Tours to koh lipe island in thailand. Koh lipe in thailand

Travel is always good. Especially when you do not need to coordinate your plans with other people and look for compromises. It’s even better when you can go on a budget to where you have long wanted to, without having to explain why you need to go to this particular country or city right now.

Do you know when this is possible? When you travel alone.

Why traveling alone is a great idea

You have five reasons for this:

You can leave as soon as possible. No need to check schedules with friends, trying to find a date when everyone will definitely be comfortable (three months from now, for example). Everything becomes much simpler: you see the action - you fly away.
Tickets will be cheaper. If the tickets go on a promotion, then it can only apply to one seat, and the rest will go according to full price. plus than more company, the less likely it is that you will all fly on the same low-cost flight.
You can choose a trip with the craziest transfers: no one will whine that they want to quickly arrive at their destination and don’t care about an eight-hour transfer in Prague with the ability to go to the city.
No shame: if you want to sleep all day in the room, you sleep in the room, without feeling guilty about the "seal" rest. If you want to have breakfast with tequila and chips - you have every right to do it without judgment from the outside. And no one needs to prove the historical importance of the light bulb museum, which you dreamed of visiting since the third grade.
If you're going somewhere alone, you can find yourself a new company (and hide from her in case of emergency, and not swear just because you live in the same room and are a little tired of each other).

How to travel alone and not worry

1. Luggage

It is clear that if you are going for one weekend, then there is no point in carrying a huge suitcase with you. But, surprise - even on a trip for two weeks, it is not really needed. For warm countries(like Israel, Spain or Italy) and summer trips, everything you need will fit into a good backpack. Assess your wardrobe and choose versatile items that will give you many options for combinations. Sneakers can be worn with anything.

Important: if you plan to bring alcohol and delicacies with you, it is better to buy a return ticket with luggage and choose a stronger backpack.
A shopping bag will fit into the most crowded backpack and save you from having to lay out all your things over and over again in order to walk around the city.

2. Finance

See in advance how things are with plastic cards in the country you plan to travel to. If in Finland cards are accepted almost anywhere, then in Germany there are serious problems with this. Depending on this, determine the amount of cash that you will take with you. Be sure to leave a reserve on the card, which can be withdrawn in case of force majeure. It is better to pay a withdrawal fee than to lose the entire budget at once.

3. Housing

With the rental of hotels and apartments on a solo trip, things are the saddest thing. It is clear that for two you can rent a separate room for the price of a bed in a hostel, and for 3+ - an apartment on Airbnb for the same price. But solo travelers increase their chances of staying for free with one of the locals on Couchsurfing.

If you are embarrassed by the prospect of living in an apartment with a single man, just select the “Women only” filter. The same is true with age.
Be sure to read the reviews - so you can find out if the owner of the apartment bothers the guests and if there were any "difficulties" with him from previous travelers.
It is best to look for accommodation a week or two before the trip. So the owner of the apartment will definitely be sure of his plans and will be able to immediately tell whether he will accept you.
Feel free to ask for a tour - locals are usually happy to show their favorite restaurants and bars to visitors. A good gesture is to cook something from the national cuisine as a thank you.
Maximum term couchsurfing stay - three days. You can agree on longer, but it will not be very polite. After all, this is a free stay, not a hotel, so there are limits.

4. Security

The main rules are: do not leave your drinks unattended, use only official taxis and check in advance for areas of the city that are considered unfavorable.

If you are traveling to a religious country, it is better to clarify the rules of the “dress code” in advance. You may have to leave ultra-short shorts at home.
In some countries (for example, in Georgia), it is better to take a ring with you to wear it on your ring finger. Yes, it's not very feminist. But this slightly stupid way can save you from unnecessary questions and actions.
Write down the embassy number in case you lose your passport. For this, it is worth taking photos of all important documents and saving them somewhere far away in the cloud (but so that you always have access from any device).
In southern Europe, girls are often approached with a request to sign a "petition" or "appeal". So you can lose the last large cash or all the contents at once.

We asked three questions to three girls who travel alone for different reasons and in different ways.

Why are you traveling alone?
What hacks help you? From finding hotels and entertainment to basic security.
Three ideal places to travel alone?

Anna Polyakova, author of the @ru_girl_travel channel in Telegram.

Travels by car, a maximum of one trip - about 25,000 kilometers.

