Tatiana Solomatina

How to organize a trip on your own?

Greetings to all readers of my blog!

What makes people refuse independent travel, overpay tour operators, and risk losing everything?

Some people don’t want to prepare on principle, while others are simply afraid and don’t know where to start. This information will be useful for people who dream of relaxing on their own, but do not know how to proceed. It was for them that I drew up a detailed plan on how to organize an independent trip.

Step-by-step instruction

Think about what interests you, ask friends and acquaintances, read reviews. Calculate your budget. Figure out the number of days.

It’s good if the dates are floating, plus or minus a few days. This will allow you to later play on the cost of air tickets. It's no secret that ticket prices can vary greatly for neighboring dates.

Carefully read the climatic conditions of the chosen holiday destination; it is possible that during your holiday there is no season, which may negatively affect your plans. In this case, either change the location or mentally prepare for the inconvenience.

Step 2: Making a route

This point is very important, especially for those who plan to visit several places or even countries. Here are the main points:

1. Open the map and select places of interest. We read the reviews, maybe you won’t have time to go somewhere, it’s not worth going somewhere, and something is expensive.
2. We make a sequence of visits. We list everything by date.
3. Internal movements. If you plan to travel by rented car or taxi, then most likely there will be no problems here. If by public transport, then you need to find out the schedule and cost in advance.

Adviсe

• Find out in advance the opening hours of the places you plan to visit during your trip. Perhaps on the right day there will be a day off. It's a shame not to visit what we planned.
• If your route includes domestic flights, take into account the country's climatic conditions.
• Be patient. The more complex the route, the longer it will take to develop it.

Step 3: Buy tickets

We go to the Aviasales website - https://www.aviasales.ru, for me this is the most optimal service. It is convenient because you can quickly separate direct flights from flights with transfers, set the required departure time in the search, set tracking for cheap tickets, and view a table with prices for each day of the month.

We enter the data, click “Find tickets”, after a few seconds all options for your dates are displayed. If you have floating dates, be sure to check the ticket prices for adjacent dates. You might be able to save a lot of money.

I prefer to purchase air tickets on the websites of the airlines themselves, rather than on intermediary services. Therefore, having found a flight that is convenient for me, I write down all the data and go to the website of the airline operating this flight. I set the same dates in the search engine, find tickets and buy them. Many people will probably disagree with me, but I feel calmer this way.

You can try to buy a ticket for a charter flight. Most likely it will be cheaper. However, when planning to buy them, you must understand that you are completely dependent on the tour operator. The risk of delay, change, or cancellation of a flight is much higher than in the case of a regular flight. Read about how to buy tickets for charter flights yourself.

Adviсe

• Buy round trip tickets. It will cost less than one way.
• Buy tickets in advance. More likely to pay inexpensively.
• If you are planning domestic flights, purchase them in advance. Read reviews, look for local airlines, their prices are usually lower.
• Please pay attention to the baggage conditions. Sometimes cheap fares mean minimal luggage, which costs a pretty penny when checking in for your flight.
• Always print out your e-tickets. I once saw how, at check-in in Thailand, they couldn’t find people on the passenger list. It was a regular flight. The guys were lucky, they had a laptop with them, they opened their mail and showed them the ticket number.

Step 4: Book a hotel

Once you have purchased your tickets, you can start choosing accommodation. Some people plan to live in a hotel, some in a luxury villa, and some in a simple bungalow. There are a lot of accommodation booking services. I prefer to use booking.com. But I always check the results on the aggregator services Hotellook, Roomguru, Trivago. Why am I doing this and what is the best way to book accommodation? Read.

Everything is very simple on Booking. Go to the website, enter the place, dates, number of people in the search engine, click “Find”. You can enter data into the search engine from above.

On the right you will find a variety of accommodation options. In the left field there is a search engine where you can sort by price, services, location, there are many filters. Next, look through the options, choose, and book. When booking, please provide a valid email address and you will receive a confirmation of your reservation. Be sure to print it out and take it with you. It may come in handy if problems arise on site.

Adviсe

• Book your stay in advance, there will be more options.
• If you plan to stay in one place for a long time (more than a week), it might be worth booking for one day and looking for better accommodation on the spot. Unless, of course, it’s peak season and your trip doesn’t coincide with local holidays.
• If possible, choose places that do not require prepayment and where you can cancel your reservation. Then if plans change, you won’t lose money.
• Please read the booking conditions carefully. Sometimes they are very tough.
• Please note the accommodation policy (no pets, no smoking, much more).
• Be sure to read reviews and see the latest information on the forums. This way you will receive more information than is evident from the description on the service.
• If you decide to book a hotel directly on its website, take the time to translate the text into Russian. Otherwise, you may lose your funds (read), as was the case with me in Sri Lanka.

Step 5: Apply for visas

Many countries require visas to enter. It's time to do this.

There are countries where a visa is issued at the border. Apply for it upon arrival at the airport. There is nothing complicated there, after landing, do as everyone else does, no problems.

Some countries require you to apply for a visa online. In this case, go to the embassy website, read the registration rules and follow the instructions. If this is difficult for you, there are many intermediary agencies who are willing to do everything for you for a fee. I used their services when I was. Everything was done quickly and clearly.

Some countries require you to apply for a visa at an embassy or visa application center. This will take time, but it’s also not scary. Study the information on the embassy website and follow the instructions. Sometimes an electronic record is kept for filing documents.

Read how to apply for a Schengen visa.

Adviсe

• It’s not difficult to apply for a visa yourself; you don’t have to overpay for assistance in providing such a service.
• Order in advance, don’t leave for later.
• Check the validity period of your foreign passport. One of the common reasons for visa refusal.
• Prepare your documents carefully; copies must be of good quality.
• If you decide to turn to intermediaries, read reviews about them.
• If you are traveling with children, do not forget to make notarized powers of attorney from legal representatives.

Step 6: Apply for health insurance

In some places, insurance is required at the time of submitting documents for a visa, in others it is not required at all, and in others it is asked at the border. And there can only be two options:

1. You only need insurance to receive documents.
2. You need insurance for medical care in another country and want to protect yourself from unexpected expenses.

With the first option, everything is simple - go to the nearest insurance agency or apply online, buy the cheapest option.

