If you’ve ever found yourself daydreaming about what it would be like to fly business class on your next international flight, you know it can be tempting. After all, the thought of extra legroom, free drinks, and gourmet meals can make regular old economy class feel like a total drag.

But is business class really worth the higher price tag? Let’s find out!

Is Business Class Worth It?

Whether you’re looking to book an international flight from the UK to Australia, or a long haul business class flight to Greece, there’s a lot to consider.

While you can sometimes find business class on domestic flights, it’s mostly found on international flights, and offers more comfort and amenities than standard economy, premium economy, or domestic first class.

One thing we can guarantee, because business class is more expensive, and geared more to solo business travelers, you’ll likely have fewer babies and children in business class.

Not all business class tickets are made equal

A word of caution first. Not all business class tickets are equal.

Some business class flights have lay flat seats, meals designed by celebrity chefs, multiple bars for business class passengers, and fantastic service. Other business class tickets are minimally upgraded economy tickets, with barely larger seats, the same food as economy, and a seat toward the front of the plane. There are huge differences in business class between different airlines, specific routes, and even airplanes.

Different airlines may also call their business class seats by another name, like executive class, upper class, club world, or club Europe.

Cost

The biggest knock against business class tickets is their cost. A long haul full fare economy ticket can cost as little as a few hundred dollars, while a business or first class ticket can set you back thousands of dollars. But if you’re looking to splurge on a once-in-a-lifetime trip or fly in comfort for an important meeting or event, the extra money might be worth it.

Generally, business class is more expensive than economy, but considerably less expensive than first class.

Short haul flights also tend to have smaller cost differences between economy and business class than long haul flights. For some long haul flights, for example between the UK and Australia, business class can literally cost thousands more than economy.

Meals

If you’re flying over several time zones and want to thoroughly enjoy your journey, then it might be worth shelling out some extra cash for quality meals in business class.

Many airlines offer better quality food than what’s available in economy (think fresh salad instead of soggy sandwiches) plus complimentary wine and champagne (if that’s your thing!). Business class also often includes on-demand snacking.

In general, business class food is marginally better than economy, but there are certain exceptions where business class food is much higher quality. For example, Air France has commissioned Michelin star chef Anne-Sophie Pic to create eight dishes for business class customers.

On short haul business class flights, however, the meal won’t make much of a difference, since most flights don’t have time for a proper in-flight meal service anyway.

Seats and comfort

Business class seating can be night and day compared to the experience you get in economy. First off, business class seating provides added luxury and comfort with bigger, reclining seats, and more legroom.

Long haul business class flights generally offer a lie flat bed, but it isn’t guaranteed. With some airlines such as TAP, the business class seat only partially reclines.

A great seat isn’t just about comfort. On a long haul flight, a comfy experience can give you a much better sleep and less jet lag, leading to a more enjoyable vacation (or business trip). It can also mean choosing an overnight flight and a decent rest rather than a day flight. Not only can you save on hotel costs, you can also get off the flight rested and ready for your first adventure.

Want to know the specific details of your seat? Find your airline on seatguru and check the specifications. Here are a few things to look for. How wide are the seats? How close are you to other passengers? How many seats fit in a row? Does the seat recline? Will the seat convert into a bed?

Departure and arrival

Some, but not all, business class tickets offer a better departure and arrival experience. Depending on the airline and route, this can include express check in, fast track security, priority boarding, priority immigration plus a more generous baggage allowance for the best business backpack.

Services and perks

You can expect better perks in business class than economy, from powerful chargers to keep all your devices in working order, better entertainment options, and even complimentary amenities like free Wi-fi access, newspapers and magazines.

Plus, business class travelers get priority boarding and check-in services so they can be one of the first passengers on board. Business class generally has a higher flight attendant to passenger ratio, leading to better service, including faster meal service which means meals served first and more time with lights out for a better sleep on long haul flights.

Some business class flights offer extra perks like chauffeured pick-up and drop off, and an in flight amenities kit including items like socks, eye masks and toiletries.

Generally, (though not always), a business class ticket gives you access to the airline’s airport lounge. Lounge access often includes amenities like free meals, alcohol, showers and clothes pressing.

Business class vs first class

In business class, you’ll expect perks like wider or more comfortable seating and priority boarding.

When you upgrade to first class, you’re pampered from start to finish. From dining experiences that rival high-end restaurants and personalized concierge services, to private suites with beds, showers, and sound-proof areas for business conferences, first class is a much more luxurious experience.

Food in first class can often rival that of the best restaurants, and can have menus designed by famous chefs.

Business class has more legroom, but not always a private space while first class sometimes offers seats that turn into a bed or an mini apartment.

How to save money on business class tickets

If you just can’t stomach the cost of business class there are a few tricks that may help drop the price.

Wait for a last minute upgrade. You may simply get an offer from the airline at the last minute to upgrade. At one point in the past, they often gave someone a free bump up but those days are generally over since planes often max out their occupancy and it will usually cost you, though oftentimes at a much reduced rate, than you’d pay ahead of time.

Use your airline points or frequent flyer status. If you have points or miles, then it may be worth it to you to shell out some of those points to upgrade. If you time it right, there are times where using points makes the most sense.

Consider premium economy tickets. If you can’t quite justify the cost of business class, premium economy is another option. Generally, premium economy gives you bigger seats, seats toward the front of the plane, better food, and a few more perks at a much lower cost than business class.

Book early. The early bird gets the worm, or in this case, the cheaper business class ticket. Book as far in advance as possible to secure the best deals. While hoping for a last minute upgrade can sometimes be cheaper, there is zero guarantee a better deal will pop up.

Consider alternative airports. Sometimes, flying into a nearby airport can save you money on business class tickets. Don’t overlook smaller airports in the area.

So is business class airfare worth it?

In the end, choosing business class or economy is a personal choice. It really depends on your budget and how important comfort is to you when flying long distances (or short distances).

If you’re cash rich and time poor, business class may be for you, and by all means go ahead and book yourself a seat in the front cabin, but make sure that you maximize your benefits by taking advantage of any perks offered along with your ticket, like lounge access or priority check-in privileges!

Should a business class ticket be on your business travel checklist? A good business class experience really makes getting from point A to point B a pleasure rather than an endurance test!

However, if saving money is more important than indulging yourself, then economy may be the way to go. Just remember that there are always ways to make your flight more enjoyable by researching airlines’ amenities before booking your ticket!

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Glamping is a mix of glamourous amenities with camping out in the wild. You get the beauty and relaxation of being near nature, while not having to give up a warm bath, a comfortable bed or even a gourmet meal depending on how much you’re willing to spend.

Glamping lets you get out in nature, without all the hassle of setting up a tent and sleeping on the ground, or the inconveniences of using public washrooms and cooking out of a cooler.

These vacation alternatives can even come accessorized with lavish features like hot tubs, luxurious washrooms, high end beds, and often stunning views.

With glamping, there’s a price point for everyone, from the most affordable and simple accommodation to high end luxury retreats catering to all your needs.

Luxury Glamping in the UK

From a yurt to a cabin in the woods, to a well provisioned caravan or oversized tent, glamping in the UK is special and inspiring. Many of these glamping options have the amenities of a five star resort giving you a luxury vacation, while others are simple, rustic and close to nature.

No matter which you chose, glamping lets you enjoy nature in comfort, while still getting outdoors and experiencing the natural world around you.

Glamping with a Hot Tub

There’s something so special about coming home from a day of hiking or exploring, and then relaxing in a hot tub. Glamping with hot tubs at Unique Hideaways lists dozens of UK hideaways that let you get outdoors and exploring. If you’re worried that a camping weekend might be too rustic, check out some of these lovely rentals with hot tubs. Spend your days fishing, hiking along the coast, horseback riding, bike riding and more, and enjoy a hot soak to relax your tired muscles.

Looking for a fun couples weekend? Romantic glamping with a hot tub can be a wonderful bonding experience as you enjoy the fresh air outdoors together, soaking your cares away. It’s a wonderful choice for London honeymoon packages.

Glamping Huts

Glamping huts give you the best of both worlds: time in nature, and a secure, cozy place to spend the evening. A camping hut, bungalow, mini cabin or cabana – whatever you want to call it – is a relaxing place to spend your holiday and offers you the security of a sturdy roof over your head. Due to them having better insulation, there are glamping huts found right across the UK including winter huts in the off seasons.

Glamping in an Airstream

Airstreams have gained a legion of fans across the globe, and for good reason. They’re a unique and fun way to spend time outdoors, and a wonderful way for beginner glampers to start.

Glamping in Safari Tents

Leave your cooler and sleeping bag at home, all you’ll need is an overnight bag when you stay in a high end glamping tent. This kind of glamping experience can come with heated floors, outdoor hot tubs, extraordinary sea views, a private ensuite bathroom, and free wireless internet access.

For me, staying in a safari tent brings images of royalty crossing the vast Sahara desert, or adventurers on a great journey across South America.

