The JJC abroad... 10 tips on how to get up and travel every month!

I have recently been travelling a lot…..A whole lot. I love going to new places and experiencing new things….but I also have a 9-5 job, a business to run, I’m writing my second book, I have t-shirts to sell, family to see, brunches to have, love life things (cough) and my bank account always looks at me like I am crazy when I touch my passport. However the importance of travelling cannot be stressed in our lives; I feel as young people we do not travel enough. So let us make more of an effort.

To start- there are three types of travellers;

· The monthly dabbler: This is me…I travel monthly. Every month.

· The mild wanderer: This is large chucks of being away….a month here, 6 months there.

· the nomad: This is travelling all the time. Like all the time.

As most of us don’t have months and months of travel time at our disposal. We will only be talking about the monthly dabbler today.I have attached a helpful info-graphic as an example. Ada is a real person.

1. How do you pay for it? Sit down and plan a monthly budget for the yeah then divide that by 12 months… This is your limit. Stick to it. You will need at least 200£ a month for this. If you are serious about travelling you have to be serious about the money too! Take the monthly budget out of your salary like rent! Put it in a different account, don’t touch it. If you have savings you can start travelling immediately, if not wait a few months till you get some cash in the travel account.

2. Book your Holiday days: Bank holidays are your friend! They buy you extra days in the year without losing a precious holiday day. Add this to weekends and any other off days and there is plenty to choose from.

3. Split duration's accordingly: Alternate several weekend trips with longer 7-10 day holidays spacing out the more expensive trips out.

4. Choose locations carefully and don’t be a tourist: Choosing less ‘touristy’ locations can save you a lot of money. Want to go to Spain? Go to Malaga not Barcelona, want to go to Greece? Corfu not Athens. Canary Islands? Fuerteventura not Tenerife! You get the idea…. Where the tourists go the money goes as well!

5. Book ahead or last minute: Either you book over 6 months ahead or you book within the last two weeks to make killer savings on your trips….Last minute bookings are great most travel agents have to sell all the holidays on their books or they lose money. It is a risky gamble though as you cannot guarantee you will get the exact dates/ flights/hotels you want.

6. Forget summer beach holidays: You can get a 4 star beach holiday in Greece for 250pp (all inclusive) as an example but not DURING the summer holidays. July till early September is the worst time for a beach holiday. Instead, go for a city break in Europe. It’s hot here anyway during the summer months (sometimes), wait till kids are back in school to go off to relax by the waves in peace. The hotels are quieter and so much cheaper.

8. Get a travel buddy: Split accommodation costs! Getting one hotel room for just yourself costs the same for up to two people. Get a travel buddy and save.

10. Save the extras: Skip hotel transfer, extra baggage, early boarding, upgraded seats, rooms with views, etc when booking. ASK for these to be thrown in for free after you have finished and usually, they are given for free if you are nice.

Don't forget to plan ahead and travel safely....let people know where you are going before you pack your bags and take off. Liam Neeson is NOT available for hire.