The second option is the most correct in my opinion. But you need to take your choice of insurance company seriously. The main thing you need to pay attention to is the assistance of the insurance company, that is, its partner abroad, which is designed to provide medical care on site. Timely qualified assistance in the event of an insured event depends on this. I have a separate page about this on my blog. There I compare many insurance companies and talk in detail about what you need to consider when choosing a policy.

I always buy insurance. I usually use the service cherehapa.ru:

Adviсe

• In order to understand what kind of assistance you need (they may vary depending on the country), read the reviews.
• Please fill out your information carefully when purchasing insurance. One wrong letter or number, the insurance claim will not be paid to you.
• Don't rely on chance. Saving $100 can make all the difference in your journey.
• If you are faced with the choice of whether to buy insurance or not, I recommend purchasing it.

Step 7: Studying transport

If you decide to rent a car, then there are two options. Order in advance or choose on the spot. There is no clear answer. It all depends on the country and seasonality.

If you are traveling during the peak season, it is wiser to book a car in advance. This way you guarantee its availability. International car rental companies will require payment immediately upon booking. This deprives you of the right to change the decision; the advance payment will remain with them. It is necessary to have an international license and a deposit for the car.

I have never booked a car from home. I risked being left without a car, but somehow I managed. I recently received my international license, read how to get the coveted crust.

If you don't plan to take a car, it's time to think about how you will get to your place of residence and how you are going to move around the country. There are also several options here:

1. Order a transfer at the hotel. Generally not the cheapest option. But the simplest one. But it certainly won’t help when moving around the country later.
2. Take a taxi. Not a budget option, only for short distances. Moving from city to city doesn’t work that way.
3. Contact private drivers. This is not always possible at the airport. But it is quite possible to agree on long-term cooperation with them. By discussing the conditions, you can often reduce the price of services.
4. Go by public transport. Inconvenient with luggage, there is not always a direct connection, arrival may not coincide with the schedule. But this is the cheapest option.

If you choose to travel by public transport, then it's time to study the schedule and routes. I collect this information on the Internet. I analyze, write everything down, and take this data with me.

Adviсe

• While still at home, think about how you will move around the country, find out prices and schedules. Take this information with you.
• When choosing a car booking service, be guided by reviews.
• When ordering a transfer from your hotel, find out the price and payment method. I had a case where I paid twice. First the driver demanded money, and then they added it to the bill when leaving the hotel. I couldn't prove anything.

Step 8: Planning excursions

Almost all preparations have been made. When planning your route, you have already chosen the places you are going to visit.

You can explore everything on your own, you have already familiarized yourself with the schedule, decided how and what to get there (if not, read Steps 2 and 7 above).

Alternatively, buy excursions. They can be booked in advance by studying the information on the Internet, or purchased on the spot. There are many tour agencies in almost every tourist city.

If you don't know English, it doesn't matter. There are usually Russian speaking guides. This option will cost more than inspecting it yourself. But the price usually includes transfer, entrance fees and guide services.

general information

To feel confident when traveling, be sure to read about the country. Study the history and culture, orders and customs.

Decide on a financial issue. Find out. Solve the issue with . I had a problem in Thailand. Before the trip, I did not inform the bank about my plans and was not able to use my credit card. The fact is that many banks, for the safety of payments, require the country to be opened so that it can withdraw funds there. And until you do this, you will not be able to make transactions with the card. To prevent this from happening, just call the bank and tell them about your plans.

Perhaps you have friends who have been to this country, consult them. Read, there are many travel blogs on the Internet.

The most important advantage of traveling independently is freedom. Organizing a trip is not at all difficult. If you have a great desire to try something new, if you are tired of overpaying tour operators, do not delay, take it and plan your next vacation yourself. Everything happens for the first time. It's not as scary as it seems. Believe in yourself and then everything will work out!

Do you have any doubts? Read my article. And I was able to show the selection process using a virtual example.

If you do not agree with me, you have additions or corrections, leave comments, I will be glad to see them.

Perhaps it’s difficult for you to organize an independent trip on your own, you don’t have the time or desire to delve into all the intricacies of the issue, write to me, I’ll select the most profitable options for flights and accommodation for given dates, draw up a route, do everything better and cheaper than travel agencies. You don’t have to worry about the money, you don’t have to trust it to me, you will pay for everything yourself online under my guidance. Read more about cooperation.

Now I'll say goodbye for a while.

Tatiana Solomatina

Do you want to travel on your own, but don't know where to start? Are you wondering how to start traveling? The answer is here!

How to start traveling on your own?

There are 2 points in this question: psychological and practical. There are clearly more sites covering the practical issue; there is nothing complicated here, you just need to take it and do everything step by step, as experts advise. But a logical question always arises, if everything is so simple, why are there always more people dreaming of traveling than those who actually decide?

Here psychology comes onto the scene, and it turns out that someone is afraid to leave their comfort zone, someone is held tightly by their parents or loved ones, someone is simply afraid because they are not aware enough, but from time to time they still present it to the world. mine - I want to go on a trip. In this article I will tell you about both the psychological and practical aspects of this issue.

I want to travel a lot - where to start? Psychology

1 - Desire

It’s as simple as that, you critically need desire. “Yes, yes, that’s understandable,” you might say. But wait. Desires are different. You can lie on the sofa, dream how nice it would be now on the beach under the palm trees, show the world your “ I want to go on a trip" and do nothing. But understand, in order to start traveling not on tour packages-twice-a-year-for-a-week-to-Thailand, you need to radically change your life. And to decide to make changes you need a very strong desire. So that it’s clear to you, no further without traveling - well, no way at all. All! It's propped up!

I often heard from people that traveling is too expensive, saying that I want to travel, but I don’t have the money. But there are so many responsibilities that keep you in one place. And while some are held back by circumstances and lack of money, others travel. If you really want something, you will have it. If you really want to start traveling on your own, then you won’t make hundreds of excuses, but simply find a way. “Circumstances” are just a convenient way to ignore your own fears.

People travel for the same reason they buy cars or a new iPhone. If you need something, you do everything to get it. That's the whole secret.

• 2 - Focus

To begin your independent journey around the world, you need to be “sick” of travel, and your life revolves around this desire. I'm serious. Everything that is important to you happens to you. Critically important. Therefore, maybe stop visiting cafes so often or wherever you go there? Yes, you will have to give up some things, save on some things, and it will be worth it!