Glamping in Cornwall

Cornwall is known for its spectacular beaches and pounding surf set along a dramatic coastline. It’s also home to wonderful restaurants that serve the iconic Cornish pasty and cream teas.

Glamping in Cornwall takes advantage of these wonderful views and there’s a ton of options for every budget.

UK Camping with Sea Views

With over 12,000 km (or 7,500 miles) of coastline, the United Kingdom’s coast offers plenty of glamping with sea views.

You can pick from fossils by the sea in Dorset, or stroll along the quiet beaches of the North Norfolk Coast. If you’re more in the mood for stunning views, Cornwall has plenty of them, as does the rest of the South West Coastal Path.

Quirky Glamping in the UK

If you can imagine it, there’s likely a quirky camping experience in the UK that will meet your imagination.

Unique glamping in the UK ranges from overnights in a converted dairy barn to a cottage that looks like it could be inhabited by fairies, to a luxury safari tent overlooking the sea.

You can even choose to glamp in a houseboat as a unique hideaway. That’s one of the more unusual glamping experiences that I’ve seen.

Where is the Best Glamping in the UK?

Glamping in the UK offers experiences as diverse as staying in a seaside cottage, overnighting in a luxury airstream caravan on a working farm, or in a yurt enjoying festivals live near Chester.

So really, the best glamping in the UK allows you to see and do what matters the most to you. Whether by the sea or inland, in a modest tent or in a full on luxury retreat depends more on your budget than anything. They are as unique as you are, and there’s something for every taste.

With so many different types of glamping available, you’re sure to find a glamping option that’s perfect just for you.

Where would you love to go glamping? Let us know in the comments. We’d love to hear from you!

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What’s the best transportation in Spain for your trip? That really depends on your needs.

If you have plenty of time, then taking the bus may be the most affordable option. If you’re in a rush, flying may be the fastest way to see the country. If you’re looking for speed and scenery, but with a slightly bigger budget, Spain’s high speed trains may be just your ticket.

Best Options for Transportation in Spain

Spain is one of Europe’s most popular tourist and TEFL destinations, and it’s easy to see why. From the sun dappled beaches of Andalucía, to the quaintly cobbled streets of busy Madrid, to the affordable tapas and drinks in Granada there’s plenty to keep travelers occupied.

Tourists wondering how to get around Spain have plenty of options. Now that we’ve listed a few, lets compare the major modes of transportation in Spain.

Train

Traveling by train is one of the most popular types of transportation in Spain, and for good reason. Spain trains and routes are generally efficient, easily available, and affordable.

Trains travel extensively within Spain however they also connect to other countries.

The high-speed train or AVE (Alta Velocidad Española) runs between Spain’s major cities. Operated by Renfe (Red Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Españoles), the AVE system is the longest HSR system in Europe, and second only to China worldwide. Trains in Spain reach speeds of 300 plus kilometers per hour (186 miles per hour).

Trains offer many types of tickets, including 1st class (Preferente) and 2nd class (Turista) cabins and some offer cafe-bar facilities. You can book most train tickets via the Renfe website, Rail Europe or a 3rd party site like Rail.Ninja.

Round trip train fares are generally cheaper in Spain than getting two, separate, one-way tickets.

International connections from Spain

Spanish trains have good connections to France and Portugal.

There is no direct rail line to the country of Andorra, which doesn’t have a rail service in the country. To reach Andorra, take a train from Barcelona to L’Hospitalet-près-l’Andorre (France), and then switch to a bus from France to Andorra la Vella in Andorra.

Similarly, there is no direct train connection to Gibraltar, which has no rail service. However, you can take a train to the Spanish side of the border with Gibraltar), and then take a bus further into Gibraltar proper.

There’s talk of an undersea tunnel connecting Spain and Morocco, but for now there’s no train service from Spain to Morocco.

Local rail networks in Spain

In addition to the high speed network, there are also smaller regional train services in Spain, which operate a largely commuter services. They include FGC in Catalonia (including Barcelona), Cercanias RENFE (which operates many suburban rail networks), FEVE (Northern Spain), Euskotren (Bilbao, San Sabastian and a few smaller towns).

Like elsewhere in Europe, it takes a little thinking to figure out if a rail pass is worth it for you. There are three types of rail passes in Spain.

• Spain only. Spain only passes come as the Renfe Spain Pass, or the Eurail Spain Pass.
• Two country passes. You can use the Eurail Select Pass to pair Spain with Portugal, France, or Italy.
• Multiple country passes. The Eurail Global Pass lets you travel on four adjacent countries by train.

It always takes a bit of number crunching to figure out if a pass is more affordable than buying individual tickets, or more affordable than doing a combo like flying, renting a car, and taking the bus however if you love seeing the countryside by ground and prefer trains over buses or cars, then getting a train pass in Spain definitely makes sense.

Driving in Spain – Car

As Canadians, we’re used to driving everywhere. Canada’s an enormous country, and long distance public transportation is definitely lacking here.

Happily, the public transportation system in Spain, like most European countries, is excellent. During our time in Spain, we did rent a car for our road trip through Spain and Portugal, but most of the time we relied on public transportation to get around,

In Spain, you drive on the right hand side of the road, and the driver’s seat is on the left side of the vehicle. Coming from Canada, this was familiar to us, making driving easier, but if you come from the UK or Australia, where you drive on the left side the road, it may be more of a challenge to get adjusted.

The driving age in Spain is 18, and you’ll need both a valid driver’s license and an International Driver’s Permit (IDP).

Freeways (autovias in Spanish) are plentiful and well maintained throughout Spain. We found the highways we traveled in Southern Spain to be smoothly paved, with lines recently painted. We did find plenty of roundabouts on the roads in Spain, including large, busy roundabouts in Madrid.

As North Americans, we’re used to wide roads with plenty of parking. It was definitely a challenge to adjust to driving in Spain through the narrow, winding roads of historic city centers like Avila, Spain, where roads were originally designed for pedestrian or horse traffic.

Parking in Spain

Parking in large cities like Seville and Madrid was incredibly difficult, and even smaller centers like Avila’s city center didn’t have a lot of readily available parking. On street parking is often in small, tight spaces, which may be a challenge if your parallel parking skills aren’t on point however there are parking lots and even parking garages around some of the major tourist areas around the country.

Spain’s toll system

We found Spain’s road toll system to be much less complicated and confusing than toll roads in Portugal.

You can pay Spanish tolls with a credit card or cash manually, or electronically, via the Via-T system.

For manual tolls, you grab a ticket from a booth when you enter the motorway, and then pay the toll at another booth as you exit, in either the credit card or cash lane.

Some motorways allow electronic payments, but you’ll need a special VIA-T device. Look for the Telepeaje, VIA-T or T sign on the motorway. You must use one of the lanes with the VIA-T sign if you’re using a device and the device automatically registers the amount of the toll. These devices are available, for a small fee, from many banks in Spain however you’ll need an account at the bank to get one.

Toll costs vary depending on the road and the prices vary from region to region. You can find Spain’s toll costs on numerous sites however this one from Sixt (just click on Spain) is quick and simple.

Pros of Renting a Car in Spain

Renting a car in Spain let us visit small towns and villages in Spain and Portugal that would have been very difficult to see without a vehicle. It was also the most cost effective option for our family of four and allowed us to spend as much or as little time at each destination without worrying about tight timelines.

Cons of Renting a Car in Spain

One of the major hassles of renting a car in Spain was the renting a car hassle factor. We had to figure out insurance for the car, tolls on the motorways, and deal with sometimes confusing directions. The worst was probably having to find parking, especially in city centers, where parking was hard to find and often expensive.

Bus

While Spain has a good train system, buses pick up where trains aren’t available. Buses also run on many routes that are also served by trains, and we often found the bus fares to be more affordable than train fares. However, bus routes often took much longer than train routes.

We found bus transportation in Spain generally very affordable. Most smaller centers, like Nerja, Spain, are well served by public long distance bus routes.

In recent years, ALSA has bought out many smaller bus companies, giving it a more consistent feeling and more options when booking online.

Buses can be booked via Movelia, Alsa, or Avanza websites.

Advantages of Taking the Bus in Spain

One of the best things about taking the bus in Spain is that buses serve almost every small town in Spain. Sure, there are some remote parts without bus service, but most towns have good bus connections. Plus, buses are generally clean and comfortable, and run on a reasonable schedule.

Cons of Traveling by Bus in Spain

While buses are affordable in Spain, one of the main disadvantages of taking the bus is that it’s much slower than high speed trains, flying, or even driving by car. This is especially annoying on non-direct bus routes that have multiple stops. If time if of the essence, then definitely opt for the more expensive direct buses with minimal stops.

Ferries

Ferries aren’t the first thing most people think of when it comes to transportation in Spain.