Why are you traveling alone?

Traveling in the company of only yourself is an opportunity to plan your vacation 100% the way you want. Someone likes to go to the museum in new places, someone loves architecture, someone likes zoos, someone likes food (like me). A single long-distance driving trip is a kind of meditation and an opportunity to put your thoughts on the shelves. While you are busy with mechanical work (driving), and outside the window beautiful landscapes, you can think about what in ordinary life there is not enough time for the bustle. And you don't need a companion.

I search for all hotels through Booking. Even small hotels in the Amur region are marked there.
With the search for entertainment, the site drom.ru and LiveJournal helped me. I entered a query, for example, the road "Irkutsk-Yakutsk" and the reports of people who passed this route, one could read not only about the pitfalls of the route, but also about interesting places.
If you are going somewhere for the first time, look for the latest reports from other travelers to know where the grader will overtake you, which city is better to drive along the bypass and at what kilometer to make a small circle away from the highway so that wonderful roads open up in front of you. its beauty of the place.

It is not at all boring to be alone in Karelia and on Kola Peninsula. The M-18 "Kola" highway is of excellent quality and easy to drive. After passing it all, you will see endless forests, Lake Onega, Belomorkanal (despite its scary story it is amazing beautiful place), ancient wooden churches, waterfalls, raging rivers, marble canyons. And then the taiga will turn into an endless tundra before your eyes, you will cross the Arctic Circle and you can see the Barents Sea, which flows into the Northern Arctic Ocean. Also, these places are very quiet and peaceful. The perfect place to take a break from stress and clear your head.
Incredibly beautiful in Kamchatka. The best option to get there is by plane. If you wish, you can rent a car, I did so. federal highway here it is short, 200 kilometers, until it turns into stones, but very beautiful. In essence, it doesn’t matter where you are going when incredible hills and volcanoes rise around you on the horizon. You can visit hot springs (including mountain and wild ones, where you can sit in hot water right in the middle of the snowy peaks for free). Not far from the City (as Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is called without frills) there is an exit to Pacific Ocean(Khalaktyrsky beach), the Sea of Okhotsk (it is especially beautiful in the village of Oktyabrsky). And in the market you can carry buckets of crabs and caviar. In the last days in Kamchatka, I ate just bread, because the caviar with crabs did not climb (for six months later, just thinking about them made me sick). By the way, buying a bucket of caviar is really cheaper than a cafe or ordinary products.
The third most beautiful place is Altai. The Chuyky Trakt is included in the list of the 10 most beautiful roads in Russia, because in just 800 km you will meet all climatic zones: from the icy taiga to the hot steppe. And here you can also try a bear, a deer, a moral, a wild boar and a hare, buy shampoo from antlers or deer blood, the most delicious honey or tea. In general, for a gastrotourist - a paradise, and landscapes - eye baths. I’m thinking of going there some other way, but most likely I’ll fly to Novosibirsk by plane and rent a car. With this option, the trip may well fit into a weekend tour. The places are beautiful, but the track itself is not long. 2-3 days, depending on your pace.

Sasha Bogino, Mediazona journalist

Travels around Russia to the courts and around the world for fun

I often go on business trips. If you just want to go somewhere from Moscow and relax, I usually go alone too: mainly because almost all of my friends work, and our weekends just don’t coincide. After the flight Moscow - Abu Dhabi - Melbourne - Hobart (almost a day, taking into account the time spent waiting for the plane), even the five-hour journey does not seem so long to me. By the way, on an airplane, I always try to find a free row so that I can at least lie down - if there are much more seats than passengers, no one will forbid you to do this. Enjoying new places alone is very simple: if the weather permits, it is enough just to take a walk in the company of good music and delicious coffee. Often on business trips, I just don’t have time for museums, bars and sightseeing, so I try to walk more to get at least some impression of the new city.

