1. Enjoying New Experiences Together

There is something so special about enjoying new experiences with someone who truly knows you. While this is something you can do with a significant other or best friend, it is totally different with someone who has known you your whole life. Nicole and I get to be apart of things that we have wanted to do since we were kids, like traveling throughout Europe. I get to see how much my little sister has grown, and get to do things that push my comfort-zone with someone who I know will always support me. 

2. Strengthening your Bond

Now that we are older, my sister and I can plan trips together, where we can spend time learning more about one another. I remember when we were younger, we would fight all the time, and our parents would say “one day, you two will be best friends.” Don’t tell them I said this, but my parents were right. My sister is my best friend, and I am always so grateful when we get to spend time alone talking about our lives and what we want to do with our futures. When we traveled to Barcelona, one of my favorite parts of our trip was when Nicole and I sat on the top of a mountain overlooking the city, talking about our experiences living abroad, and what we wanted to do in the next year. 

3. Freedom to be Yourself

I have traveled with friends before, and as much fun as that is, there was always a part of me that felt like I was guarded. No one wants to be the “difficult friend” so you may find yourself agreeing to things you do not really want to do or trying to make sure that you are always in a great mood. With my sister, we were both able to be fully honest about exactly what each of us wanted to do (or what we had no interest in whatsoever). I also felt free to tell her when I was upset about things that didn’t go the way I had hoped, even when I knew I was being totally ridiculous (which she also had no problem pointing out). I also know that when you travel with friends, you may not always feel comfortable telling them when they are doing things that are annoying you, and let’s be honest, when you spend that much time with someone (especially with the stress of a trip), there are going to be times when you get annoyed with one another. With sisters, you grew-up telling each other how annoying you find one another, so this is no problem. I find that this helps address issues right away so they do not build up, leading to a drama-free experience.

4. Judge-free Photographer (mostly)

If I had to guess, I would say I have at least 100 pictures of Nicole and I here. We both LOVED the beautiful colors, and couldn’t stop taking pictures.

We all know that when you travel somewhere great, you want the perfect shot to capture those memories. We also know that it might take two or three (or fifty) tries to make sure you get that perfect shot. I feel totally comfortable asking my sister to take “just one more” when I didn’t like the first 35 pictures. Your sister also knows all your good sides and will be totally honest with you when your “sexy pose” actually just looks like you are trying to hold in a fart. She will also take plenty of unflattering candids that you can laugh about later.

5. Hello New Clothes

Traveling with your sister means that your outfit choices just doubled. I know whenever I travel, I always arrive at my destination and realize that I wish I had packed more clothes. When I travel with my sister, I am always able to steal a shirt or a dress to spice up my wardrobe (plus she always has way cooler clothes than me). Unfortunately, this goes both ways, so make sure to double check your bags before heading home (or your favorite jeans might be on their way to Paris).

Bonus: Family Time

My sister and I are both living in Europe, with a 6-hour time difference from our friends and family back home. While we both are loving our experiences, taking trips together gives us both a little piece of home.

You all know that I LOVE to travel. Unfortunately, with my work, I am not bringing home the big bucks. I always hear students/young adults say that they wish that they could afford to travel. I remember thinking that myself when I was in undergrad. One of the main reasons I wanted to start my blog was to use it as a platform to teach people the tips and tricks of traveling on a budget. So without further ado, here are five ways to save money on your next big trip:

Flights

This is the big one that used to stop me from traveling. I would look at flights to Europe and think that the flight alone was more than I was able to spend. I wish when I was younger, someone would have told me about these sites that help you find tickets at a discount price.

• StudentUniverse – This website is for students, teachers, and youth (26 and under), and offers tickets at almost half the price of buying directly! I definitely recommend looking here before you buy tickets.
• STA Travel -Similar to StudentUniverse, this website will offer discounts for students, teachers, and youth (31 and under). It also offers ways to work/volunteer abroad.
• Hopper – This is an app you can download on your phone that will track flights for you, and can help you figure out the best time to buy your ticket.

Hostels

Some people choose to save money on lodging by staying in an Airbnb. I have always preferred to stay in hostels because they are a great way to meet fellow travelers, and they always have different events and activities each night.

• HostelWorld – This is a website and an app. You can find hostels all over the world, and are able to filter your search based on rating, price, location and more! I typically do not pay more that $20-$50 a night for a hostel.
• Book Direct – Before you book your desired hostel, check their website to see if they have special offers for booking directly. Sometimes hostels will offer free breakfast or early check-in for booking direct.

Tours

I usually like to book a tour on the first day I arrive in a new city. This allows me to get the lay of the land, which helps me plan out the rest of my trip. While I always suggest doing free walking tours, just remember that it is nice to tip the guide when they are done. Because free walking tours are “pay what you think it’s worth” I find that the guides seem more interesting and share more local/insider information, like cool spots to go to after the tour.