That said, around 20 ferry companies operate in Spain. They operate to and from:

• the Canary Islands
• the Balearic Islands of Ibiza, Formentera, Mallorca and Menorca (most depart from Barcelona, but some route via Dénia and Valencia.)
• Spain to Morocco
• the UK, Italy and other countries, including North Africa and Morocco.
• between islands in Spain (for example, from Fuerteventura to Lanzarote)

We took the ferry from the extreme south of Spain in the town of Tarifa to the Moroccan city of Tangier, across the Gibraltar Strait. There are two companies that run the route, FRS and Inter Shipping.

The crossing is relatively short, at only about an hour and the ferries often have food and entertainment onboard.

Tip: If the water’s choppy, the crossing from Tarifa to Tangier by ferry can be pretty nausea inducing.

You can also take a ferry directly from Barcelona to either Tanger Med (on GNV ferries) or Nador (on Grimaldi Lines) . Ferry sailings from Barcelona to Tanger Med are operated by the ferry companies GNV and Grimaldi Lines. Both crossings take about 30 hours.

Traveling by Plane in Spain

Spain is well served by discount and regular fare airlines, and flying is often the quickest (and even cheapest) way of getting around the country. Spain is a large country (the second largest in Western Europe), so it can take a while to get from the north down to south or even from east to west.

It’s a whopping 529.5 kilometers (321 miles) from the major centers of Madrid to Seville, for example. The journey takes about two and a half hours by train, five and a half hours by car, and only one hour by plane.

If time permits, many tourists prefer to slow down and see the Spanish countryside by train, bus, or car.

Spain’s main airlines are Iberia, Iberia Express, Vueling, Air Europa, Wamos Air, and LEVEL. Plenty of other airlines operating in Spain, including Ryanair, EasyJet and Lufthansa.

Heads up! Laws banning short haul flights in Spain are under consideration in 2022, to help shrink the region’s carbon output. It’s a serious possibility, as France set a law in effect that banned short-haul domestic flights on routes where train journeys of two and a half hours or less existed as an alternative.

Walking

While most people think of major treks like the famous El Camino de Santiago, it is possible to get around most cities and towns just by walking.

So, while walking may not be feasible for long distances between cities in Spain, it’s a fantastic way to see many of the sites in town.

Walking is one of our favorite ways to see a new country, and wandering through the narrow streets of the city center showed us the best of Seville and the centro of Madrid. Walking the winding city centers is also one of the things we loved about Spain.

Taxis, Ubers and Other Ride Hailing Options

To get around locally, taxi services and Uber* (or local ride hailing services) are generally good options in Spain. While in city rates aren’t bad, long distance rates can get pretty high so other methods of transportation is advised.

*Uber is regulated in Spain and it doesn’t operate in every city, including Valencia. It just returned to Barcelona in 2021 after a two year absence.

The Best Ways to Get Around Spain

Whether you choose trains and airplanes to buses or car rentals, there’s no denying Spain is a large, beautiful country with plenty to see and lots to do. No matter which mode of transportation you choose, Spain has lots of options for you and you can’t really go wrong with any of them.

When planning a tour of the country, pay attention to not only your budget but also your timelines. Saving a few dollars can cost you hours that might be better spent visiting a beautiful destination in Spain or chomping down on some delicious tapas.

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Safe travels!

Here are our best travel tips for getting fast, reliable data in Europe as you travel.

Using A Cell Phone In Europe: How to Save Time, Money and Hassle

Having fast, reliable cellular data on your mobile phone is a must when traveling Europe.

Are you wondering “Can I buy a phone in the US and use it in Europe?” The short answer is yes, you can use your own phone and phone plan, but it might be incredibly expensive.

Can I use my American or Canadian cell phone in Europe?

Almost all modern mobile devices are compatible with European cellular networks, so you should be able to use your phone in European countries without interruption. So yes, you can buy a phone in the US and use it in Europe.

In a hurry? Try one of these quick solutions to start saving money.

• Solo traveler? Get an affordable Keepgo eSIM for pay-as-you-go wireless internet
• In a group? Pick up a Skyroam Solis WiFi Hotspot! Use with up to 10 devices!

However, you may get dinged pretty hard with unwelcome, and expensive, roaming fees from your home cell phone plan.*

If you just want to use your American smartphone and buy a local SIM card, you’ll also need to make sure your phone is unlocked however more on that later.

*Some budget cell phone plans don’t allow European roaming, like our cell plan in Canada with Public Mobile (though they do offer USA-based roaming add-ons).

Can I use my Verizon cell phone in Europe?

Smartphones on the Verizon network in the USA should work perfectly well in Europe, using Verizon’s international roaming plans.

The problem is that Verizon’s roaming tends to be pretty darn expensive. You can get the Verizon TravelPass plan, which works in over 185 counties. The TravelPass plan currently costs $10 per line per day, which is great for really short trips, but adds up pretty quickly if you’re gone for a week or longer. On this international plan, you’ll get unlimited calls, unlimited texts, and whatever data allowance you had on your domestic plan.

There’s also an International Monthly Plan for longer trips that lets you add a bundle of minutes, texts and data. The International Monthly Plan costs $100 /line per month, which is definitely cheaper than the TravelPass for longer trips. You’ll get 250 minutes, 1000 sent SMS, unlimited received SMS, and 5 GB data total. Sure, 5 GB of data sounds like a lot for day to day things however Netflix says you’ll use 1 GB of data (per device) for every hour you stream a Standard Definition show.

Will my cell phone work in Europe on AT&T?

Your AT&T phone should work perfectly well in Europe, using an AT&T roaming plan. However, AT&T doesn’t offer a lot of roaming options, and the AT&T International Day Pass is a little expensive for my taste. You’ll pay $10/day for the AT&T International Day Pass, which gives you unlimited data, talk and text in over 210 destinations.

How to unlock a smartphone

If you want to avoid expensive roaming fees, you can remove your American or Canadian phone’s SIM card and replace it with a European carrier’s SIM card. For most travelers, this may be the best way to use your phone in Europe.

Back to basics: What’s a SIM card?

A SIM card is basically a thumbnail sized card or chip in a slot in your phone. Your SIM card is what stores your phone number and cellular data plan. If you remove your phone’s SIM card, you’ll no longer be able to make phone calls, or use your cellular data plan, but you can still use your phone on Wi-Fi (you just won’t have a cell number or data). You can remove your SIM, and replace it with a European SIM, which will give you a European cell number and data plan (assuming data is included).

International travel eSIM for Europe

Before we get into the basics of SIM cards, let’s talk about one of the best ways to save money with a local SIM in Europe: eSIMs.

An eSIM is exactly what it sounds like: an electronic SIM card. However, an eSIM is embedded in your phone (meaning it’s not removable), and it can be reprogrammed easily.

An eSIM lets you change your wireless carrier, data, or service plan through software, without removing a physical chip, and inserting a new one. Most times, all you need to do is scan a simple QR code to switch your eSIM from one carrier to another. An eSIM can also let you use two different cell lines on the same device (like a home and work line), or let you switch between different plans depending on where you are in the world.

Several companies offer eSIMs for travelers, such as Holafly.

However, not all phones are compatible with an eSIM unfortunately, though it is arguably the best way to use cell phone in Europe. All three major US carriers support eSIM on recent iPhone and Google Pixel models, but not on Samsung models sold in the USA or Canada. So, when choosing an International eSIM for travel, first make sure that your phone is compatible.

Here’s what’s cool though: iPads and some laptops support eSIMs. Apples iPads have an easy eSIM interface, where you can simply choose your plan and provider from a menu on the iPad. Some laptops from Dell, Asus, Acer, Lenovo, Samsung and Microsoft laptops support eSIM, but Apple laptops don’t support eSIM at this time.

Important: your phone must also be carrier-unlocked to use an eSIM.

Using an eSIM in Europe is pretty simple for most users. First, make sure your device is eSIM compatible, then buy the eSIM online, and finally scan a QR code and turn on data roaming from your settings. When signing up for a eSIM service, you’ll also need an email address to get your QR code.

After that, you can call and message all your existing contacts on a bunch of free chat providers like WhatsApp or Skype, as if you’re in the same country. You can even keep your original SIM for phone calls if you wanted to continue using your existing provider.

Buying a Physical SIM card for Europe

If your phone does not support eSIM technology, you still can buy a physical SIM card for your travels. You may need to swap out your existing SIM card, but if you’re lucky, your phone will have two SIM card slots.

If you get a foreign SIM , make sure:

• your phone has a SIM card slot, and that the European SIM you buy fits your phone.
• your phone is unlocked. If your phone is locked, you will have to choose from European cell phones rather than use your own.

So, how do you choose the best SIM card for Europe with data?

There’s a little more to choosing a good European SIM card than simply picking the cheapest option.

First, determine which size of SIM card your phone takes.

There are regular, micro, or nano sized SIM cards. Most European SIM card companies carry all three sizes, so that shouldn’t be a problem. A European SIM card for an iPhone will likely be nano or micro.

Next, buy extra texting, talk or data plans that you need.

It is possible to buy a bare bones SIM card without any data. If this happens, you may have a cell phone with a number, but no added minutes, no texting, and no internet data plan. Be sure you get the data and/or text and talk plan that fits your needs. The good news is that cell service in Europe is generally great, and high speed data plans for travelers are usually affordable.

