Travel where to start?

Of course the most important thing is the desire and the dream that will move you! Just going on package tours to Turkey and Egypt is not traveling! Traveling is when you arrive in a new country and you still have a month to go, and you only have a reservation for the first night at the first destination. Travelling is when you packed everything you need, got in the car and went wherever you wanted, having chosen a direction before of course) Travelling is 2, 3, 4 weeks, or better yet 1-2 months! From the travel a man returns absolutely different, his consciousness expands, because with every new country the Universe opens up to him! Every time a traveler brings a piece of culture of every country - he/she starts looking for similar food, clothes, music and of course psychological mindset - a real reset happens! After each trip a person falls out of the system - he ceases to be a "squirrel in the wheel" of the modern world... If you just want a "weekend getaway" to lie on the beach, then choose package tours and countries. For these purposes, it will be cheaper to take a tour rather than a trip on your own. But if you want sensations and adventure, then only independent travel! If you stay in the country from 2 weeks, the tours will already be even more expensive, but most importantly they will bind you to a specific place and schedule (all-inclusive meals are so hard to miss)...

Everyone wants to have fun, but at the same time want to pay less. Where you can really save money, and where it is worth remembering "free cheese in a mousetrap" and "the miser pays twice"! This applies to what is described below. There is a lot of information on the Internet from the "handymen" how to save money when traveling, but is it all true? Let's share our small, but already accumulated personal experience and insights while traveling in more than 20 countries around the world.

Travel where to start:

You'll need basic English to get started, but even if you don't have it, don't worry too much - sign language has never been cancelled. To hit the road you must have visas, tickets, insurance, hotel reservations for at least 1 night. There are electronic visas that you can get on your own through the embassy's web-site or you can order at tourist and visa centers. The insurance is done independently in the insurance companies, through the bank or tour operator. It is better to have a paper reservation, as well as insurance, for this it is enough to print the information, which comes in the mail, after online booking Clarify some countries may require to show cash for a living wage in the country for your number of days of stay.

Traveling in your own car has pros and cons. The pros are more:

• a piece of your close home is always with you - your favorite comfortable car
• It's cheaper than buying plane tickets and renting a car locally. If you have 4-5 people in the car, it significantly reduces the cost of the process of getting there. By the way, in this case there will be more than 1 driver for sure, i.e. you can drive with fewer rest stops.
• no need to change the car when you go to another country

Of the disadvantages - tiresomely long drive to the right point. When you first start traveling by car, the neighboring countries with your border is convenient to visit. But after a while you need to go farther and farther, the radius will increase. Is there a difference - to go from Ukraine to Bulgaria or Portugal).

If you book a car on the spot, it is better to do it online, so as not to waste time looking for it and to speed up the process of getting to the airport. The prices, of course, may vary depending on the chosen service, but look for one with a reputation. Also take full insurance and make a video / photo of the whole car at the time of rental.

How to save money on a flight?

Buying tickets during sales, promotions, and advance reservations is a savings, but also fortune is a lottery! Here are examples of personal experience. We bought tickets to India 3 months in advance to go there and back, so 4 months in advance. The price was lower by a third. But what actually happened was this. Let's say we had a flight from Delhi to Kiev on Friday, from Kiev - to our city. On Thursday there was supposed to be a flight from Goa to Delhi and this flight was canceled. The airline offered to change the departure date to any other day or refund the money. But there were no nearby flights that would get us to Delhi for our onward departures! In the end the company refunded the money, but we had to buy the tickets from another airline, but one day before departure at twice the price of any normal flight... Where is the savings here? What's more, the airline refunded the money not immediately, but within a week. And new tickets had to be bought the same day, it's for thinking lovers of traveling on zero... Another example tickets were purchased 2 months in advance. The airline included air miles in the price. A week before departure a pandemic is announced and all flights are canceled. The airline refunds the money, but all the miles are burned! It also happens that the cost of the ticket from A to B is more expensive than from A to C through B. But in that case you need to arrange luggage to the transit point and according to internet reviews people have had precedents when the airline has blocked the accounts of people flying that way. In other words, this component of the economy should not be relied on much, rather you should always be on the lookout).

How do you really save money on flights?