This paragraph closes the question " Where can I get money?"You need to save money. Before going on my first trip, I saved for a year. I stopped going to cafes and learned to cook decently, I watched movies online, I practically didn’t buy clothes, I was probably lucky that at that time I didn’t have girls Although who knows where the root cause is, but that’s not what we’re talking about now.

To save money for travel, you need to control your cash flows - write down all expenses and income. Yes, it's boring, but I said that I would have to change. You quickly get used to this, and don’t entertain the illusion that when traveling you won’t need to count money, this skill is more important there than at home, so it’s better to get used to it in advance. For such purposes, I use the Family Accounting program. It is convenient, easy and free. There are analogues for smartphones, depending on which one is more convenient.

Another little piece of advice, it’s better to save a certain amount for travel immediately after receiving your salary. This is an important point, it will be much more comfortable. Believe me, it’s easier to plan for a smaller amount in advance than to try to pull out extra money in the middle of the month.

• 3 - Moral preparation

On long journeys, many things will happen to you that cannot be predicted, and you will not be prepared for them. But this does not mean that if you have never traveled around the world or have not dedicated your life to wandering, traveling is not for you.

Travel is wonderful. Life is short and I don't think you want to live it in one place without ever seeing the rest of the world. You will be able to discover all the beauty of this world - from the chaotic markets of Asia and the beautiful cities of Europe, to the impenetrable jungles and exotic wildlife of Central America. Wherever you go, something new awaits you every day - new places, people, experiences.

Many people are accustomed to thinking that traveling is necessarily expensive and you simply cannot afford it. I sincerely hope that as you read this blog you will understand that this is not the case. I don't earn a lot, but I know how to count money and find inexpensive ways to travel. I work hard to make my dreams come true. Frankly speaking, it is possible to start traveling the world without money, and I will definitely write an article on this topic.

At least start with something simple. Take it and go on a weekend trip to a neighboring city or go on a trip around your city. Because you need to be prepared for travel, first of all, mentally.

• 4 - Determining direction

The importance of this stage cannot be overestimated. Here we are slowly moving from theory to practice. It’s not for nothing that they say: those who are informed are armed. You need information to decide where to go, how to get there, where to live, what to eat, how to protect yourself, where to go if something happens, and many other important questions.

To understand which countries to start traveling from, read the article “My TOP 5 inexpensive countries for vacation.” It’s better to start with something inexpensive and well-trodden by many tourists; a very good option for your first independent trip would be Southeast Asia. Write your list of countries you would like to visit and let’s move on to practice.

How to start traveling on your own with minimal costs? Practice

By the way, I want to say that traveling with tour packages is not always more expensive. Perhaps you shouldn’t bother traveling on your own, but rather turn to specialists. I'm not dissuading you in any way, people are just different. How to determine which clan of travelers you belong to? Here's a little test:

• Are you willing to take the time to create your own journey?
• Are you a free spirit and don't like following a schedule created by someone else?

• 5 - Visa

Find out if your chosen country requires a visa. For this task I use the Timatic service.

• 6- Flights

• 7 - Accommodation

For the first couple of days, book a hotel, hostel or guesthouse, depending on your financial capabilities. It will be possible to find something better and cheaper on the spot. Perhaps you will decide to stay longer and rent an apartment, or perhaps move on. Finding suitable accommodation clearly requires a separate article, and I will definitely write it (and here is the article How to find a good and inexpensive hotel), plus my favorite service for finding inexpensive accommodation.

• 8 - Route

In general, I rarely recommend using guidebooks, but if you are planning to travel on your own for the first time, it is better to purchase one. I used to always use advice from Lonely Planet; their guides are rightfully considered the best, they will help you create the optimal route. This is one of the most exciting activities, be sure to try it!

• 9 -Luggage

The next step is to collect your luggage and first aid kit. It would be useful to read the article about the required minimum of things. There is nothing complicated about it, the main thing is to leave everything unnecessary at home and not forget what is necessary.

• 10 - Insurance

• 11 - Vaccinations

To protect yourself, especially when traveling to countries in Africa or South America, you need to get vaccinated. Are vaccinations required when entering the country of your choice - ask Google. I usually don’t vaccinate, this world is not that dangerous. In Goa, for example, people are more likely to die from coconuts falling on their heads than from a malaria mosquito bite. But if for your own peace of mind you need to play it safe - please.

• 12 - Stop reading articles about how to start traveling - start!

Not everyone knows, but very useful travel sites. Most of the travel sites and apps on this list have been tested by us personally; there are still some waiting their turn, but that doesn’t make them any less cool.

List: Travel Sites: Preparing for Travel

Travel websites: buying tickets for Buses in Europe

Ecolines. International bus lines that provide connections between 21 countries and 205 cities in Europe. It is the largest and oldest carrier in Eastern Europe. Ecolines is ideal for independent European trips, because... the flights are very inexpensive and the buses are comfortable. In addition, Ecolines has a cumulative bonus system, and with active travel you can receive free trips. This is more than real! Personally, over three trips I have accumulated bonuses for one practically free move.

Luxexpress. Another European carrier that amazes with its constant promotions and discounts on tickets. For example, you can often travel from St. Petersburg to Helsinki and Tallinn for 400-500 rubles. The number of routes of Lukeexpress is significantly less than that of Ecolines - only 10 countries, but the prices are sometimes simply symbolic, and the buses are more like business class airplanes.

Websites to buy train tickets online

Once upon a time, it became a discovery for me, and then a constant practice, buying train tickets online. As it turns out, this can be easily done on the Russian Railways website. Yes, the interface is not the most convenient in the world, but it is a million times more pleasant than standing in endless lines at the cash register. The electronic ticket is printed and presented upon boarding the carriage. It's simple, fast, and also allows you to choose your own flights and seats on board. By the way, today Russian Railways operates 100 international routes in 30 countries in Europe and Asia.

Tutu.ru. Search engine for air and train tickets in Russia. Convenient, first of all, with a complete and up-to-date schedule of commuter trains.