Finally, insert your SIM card in your phone.

The location of the SIM card slot is different for different phones. However, it’s generally a small and fiddly process that requires good lighting, and a table so you don’t drop the SIM on the floor. SIM cards are tiny, and easily lost and damaged. You’ll likely need a paper clip, pin, or special tool to open the SIM card slot however all phones come with one and if you can’t find yours just grab a paperclip or you can buy them online fairly cheaply.

Looking for other options for how to use your cell phone in Europe?

If you don’t want to pay for roaming fees from your home carrier, and don’t want to fuss with getting a European SIM card, another option is to only use wifi on your phone.

While it can be tricky to get high speed Wi-Fi when traveling, it’s definitely possible. You can use apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Google Chat to get the most out of your mobile phone when traveling, rather than relying on a data connection.

To travel Europe using Wi-Fi only, just use Wi-Fi at hotels, airports, restaurants and even malls or you can bring along a Wi-Fi hotspot, like the Solis or Glocalme. A lot of apps these days from Netflix to YouTube to Spotify to Google Maps also allow offline saving so you while you can’t connect with family and friends while on the go like with an eSIM or regular SIM card, you can at least enjoy your media on the go.

Some European companies even rent cell phones in Europe, however since most modern North American phones will work fine with European carriers, it may just be easier to take your phone overseas and use an eSim.

Looking for some more travel tech tips? Read these articles:

• How not to fry your electronics overseas
• Ways to share your mobile data connection
• The best iPad drawing apps for kids

How to Save Money When Traveling

There are almost as many methods to save money while traveling as there are travelers on the road. Here our some of our top tips to stay on budget while you’re abroad.

Get a credit card with no foreign conversion transaction fees. Here’s a little fact that most travelers aren’t aware of: a lot of credit cards charge a foreign transaction fee of around 2.5% to 3% every time you pay in a foreign currency!

You may have to dig into the terms and conditions of your current credit cards to find out if they charge a foreign conversion transaction fee, but it’s well worth a few minutes of your time to save a few percent off the top of all your purchases! Canadians, see our helpful list of no foreign transaction fee credit cards in Canada.

Avoid foreign exchange kiosks at the airport. They often charge high fees paired with higher exchange rates.

Track exchange rates before your trip. If you see exchange rates becoming less and less favorable over time, you may want to go ahead and exchange your money before you travel to get the best rate. Some people even make their living forex trading, by tracking currency exchange rates.

Beware of dynamic currency conversion. Have you ever had a restaurant overseas offer to convert the bill to your home currency before you pay with your credit card? Be careful here, as they may be using dynamic currency conversion (sometimes called cardholder preferred currency), where you pay a hefty exchange rate, and sometimes extra fees, to convert your bill into your home currency.

Get a credit card with great travel perks. Many credit cards have perks like free airport lounge access, no foreign conversion transaction fees, and more, making them a great way to upgrade your travel experience and save money at the same time.

How to Save Money on Food While Traveling

Get an Airbnb or hotel with a kitchen. You can save a fortune by preparing some of your own meals, plus it can be a lot of fun to check out local farmer’s markets. If you’re not much of a cook, or just don’t want to cook on vacation, just making a few simple breakfasts, snacks, and drinks can save money.

Eat local food. Eating at local food stalls and restaurants can be a lot cheaper than dining out at more expensive tourist traps. Generally, just avoid anything that screams tourist. The further you walk from a main tourist area, restaurants cater more to locals, and are less expensive. If you walk a few blocks off touristy Quinta Avenida in Playa del Carmen, for example, you’ll find plenty of small local, affordable restaurants on Avenida Benito Juarez.

Save money on flights

Set up airfare alerts. Sites like KAYAK and Google Flights let you set up an email alert if the airfare that you’re watching drops in price, meaning that you won’t miss a great deal, and also meaning that you don’t need to check airfare prices multiple times a day.

Sign up for an airfare alert service. Services like Scott’s Cheap Flights or Airfare Watchdog will send you email alerts for great flight deals from your home airport. Many of them have a free trial, or a free basic subscription to get started.

Save money on accommodation

Go where you can stay for free. Hotel costs can eat up a travel budget, especially in more expensive cities. If you can bunk with a relative, or friend, or a trustworthy friend-of-a-friend, you can save a lot of money on your accommodation costs.

Take advantage of discount apps and last minute bookings. In my experience, HotelTonight, a last minute hotel booking app, isn’t as great as it used to be, but it’s still a travel app that’s worth a look.

Take advantage of perks. If you hotel offers a free breakfast, definitely take advantage. Many hotels also offer freebies like coffee, tea, cookies, and even happy hours with wine or beer. Some hotels offer a free concierge service for booking restaurants or entertainment tickets, and some even offer a free walking tour of the city, or free bike rentals.

Save on activities

Get a coupon. Browsing online flyers is a great start to look for coupons on local activities, restaurants and more.

Go on a free walking tour. Free walking tours are sometimes offered through your hotel, but the local tourism association should be able to recommend one as well.

Self cater your tour. Sometimes tours are an amazing source of local information, a fantastic guide, and wonderful travel partners, but sometimes they’re a big fat ripoff. Before taking a tour, do a quick look to see if you can do your activity with local transit, and your own supplies.

Other tips to save money on vacation

Get your Wi-Fi situation sorted. Cell roaming fees can cost a fortune, but there are a few ways to stay connected on the cheap. You can use hotel, café and free wi-fi on the road, but you may end up with slow, dodgy service. Alternatively, you can sign up with a roaming plan from your home cell provider, or pick up a travelwifi hotspot. Check out our post on how to get high-speed internet when you travel for more ideas.

Travel during non-peak seasons and times. If you’ve ever tried to book a flight at Christmas or Thanksgiving, or a hotel during a big music festival, then you know all about peak period pricing. One of the best ways to save on travel is to take your trip during shoulder season or off season. You should save on everything from transportation, to restaurants, to activities.

Looking for a way to fund your travel? You can save money by getting one of these great jobs you can do while traveling.

Do you have any tips on how to save money when you travel? Let us know in the comments below!

We’ve scored some fantastic deals using airfare search engines that let you type in your departure city (or country) and search for cheap flights to virtually any destination in the world. This is perfect if you’re searching for flights without a destination in mind.

Updated in 2022! We still prefer Skyscanner and Google Flights to other search engines – keep reading to see why.

Want to get started now? Click here to search on Skyscanner, and be sure to put Everywhere in the destination field to find cheap flights to anywhere in the world.

Using these hacks, we found cheap one way flights from Cancun, Mexico to Madrid, Spain for $160 USD all in. We also just booked a one-way flight from Istanbul, Turkey to Toronto, Canada for just $288, including taxes and fees

That’s less than your average local flight within Canada. These tips will work to find the cheapest flights from NYC to anywhere, or really from any city or country!

Travel tip! If you want to protect your privacy on public Wi-Fi in cafes, airports, and hotels, look into getting a VPN. Using a VPN can help you get cheaper flights, if used correctly, even if you’re debating surfshark vs pia.

I also use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to access country-specific websites. As a Canadian, a lot of websites from the USA are blocked in Canada (and elsewhere outside of the USA). To get around this, I use a VPN to “trick” the USA based website into thinking I’m browsing from the USA. With a VPN, I can access these websites just as if I was in the USA.

A VPN can be set up on a smartphone, tablet, computer or laptop. It protects your privacy when on public Wi-Fi, and even lets you stream your favorite TV shows from home.

See Private Internet Access VPN prices and more here.

How to find the cheapest flights to anywhere

Sound interesting? In this post, we:

• Tell you how we find cheap flights to anywhere (and no, none of these companies paid us to write this post).
• Review the major flight search engines that allow you to search from a departure city (or country) without including any specific destination. You can use this feature to search cheap flights by date not destination.

Skyscanner

Let’s start with what we think is the best search engine of the bunch for finding cheap flights anywhere: Skyscanner.  To find cheap flights to everywhere from your destination, just leave the To field blank in your Skyscanner search (or type Everywhere). This works really well to find last minute cheap flights to anywhere as well!

Click here to search on Skyscanner.

Skyscanner lets you see a month of fares at a time, which can save you a bundle if your dates are flexible. It will also let you see the cheapest month.

To see flights for a whole month, or choose the cheapest month, just click in the Depart box.

Skyscanner Explore also lets you type in a country name in the From box to find cheap airfares from all cities in the country.

Skyscanner map search. This is one of our favorite features on Skyscanner, and it’s a great helping in showing you how to find random cheap flights to anywhere. On the Skyscanner site (click here to search on Skyscanner), scroll down and click on the map to see an airfare map with prices and explore cheap flights.

Then just select your departure city or airport and date. You can only select one month at a time for fares, but this flight price map is a great way to see cheap flights to a random destination in the world.

