Travel
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2 Nights in NYC – New York Money Diary
I recently spent two wonderful nights in NYC but as the budget conscious traveller I am, I was a little concerned about its spenny reputation. If you’ve read my plan to only spend £5k on my gap year, you’ll know that I only get £10 per day spending money. Obviously this wasn’t going to cut it in NYC. So I started hoarding little amounts each day in the two months ahead of the trip. By the time the trip rolled around I’d amassed a nice little pot of money and was ready to explore. So here we go, my New York money diary. Exactly how much I spent during my…
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I Slept At Heathrow Terminal 5 – Here’s How It Went
As I am writing this at 6.35am from a bougie lounge (thank you Trusted Housesitters for including lounge passes in your membership!) in Heathrow terminal 5, it is safe to say that I survived. Want to know how it went? Keep on reading! Disclaimer – this post may include some affiliate or referral scheme links. This means I will receive a commission at no extra cost to you! I had a nights gap between a housesit ending and my flight to NYC so I initially looked into airport hotels. Wow they are so so expensive! We’re talking over £150 for a room. One that I would have had to vacate…
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£5k Budget Breakdown – October 2022
Well, October has been a spenny month! Only two months into my year-long gap year and I have already spent over 20% of my £5k budget. Just writing that percentage down is a little panic inducing BUT surprisingly my projections have me still in budget! New here? Let me give you a little context... I have just graduated from uni and have chosen to take a gap year before deciding what to do next, career wise. I will be spending the entire year travelling and have set myself a strict £5k budget which needs to cover all costs and last the entire year! Seem a little tight? Check out this…
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September 2022 Money Review
One month down, only eleven left of my gap year! Crazy how fast time flies when you are professionally unemployed 😂 But the end of the month means only one thing on this blog – time for a September money review! September did not really go to plan but I made the most of the situation. I ended up staying an extra two weeks with my parents because a housesit got cancelled. This was one I had organised with a friend so I wasn’t covered by any guarantee like I am when I housesit through Trusted Housesitters. But this meant for a very cheap month. This will be the last…
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Travel Hacking a £145 Flight to NYC
Yep, you read that right, £145!! For a flight from London to New York worth £1,800. Do I sound smug? I’m feeling a little smug. But getting a deal like this has been twelve months in the making. How? Two words – travel hacking. Disclaimer – This post may contain affiliate or referral links which means I might receive a commission if you follow them. This comes at no extra cost to you! What is travel hacking? Travel hacking is the art of collecting points (such as BA’s Avios) which are then redeemed for discounted travel. Travel hacking is very popular in the US but there are deals to be…
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Tips To Secure Sits on Trusted Housesitters
In the 50 days since I joined Trusted Housesitters, I have applied for 33 sits, had 4 zoom calls, been rejected 12 times, been ghosted more times than I can count, withdrew 7 applications and finally I have secured my first international housesit! I’ve actually got two 🎉 Disclaimer – This post contains some affiliate links meaning that I may receive a commission if you use them. This comes at no extra cost to you <3 Words cannot describe how excited I am that my plans are finally coming together – one piece of the puzzle at a time. Whilst, I have only just secured my first international sit, I’ve already…
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How I Plan To Only Spend £5k On My Gap Year
Yes, you did read that correctly! I am planning to spend only five thousand pounds on my gap year. Which will be a yearlong round the world trip. That works out to just over £13 per day! Want to know how? Keep reading. In this post, I am going to share five things that will help me stick to budget and still enjoy every single moment! Disclaimer – This post includes some affiliate links which means that I may receive a commission if you use them. This comes at no extra cost to you <3 Firstly, I must acknowledge that I only feel comfortable setting such a tight budget because…
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Wowcher Mystery Holiday – How Much It Actually Cost!
Back in January 2020, yes a lifetime ago, my mum and I embarked on a Wowcher Mystery Holiday. I paid for the holiday the previous August as a birthday gift for my mum. We finally got the call in September telling us where we were going and the dates. Incredibly by chance, we got assigned Venice, a place which had been at the top of my mum’s bucket list for decades and we were travelling the weekend before her birthday 😱. It couldn’t have worked out better!! I wrote a full review back in 2020, weighing up whether it is actually worth it for the £99 price point. To follow…
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9 Easy Ways To Save Money On Travel
Travelling doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg, it can be accessible for most budgets. There are some ways to travel hack, save money and stick to a budget when travelling. Using these can help get out of the common mindset of travel being too expensive. Here are 9 easy ways… #1 Housesit Housesitting is where you stay in someones house for free in exchange for looking after the place and sometimes their pets and plants as well. This is a great way to get free accommodation that is also private. The best thing about housesitting is that it makes otherwise too expensive cities, such as New York,…
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5 Tips on How to Survive Long Bus Journeys
Travelling by bus is often the cheapest way to travel but it isn’t the most comfortable, hence below are my top five tips on how to survive long bus journeys. My favourite bus companies to travel with are National Express for journeys within the UK and Flixbus for journeys on mainland Europe. For the US I have seen good things about Megabus but have never tried them myself. Wear Layers Layers are your absolute best friend on long bus journeys! Buses often go from being really stuffy and uncomfortable to arctic cold in minutes…. It’s crazy! I try to wear an outfit that allows me to decide how much I’m…