Raileurope. A service that combines maps, schedules and tariffs of more than 50 different railway companies throughout Europe. The site makes it easy to book train tickets, as well as hotels and travel programs. On a fun note, the site has an encyclopedia of European trains, explaining how they differ from each other and how to have fun while traveling. For those traveling in a large group, discounts are provided - both on trains and in cities.

Websites for booking cruises and sea travel

Mcruises. A site where you can choose and book a sea or river cruise around the world. The service unites all the world's largest and Russian cruise companies and informs about special offers and discounts.

Renting a car for travel

The leading site on the RuNet for car rental abroad. Reservations are possible with more than 800 car rental companies in 150 countries. 20 thousand car rental points, Russian-language support service, low prices and high quality services have made this service the absolute market leader.

Transfer and so on for travel

Kiwitaxi. If you don’t want to rent a car, but public transport doesn’t suit you, you can pre-order a suitable transfer from point A to point B. How does it work? You find the desired route in cities and resorts around the world, book a transfer online, the driver meets you with the name on the sign and takes you to your place. The service operates in 65 countries around the world.

Uber. A service that is gaining international popularity for ordering a driver and finding passengers. A convenient mobile application allows you to search, call and pay for taxis or private drivers. The application is available for dozens of cities around the world, including in Russia. Using the Uber application, the customer reserves a car with a driver and tracks its movement to a specified point; payment is made using bank card data.

Sites for finding travel companions

Blablacar. Another world leader. A service that unites drivers and travel companions around the world. Just enter the city of departure, arrival and date to see a list of drivers who offer trips along your route and choose yours. Before contacting, you can view the driver's profile with a photo, brief information about himself and reviews. The service itself is free, but drivers usually charge money for gasoline. This is not hitchhiking!

Poiskpoputchikov.ru. The site was created to make it possible to find a travel companion on vacation or on any other trip, from a trip to a neighboring city to a hitchhiking trip around the world.

Travel sites where you can book Accommodation, Hotels, Hostels

A well-known site that presents advertisements from private individuals - owners of apartments and houses. Today it is so popular that I won’t even recommend any analogue, because... I think that all landlords already have pages on , even if they previously preferred some other resource. I wrote two whole articles about this site. This is a really cool resource that allows you to find wonderful apartments abroad.

Booking.com. The world's largest site for searching and booking hotels and hostels. A huge database of options, honest reviews, good prices, excellent support service - this is why so many people choose booking. This site is good if you are planning a trip to Europe, North and Latin America, Australia.

If you want to find a good accommodation option in the territory of the former USSR, the search engine Ostrovok.ru is unrivaled here.

For Asia, your best bet is to search for hotels on Agoda.com.

There is an excellent database of hostels on the website Hostelworld.com.

Home Exchange. House exchange. The website's database contains more than 65 thousand real houses in 150 countries. If you own your own home, you can exchange your homes with property owners from another country for the duration of your vacation. The service has existed since 1992, when it all began with a book directory of those wishing to exchange houses.

Well, and, of course, adored by all travelers (and us too) Couchsurfing.com. A site where you can find free accommodation and great company in an unfamiliar city.

Websites for purchasing airline tickets online

ayak One of the most reliable services for searching for travel deals, buying air tickets, booking hotels and renting cars. The site works with hundreds of travel agency and airline sites around the world and selects the most profitable deals for clients. In this case, Kayak redirects directly to the booking pages of service providers

Onetwotrip. About the same as Kayak. True, there are only air tickets and hotels here. Has a great bonus program. For me, the site is not much different from other ticket search engines, but the number of acquaintances who are ardent adherents of this site is so large that it was guaranteed a place on this list.

Momondo. An international travel website that allows you to quickly and easily organize your trip yourself. On it you can find a whole set of free tools for intelligently searching for cheap air tickets, hotels and housing for rent, as well as rental cars.

Anywayanyday. Russian analogue of the above sites. Winner of many travel awards in the field of online services. Worthy of attention.

Websites for purchasing tours online

Level Travel. If you need an organized tour, but are tired of traveling independently, then the best way to find a great tour is the Level Travel tour search engine. The service searches all leading tour operators and allows you to book tours directly with them, without the participation of travel agencies. Those. You won’t see any extra charges, and the tour will cost the same as the operator’s. Too cool to be true, but it's not a dream))

Online hypermarket of tours. Best prices from 120 reliable tour operators.

List of websites for travelers: City maps

Maps.me. Free application for phones on all platforms. These are the only cards we use and they are amazing! After installing the application, you need to download a map of the country you need, and then the map with all the signs, attractions, hotels, hostels, restaurants will work offline! If your phone supports GPS, then when combined with maps.me, you can forget about the awkward communication in crooked French/Chinese/Portuguese trying to figure out exactly where to get off the bus and how to find the museum.

Translators for travel

Google Translator as an application for Android or iPhone will help you find a common language with foreigners without any problems. More than 90 languages ​​are supported offline, although you need to download the necessary language packs in advance. This translator saved us more than once, but, of course, the translation of phrases is not always ideal.

Travel Sites: Leisure and Entertainment

Geocaching. is a worldwide travel game, the essence of which is to hide and search for treasures. Geocaching has been around for 15 years and brings together more than 6 million people from around the globe. Today there are 2.5 million caches hidden in 200 countries around the world, and their number is growing every day. This is a great way to have fun, find unusual places in a new city, and meet curious people.

Izi travel. A service that contains a large, high-quality, and most importantly free collection of audio guides to cities and museums. Before your trip, you can install the izi.travel application on your smartphone and enjoy excursions from professional guides, as well as amateurs. Some content on the site is paid.

A site designed for booking Russian-language excursions around the world. Today it offers 4088 excursions in 566 cities around the world.

Tripster. "Our people all over the world." The service carries out two large projects: unique excursions from local residents and an international community of travelers, which is presented in the form of a giant forum with questions and answers about any city on the planet. If you have absolutely no idea what to do in the city, ask a question on this forum and get recommendations from the locals.

Stay.com. A site that creates for you an individual guide to the most interesting places of the selected city. You select interesting attractions, and the service creates a detailed guide with maps and descriptions, which you can print or download to your mobile device and use offline. And all this is free!

Free Travel Sites

Workaway. The leading site in searching for volunteer work abroad. Volunteering means an extremely wide range of tasks: from teaching English (for example) to building a farm, from working in a hostel to caring for the elderly. As a “salary” for their work, volunteers receive housing, food, interesting communication, immersion in the culture of the country, and often other bonuses (discounts on excursions, participation in master classes, etc.) Transport must be paid for independently.

