So you’ve saved some cash and have a pretty good idea of where you’d like to go. Time to book those tickets to your first destination! I only usually book tickets to whichever country I plan on visiting first, as I prefer to travel with a flexible itinerary, or none at all.
Travel By Air
Air travel is an inevitability for most travelers and like any mode of transport, there is money to be saved on fares. In my experience, fares are usually cheaper when booked well in advance, or alternatively at the last minute on less popular routes. There is a definite ‘expensive zone’ somewhere between the two. Although booking in advance is always cheaper, it is not always possible depending on your time-frame and whether or not you want to plan ahead. In fact, fare aggregation Sky-scanner analysed their most popular flights exiting the UK and found that, on average, the cheapest fares were scored when booked seven weeks in advance. Fare Compare has also done some analysis and suggests that international tickets are best bought five to one and a half months in advance. This varies with every airline and agent so I always use aggregators like Momondo and Skyscanner to find the best deals. Most aggregators also allow you to set price alerts over a given time period to find the best deals on a route. Another handy price alert site is Hopper, which has an interesting notification feature that lets you know when flights on your selected routes are increasing or decreasing in price.
Research suggests that the cheapest days to fly on are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The time of day can also affect the cost of your flights. Flying overnight or very early in the morning is always cheaper, albeit a tad more uncomfortable and inconvenient. Also, if you’re not in a rush and don’t mind seeing the inside of airports all that much, taking a longer flight with more stops between you and your final destination can drastically reduce the fare cost.
Becoming part of a loyalty or frequent-flyer programme is also a great idea for collecting points to redeem free flights in the future. For the most part, airlines will fall into either the One World, Star Alliance or Sky Team alliance groups of airlines. Etihad Airways has also started its own alliance group, Etihad Airways Partners. Several airlines who belong to the same alliance will have cross-compatible loyalty programmes. For example, several Star Alliance airlines are in a frequent flyer group called Miles & More, and several Sky Team airlines are in a group called Flying Blue. It pays to research how you can maximise points through these loyalty programmes and inter-airline relationships, paying particular attention to the airline(s) you think you’ll be using most. It is best to accrue points only from the key airlines you will be using most, which ensures that you can redeem these points across the alliance or frequent-flyer group as a whole. I make sure that I am a loyalty member of at least one airline from each alliance group. This way I can redeem points across a wide variety of other airlines, too. That being said, it is still best to try to stick within one alliance group so that you don’t spread your total accrued points too thinly. I usually try to fly within one alliance group; the other three are simply for backup so I can still get something in return even on a route where my usual airline(s) don’t fly.
Many budget airlines are also offering loyalty programmes and collaborations with non-budget providers, for example, Jet Airways and Etihad.
Also, check if your bank offers a debit or credit card with frequent-flyer point benefits. Some cards usually even offer one point per dollar spent (or better), which is a really good deal. Taking a free flight every now and then is a great reward as you inevitably spend money at home or on your travels.
Travel By Land
If you’re lucky enough to live on a continent with more than one country (i.e. not Australia) then you may be heading to your first destination by land. Buses, trains, hitchhiking, cycling and ridesharing are all options, and if you’re in it for the long run you may even hire or buy an independent vehicle.
Even if you aren’t from Europe, but you are travelling there in peak season (summer), it can be a good idea to book train tickets in advance if that’s your preferred mode of transport. Many travellers visiting Europe from overseas will buy a Eurail pass, where they can travel for free on most of the rail services in Europe after paying the initial fee. Anyone with proof of European citizenship or permanent residency can get an Interrail pass, which is cheaper and more flexible. Just be mindful that on some routes, booking fees are extra, and they can add up. Personally, I could never justify having a Eurail pass as I do not move around between places frequently enough. I also like to mix up buses, trains, ridesharing and hitchhiking for a more varied travel experience, and to save money if there is an awesome local or online deal to be had. If you aren’t getting a rail pass and you don’t have a specific itinerary in mind, you can simply jump online and book a single fare with a local train company to your first destination.
Buses are a great way to travel and again, will only make sense if you live pretty near to where you are planning to travel first. Overall, I find that buses are cheaper than trains, and can be just as comfortable. Usually there is no need to book bus tickets too far in advance anywhere in the world.
In Europe, there is a hop-on, hop-off bus service called Busabout that enables you to buy a pass and use their buses where there are services. Unfortunately, their network is quite limited outside the main touristy sites. They also provide conventional bus tours elsewhere in the world, but as you’ll find later in this article, I’m not a big fan of tours.
Another perfectly sound and exceptionally cheap way to travel to your first destination by land is to cycle. You don’t even need a dedicated touring bike with panniers (although this will be much more comfortable). You can simply hop on your old mountain or road bike with a backpack and pedal off into the sunset. Just make sure you carry enough food and water, and the world is yours.
Travel By Sea
To tour or not to tour. Many first-time backpackers will book their first trip abroad through a ‘backpacking’ tour company such as Busabout, Contiki, Topdeck or Trafalgar Breakaway, but I’m really not sold on these tours at all.
I understand how they appeal to certain types of travellers. If you are inexperienced, unsure of where to visit, don’t really care about truly immersing yourself in culture, or just want to party (these tours are notorious booze-fests), then go for it! Granted, I’ve met loads of people who have had an absolute blast on these tours, and would certainly do it again. The main issue here is that when I ask them specific questions on where they went, what they experienced, how they felt, and so on, they can never give me an in-depth or articulate answer. This is because they either passed through the country/city/area way too fast, as these tours are known to do, or they were far too drunk to remember. As I’ve implied, to each their own, and if you want a whirlwind tour of a continent, to move to a new place every two or three days, as well as a crazy party experience, then go for it.
I personally prefer staying in one place for a while, lapping up the local history, culture, language, customs and landscapes, and having the flexibility to move on or stay as I see fit. Also, I spend a lot of time in the countryside and wilderness on my travels, camping, cycling and hiking, and many of these tours have too much of an urban focus for my liking. In addition, tours are expensive! Asking friends who have used these services and then comparing my personal travel budget to theirs usually indicates that I can travel approximately four to five times longer (even without any volunteering) than they have, visiting all the same places and doing many of the same things.