Free Apps: We use the Skyscanner iPhone app a lot as well to find Skyscanner flights to anywhere. The app seems to have almost all of the features of the site, including the ability to search for flights to anywhere, and for a month at a time. It also features a cool interactive cheap flights map that lists prices to cities around the globe. The app is available for iPhone, iPad, on Google Play, and Amazon apps.

The prices listed on Skyscanner are based on previous flight search data. That means when you click the link to search prices, your new search prices may be different from the first prices you saw. When you actually go to book, prices may change as well.

What we don’t like: The prices you see first aren’t always the final price you pay, as they’re pulled from earlier searches by Skyscanner users.

Our take: The best of the bunch. Skyscanner is easy to use, we’ve found that the fares it comes up with are generally accurate, and it even comes as a well designed app. Love it. It also makes a great tool to quickly find cheap alternative routes to your destination, and find cheap flights without a destination in mind.

Kayak Explore

The Kayak Explore tool is made specifically for searching for flights to anywhere. To find flights on Kayak flights to anywhere, type your departure city and select Anytime.

Kayak’s Explore tool lets you search for airfares for different seasons, like spring or winter, making it a great tool for long term planning.

Results show up in a map. You can drag and zoom, making it easy to see airfares to different regions, or even for the entire world at once.

Kayak Explore has some fun search filters that let you see only fights by weather, and by things to do (golf, gambling, and so on). You can even narrow down results by budget. It’s among the best cheap flight finder to anywhere, but it’s not perfect.

Note: The Kayak Explore flight map prices are based on flights found on Kayak in the last 48 hours. When you actually go to book, prices may be different.

Free Apps: Kayak has a free app for iPhone, iPad, and Android.  You can use the Kayak Explore map feature by clicking Explore the world on the home screen.

What we don’t like: We’re not keen that the Explore tool only lists round trip fares, making it harder to plan trips with multiple legs. Another thing we don’t love is that Kayak Explore won’t let you see all flights from a specific country. Instead, you’re limited to searching from specific cities.

Our take. Very good. We love the map display of fares, and the fun search options, but don’t like that it only lists round trip fares (Kayak Explore one way doesn’t work), and that it won’t find cheapest flights any date from a specific country.

Google Flights

Google Flights Explore Map is quickly becoming one of our favorite ways to search for affordable flights anywhere in the world.

It’s fast, prices are accurate, but it just doesn’t offer enough functionality for searches to random cheap destinations. The major drawback is that you have to specify a departure date, and you can’t search for cheapest flights for an entire month or year.

It has an annoying feature I wish they’d correct; if you’re in the Explore map, and you happen to have a date in the Return box, you can’t delete it. Instead, you need to go back to the main Google Flights page, and re-enter your search without a return date to see one way flights.

What we like: It’s fast, and prices are among the most accurate of the bunch. There are about a million filters, which can be nice if you’re picky about price, number of stops, or flight duration and the like.

What we don’t like: You need to specify an exact departure date, which is annoying. You also can’t search for airfares from an entire country, which can be nice if your departure city is flexible.

Our take:  Not bad. Not quite good enough to move away from Skyscanner as our first choice for finding the cheapest flights today to anywhere, but it’s getting closer.

Escape from MIT

There’s a relative newcomer to the flight search engine landscape called Escape at www.greatescape.co that’s worth a mention. It was developed by the MIT Senseable City Laboratory in Singapore.

It’s a great choice if you’re a visual person, since it displays flight prices on an interactive map. Escape searches searches both Kiwi and Skyscanner for prices.

You can search by your departure city to Anywhere in the world, and then see the prices displayed on a map. You can search by one way or round trip, or by fixed or flexible dates. You can also put in a trip duration from 1 to 31 days.

The flexible dates feature is pretty nice, since you can choose months at a time to search, or just a few days, whichever you prefer.

The main downside to Escape is that you need to put in a specific departure city, making your search a little less flexible.

I tried Escape out, comparing it to Google Flights, and found that in the three tests I ran, Google flights was able to find a cheaper flight. I also had trouble clicking through to get flight details.

Other search engines

We use Skyscanner and sometimes Google Flights almost exclusively to search for flights from a specific destination to anywhere.

That said, there are a few other flight search engines that do a similar job (though not nowhere near as well). We’ve included them here just for the sake of completeness.

Kiwi.com

Kiwi.com is an unfamiliar name to most. That said, it has a decent map-based search function, and we find it somewhat useful for an “I’ll go anywhere flight search” moment. You can select a Departure airport, and select Anywhere in the To: field. You can put in a custom date range, which will let you search a week, month, or really any range of dates.  You can also select Anytime to find the cheapest flight on any date. You can search return or one way flights. This is helpful to find cheap flights to anywhere from your city.

Click here to search with Kiwi.com.

The airfares it give generally seem to be accurate, though you’ll almost always find more accurate rates on Google Flights or the airline directly.

What we don’t like: We found the speed of the map display to vary a lot. Some days results appeared to be lightning fast, and some days they were frustratingly slow, despite our Internet speed being consistently fast.

Our take:  Not bad. Not quite good enough to move away from Skyscanner or Google Flights.

FareCompare – A Kayak Explore alternative

Like Kayak Explore, FareCompare lets you search for fares to anywhere from a specific departure city.

The problem is that we found FareCompare to be slower, and have less features, than Kayak Explore or Skyscanner.

What we don’t like: We find the FareCompare search to be slow, and don’t love that you can only search from specific cities, as it won’t let you search to, or from, specific countries or regions. Once you select the airfare that interests you, finding that flight can be awkward as it opens a half dozen windows to other popular sites like Expedia.

Our take: Too limited and just another front end to more popular search sites.

Momondo

Momondo has long been a favorite of travel hackers and bloggers, since it seems to be able to search more budget airlines.

They now have an Anywhere search, but you need to enter a departure date. You can see results in a list, but there aren’t a lot of filters or options. It’s fine, but there’s no reason to choose it over Skyscanner or Google flights.

What we don’t like: The big drawback is that you must give a departure date, meaning you can’t search for the cheapest fare for an entire month or year.

Whichbudget

Whichbudget lets you search for cheap random flights from a city or country to anywhere for the cheapest airfare. It’s fast, and it also lets you search from a good range of international destinations, and was the only search engine that would let us specify Anywhere in the departure field, which is helpful if your departure city or country is flexible, but you know your destination.

What we don’t like: Unfortunately, the results are clunky, the text is hard to read, and you can’t sort the results to show the lowest price first. We didn’t find it user friendly at all.

Our take: It’s ugly too look at, with poor sorting of results, small text and worse than average results. Not our favorite way to search flights by date not destination, or well, any other way.

Airfarewatchdog

Airfarewatchdog is probably the most bare bones of all the search engines that let you find a flight to any destination. It will only let you search from a specific airport (not even a city, but a specific airport), and doesn’t offer many useful filters.

What we don’t like: Limited functionality, and it’s annoying in that it keeps asking for your name and email to sign up and get low price alerts.

Our take: Not bad for basic searches where you have a destination, but not good for finding a flight if you don’t know your final destination. Might be good for email alerts if you want to go to specific place and are just waiting for a good deal.

Drungli

Back in the day, the Drungli website used to have a Drungli take me wherever search. Sadly, it’s not working anymore, so it just acts like a normal search engine.

To sum it up

Skyscanner and Google Flights Map search, are helpful for getting a general idea of flight costs to different places around the world. If you’re coming up dry with those three, and have a bit of time, then check out the others for cheap flights to any destination.

Click here to search on Skyscanner.

However, once you’ve used any of them to pick out affordable destinations (and dates), it’s worth it to compare those flights to some of the budget airlines that don’t appear in a lot of search engines. You also need to compare hidden airline surcharges like baggage fees and specialty taxes.

Different airlines charge baggage and seating fees differently and a lot of these search tools don’t always factor those costs in.

Business Class Consolidator offers discounted business class tickets to all global destinations and on all major airlines. Cheap business class flights – save up to 72% on premium travel. Contact our travel experts today and get access to discounted airfare deals.

Are you ready to say “fly me anywhere“?

For more tips on finding a great deal, check out our Six Quick Steps to Nailing the Cheapest Flight.

Did you like this article? Check out Advanced Flight Hacking: How to Save Money if Your Departure City is Flexible. We’re working on others articles to save you money – sign up to get our new blog posts by email so you don’t miss it.

This post can help with finding the most affordable destination, packing for travel, finding the best area to stay, avoiding cell roaming charges, and much much more.

So here are our top hacks and tips, all together in one simple trip planning guide, to make your next trip a breeze!

So what are travel hacks? They’re tips, tricks or tools to help fellow travelers ultimately make the planning process easier. That can mean saving time, saving money or saving you from making the same mistake others have made beforehand.

Planning For A Trip: 10 Practical Tips

So let’s get started: our first tip is to start by picking your destination.

Pick your destination

The first step in planning for a trip is to choose your destination based on your budget, your interests, the time you have available, and your travel partners.

Like most people, we start narrowing down our destinations based on cost. For us, especially since we’re in Canada, and since we travel as a family of four, airfare is the biggest part of our trip cost.