2. What life hacks help you? From finding hotels and entertainment to basic security.

As a teenager, I went to Berlin for a couple of weeks: I still remember how I stuffed my suitcase with clothes, thinking something like this - what if I want to wear not this dress, but another, I'd better take both. Even better, I remember how my hands fell off while I was carrying this suitcase with me, so now I don’t take a lot of things with me on trips. Everywhere I go with a small comfortable suitcase (half empty, so that there is room for some purchases).
Before traveling, I buy local currency in Moscow: it’s better to think about it in advance, because the exchange rate on the spot will obviously be less profitable. About a third of the money set aside for the trip, I leave on the map just in case. By the way, many banks ask their customers to inform about the trip in advance. If this is not done, when trying to pay in another country, the card may be blocked (I once in Canada, in front of a huge queue, scraped out the last little thing to buy myself coffee, it was unpleasant). I keep cash and cards in separate places just in case.
When I check into a hotel, the first thing I do is pester the staff and ask where the nearest pharmacy and grocery store is, and also that there is a 24-hour nearby. In response to such questions, most likely, you will be given a map, everything will be drawn and explained in detail - do not neglect this, especially if you do not have mobile Internet during your trip.
On the issue of safety: when I travel alone, I only use public transport or legal taxis (all this, by the way, can also be found out at the hotel). In the dark, I avoid the city outskirts and all sorts of dumb places. In the spring, for example, I was in Krasnodar: my hotel was not very far from the center, but in the evening I still called myself a taxi, because I had to walk decently from the stop, and I didn’t really like the area.

3. Three ideal places to travel alone?

Berlin is good at any time of the year (although if you are not a fan of the heat, then take a closer look at the local weather forecast for midsummer).
Budapest, and especially in spring!
It's also cool to travel around Russia. Of course, sometimes a plane ticket to New York is cheaper than to Kamchatka, but it is not necessary to travel so far to see something new. Think about the last time you traveled more than 50-100 kilometers from the city where you live. Surely even within the area full of interesting places.

Maria Sokolova, digital nomad, translator, author of the @marisokolova Telegram channel

Manages to work in a dozen countries per year

1. Why are you traveling alone?

I travel alone for several reasons, but two main ones. First, it is often better, more comfortable and more interesting for me to travel alone than in the wrong company. Second, my lifestyle and travel do not match the lifestyle of most of my friends. I like to come somewhere for a month or two, I definitely need to devote at least two or three hours a day to work, and it’s not necessary to see everything at once, so it’s quite difficult with those who go on vacation. The paradox is that when I travel alone, I am rarely alone. I have many friends around the world, I rarely go to places where I don’t know anyone at all, and it’s easier to meet new people alone, whether it’s hostel neighbors or the same dating app.

2. What life hacks help you? From finding hotels and entertainment to basic security.

To search for fellow travelers and companions for lunch and dinner in unfamiliar city I sometimes use the Hangouts feature in the couchsurfing app, sometimes tinder (no, it's not just for sex, you can just meet different people there, including the same sex). Sometimes specialized groups on Facebook help (I search by keywords digital nomads/expats in...).
By the way, in such Facebook groups you can often find accommodation for a couple of months and a million different events.
In general, I try to find out in advance what popular tourist routes are in the country, I keep track of my drinks at the bar, I use Uber wherever I can, and I check reviews of places where I am going to stay on the Internet. Well, I go on dates to crowded places :)

3. Three ideal places to travel alone?

If you choose, then in terms of comfort for singles, I would choose Thailand and in general South East Asia, where you feel safe, you can always meet a bunch of other solo travelers, and where it's cheap enough to rent a place by yourself.
I also like to travel alone in the Balkans (one of my favorite regions in the world), because it's more interesting - stories start to happen to you, as soon as you leave the house.
The south of Europe, where it's just good, and if you don't have company, you still feel good.

There is nothing difficult about making your trip on a budget. A little planning and knowing a few savings secrets is all it takes. Flights, hotels, visas, transportation, meals, communications - all of these items can be reduced with a little effort. MAKE-TRIP shares a dozen with you useful tips, how to travel cheap. Hurry to find out!

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1. Travel on your own!

The first (and most important) law: do not be afraid. It's simple, it's fun, it's cheap. Some people do not even imagine that it is possible to travel abroad without the involvement of agencies and other organizations - they believe that this is the only way to guarantee their safety. And in the end, they either get a boring rest, mostly in a supine position, or spend unimaginable amounts on more or less non-standard rest. Traveling alone is not only possible, but necessary! Only independent trip can be considered a real journey, everything else is tourist vacation. Everyone can organize a great trip for themselves, you just need to show a little independence. Look at our different countries and cities.

In our opinion, it is especially interesting to travel by car (personal or rented) - complete freedom of movement! If you are interested in this option, read our tips about. Traveling is amazing too!

