TRICKS & TIPS ON CHEAP FUN TRAVEL

Hi guys! It's been awhile. I have no excuse unless laziness and life is something that will suffice.

A quick update:

It is February 21st 2019. 2018 was an interesting year for me. I had the opportunity to travel most of the United States via car and plane.

I lived in Florida in the beginning of 2018 and I moved into my boyfriend's parent's house. We told his parents that we were going to save money to buy a house in Florida or Las Vegas and if we stayed in the current place we were living we would never be able to save up.

Plans changed and I (the irrational, spontaneous, adventurous person that I am) decided to take most of the money we saved for buying a house and use it to take a road trip around the U.S.A.

We did the trip for 60 days, 2 months. sleeping in the car 5 times, staying at friends and family and hotels galore. I plan on writing a blog on the who, what, when and wheres about the trip but for now you can see all of that on my youtube: @toristrails

ANYWAY, I have accumulated a few tips on how to travel as cheap as I do. Keep in mind, I can do without a lot of things (nicest hotels, best airlines & expensive tourist traps) however, I still have a great time and I won't stay in a complete dump.

FLIGHTS:

Spirit, spirit, spirit.

I know that no one wants to take Spirit Airlines, even if their lives depended on it. However, it isn't that bad if you are going somewhere that is 6 hours or less away. The seats do not recline on the flight, you are in a smaller space and they try to get you to pay 30$ for a luggage and they try to trick you by making you THINK you need to buy seats.

• DO NOT BUY THE SEATS. Just check into your flight 24 hours beforehand and click random seats, you will always be sitting next to the person you're flying with.

• Try not to buy luggage if you do not need it. You get one personal item to carry. I have stuffed a small duffle size with clothing for 4 days worth, my laptop, makeup bag and shower supplies. If you are bringing a bulky jacket or shoes, wear it on the plane.

• The best website is skyscanner.com, you can play around with dates and times on there to find our the cheapest rate for you.

HOTELS:

Hotels.com is something I have used for probably 7 years, ever since I started dating my boyfriend. You can create an account with them and every 10 hotel stays you get a free hotel night. They give you pretty good deals, better than any I have seen on other sites.

• The more you look at the hotels on your laptop (same with flights) the more they go up. I guess the government is watching? So try and use different computers to check prices and if you see a good price get it, because it will go up as your trip gets closer.

• You don't need to stay at the Four Seasons to have a good time. I have stayed at horrible hotels and amazing hotels, and you can have fun at both. But at the end of the day, depending on your vacation, you are barely in the hotel room aside from sleeping, and most rooms look the same inside. The most important thing is to make sure you are in a safe location, just read the reviews.

• Try and book your hotel at least 3 weeks in advanced. ALSO, look for hotel prices before you book your flight and vice versa. Have everything set first.

• Make sure your hotel is in a good location, safety wise but also near things you want to do. The closer to city center the more expensive. HOWEVER, one trip to Colorado I did not realize the mountains were 2 hours from Denver until I got there. But it was so beautiful I couldn't complain, however thats a two hour drive I did not make on my second CO trip.

THINGS TO DO:

Of course you have to see the Las Vegas strip when you go to Vegas or the Empire State when you get to New York BUT there's so much to do outside of the touristy spots. I mean that's kind of my thing to find them, however some things I do are:

• See what is most important for me to do. I like to choose one expensive thing to do while I'm in the state that will best express the beauty or culture of the state. In New York I did not spend money on anything touristy aside from food and transport. Most of the time just walking around, trying local spots and seeing the landmarks are enough, you don't need to purchase a "horse and buggey" or wait in line at the first Starbucks in Seattle, just take a picture on the outside.

• Check out tripadvisor.com they give you plenty of cool things to do around the area.

• Try and do things that the locals love to do. They know best. Once you're there, ask around at a local store or stop someone on the street. Locals usually know where the lines are short and the food is real deal.

• Enjoy the scenery or just take strolls around the cool landmarks or monuments, usually the expensive ticket price to do something is not worth it and if you're curious check out reviews first!

• Nature is free and every state has something beautiful to offer. Check out some of the state or national parks (those cost money). The America the Beautiful Pass is 80$ and gets you unlimited access to every National Park for 1 year.

• Hit me up! I will plan your trip for you. I think if there is one thing I'm good at, it's planning trips.