Pick your dates

Depending on how flexible your schedule is, your dates may be ironclad. If you’re fortunate enough, you may have a lot of flexibility and that’s when you’ll really save on flights.

Tip! If you only have a week or so to travel, I’d suggest staying closer to home, so your precious vacation time isn’t eaten up by travel time and jet lag.

Before you book! Quickly research costs, availability and paperwork

We do the core of our trip planning even before booking our flight or hotel, because we’ve occasionally found that hotel rooms can cost a fortune during conferences or holidays, eating up any savings we made on our cheap flight. Even worse, we’ve occasionally found an affordable and convenient flight, but found out that hotel rooms are completely booked out for that time frame.

You only need to spend a few minutes doing this – you’re not booking your hotel yet – you’re just doing a five minute check to make sure that you can get a place to stay in your budget.

We’ve also had friends book tickets only to find out that they need a visa for their trip that would take longer to process than their departure date allowed.

A list of things to quickly check before you book your hotel and flight.

• accommodation costs and availability
• car rental costs and availability
• any must-do activity costs and availability
• if you need a visa
• if you need vaccinations. Depending on the vaccination, you may need multiple shots, so make sure you have enough time for these before you leave.
• if your passport is valid

Book your flight

Unless it’s a quick unplanned trip, we usually have a baseline airline price for where we’re heading. It’s always nice to know it’s an actual deal and not just the lowest price you’ll see today. If it is, now that you’ve quickly scouted out your costs, book your flight quickly before prices jump!

Get your passport, visa, and vaccinations in order

As soon as your flights are sorted, make arrangements to make sure your passport is valid, apply for your visa (if you need one), and arrange for any vaccinations.

Choose things to do and see

We always choose the activities we want to do, and the places we want to see most, before we book our accommodation. That way, we can base our accommodation based on how close it is to the airport, restaurants, activities, and any attractions we want to go to. If you’re not sure where everything is at your new destination, now’s the time to look them up!

Book your accommodation

So now that your flight is booked, you’ve got your paperwork in order, and chosen what you want to do, see and eat, the next step in planning a trip is to book your accommodation.

Get travel insurance

After one too many accidents and health scares overseas, we’re huge fans of getting travel insurance. Even if you’re healthy, it’s so easy to have a car accident or hurt yourself on your vacation. You can pick up good medical travel insurance from just a few dollars a day and we believe this is an essential step in vacation trip planning! If you’re from Canada, take a look at our Canadian Travel Insurance post that we update every year.

Pack smart!

We often stress far too much over packing when in reality all you absolutely need is a smartphone, wallet and passport. You can buy everything else at your destination if you really need it so those are really our only essentials.

As you can guess, we’re big fans of traveling as light as we can. We find it’s a lot less stressful to travel with carry-ons only, as you never have to worry about misplaced luggage, and you don’t have to lug around big bags. We even managed to travel carry-on only as a family of four for over three months last year!

Here are a few tips that will help you pack lighter:

• Check the weather for the time you’ll be there, and pack accordingly.
• Put everything you want to bring on your bed next to your luggage, and only pack the items that fit and that you need. Put everything else back.
• If you travel with checked luggage, fly with one change of clothing (or a change of underwear at the minimum) in your carry-on, just in case your checked baggage is lost.
• Pack clothing and shoes for activities like hiking or swimming.

Sort out cellphone and Internet access before leaving

Make sure you take a minute in your vacation planning to sort out cell phone coverage and Internet access before you leave.

Depending on your home cellphone plan, and where you’re going, you may be able to get a good data roaming rate with your local phone company. Check with your cell provider to see if they have any roaming deals and that they can provide roaming services where you’re heading.

Tip! Don’t think that your monthly plan includes automatic coverage for a reasonable price if you don’t have confirmation. We’ve seen people rack up hundreds of dollars in costs because they didn’t realize how much checking their Facebook page cost overseas or how much that phone call back to family cost them.

Because our cell roaming plan is pretty much non-existent away from home, we always travel with an international WiFi hotspot, which costs us less than $10 a day. Even better, we can connect up to six devices, which is perfect for our family of four. We could rely solely on hotel and public WiFi, but we find that sometimes hotel WiFi can be dodgy, and it can be surprisingly hard to find public WiFi in some destinations.

The nice part is that if you own an international WiFi device like we do, you can connect for only a day or two as needed while you travel so you’re not paying for it when you don’t need it.

Check local currencies

These days, we rarely buy currency ahead of time, with the exception of US dollars. We always carry enough in US dollars to get us local transportation, a hotel room and food for a day or two in case our debit cards are lost or stolen, or there’s a rare problem accessing credit car machines.

Generally we like to live a little dangerously and grab some local currency at an airport ATM after we land (not usually the best rate) and then some more from a local ATM via a bank machine. We also tend to use use our credit cards for bigger purchases like hotel rooms, meals in nicer restaurants and higher priced attractions.

If you like to plan more ahead, your best currency conversion is probably going to be from your bank at home. You can get almost any currency from your local branch however some currencies could take a few weeks to get in so make sure you give yourself enough time before you leave.

Do you have any travel planning tips? Let us know what works for you!

Before we traveled with our kids, we just had to worry about airfare for the two of us, and hotel rooms that would fit a couple. Today, our airfare costs are now times four instead of two and while we’re gone, we also need more room for the kids to sleep. Plus, we need more reliable access to laundry since kids are messy.

In hot countries, we also find that the kids are a lot more susceptible to extreme heat and humidity, so we often use air conditioning to keep them happy and comfortable. All of that adds up to spending more on family trips than when traveling as a couple.

Despite the extra cost and logistics, we love to travel with our kids, and we’ve traveled with them to every continent except Antarctica.

No, we definitely didn’t win the lottery, and we don’t have a huge trust fund. We can travel with our kids because we’ve discovered ways to save money on family vacations that lets our dollar go farther and last longer.

So whether you’re staying someplace for a day or a week, here are some tips for saving money when traveling with kids.

Stay Longer

Yikes, that doesn’t seem to make sense, now does it?

However, we’ve found that that the longer a trip lasts, the lower the per day cost.

The reason for this is simple. When you have more time, you have time to do things differently. Instead of renting a car or taking expensive tours, you can can jump on a bus and see something on your own.

Even better, arrange for an affordable campervan to rent, pack the kids in the RV, and head off on an adventure! You can slow your schedule down to see what you want to see, exactly how you want to see it.

Expert tip: Condo and house rentals can be less expensive the longer you stay. We’re found time and time again that we’ve been able to rent a condo for two weeks for the same prices as for a full month. We’ve found this to be true for rentals we’ve booked in Spain, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Mexico, among other places.

Bonus: Longer vacation.

Con: Figuring out a way to get extra time off work and potential lost income (though you’d be surprised how much time you can get if you ask and make sure it’s not your companies busiest time of the year).

Travel Farther

We realized long ago that there’s a cost to living no matter where you hang your hat at night. It’s just that there are many places where you can live much cheaper than in North America.

So while it might be tempting to jump in the car and tour a few States or Provinces over, jumping on a plane and heading someplace different might end up costing you less. This is especially true if you do some of your own cooking while you travel.

Bonus: Wine in Southern Europe is $2 a bottle

Con: Getting out of your comfort zone (but maybe this is actually a plus!)

Eat in

Now eating in on holiday doesn’t sound appealing, but the reality of eating out with kids everyday for a week or two is enough to deter even the hardiest of family traveler.

Let’s face it, kids can be temperamental and fussy at times, and making sure they’re always on their best behavior can get tiring awfully quickly. I wish I could say our kids ate everything we set in front of them, but that’s not the case. We have days where the kids both turn up their noses if the mac and cheese is simply the wrong consistency.

My suggestion? Eat breakfast in your room before heading out and eat every third supper in. Keep it simple, with a bowl of cereal and fruit for breakfast and make your simplest (yet favorite) supper. The kids will enjoy the comfort of home and you still get to eat out most nights on your trip.

There’s one surprising bonus to this – you get to shop at your destination. It can be a lot of fun to browse markets and find new foods and products all over the world!

Bonus: The kids will have more energy for the day if they can eat and then play while you get the day’s activities ready.

Con: You have to buy groceries and cook (though we love browsing in different grocery stores around the world since it gives us a great understanding of popular dishes and eating styles).

Snack time

It doesn’t matter if they’re two or ten, kids have smaller stomachs and need to eat more often than adults. Instead of wasting the entire family’s time and money in a restaurant, pack snacks for on the go.

Whether that means cutting up some local fruit to take with you, or a couple of packages of Handi-Snacks or squeeze applesauce packages, it’s up to you. The reality is that no one wants to deal with a hangry child, at home or on vacation, so take something with you whenever you go.

Bonus: Not having to stand in long lines for things you can buy at the corner store for a fraction of the price.

Con: Snack prep time (however checking out local fruit and snacks can be an adventure in itself).

Get comfortable

It may seem counter-intuitive, but making sure the kids (and you) are comfortable can save you money!