European Voluntary Service. European Voluntary Service. Within the framework of EVS, dozens of programs lasting from 2 to 12 months operate. All of them are funded by the European Commission, and the programs can be both inside and outside the European Union. These projects, as a rule, have a social orientation and are designed for young people aged 18 to 30 years. The candidate is required to possess certain skills, level of a foreign language, and sometimes have a special education. The European Commission, in turn, covers the costs of accommodation, food, transport, insurance, daily expenses, a cycle of training, including language courses and 90% of the cost of the flight.

Study tours to Poland. STP are study visits to Poland for students, young professionals and professionals from Eastern European countries (North-West region of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova). The program is divided into two large blocks - for students (from 18 to 21 years old) and for workers (no age limit). The trip is completely free: participants pay for travel, accommodation, meals, all activities during the visit, as well as visa processing.

Travel Sites: Other

Wikibook on hitchhiking. If you're planning a hitchhiking trip for the first time, this tutorial has absolutely everything.

Wikitravel. A project whose goal is to create a free, free, up-to-date and reliable world travel guide. There are currently 1,657 guidebooks in Russian and other articles written and edited by Wikitravelers from all over the world.

And a bonus, final link - Travelzakladka. A site that contains sooooo many (more than three hundred!) different travel resources: top LJ, websites, VKontakte communities, independent blogs, magazines, TV channels, TV programs, hotel search engines, maps, forums, train tickets, language tourism, exotic tourism, extreme tourism, visas, guidebooks, tour operators, cruises, diving, car rental, air tickets, insurance, YouTube travel channels, travel blogs on Instagram.

How to travel cheaply on your own? Where to start, where to rent housing, how to buy cheap tickets? I will try to answer these and other questions below, based on my own experience.

Remember that to organize a good independent trip takes a lot of time, but such a trip gives you complete freedom of action and can make your dreams come true.

Is it cheaper to travel on your own?

Solo travel it won't always be cheaper(but in 60%-70% of cases it will be much cheaper) than going on a voucher, where you don’t have to think and everything has already been invented a long time ago. But impression from "package holiday" will never compare with impressions and emotions received from a trip planned by you personally. And this is the first and main advantage of independent travel.

If you're about to take your first solo trip, be sure to read on!

How to travel cheaply on your own and how to organize an unforgettable trip?

Airplane tickets

For me, organizing an independent trip usually starts with search for tickets to your desired destination. Moreover, it is not necessary that plane tickets be for this particular country/city.

For example, if we talk about Europe, then there distances between cities and even countries are relatively small. And the difference in ticket prices between them can amount to a significant amount.

It often happens that with the “won” difference in the cost of a plane ticket you can not only get from one city to another, but also live there for several days. And by the way, flights to Europe can be very cheap(often cheaper than other transport), a 2.5 hour flight for 1000 rubles is the norm there.

Thus, open the map, look, what cities are nearby and build a route. Of course, there will be people who don’t need all these hassles.

If the final price of the intermediary and the airline is the same or differs slightly, then It's better to buy tickets on the airline's website to avoid trouble. By the way, when purchasing tickets S7 has a promotional code S7APP through the application(2-3% of the tariff), a trifle, but nice.

• We are looking for the best prices for flights;
• we check prices for tickets from/to neighboring cities;
• We compare the cost of tickets on the search engine’s website and on the official website of the selected airline;
• Don’t forget to look for a promotional code for your purchase;
• We use our imagination in developing the route!

Check ticket prices to neighboring cities and countries. Check prices on airline websites and multi-search. Try to loop the route.

Drawing up an independent travel route

Once the starting and ending points are known, it's time to get down to business working out the travel route. You shouldn’t gallop and change cities every day, but I personally don’t like staying in one place for a long time. Explore information on the Internet, forums, blogs- a sea of ​​information and ideas.

I always use the forums on Otzyv.ru and Vinsky forum. Various blogs are found by searching.

Forums and blogs are a great source for creating itineraries.

Tickets for transport between cities and/or countries you need to look on the websites of local carriers. If you really want to save money, you will have to work hard to find the best deals. Or you can just take advantage of the increasingly popular project, which will search for available tickets for buses, trains and planes, compare prices and travel duration (works throughout Europe)!

• We are looking for information on the Internet, I recommend Otzyv.ru, Vinsky forum, tripavisor;
• you can buy or download a guide with ready-made routes;
• We find the best options for moving between cities.

Selection of attractions and interesting places for independent travel

To find your way around the city at least a little, it’s enough make a list of the main attractions and other places of interest to you (you can also pre-mark them in Google Maps or print/buy a map). You need to be on this list for yourself in advance. Mark places the ones you want must see, And plan a visit to them in the first days stay in the city. It's worth finding out first opening hours, weekends, days when admission is free(it happens).

Again, use your imagination. You are no longer obliged to blindly follow the tourist program and run to see the sight with your tongue hanging out, because in an hour you will already meet at the bus. Independence and time management- This is the fourth plus of independent travel.

I again get information about attractions mainly from the Internet. In addition, for large cities you can download/buy guide(I usually download and look for “overlooked” places on the Internet).

I also use app for travelers tripadvisor - where you can see top places, reviews, and also find good cafes/restaurants. The only possible disadvantage is that there are not enough reviews in Russian, it is advisable to know English (or use a translator application). Also information about major cities can be downloaded to the phone memory and use the application offline.

If you still don’t trust yourself a little and/or you don’t have time to work out a sightseeing program, you can always hire a guide! On the site tripster and even in Russian. Often found there really interesting routes!

• make a list of attractions;
• find out opening hours, prices, free days;
• Otzyv.ru, Vinsky forum, tripavisor or guidebook will also be useful;
• We select an interesting excursion.

The Internet, guidebooks, TripAdvisor are a storehouse of information about attractions and interesting places.

Where to live while traveling

In the process of drawing up the route, I at least briefly looking at housing prices in the places where I plan to stay. It may happen that a plane ticket from Russia will cost as much as one night's accommodation in the city.