• SANDEMANs NEW Europe – This company offers free and paid city tours all over Europe. They are usually pretty good, and if you ask for a stamp card, you can collect stamps in each city, which will earn you a discounted price on one of their paid tours.
• Free Walking Tours – Literally Google “Free walking tour [insert city name]” and you will likely find multiple options. I usually look at the itinerary for each of the different options and choose the one I like best or choose the one that has a starting location closest to me.

Personal Travel Agent (kind of)

I know how hard it can be to plan a trip to a new city. There are so many things to consider to ensure that you make the most of your time. One easy way to help reduce the stress of planning a trip is to let someone else plan it for you!

• Weekend Student Adventures (WSA) – WSA hosts “fly-in” trips meaning that all you need to do is get yourself to the city you’ve chosen and they take care of the rest! Most packages are 3 days, 2 nights and include hostels, tours, and activities. Typically you would pay about $150 for the package (although some of the trips can cost up to $350 depending on which option you pick). Each package comes with a full itinerary that you can adjust based on your flights.

Living Abroad

If you’re like me, once you take your first trip, you will find yourself Googling “how to move abroad.” Here are some options I looked into before I made my move to Berlin.

• AuPairWorld – This is basically like a dating app for au pairing- You and host families enter your preferences (i.e. country, start date, duration, etc.) and get matched up with families that fit your profile. This website will guide you through the process of finding families, and what to know before your move. When it comes to matching with families, making a decision, and creating a contract- that is all between you and each family.
• WorkAway – This site is great for finding people all over the world who are looking for some help and are willing to provide free lodging (and sometimes meals) in exchange for work (i.e. running a bed & breakfast, farming, fixing up a house, etc.)
• Teaching English – Literally type “Teach English in [insert country name]” and you are likely to find a company that will sponsor you to teach abroad. Typically you need to have a bachelors degree to qualify, but it does not usually have to be in education.

I am always looking for more ways to save money on my trips. Be sure to keep checking back, as I will update this post as I find you all more tips/tricks to save you money on your next trip!

You all know that I LOVE to solo travel. When I went on my first solo trip, my friends/family were confused by my lack of selfies. I want my pictures to capture my full experience (and let’s be real, I want my whole outfit in the picture). BUT we all know that asking strangers to take our picture can be tricky. First, you have to trust that this total stranger won’t run away with your phone. Second, you have to hope that they know how to work your phone. Finally, you pray they know the rule of thirds, and that they won’t cut off your feet or part of the scene you’re trying to capture.

Here is how to get the PERFECT picture:

Ask a Stranger

First, I look for a couple or another solo traveler taking selfies. I approach them and ask if they would like me to take their picture. Then I take as many shots as necessary to help them get the perfect picture (you know, you have to get the angle/lighting/pose just right!). Then I look at their picture and say, “Wow, that’s actually a perfect picture! Would you mind taking the EXACT same one for me?” That way, I already know that I am going to love the picture.

Did you follow the steps above, and your picture still didn’t turn out just right (they cut off your feet, you blinked, etc.)? No worries! Just walk around for a few minutes, and when they have walked away, find a new couple and try again!

Use a Tripod

If you are not a fan of talking to strangers or there is no one around you, tripods are a great way to go. This will also allow you to set up your camera, so that all you need to do is jump into the shot.

Go on a FREE Walking Tour

You all already know I LOVE free walking tours. Literally Google “Free walking tour [insert city name]” any time you go on a trip. Another thing that I love about walking tours is that they are a great chance to get some amazing pictures! Your tour guide will walk you past all of the picturesque sites, and will give you plenty of time to snap some great shots. There will always be other solo travelers and couples on your tours. Offer to take their pictures (see steps above), then ask them to take yours. The great thing about this is that you will not be concerned about them running off with your phone/camera because they are on the tour with you.

Find Your Pose

Posing for a picture can feel awkward (I never know what to do with my hands). I find it helpful to look through Instagram and Pinterest to find inspiration for pictures that other people have taken at the same location. You can even look around you and see how others are posing. Honestly, if all else fails, sometimes my “awkward” pictures end up becoming some of my favorites. They show the real me, and they typically make me/others laugh at my ridiculous faces. Sometimes my best pictures come from the frames of me laughing at my awkwardness with the strangers taking my picture. I get to look back and remember all the fun I had at each place.

Take a Selfie

Never miss out on capturing your memories! There is nothing wrong with stopping to take a selfie! If you have short arms like me, then invest in a selfie stick! Just be aware of your surroundings (in some of the bigger cities, people are known to grab phones right off the selfie stick).

