Summer 2023 Travel Planning Tips & Tricks
The sun is shinning and your fingers are itching to book a summer trip right? ME TOO.
It’s no surprise to us all that life has gotten to be well, more expensive. Unfortunately, this trend translates to travel as well. This summer is predicted to be one of the busiest and most expensive seasons yet. Although this is not great news for us budget friendly travelers it does not mean traveling is out of the picture for this year what so ever! I am currently planning a pretty extensive late summer abroad trip and figured I would share what I am doing to cut costs while still making the absolute most of the adventure.
(Positano, Zion National Park, Utah swimming Holes, Maldives)
I know this first one will be a bit harder to conceptualize if you are a type A planner and have a certain place in mind.. but trust me. Pick 3-5 destinations and have a more flexible mindset when choosing an exact location. 🗺️ I highly recommend choosing a few locations and routinely checking flight and accommodation prices (on a private VPN) so you can adequately gauge what is going to be the most attainable trip for you. The goal here is to choose destinations where your money is going to stretch as far as possible. Listed below are my top picks of what I assume are going to be the most expensive (and popular) places this summer… and some alternatives instead!
The Almalfi Coast of Italy (Positano, Capri etc.) > Costa Viola, Calabria and Monte Argentario
Hawaii > Grenada, Barbados, Anguilla and Madeira
Mykonos > Crete, Naxos, Zante and Rhodes
Costa Rica > Guatemala, Niquaraga and Honduras
Maldives (obviously a favorite of mine but not entirely an affordable one lol) > Gili Islands, El Nido, Langkawi (Malaysia)
Go to google flights and type in the city you want to depart from.. pick a flexible time frame and duration and search:)
Travel during the front and back end of busy seasons and as above, if you can try and be flexible with the dates. 🌏 Hint: most schools are still in session until late June in Europe so their vacation times start and end a bit later! Use this to your advantage and try to book for earlier in the season (like NOW) or wait until late August to September. Depending on where you are going it’s notable to say that the heat and warm weather lingers for a while and is almost unbearable in the city centers in Europe unless you are in a coastal area.
Take advantage of those credit card points! 💳 I always preach this but if you quite literally treat your credit cards as debit cards and pay them off monthly there is zero harm in putting all of your expenses on them. I personally just booked 800$+ of flights for this year for FREE with just points by utilizing my two favorite credit cards: Capital One Venture X and Chase Sapphire Preferred! I will be linking these below with options to apply. These credit cards (specifically the Venture X offer seriously awesome perks including access to lounges with free food and drink and a comfortable place to relax during a layover, TSA pre-check and even Global Entry!
Bed and breakfasts versus Airbnb / Vrbo 🏡🍳There was once a time when Airbnb and Vrbo were significantly less than hotels and were considered the more “budget friendly” option. Sadly, this is no longer the case in most locations. I personally have hopped off the Airbnb train (unless it’s a large party of people) and have been loving boutique hotels or bed and breakfasts! Not only are there less cleaning and hidden fees but having one meal included daily in your trip significantly lowers costs and allows you even more time to explore! Hostels are another great option especially in Europe, South East Asia and South / Central America just be mindful and read a lot of reviews and use social media to your advantage and even reach out to others who have stayed! Hostel culture really makes or breaks the trip and you want to ensure you know what you are getting into. Some focus on nightlife and a party scene, some are calm and quiet with an emphasis on wellness and some are simply a cheap place to crash at night!
Pack less 🧳 Airlines have started charging seriously crazy prices for luggage and not to place blame… bug losing luggage as well. I can not imagine not having my things as soon as I land to start my trip! It’s summer there is no way we should be needing more than a small carry on unless you are going for an exceptionally long duration. My hacks? Compressible packing cubes, Osprey or similar like backpacks, and planning outfits down to a science prior to departing and making sure you love how you look and feel in them. This will save you time and money. I also recommend getting global entry / TSA for faster airport experiences ✈️
Summary? Summer 2023 travel is going to be hectic, there is no doubt about that. Try to have an open mind and expect some delays, bumps in the road and imperfections. I personally don’t believe in “waiting” for the right moment to travel. If you have the time, money and health? Go. Traveling is an immense privilege. Life is so short and there are so many memories to be made. We can only be so prepared and plan to a certain extent, book that flight 🌺🌏🫶🏻