When we first traveled with our first baby when he was a little over a year old, we decided to save some money and stay in a room without air conditioning in the Philippines. Big mistake! The little guy wasn’t used to the heat, and he developed a case of heat rash.

By the time we bought ointment, upgraded to the (pretty expensive) air conditioned unit in the same hotel, and lost a lot of sleep and beach time, we were wishing we’d just planned to keep him cool and comfortable the whole time!

The same can be said for most travel gear! Plan to keep your kids comfortable with great toddler travel beds, a diaper bag that’s big enough to hold all the essentials, and even packing cubes to keep everything organized.

Bonus: Hopefully not needing to deal with more crises (like a toddler with heat rash) than you can handle!

Con: A bit of pre-planning.

Bundle and save

Just like shopping in bulk saves you money, buying attraction passes all at once can save a lot as well.

I’d love to say that we practice this ourselves, but we find that we travel too last minute, and like to leave our options open most of the time. That said, using multi-passes and city cards can save you a lot of money if you plan on visiting a lot of attractions.

Using a company that offers city tourist passes for multiple places all on one card not only saves you from standing in long lines (especially in summer) but if you’re an energetic family it allows you to save tons while getting to see some of the best sites a city offers. We like CityPASS cards, as they cover a lot of European and North American cities.

Get CityPASS deals here.

Bonus: Families can split up and visit different attractions depending on what their interests are.

Con: If you don’t visit enough attractions, these multi-passes aren’t a great value (though it does force you to get out and see more).

Family Discounts

Does your family size make the Brady Bunch look small? If so, many major attractions around the world have deals for large families.

We usually find that our family of four doesn’t get much of a deal, but if you have five or more in your family then the savings can add up quickly. If you’re a group of eight or 10 you can usually get group rates (sometimes even on airfare!) so if you’re traveling with another big family it’s worth looking into group savings.

Bonus: Renting a limousine or van for a big group is often cheaper than taking a bus.

Con: The logistics of group travel can be a challenge (though you might get to ride around in a limo!)

Kids stay or eat for free

This is one of our favorite discount tips for travel with kids!

Some parents don’t know that most hotels, even all-inclusive hotels, don’t charge for kids under 12. Sure, you might need to pay for their flights if you’re going somewhere far, but once you’re there, the kids may not cost you a dime. The same goes for restaurants, lots of restaurants offer free food for toddlers and even small children.

Bonus: Most resorts offer free kids clubs during the day that will occupy your kids while you relax by the pool and drink margaritas.

Con: Kids over 12 often don’t qualify. Our oldest just turned 12, and we’re feeling the pinch a bit (though he can now babysit so that’s a plus).

Rent a house

Sure, an all inclusive down in Cabo might sound divine, but you can likely stay twice as long if you stay in a VRBO house or condo.

You might have to do a little more cooking, but with the money you save you can hit some of the nicer restaurants. You’ll also have more space for a little extra privacy than a hotel room would offer and there will be more areas for the family to spread out so when you’re tired from your long day of adventures, everyone gets their own space to relax.

Bonus: You can even do your own laundry.

Con: You can do your own laundry (though at least you can rest assured it will come back and be in one piece when it’s done).

Kids fly free before age two

Want to sit on the beach in Bali or go visit family on the other side of the country, but the thought of three airplane tickets leaves you in a cold sweat?

If you have a child under age two, there’s good news, as nearly every airline offers free flights to kids under age two. Sure, they have to sit on your lap for the entire duration but chances are, at that age they’re going to anyway.

Bonus: Strollers and car seats aren’t included in your baggage restrictions.

Con: You’ll have a wiggly kid in your seat for the flight (though that might make your neighbor move to another seat giving you and your family the entire row).

Free museum days

Want to go check out the Guggenheim museum, but know your kids won’t last an hour?

The good news is that a lot of museums around the world, like Madrid Spain, have free museum days. Sure, they can be a little busy, but with that extra bit of saved cash you can afford that extra large mocha cappuccino. Just make sure you don’t take it into the museum, they frown on that.

Bonus: There are usually more kids on free days so if yours are a little hyper they’ll fit right in with the rest.

Con: Museum time with the kids (though there are some great children museums out there too).

Extra carry-ons

With the abundance of low cost airlines out there, you can save a pretty penny by sticking to a budget airline. Unfortunately, that low cost can get quickly eaten up if you have to pay for every bag you carry.

The good news is that every person, regardless of size, gets the same luggage allowance. That means that with many airlines, even budget airlines, your three year old is allowed a full size carry-on and a personal item. So instead of packing one massive bag for everyone, split your stuff up with a bag for each of you and get the kids to carry little backpacks with a few of their stuffies or toys so you don’t have to.

Don’t think you can manage carry-on only? Check out our post on how we travel carry-on only for a family of four.

Bonus: Smaller bags are lighter to carry, easier to throw in a trunk or boot and make looking for your kids socks much easier.

Con: If your kids are little, you’ll need to manage more little suitcases (though they will be lighter than a massive one and kids love pushing rolling suitcases around).

Bonus miles

Whether you generally fly with one airline or many, most companies won’t let you use your reward number for your kids flights.

It might sound like more work than you want to do, but if you fly with one airline more than the rest it makes sense to sign up each person in your family so they can start earning miles. Some miles can be spent on things like lounge passes and even on plane refreshments so they won’t go to waste.

Bonus: A lot of companies use the membership number to prefill your flight information when you go to book so you won’t need to enter everyone’s info every time you book a flight.

Con: The hassle of applying for, and managing, multiple rewards cards (sorry, no upside to this, it sucks but it’s worth it).

Bring your own car seats

This may sound like a no brainer, but if you’re flying somewhere and planning to rent a car once you’re there, you can save money by bringing your own child seat.

Car rental places often charge $7 to $15 a day for car seat rentals, so you can save a bundle if you’re renting for a while.

Pro tip! We used to buy car seats in foreign countries when the kids were young since it was less than half price to buy a brand new one than rent a beat up one for the week. We just gave them to other harried parents as we returned the car or left them in there. We even brought a few home and sold them since child seats fly free.

Bonus: You’re guaranteed to have a good seat if you bring your own.

Con: You need to lug the seat on the plane and to your hotel (though you can use some car seats in the plane to make the kids more comfortable).

Travel off-peak times

Yes, winter break, summer holidays and spring break make the most sense to take the kids on a cross country trip, however everyone else is also doing it. What that means is that prices are jacked way up, availability is limited, and you’ll face lineups everywhere you go.

Instead, go a week before or a week after the holidays. You’ll get the same weather and the same experience, but with a fraction of the people and a fraction of the price. If you can, book travel before and after peak times.

Bonus: It’s easier to book time off from work in the shoulder seasons and you might be eligible to get double time if you’re the only one working over the holidays to help pay for the trip.

Con: You may have to pull the kids out of school for a few days.

Do you have any tips for saving money on a family vacation? Let us know! 

First as a couple, and now as a family of four, Charles and I have travelled together since 2002. In those 15 years, we’ve managed to learn a few things about holiday travel. Some were tougher lessons than others.

The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing. – John Powell

Sometimes, we’re the ones who’ve made the mistake, like the time we were stuck in a small Thai town for 3 days because we forgot to check if local transportation shut down for the holidays. Other times, we’ve learned from the mistakes of our Barefoot Nomad community, as well as friends and family. Either way, those mistakes have taught us plenty.

Here are our best, hard-learned travel hacks and tips for holiday travel to help you save money and travel more smoothly this holiday season.

So what are travel hacks? They’re tips, tricks or tools to help fellow travellers get the most from their travels. That can mean saving time, saving money or saving them from making the same mistake others have made beforehand.

Don’t wrap gifts before you fly

We’ve been guilty of this one. Wrapping gifts before your flight sounds like a great way to save time when you’re flying, right? Unfortunately, no. Airport security can ask you to unwrap gifts to see inside, meaning you may have to wrap them twice. We’ve also found that gifts often get little tears and rips in transit, anyway.

Instead of pre-wrapping our gifts, we now bring tape and wrapping paper and child safe scissors for this reason. Gift bags are also a great solution, as you can easily pop the gifts into the bags at your destination.

Even better, consider shipping your presents to your destination ahead of time. You can also have presents shipped directly to relatives through Amazon as a gift. Just be sure to tell your recipients not to open them before you get there!

Sign up for price alerts

Price alerts have saved us a lot of money over the years. Last year, we needed to fly over the Christmas Holidays in late December from Calgary to Cancun, Mexico. You could have knocked me down with a feather when I first saw the high prices. Even worse, almost all of the flights had a long connection somewhere in the USA. Luckily, we had over a month to find a better price, so I set up a flight alert.

Boom! A few days later I got a flight alert saying that there was a sale on direct flights on one of our favorite Canadian airlines. Taking two minutes to set up a flight alert saved us hundreds of dollars, and also a lot of time.

Take advantage of cancellation policies

We’ve rarely seen this tip anywhere else, but it could save you a lot of money.