For example, in Europe hellishly expensive in Switzerland and Scandinavia. In this case, it is important for a budget tourist wisely plan your stay in the most expensive places... well, or use couchsurfing.

Booking, etc.

Sometimes choosing hotels can be quite difficult (for small towns). Then you can search official website of the city, where you can usually find a list of hotels- and search directly.

And by the way, you can return 1000 rubles by booking accommodation on Booking using my link https://www.booking.com/s/57_6/1f708229

Airbnb

In addition to the hotel/hostel you can rent a separate room or an entire apartment. Airbnb, which is rapidly gaining popularity, will help you with this.

The meaning is this: people rent out their housing, you rent it, money for accommodation is withdrawn immediately and kept by the site. If a day after arrival from the tenant, i.e. you, no complaints have been received - the money is transferred to the owner of the property.

My experience with this site is only positive. I managed to live in a separate apartment at a price cheaper than a bed in a 6-bed hostel.

And for long periods of stay there are discounts. So, for example, we lived in an apartment in Genoa for 9 nights for only 15,000 rubles, i.e. for 800 rubles per day per person!

It's better to choose options with reviews so as not to run into trouble.

By the way, this way of living allows for deeper immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the city. You can see how real people live and feel a little bit like a local - open the door with your own key, say hello to your neighbors, go downstairs in the morning to buy fresh bread at the local bakery... :)

I would point out that opportunity to choose housing to suit your own needs and requests, this is the fifth indisputable advantage of independent travel.

Don’t forget that when you register on airbnb using this link https://www.airbnb.ru/c/tgorokhova2?currency=RUB you will find discount of 2100 rubles!

Couchsurfing

And the last way is find a local(couch), who will kindly allow you to live in his apartment gratuitously, that is, for nothing! Yes, for some this sounds crazy. You sign up with a complete stranger from the other side of the world and go to visit him. 🙂

Often the coach can act as guide, take you to interesting places or at least tell about them. This is a great opportunity to go deeper. immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the place, as well as communicate with representatives of other cultures. The platform will help you with all this couchsurfing, which has been around for many years.

The site is available in Russian, but for the whole idea it is advisable to know some foreign language (for communication), or look only for a Russian-speaking coach. There's similar advice here: read reviews.

If you're too lazy to look for it yourself, create a public trip— describe your route, interests, what you want from your stay. And potential coaches will write to you and invite you to visit. 🙂

• We will find out approximate housing prices at the route planning stage;
• looking for hotels; or on one of the most popular resources;
• check the price on the official website of the hotel;
• You can also rent an apartment or a room, with a coupon for 2100 rubles it will be cheaper;
• or try your hand at couchsurfing.

If you are going to rent a car, study the parking information. In some European cities, entry into the city center by car is prohibited, and in many there are problems with parking (not to mention the fact that they are paid). For example, in the center of Amsterdam, just a day parking pass will cost 30 euros!

Opportunity go anywhere and at any time using public transport, or even better, a rented car - this is the sixth plus of independent travel!

• We study travel prices and possible travel card options;
• We are wondering whether we should buy a tourist card?
• For those with a car, be sure to check the parking situation!

Study the types of transport, tickets, and discount cards in advance. This will allow you to avoid wasting time on on-site proceedings.

Visa for traveling around Europe

Many people are scared by the word visa and pay two or three times more money to companies involved in visa processing. In fact, obtaining a visa to Europe is completely not scary. In large cities there have long been multi visa centers, where you can consult and submit documents yourself (primarily we are talking about Schengen).

The main rule when choosing a country to obtain a visa is documents are submitted to the country in which you will be staying the longest. If there are the same number of days in several countries, preference is given to the country first entry.

When the country of filing has been decided, studying the list of documents(for a tourist visa, these are usually plane tickets and other transport; hotel/apartment reservations; proof of solvency - a certificate from a bank, a letter from a sponsor, a certificate of currency purchase; medical insurance; a certificate of employment; photographs).

Insurance without unnecessary running around Can Compare and select insurances on the website . All options are clearly laid out, you can compare several insurance companies. In my experience, purchasing It's even cheaper through this site(I applied for it in the office for 10 days - it cost 1010 rubles, another time I bought it through the website for 15 days for 740 rubles and with more options)!

Well, then you collect it all and serve it, preferably in advance. In my experience, from submitting documents to receiving a passport, it takes on average 2 weeks. If you receive not the first Schengen, it is better to apply for a multiple visa, and then the consul will sort it out.

The seventh advantage of independent travel is obtaining a visa at a “fair” price, possibility to choose insurance with the options you need from any insurance company, and even with discount.

• find out if there is a visa/consular center in your city;
• select a country to obtain a visa;
• find out the list of required documents;
• download the form from the consulate’s website, print it out according to the specified rules (on both sides) and fill it out;
• print out plane tickets, if available, for train, bus or car reservation confirmation;
• print out hotel or apartment booking confirmations;
• we take a certificate of employment at work;
• at the bank we get a certificate of account status (sometimes an ATM statement + a photocopy of the front side of the card is enough) or we leave a certificate of currency purchase;
• select and arrange insurance, print it out;
• we take photos for the visa (sometimes you can take them right at the visa center);
• We take all this, the necessary amount of money to pay the fee and go to submit the documents!

If there is a visa center in your or a nearby city, do not overpay to intermediaries, submit the documents yourself! It's not difficult at all. And it’s better to immediately apply for a multiple visa.

What to take on an independent trip, or rather, what not to take on a trip

No need to take 3 suitcases with you of things. Think about how much clothing you will need for 2-3 weeks? Considering that everything and everywhere can be bought if necessary.

For many years I traveled with a small backpack - and there was always extra stuff! Remember that the trend now is that you often have to pay for extra pounds and extra bags. Typically the size of a suitcase (backpack) that can be carried as hand luggage — 55x40x20 cm, up to 10 kg.

It is also worth considering that in hand luggage no liquids allowed(including cream) in containers, over 100 ml total volume more than 1 liter. And it’s better to put all liquids in one bag/cosmetic bag and not put them far away - they may ask to show you. I just I pour everything into small bottles, left over from hotels. :) Similar bottles can be purchased in the store.