In the end, just remember that, no matter what, you are going to feel silly. People are going to look at you. They may even laugh at you. This happens even when you are traveling with other people. But guess what? You will likely never see these people again. So if they are going to stare, make it worth their while – get over feeling stupid and get your awesome pic!

 

Here are some of my favorite shots:

 

I absolutely love traveling alone. As many of my friends and family know, I am normally an introverted, shy, and anxious person. However, when I travel solo, I am forced to put myself out there and talk to knew people, and it has resulted in such amazing experiences.

While I highly recommend that everyone experience solo traveling, I also want to be clear that it is super important to make sure that you do so safely. People always tell me that I am so brave for traveling alone, especially as a young woman, but I can honesty say that, because I follow simple steps to stay safe, I have never felt frightened when traveling on my own.

 

Never Tell Anyone You’re Traveling Alone

Seriously, no one. This does not just apply to guys, I would not tell anyone that you are alone. Now I know what you are thinking, “But Alexa, I am clearly alone when I am meeting new people.” or “Alexa, I am staying in the hostel alone, so won’t everyone know I am alone?”  While you will be alone in that moment (i.e. at the hostel, meeting people on tours/while you are out, etc.), you can still tell them that you are in that city with friends.

For example, when I was out exploring, I would simply tell people that my friends were back at the hostel taking a nap, and that I was meeting up with them after I saw a site or finished a tour. Usually I would say that my friends had been to the city before, and had already seen a museum or building or whatever.

When I was in my hostel, I would say that my friend was living in the city for a study abroad program, and that I preferred to stay in the hostel, so that I could have my own bed.

If you are at a bar or club, you can tell people that your friends are running late from dinner, and that they will be here soon. When they don’t show up and you are ready to leave, you can say that they decided to meet at a different bar/club, and head out to “meet up with them.”

You get the point. It does not matter what you say, just do not say that you are alone. Honestly, this felt a little weird at first, but after a few times, it became a fun little game.

PSA: For anyone that I have met while solo traveling, I apologize for lying about the “friends” I was traveling with. I promise I actually do have (real) friends. I am sure many of you looked back at my Facebook posts suspiciously wondering where all these “friends” were in my pictures from my trip. You understand though, I couldn’t risk you being a secret serial killer. Clearly the lying worked out well for me, since I made it home without reenacting Taken, so it was worth it in the end.

 

Keep Your Family/Friends in the Loop 

Make sure that, before you leave, you give your family/friends your itinerary. This includes all the information about your flights, trains, hostels/hotels, tours, etc. Additionally, keep them in the loop if plans change. For example, when I was in Italy, there were strikes that caused cancellations of different trains, that caused me to adjust my itinerary.

If you are not going to purchase a data plan for your time abroad, make sure that you have a plan to check in with your friends/family to let them know you are okay.

For my first solo trip, everyone was convinced that I was going to be taken. To be fair, I have been known to have a terrible sense of direction, and as I have said before, I am typically a shy/anxious person. Everyone wanted me to check in with them each day, and they each had their own expectations of what that looked like (i.e. Email, texts, snaps). It was honestly overwhelming, and I knew it was going to take away from my experience. I told my family/friends that I would let them know I was okay by posting one picture on Instagram at the end of each day.

This turned out to be a lot of fun because it was like a picture diary from my trip, which I still love looking back at today. It was also super easy. Everyone knew that as long as I posted a picture at the end of the day, I was still safe. Sure, I did some Snapchatting and FaceTiming when I was on Wifi, but I wasn’t feeling pressure to check-in through multiple different apps each day.

The most adorable side note: My grandmother was one of the many people worried about me during my trip. She actually created a Facebook and sent me a friend request while I was abroad so that she could keep up with my travels. She is honestly the sweetest woman ever. 

Be Lost with Confidence

I love getting lost in a new city and discovering all that it has to offer. But do this without looking lost. Avoid pausing under street signs, reading the mad on your phone, and looking like you have no idea where you are. It is okay to be lost, but walk with confidence to the nearest cafe/bathroom/shop to pull out your map or figure out where you are.

Be Extra Conscious of your Drinks/Drinking

We have all heard it a thousand times: Never leave your drink unattended, and don’t accept drinks from strangers. This is true for life, but especially true when you are abroad. I also encourage you to limit your drinking. Notice I do not say, “do not drink at all” because honestly, I am not going to Italy and NOT having wine. Just be smart. I am a solid 5-foot-nothing, so I know that means that I am having 1-3 drinks, and that is it. I also do not do shots. You know your body, and you know you limits. Just make sure that you are still alert/aware of your surroundings and definitely do not drink and “throw your inhibitions to the wind.”

Enroll in S.T.E.P. 

Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) is run by the U.S. Department of State. STEP allows you to enroll your trip with the local U.S. Embassy or Consulate, which allows them to contact you if there is an emergency. They will also send you safety information about your destination country.

Trust Your Gut

If someone is making you feel icky, it is okay to walk away or ask for help. Worry less about feeling mean or rude, and remember that it is about your safety.  You can step into a store or restaurant and hangout until you feel safe to go back outside. Also do not be afraid to tell a employee if you are concerned and ask them for help.

Travel During the Day

Make sure that you are departing/arriving during the day. You never want to get into a new city at night, in the dark. I always make sure that I arrive with enough daylight to find my hostel, check-in, then walk around and get the lay of the land.

Be Alert

This means following the same safety tips you should be following at home: Keep your eyes up, be aware of your surroundings, do not walk with headphones in, do not walk around starring at your phone, etc.

Avoid Drawing Attention to Yourself

First, do not bring any flashy jewelry. One, you do not want to lose it. Two, you do not want people to target you based on your jewelry. I would also suggest dressing conservatively or at least match the fashion of the area you are traveling in.

Always Meet in a Public Place

I am not here to judge. If you want to use Tinder/Bumble/Grindr/Her, go for it. Just make sure that you are meeting in a public place, preferably during the day. And let people know this is happening. Tell your host/hostel/hotel so someone knows what your plans are.

Helpful Safety Items

• Infinity Scarf with Pocket – This is such a great idea/accessory for those colder months.
• Personal Alarm – Keep this on your purse or key chain as you are out and about
• Padlocks and Steel Cables – I used these to lock my bags in the hostel as well as on the train/bus. I also suggest smaller locks to help keep your zippers on your backpack locked while you are walking around during the day
• Door Stop Alarm – If you are staying in a hostel or hotel room alone, this is a great comfort to have

Packing:

While I work to create my Packing List and Packing Tips post, here are some tips that I used for my first solo trip:

1. Invest in a good backpack. I bought the Osprey Aura AG 65 Pack from REI. There will likely be times that you cannot check in right away, and will get off the train and immediately sightsee. I enjoyed having a backpack with a waist belt that contoured to my body, it helped relieve some of the pressure on my back.
2. Only pack what you can carry. Remember that you might want to buy things on your trip, so leave room for you to add weight. I would say to challenge yourself to cut out one packing cube worth of clothes (trust me, you won’t wear it all anyways).
3. That brings me to my next tip – Use packing cubes. These are a huge space saver (if you use them correctly. I bought the Shacke Pak from Amazon. Honestly the large ones were too big, and took up too much space in my backpack. I would suggest buying more of the small size.
4. Bring multiple (TSA approved) locks and a retractable lock. When you are sleeping on the train, you will want to lock your bag in place.
5. Quick drying towels will be your most valuable purchase. I bought the Sunland Microfiber Towel. I definitely suggest buying the largest towel they offer. I also bought a smaller towel for my hair. There is nothing worse than putting a wet towel in your pack, so trust me, this is MUST.
6. Make copies of your passport, license, and credit cards in case something is lost or stolen so you have proof of identification. I would also suggest saving them on your phone as well. I kept my originals locked in my bag at the hostel, and put the copies in my day bag or purse.
7. Filtered Water Bottles. I am not trying to be boujee here. You never know how tap water in another country will react with your body. I loved my Brita Filtered Sport Bottle because it made me feel better about filling up, no matter where I was.
8. Comfortable shoes. Trust me, I get it- We are all going to post our pictures on Instagram, and we want our whole outfit to be cute. But also trust me, there is nothing worse than having your feet hurt by 10:00AM with a whole day left ahead of you. I was averaging over 40,000 steps a day, and I was so glad to have my Adidas on, rather than the cute flats or sandals I brought.

Helpful Booking Sites:

• Hostelworld – This site is great for comparing prices and areas. The best part is that they also have an app, which contains all of your trip information (Booking Reference Number, Hostel Contact Information, Booking Summary, Directions, and more)
• StudentUniverse – SUCH CHEAP FLIGHTS. Seriously the best site if you are a student, faculty, or 25 & under.
• STA Travel – This is such a great site that offers Discount Cards for: Students, Youth (12-30 years old), and teachers.

Travel Blogs:

• Alex in Wanderland – I love Alex’s blog. She has such great information!
• The Blonde Abroad – This was the very first travel blog I started reading.
• The Savvy Backpacker – Perfect website for students and anyone traveling on a budget
• Girl vs Globe – This blog is all about traveling responsibly, sustainable fashion and vegan food.

Other Helpful Sites:

• STEP – Smart Traveler Enrollment Program run by the U.S. Department of State. STEP allows you to enroll your trip with the local U.S. Embassy or Consulate, which allows them to contact you if there is an emergency. They will also send you safety information about your destination country.