Book in advance to lock in a good price, but make sure that your hotel or flight has a clear, no cost cancellation policy. Then, mark the last day you can cancel by on your calendar, and set a reminder for a day or two before.

If your plans change, or if you find a better deal before the cancellation date, you can cancel without penalty. If your plans don’t change, you’ll have grabbed a good early booking discount.

Stay flexible

It’s hard to have a lot of flexibility during the holidays, but if you can use an alternative airport, or fly on alternative days, you can save a lot of money.

Even managing to move your flight or hotel reservation a day or two can be a big money saver.

Consider Christmas in early December

Even if you’re incredibly flexible on dates, travel during holiday peak season costs more, and attractions are almost guaranteed to be more crowded.

If you can reschedule your trip, consider travelling during low season. Not only do prices drop, there are also fewer people around, and you’ll have a better choice of accommodation.

In North America, low season is usually mid-September to early December, and then mid-January to the end of February, and finally April to May.

Be prepared for delays

Unfortunately, since the holidays often bring poor winter weather and busier airports, delays become more common. You may end up having an extended wait at your gate, or even a delayed flight.

Be prepared by having a movie on your phone or laptop (Netflix now lets you download many shows for offline mode!) in case airport WiFi is overwhelmed or spotty.

Strongly consider buying trip cancellation and interruption insurance that covers you for itinerary changes or cancellations.

Choose alternative airports

Want to save even more money or get a more direct flight?

When selecting your destination on a search engine, check the little box that reads Nearby Airports at the top of the drop down menu. You’ll automatically see results for airports close to your original choice, which can help you snag a flight with a chance of fewer connections or at a better price. Miami and Fort Lauderdale are perfect examples of this. We’ve saved hundreds per ticket by flying into one airport and departing from the other.

We’ve also saved by flying into one place and renting a car and driving down to another. The nice part is that we’ve often incorporated the drive into the journey. Like the time we flew into Las Vegas, stayed for a few nights then rented a car and drove to Arizona to visit family. Not only did we get to check out Hoover Dam but we also had the opportunity to see the Grand Canyon and the picturesque town of Sedona. The nicest part was that we saved so much on our tickets by flying into Las Vegas that it paid for the cost of our rental car and a few nights in a hotel.

For Canadian flights, depart from the USA instead

For Canadian departures or arrivals, you can save a fair bit of money choosing an alternative airport at a border city in the United States. It’s common practice for Canadians to do this, but it’s not common practice for other nationalities flying into Canada.

You’ll need to drive, or grab a bus or taxi from Canada, but you can save a lot of money. We did this for a trip to Oahu, Hawaii back in 2012, choosing to depart from Bellingham, Washington instead of Vancouver, Canada (the cities are 56 miles or 89 km apart). We saved hundreds of dollars on that flight, plus we got a better direct flight, and had a chance to do some shopping in Bellingham on the way back.

Common US border cities are:

• Bellingham, USA for Vancouver, Canada
• Grand Forks, North Dakota for Winnipeg, Manitoba
• Detroit, Michigan for Toronto, Ontario
• Burlington, Vermont or Syracuse, New York for Montreal, Quebec

Book two one-way flights

Surprisingly, booking two one way flights with different airlines can save money over a round trip ticket with the same airline.

Warning! Be cautious if you’re booking with two separate airlines in one direction. If your first flight is delayed or cancelled, the second airline isn’t obligated to reschedule your next flight. If you can, allow plenty of time for delays and cancellations and if delays do occur, contact the next airline as early as possible so they can arrange alternative flights.

Fly on the actual holiday

We’ve found some smoking hot airfare deals by being willing to travel on Christmas Day and even New Year’s Day.

Since most flyers want to be at their destination early, tickets for flying on the actual holiday are often more affordable. We’ve flown on Christmas day and New Year’s Day several times over the years when trying to see both sides of our family during the holiday break and have found it to be one the quietest times to fly. As a bonus, companies often include holiday perks like special snacks and holiday themed meals. We even had the president of Canadian airline Westjet join us on our December 31st flight to wish the passengers Happy New Year!

Looking for more travel tips?

• 45 Great Travel Jobs and How to Get Them
• The Best Budget Family Travel Tips
• Healthy Travel Tips

Here’s what Shane has to say about saving money on your next family trip to Europe.  

What’s on your family travel bucket list? Mine was to visit Europe, but since going there can be really expensive and we didn’t have much growing up, my family wasn’t able to go there until recently.

Thankfully, a trip to Europe has now become easier and cheaper. Just a month ago, I was able to take my parents and 3-year-old daughter to France, Switzerland, and Italy at a fraction of the cost one would usually spend for a European tour.

Editor’s tip! Check out our picks for the most beautiful Eastern European cities, things to do in Mallorca, and fun facts about Norway.

Today, I’m sharing with you my money-saving tips for a family trip in Europe.

Do it yourself

Travel agencies in the U.S. charge from $1,200 to $4,000 for guided tours to premium European destinations (depending on the places and travel duration). However, if you do it yourself, you can save up to 75% of the cost.

With the amount we saved, we’re able to explore more European cities like Florence and Lucerne, where I practiced some techniques for shooting a European vacation.

For capturing scenic landscapes and stunning landmarks, I used my compact, easy-to-use Canon 6D, a full-frame DSLR that’s perfect for travel and nature photography. It also produced great pictures of my trip to Disneyland Paris with my little girl.

Watch out for promo fares of foreign airlines

We booked our plane ticket to Paris (which was our entry point to Europe) from Asiana Airlines when it had a seat sale. The deal was too good to pass up, so we booked tickets immediately, even if our trip was 7 months away. Booking our tickets in advance saved us a lot on airfare costs, so we’re able to fit in more days and activities into our itinerary.

It’s best to schedule your travel to Europe in March and April or September to November when the weather is nice and great airfare deals abound. If you can, fly midweek since rates are cheaper at this time compared to weekends.

Usually, foreign airlines have cheaper rates than the local ones, so it’s also good to check those that have flights in your area for applicable deals.

Ask  airlines about their special ticket rates for children

Since we flew with Asiana, we didn’t get a special rate for my 3-year-old (although our flight was really comfortable through its Happy Mom Service). International airlines like Air France give out as much as 33% discount to children ages 2 to 11. Most airlines won’t offer the information upfront, so you have to proactively ask about it.

If you have children under 2 years old, remember that airlines no longer allow them to fly internationally for free. They do allow them to sit on your lap, but you’ll still have to pay 10% of the adult fare.

And since flights to European destinations usually take very long from North America, save yourself and your children the trouble of enduring an uncomfortable flight. Just book them a seat of their own in the plane.

Travel light

Usually, discounted tickets come with a fine print that limits your baggage allowance. In our case, we’re allowed only 23 kilos of check-in luggage for each person. When we first saw that limit, we thought it would be impossible to fit in each bag everything we needed for our 17-day trip. So we packed fewer clothes and shoes, and fortunately, we managed to survive!

Jeans can be worn repeatedly for about 9 days without stinking, so we maximized the use of two pairs of pants that each of us brought. Some nights, we’d wash our delicates and shirts, and then leave them to dry on the heater so that we could use them again the next day.

My daughter has sensitive skin, so I made sure to pack enough clothes for her to change into everyday. Her clothes and shoes are small anyway, so they didn’t add on too much weight.

Bring your own food

We were able to cut our travel expenses by bringing our own food. While not necessarily healthy, having several cups of instant noodles with us during our trip saved us from having to spend on food on some days.

Good thing that years of travel instilled in me the habit of bringing my own water heater everywhere I go, so we always had hot water whenever we needed it. If you don’t have a water heater, you can ask the hotel’s front desk personnel for hot water. They’ll be glad to pour some into your cup noodles. They may even lend you a fork and spoon like they did to us when we stayed in Zurich.

Book a place on Airbnb or stay over at a friend’s house

Hotel accommodations can eat up a huge part of your travel budget. If you have a friend who lives within your planned destination, perhaps you can ask to stay for free or rent a room in his place. Even if you come to an agreement that you’ll pay for your stay, it’ll still come out much cheaper than staying in a serviced hotel.

Another option is AirBnB, where you can book a room in France and other parts of Europe for as low as $45 per night. Aside from saving money, you’ll also get to enjoy that homey feel you’ll be missing out on when you stay in hotels.

Hot Tip! Sign up using this link, and get $35 USD in Airbnb credits with a new email on Airbnb.

For the most part of our Europe trip, we stayed in the apartment of my mother’s high school friend who’s based in Paris. But in Italy and Switzerland where we didn’t know anyone, we booked budget hotels around 5 months in advance. That allowed us to avail of the early bird rate that’s 40% less than the original price.

By being frugal, your family can enjoy the Eiffel Tower in Paris, frolic in the Swiss Alps, and marvel at the ruins of the Colosseum in Rome without overspending. All it takes is a bit of resourcefulness and patience in scouting for the best deals, and the willingness to adjust your needs to your budget.