• thinking about a reasonable list of things;
• we buy medicine for the trip (just in case, of course);
• Necessarily!!! study the airline rules (at least read what is written on the ticket);
• we remove all liquids over 100 ml from hand luggage (including creams) or pour them into small bottles;
• We are packing our suitcase, it is advisable to check the weight before leaving for the airport.

Take a reasonable minimum of things. This way you will be more mobile and save money on flights.

These are all the main points when planning an independent trip. Believe me, by following these simple tips, you can travel independently and cheaply!

Just think about how much money you overpay to travel agencies just because some uncle/aunt will “lead you by the hand” from the bus to the next attraction. And often you won’t even be able to really take a good look at the attraction, because it’s time to go to another one!

By planning your trip yourself, you can do everything the way you want!

And with the money you save, you can order a transfer or hire a guide, and you’ll also have some money left over for trips to restaurants and other entertainment!

I hope this article helped you learn how to travel cheaply on your own. Enjoy your independent and cheap travel!

Read in this article:

Preparation for any trip consists of several stages: choosing a country, obtaining a visa, buying tickets, booking accommodation and drawing up a program for the entire stay. In travel agencies, work on each stage is carried out according to a proven scheme with previously verified individuals and organizations. And independent travelers have to communicate directly with the airline, hotel, insurers and consulates that issue visas.

Country selection

Some travelers know exactly where to go for adventure, while others can spend weeks choosing a suitable country for their vacation. It is the first stage of organizing a trip - choosing a country - that is the most important. This is exactly the moment when you should think: “Shouldn’t I turn to a travel agency for help?” For example, planning a trip to Georgia or Latvia is very different from organizing a trip to India or China.

There are many cities where infrastructure is not developed at all. There are many seasonal countries where tropical rains fall or temperatures drop sharply at certain times. There are dangerous areas and entire cities where tourists should not visit. If this is your first time flying further than Europe and when preparing for your trip you encounter a lot of conflicting information on the Internet, then it is better to consult with specialists. And if you can’t decide on the choice of country, then there are several useful services that will help you navigate.

For example, a platform called “Where to go?” will select the desired country depending on the purpose of travel, time of year and budget, advise the cost of tickets and indicate popular hotels. There is also a foreign site Numbeo. It will help you understand how much you will have to spend on accommodation, food and transportation costs. In two clicks you will find out the approximate budget of your planned trip.

Visa application

“Why overpay someone for paperwork when you can come to the embassy yourself and get everything done quickly?” - this is a question many travelers ask themselves.

Today there are a lot of loyal countries that are ready to issue visas not only for the duration of travel, but also for a long period. The period for which you will be given a visa largely depends on what countries you have visited before, as well as on how correctly your documents are prepared. Sometimes, due to incorrect information, a missing document or an incorrect certificate, a visa may be refused altogether.

My brother decided to go to the UK and visit his girlfriend while she was studying there. When submitting documents, he indicated that he was not married. More than two years later they got married and, planning their next trip to this country, my brother wrote in the questionnaire that they had been married for three years. The embassy pulled up his past documents, checked the dates and banned him from entering the country for ten years for providing false information,

American, Canadian and British consuls are especially careful when checking data about tourists.

There are several countries that do not issue visas to independent travelers:

• You cannot get a visa to Bhutan without a tour operator.
• Only formed groups can obtain visas to Saudi Arabia when using the services of Saudi travel agencies.
• The same goes for North Korea. Single tourists are not issued a visa, only organized groups that enter the country through a tour operator recognized by the DPRK.
• To enter Pakistan, you must obtain a request from a local travel company.
• A Qatari visa is issued not at the embassy, ​​but at the airport, but only with the permission of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Qatar.
• Japan also does not issue a visa to individual tourists, and also requires an official invitation from the receiving party. Those who send an invitation must attach a tax certificate.

It is worth remembering that even if you have entrusted the application of a regular Schengen visa to specialists, refusal is also possible. An agency is not a guarantee; the embassy may have many reasons for refusal. In addition, it is worth carefully checking the people who help with the preparation of certificates. There are many scammers in this area.

The girl listened to me carefully, but refused to take my certificates, tickets and hotel reservation. I was extremely surprised, but she assured me that everything would be fine, and I would receive my visa to Hungary literally within 5 days. True, now you need to pay 4,800 rubles. That's what I did... Then it turned out that I ended up with scammers who make fake reservations. It turned out that the imaginary visa center is not afraid of anything and scams one client after another,

Don't forget that different purposes of your trip may require different visas. Find out in advance the rules of entry, stay and exit from the country in which you plan to vacation.

Insurance

When going on an independent trip, many people simply forget to purchase insurance or do not consider it necessary to spend money on it at all. Nowadays, most countries do not issue a visa if the tourist has not provided them with information about purchasing an insurance document. However, if you travel on the same visa for the second and third time, you need to check whether your insurance is valid, and if not, then buy a new one. Otherwise, in the event of an unforeseen situation, you will spend much more money, time and nerves.

In addition, it is worth remembering that in 2016 amendments were made to the law “On the Fundamentals of Tourism Activities in the Russian Federation”. Now the state does not pay the costs of evacuating citizens in the event of an emergency. Russians who do not have health insurance will have to pay for travel from abroad themselves. You can buy insurance in just a few minutes on the website instore.travel. The service will offer comparisons of insurance from different companies and help you make the best choice.

I always take out a policy with decent coverage. No one will ask for your insurance either at the airport or at the border. This is not for “uncle”, this is for yourself. It's a foreign country, no one will babysit you. Do you think you are in good health? Intestinal infections don't care about that. I'm not talking about any accident. Insurance costs a penny... And you will have fun on vacation with peace of mind,

Buying tickets

With Aviasales or Kupibilet services, you can buy a ticket in two clicks without leaving your couch. It's profitable and convenient. But even when buying a ticket, there are a million nuances that inexperienced travelers simply do not know about. You always want to save money, so your gaze usually falls on the price, and your hands themselves book the ticket that is cheaper. After the purchase, travelers understand that the ticket price does not include luggage, the transfer is very short, and the airport where they will transfer is incredibly huge, and there is a high risk of not catching the connecting flight.