•     If you're traveling with more than one person, you don't have to take luggage for each person. You can intelligently think about what goes in the luggage compartment and what goes in each person's carry-on baggage.
•     Flights with connections can make the flight much cheaper, but can also increase the time it takes to get there. We're talking about waiting at transit airports for 6-8 hours or more... It's also worth considering the airports of arrival and departure in transit countries, they can be geographically very different) If the transit time exceeds 12 or more hours, it may not be a bad thing. Sometimes you can catch at least one city in another new country) For example, in Istanbul, there are direct tours if the waiting time exceeds 6 hours.
•     The price of the flight can vary greatly from the final airport in the desired country. If you are a traveler, you probably won't care which airport you arrive at.
•     Alternatively, you can use neighboring countries as intermediate countries. That is, even if you were not planning to go to Israel, but the flight there is much cheaper than to Jordan, you can walk around Israel for a couple of days, and then budget bus to Jordan.
•     Connecting flights are the best option, which can be picked up through various aggregators Kiwi, Aviasales. Waiting time in such options, by the way, can also be long, you need to take this into account. This has the advantage that the luggage is delivered at the airport of departure and pick up already at the final destination.
•     Everyone knows about the seasonality of prices in the year, but few people know about the change in prices by day of the week. Prices can vary greatly depending on the day of departure, whether it's Tuesday or Friday. It depends on the destination and the characteristics of the country. Also the time of departure - day/night - affects the price. But such savings can be fraught with local inconvenience. Moreover, there are hotels in which settlement until a certain time, such as 22 hours. Then you physically will not be settled and your reservation is canceled, the money will not refund.
•     You can also save money by taking advantage of charter flights. They have a big advantage - the closer the departure date, the cheaper the ticket!

Amount of luggage and hand luggage

This all depends on the type of travel - car or flight. If you are traveling by car, then the more you need to take from home, the better. Bringing a pot of multicooker, electric kettle, etc., you do not have to pay extra for lodging with such amenities. If flying, be sure to check the weight of luggage and hand luggage allowed. Luggage suitcase should be wrapped tightly with cling film (regular food film for the kitchen) - suitcases often fall down during transportation. Wrapping will protect them from crumbling. For wrapping for the return trip, take the film with you from home or buy it locally at your local convenience store. Wrapping at the airport does not justifiably cost as much as "gilding." The zipper lock dogs should be closed with a lock, which is better to buy your own, rather than use the one that comes with the suitcase. In Asian countries you can easily go only with hand luggage, because there things take as little as possible. It is better to buy what you need on the spot. Prices are cheap there, and your quality items from home may not survive the local humidity. At the airport do not wear clothes with metal elements (belts) and all sorts of small things (jewelry), and shoes are better to be without heels. All this will greatly speed up the passing of inspections. Take with you only unique items that are difficult to find on the spot. This applies primarily to medicines and all kinds of adapters, chargers, memory cards. Some countries require an adapter to plug the plug into the socket, and the store where they are sold locally, you will have to look for (eg, Cyprus). You should also have paper copies of your documents and insurance with you. They should also be in electronic form in the mail / computer (we are talking about a color scanner).

What do you need to take with you?

• rubber slippers - the uniqueness lies in the fact that they can walk at home on the cold floor (in rental apartments often on the floor is laid is tile, without any carpet), to bathe in the shower for personal hygiene and go to the beach of course (so as not to be afraid to get dirty in the sand or step in the water on a stone / sea urchin, etc.)
• Pillow for flights is another pseudo-comfort, it is not necessary.
• antiseptic - the best liquid with a sprayer, not wet wipes, which after opening the package flow all over the bag and are not wet on the second day.
• kitchen paper towels - they will replace toilet paper, towels, handkerchiefs, etc.
• clothing should be comfortable and old! Sometimes in airports you have to sit on the floor at all during the wait... Take no more than two pieces - as long as the first one dries after washing, you can use the second one. This also applies to underwear and socks!
• a raincoat is a must-have attribute of a traveler, but not an umbrella)
• padlock - sometimes you need it to close the door of your place) this is important in Goa!
• Oatmeal is a traveler's friend) You don't have to boil it, just pour boiling water in any container. It will satisfy your hunger at any time.
• T-pieces, adapters and adaptors - find out what you need in a particular country.
• mosquito repellents and insect repellents - make sure to bring them with you.
• Sunscreen - be sure to bring your own.

Local currency - do you need cash, do you need to transfer all the money into local currency?

