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I failed… My £5k Budget is Gone
After 200 days of full time travel, my £5k gap year budget is all gone! I have spent every single penny having an absolutely wonderful time. Ok, so technically I failed. When I initially set this budget I wanted to make it last the entire year, including all the costs associated with my summer job as a camp counsellor. But it soon became apparent that this just wasn’t going to happen. Transportation costs between destinations were way higher than I thought they would be. I actually ended up spending nearly double the amount I’d originally allocated to this cost. I also got carried away a couple of times (especially when…
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Long Haul Budget Flights – Are They Really Worth It?
A flight across the Atlantic is a little different than a quick two hour Ryanair one to Spain so the question is are long haul budget flights worth the savings? Or are you best sticking to the big, well known brands for this type of travel? Keep reading to hear all about my experience. During my time at uni, my go to procrastination site was Skyscanner and I would immediately look up flights to NYC. Dreaming of just packing a small bag and heading out there for a weekend – 16 hours of travel for two days makes sense right?? Anyway a few years back I remember always seeing a…
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March Budget Update – £5k Gap Year
Already a quarter of the way through 2023 😱 Where is the time going? Absolutely insane!! But the end of another month means only one thing in the finance space – it’s time to review and reflect on the month, so here is my March budget update 😄 March has been a kinda chilled one for me, well compared to my previous months that is 😂 My big 5 month trip came to an end and I started leg 3 of my gap year, which is only going to be 6 weeks. Mostly down to visa restrictions but also because the budget is starting to look a little tight! New here? Let…
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£5k Budget Update – February 2023
Halfway through my budget gap year and I still have some money left – woohooo!!! I’m taking that as a win 😂 February has been one hell of a good month! I got to see my parents for a weekend as the couple I was housesitting for welcomed me to have guests to stay, I ticked off two new countries, got another tattoo, saw SiX again, spent quality time with some friends and had a lot of time to read on various overnight journeys – which is always a win 🙌🏻 Mind blowing that I’m at the halfway point already and I still change my mind daily on what I want…
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Complete Guide To Housesitting
I have been housesitting almost full time for the last four months and whenever I mention it I always get a tonne of questions. Trust me, I was exactly the same when I first heard about it. Like, you can stay in someones house while their away for free? Crazy!! Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links meaning if you go through them to make a purchase I may earn a commission. This comes at no extra cost to you <3 In the past four months I have spent a week in Chicago, a month in Seattle, two 5-day stays in Portland, a week in Cambridge…
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£5k Budget Update – December 2022
December, month four of my gap year and the first month I’ve spent fully abroad and zero nights crashing at my parents house 😂. As I’m following where the housesits take me to save on accommodation costs, I spent all of December in the Pacific North West. I’m here until mid-January then I’ll be flying over the east coast for the remaining 3 weeks of my time in the US. Disclaimer – This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a commission if you use them. This comes at no extra cost to you <3 New here? Let me give you a little context... I graduated from uni…
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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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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…