When we were given a visa to the USA, we immediately bought tickets and, naturally, the cheapest ones. With these tickets we had one transfer in Pisa (Italy). We packed our bags and flew to the airport. At the registration desk they ask us: “Is there Schengen?” We are perplexed: “Why do we need a Schengen visa if we are flying to America?” It turned out that there is no transit zone in Pisa, so even if we were allowed on the flight, we would be deported upon arrival. We called the developers of the site where we bought tickets, and called the airline itself. After 16 hours of showdowns, we realized that we were not the only ones: 30 people were flying with us to New York with a transfer in Italy without a Schengen visa. The airline representative who came to us at the airport said that he couldn’t help us, because it was our own fault. There were two options: change the departure date and do Schengen, or buy new tickets. We chose the second one,

Travel agencies usually know about such pitfalls in advance. However, when purchasing a package tour, you often cannot choose the time of departure or arrival or build a route with convenient connections; you have to adapt. When traveling on your own, you can choose a comfortable time.

In addition, if you buy tickets not two days before departure, you can find profitable options.

Many avid travelers fly only with low-cost airlines. The planes of such airlines are not equipped with video panels, do not have business class and have more seats. At least 10 international low-cost airlines fly to Russia.

Tickets for low-cost airlines can be found at extremely low prices.

• With EasyJet you can fly to London and Manchester.
• A plane from the Hungarian company WizzAir is the cheapest way to get to Budapest.
• Spanish pilots of Vueling airline will take you to Barcelona, ​​Ibiza or Mallorca in a breeze.
• The Turkish company Pegasus Airlines sends low-cost airlines to 50 destinations from 24 countries.
• With AirBaltic you can fly to Riga or Vilnius quickly and cheaply.

However, you need to remember that some low-cost airlines do not land at the main airports of the city.

And sometimes you can spend much more money on transfer from the airport to the hotel than on the flight itself. For example, to get from Oslo-Torp Airport to the city center, you will have to spend 2 hours and almost € 30. Or it often happens that many inexperienced travelers want to see Paris so much that they do not pay attention to which specific airport to fly to - to Charles -de Gaulle, Orly or Beauvais. The latter is a favorite of many low-cost airlines, a tiny airport that looks more like a warehouse or garage. From here you will have to get to Paris for € 18, because it is located almost 80 kilometers from the city.

Planes of the cheap airline Ryanair often fly to Memmingen Airport, which is located 110 kilometers from Munich. If you order a transfer on the spot, you will have to pay about € 20, if you book in advance via the Internet, you can save € 5. And there are many such examples, so before buying tickets you need to find out the prices for the transfer and the operating hours of the buses and trains that will take you to city ​​or back to the airport.

My friend and I came to summer English courses in the UK and decided to fly to Amsterdam over the weekend. The tickets were snatched up cheaply, which made us very happy. The departure was at 7 am not from the main London airport, but from the one located on the outskirts of the city. The last train left at 11 pm. We decided that we would rather spend a few hours at the airport than pay through the nose for a taxi. We never thought that airports could be closed at night. From 12 at night to 6 in the morning we were on the street, hiding under the bridge from the downpour. Since then, we always check airport opening hours,

Accommodation reservation

Traveling independently has become much easier with the advent of services such as Booking.com, Hotels Combined, Airbnb and a number of other platforms for online booking of accommodation abroad.

3 years ago I registered on Airbnb for the first time. On it you can rent an apartment from a private person almost anywhere in the world. This is a cool opportunity to plunge into the real life of people from another country. Some people rent out a room, others a villa. It all depends on your budget. People are different and, of course, there are not always adequate owners. Even a high rating on the site is not an indicator. But most often I was lucky with good people. In Italy, I rented a room from a nice elderly couple who treated me to fresh pastries in the mornings and invited me to family dinners in the evenings. In Nice, the owner of the apartment personally came to meet me at the airport, although no transfer was agreed upon. On the first day, I gave a tour of the city, showing the most delicious and non-tourist places. Throughout the entire holiday he was in touch and could solve any issue. Living in hotels, you are unlikely to get to know the culture and lifestyle of foreigners so closely,

When booking on your own, there is a big risk of choosing the wrong area.

It's not even about proximity to the metro, the center or the main attractions, although this is also important. The fact is that in many cities, in particular Paris, Marseille, New York, there are dangerous areas where it is very scary to go out during the day. Therefore, you need to be extremely careful, carefully review the reviews of other travelers on thematic forums and on social networks, so as not to spoil your trip.

If you still want to trust online platforms, you can find a cheap hostel on the Hostelz portal, and the Kids@Coe portal will be of interest to those who travel with children.

When booking accommodation, please check the cancellation policy and whether local taxes are included in your bill. For example, in Amsterdam, Paris and on the island of Zanzibar you will need to pay a municipal tax when leaving the hotel.

Programming

Many tours sold by agencies include not only flights and accommodation, but also excursions and tickets for tourist attractions.

If you are flying to Thailand and you do not have a specific goal to save money, then it is better to fly through a travel agency. In Thailand, time simply melts before our eyes, and it’s a pity to waste it looking for cheaper excursions or buying tickets to the islands yourself,

For those who are used to organizing leisure activities on site, there are several useful services.

For example, you can look for friends on Couchsurfing. Users of this site will be happy to arrange a tour and show the life of the country from the inside. The most hospitable ones are also ready to feed and accommodate travelers, but that’s only if they’re lucky. There is also a service called Tripster. You can use it to organize a tour with a local resident.

Finding interesting excursions and planning a route to see the main attractions of the city is only a small part of an independent travel program. It is important to choose the right transport and not go broke on travel tickets.

#LIFEHACK

Many travelers use a kind of online directory called WikiRoutes. It presents public transport routes in 1,500 cities around the world. In addition, fares are indicated and comments are given on traffic features. Also, in many cities, for example, Lisbon, Istanbul, Amsterdam, there are special cards for tourists, with which you can travel unlimitedly on public transport and even enter some museums.

When drawing up the program, it is necessary to monitor public catering establishments. In tourist places, food prices are always 2-3 times higher than in neighboring, less busy streets.

Whether you trust a travel agency to organize your trip or plan the trip yourself - the choice is yours. The main thing is to remember that traveling on your own can be much more expensive, and without the help of a travel agency, you will have to spend other resources: strength, nerves and time. The experience of traveling alone is always unique, but relaxing in comfort and avoiding risks can be much more important on vacation. Travel more often and let your trips be free of difficulties.