
Sometimes it's worth it.
If you have a long layover, spend the night at the airport
instead of getting an airport hotel room,
which is going to cost you way more money than it should.
There is a really wicked website.
It's called SleepingInAirports.net.
It tells you all the airports around the world
where the best places are to sleep, to eat,
to find WiFi, to lounge, to shower.
It tells you everything you want to know
to make your overnight stay at the airport super comfortable
and get that rest that you need.
Wash your dirty travel clothes in the tub or sink,
or if you're really lucky and have a Whirlpool,
best washing machine.
It actually makes me super angry how much hotels
charge to do your laundry.
Who is gonna spend $10 to wash one sock?
One sock?
There have been where we've stayed in places
that have a Whirlpool or just like a tub that has jets.
And we fill our tub with water, we put our clothes in,
we sprinkle something like those Tide packages you can buy
at grocery stores, and you turn on the jets,
and it starts to, like, turning your clothes
just like a washing machine would.
It's fantastic.
It works so well.
Check for deals and coupons on websites
like Travelzoo or Groupon.
You can find some pretty sweet deals in the destinations
you're going to on tours or accommodations
or restaurants, et cetera.
One of the many great things about travel
are the people that you meet, other travelers.
You build these connections with people
that you can't find doing anything else.
They happen really fast.
They're like hardcore deep connections that you can find.
A lot of my best friends today are people that I've met
all around the world, from all these different countries
during my travels.
Now I have places all around the world
that I can go and visit and stay with my friends
and get a little close perspective, save on accommodations
and get to hang out with some of the most amazing people
that I've ever met in my life.
The more you travel, the more people you meet,
the more friends you make, and the more places you have
to stay around the world.
Skip the travel size products.
I'm talking about those little toothpaste
or little shampoos and conditioners.
Get yourself GoToobs, which are reusable
travel 100-milliliter containers
that you can reuse over and over again.
Get yourself little containers
and get the normal size toothpaste
and just squeeze as much as you need
into those reusable containers.
Two things that are great, you're saving money
and you're helping the environment.
Follow your favorite travel bloggers and travel YouTubers
to get the best recommendations, the best deals.
Connect with them, reach out to them, ask them.
If you reach out to me, I will be more than happy
to offer my advice or help you out
in whatever way I can.
Reaching out to Siya and I, for example.
This is what we do for a living.
This is what Hopscotch the Globe is all about.
Not just us but other people whose community
are willing to help you, to help you plan that trip,
to save money doing it.
The vision with Hopscotch has always been
to be able to reach out to as many people as possible
and help you realize that you can
reach all of your travel dreams,
you can travel the world no matter your lifestyle,
no matter your budget.
I hope that you realize that even if you're broke AF,
you can travel using these budget travel hacks
I just shared with you as well as so many other hacks
and advice, tips that we've shared in other videos.
I will leave a playlist.
I think there is a thing that's gonna pop up right now here
as well on the description box below.
I will leave a playlist of all the travel hack
and tip videos that we've done
on how do you become a better, more efficient traveler
and save money doing it.
Again, if you're new to this channel
and you have not subscribed yet, be sure to do so.
Click that notification button as well, that little bell,
so you get notified every time we post a new video.
If you have any questions, leave 'em below.
We will see you guys next time.
Bye.
I am so pregnant in case you didn't know. (laughs)