It all depends on the country and its development) Also take into account the exchange rate, which may be profitable in your country, the country of arrival or, for example, only at the airport on arrival. You can find out these days easily over the Internet, by reading the information on the forums, for example.  But the main rule of diversification is "do not put all your eggs in one basket. The currency of their country need when you're back in the country, the local currency needed at least for cabs and food, well, of course, it's good when there are dollars and euros - at least) In Asian countries, for example, love only dollars, euro there can not take and with the fact that the bills should be new (after 2000's), otherwise they will take a % markup for "old" denominations or even refuse to take. When using local ATMs, there is also a nuance. When withdrawing foreign currency keep receipts! For example, a cash machine in Croatia gave us a bill with a torn corner (equivalent of UAH 2000). Everyone from hotels to small stores and market vendors refused to take it. We went to the bank and there we were scandalized but they changed it only because we had a receipt from an ATM! E-money is better to keep two cards with different cards.

What is the first thing to do in a new country?

This requires prior preparation, namely reading the forums. Immediately upon arrival, provide yourself with channels of communication. Usually roaming is very expensive and it is easier to buy a local SIM card at the airport which also has internet. Also think of a way to get from the airport to the hotel. Very often you do not even need a cab, because there is a developed network of buses and other public transport.

Booking your lodging

Whether you need to book daily or for the whole trip depends on the purpose. For example, when we went to Italy and France in the fall, we only booked accommodation for 1 day, and if something caught my eye, we just prolonged it. If you can not extend, and in this place really wants to stay, you can always find a place to stay nearby. It's not cheap, but very mobile. And if you stay outside the tourist center, it will not be much more expensive than advance booking. In Thailand, we flew with a reservation only for 2 nights. The first night is a break from the long flight, there is nothing to do but sleep. And the second day with an overnight stay just to find the right accommodation locally. In Asia, accommodation is 2-3 times cheaper not even for a long term online. And if you're looking for a month or more, you can book 3-4 days in the first place to have more time to find the best suitable accommodation for a long stay (prices in this case will be similar to conventional rental housing in Ukraine!). The less developed country is, the more likely you are to find a place to stay. In Italy and France it's impossible to find an accommodation by place, except hotels for fabulous money. In Greece, a full of grandparents who rent their nice houses for cheap, but at the same time about the Internet and booking service have not heard. The most popular booking services: Bucking and Airbnb, Agoda.

What to see in the new country/city?

•     Make a list of sights with their geographical location. This will make it easy for you to plan your itinerary of walks and trips.
•     Be sure to look for an observation/lookout point in each city, the best view of the city, the viewpoint, etc. Often it is the viewpoints that leave the most vivid impressions of new places.
•     Be sure to visit a non-touristy area, though with extra precautions and vigilance. It is in the local residential areas that you can feel the flavor of life in this or that country. However, avoid areas that are known to be unsafe.
•     Plan to explore the area with or without the participation of any vehicles. This way you should have time to see the architecture, nature, people...smell the new "foreign city").
•     To the most popular places, like the Eiffel Tower, Plitvice Lakes, Cinque Terre, buy tickets in advance online. This will save you a lot of time, as you will only be standing in line to get in, bypassing the line for tickets!
•     Before going out every day, check the charge of your phone, the amount of remaining internet, so that you will always be able to use the navigator. You can also use maps.me, which works without the Internet, it shows not only the roads, but also the paths on foot, but it must first be installed on a mobile device.

The main rule - the trip should not be a "gallop through Europe"! Do not try to see everything, passing fatigue. There are countries that can be seen in two weeks (Montenegro), while others will not be enough and 2-3 months (Greece and its islands). Learn to think like a chess player - Bulgaria and Greece can be seen in parts, in several approaches, on the way to Europe is an option)

Useful Links

•     Visas for Ukrainians on Wikipedia, Passportindex.org - a list of all countries in the world and up-to-date information about visa requirements for Ukrainian citizens
•     Waze.com - application monitors the state of the road and the situation in general, including speed limits, taking into account road signs. Works through the Internet in real time and location.
•     Maps.me - the best navigator for hiking (even goat trails in the mountains are indicated). Works without internet, but requires pre-loading a map of the area on your phone in advance.
•     Booking.com - a lodging booking service (#1 for Europe)
•     Airbnb.com.ua - lodging booking service
•     Agoda.com - service for booking accommodation (№1 for Asia)
•     Kiwi.com, Kayak.com, Google Flights, Tripmydream.com, Skyscanner.com.ua - website for booking air tickets
•     Arx.com.ua, Pzu.com.ua - insurance registration
•     Rentalcars.com - rent a car
•     Grab.com - Uber analog in Asia
•     Rome2rio.com - app tips how to get from point A to point B