2. Find the cheapest flights

The ability to find and book flights at the lowest price is the most needed skill for budget travel. The main rule to always remember is that the earlier a purchase is made, the more likely it is to find an attractively priced option. Ours will help you become a real master of finding the cheapest flights. It makes sense to keep track of the current ones on our website and see ours in a particular country or city.

Also, be sure to read about that - in this article we talked about the schemes of budgetary access to the Schengen countries through the European countries bordering Russia. In addition, we advise you to find out about, which allow you to fly for amounts close to zero (buying tickets for 20/30/40 euros will not be a problem).

It is best to search for flights on the Skyscanner metasearch engine - it will find the most profitable offer in any direction. This is a good helper independent travelers, since he is looking for tickets among hundreds of airlines and does not take a single ruble of commission from the buyer. The search engine makes it possible to view the cost of tickets to any country from all cities of Russia (or any other country) at once - a very convenient feature for budget travelers, it allows you to find an option at the best price.

(Photo by Rennett Stowe. Licensed cc by. www.flickr.com)

3. Make your own visas

Why resort to the help of an intermediary and pay him twice or three times as much for it? You do not turn to the help of agents if you want to buy something in a supermarket, and here you do not need to. After all, we are going to travel economically, and not to improve the welfare of strangers.

Find on the Internet information about the nearest consulate or visa application center to you desired country, collect all the required documents and go to them. Many people think that it is more reliable to do it through an agency, allegedly this way the probability of visa refusal is lower. This is a delusion, since the whole mission of these intermediaries is that they will take the documents to the consulate instead of you. Tips on how to prepare the right documents to improve your chances of getting a visa are easy to find on the Internet. Our site also has for a number of popular destinations.

4. Find and book your accommodation the right way

To make travel cheap, you need to find inexpensive accommodation. You can use the excellent metasearch engine Roomguru.ru and select the desired hotel according to your criteria and reasonable price. This resource compares prices among different booking agencies and finds the best deals. Large database of hotels, hostels, guest houses and so on. We recommend reading our tips on.

An alternative to hotels is a popular service for renting private accommodation Airbnb.ru. Try to find an apartment or house for your trip. It is much more comfortable and often cheaper (especially if you travel with a company or family). The service has a huge selection of unique housing ( beautiful apartments, villas and even residential boats and castles!), accommodation in which will make your trip much more enjoyable and memorable. Take advantage current promotion and get a discount - $25 bonus on your first booking.

To choose the perfect accommodation, look also for different cities.

And for those who generally want to live for free, the Couchsurfing resource is vital, where after registering and creating a personal profile, you can find people who are ready to host travelers. The network covers millions of users around the world.

(Photo by Phillip Pessar. Licensed cc by. www.flickr.com)

5. Travel light

Take only what you really need - do not burden yourself with excess luggage. As a result, there are a number of advantages: there is no need to wait a long time for baggage claim, there is no threat of losing it, you don’t have to pay for overweight (and with low-cost airlines in general, any baggage is always paid separately and can cost you up to hundreds of euros), and moving around the airport and in your destination will be much easier and more pleasant if you do not have to lug huge suitcases and bags with you. We even fly to Asia for semi-annual wintering with only one backpack per person.

Read also our tips on and formation. By the way, we recommend shopping on Aliexpress (we order camping equipment, equipment, and numerous accessories there) - it turns out to be much more profitable than shopping in regular stores. Pay attention to the reviews to choose best product. Another good store for sports and travel goods is Decathlon (where we bought a tent, hiking clothes and other equipment for trips to Altai and the Caucasus).

6. Find out about airport transfers in advance

Taxi is always the most expensive way to travel, it is much more profitable to use public transport: bus, metro, train. Read about all the possible options before departure - this way you will save a lot of money.

However, sometimes it is more convenient and cheaper to use private transfer- for example, when you travel with a large group and order a multi-seat car. For these cases, we can recommend a reliable service. Better yet, rent a car directly from the airport (you can find the best deal on Skyscanner Car Hire).

(Photo by martinak15. Licensed cc by. www.flickr.com)

7. Night move instead of hotel

Night travel by trains and buses will make travel cheaper. This is a good opportunity to save time and money on the hotel at the same time. It is better to take first class tickets - you will have to overpay a little, but then you will be comfortable and you will sleep well. It’s not so convenient to ride on buses, so it’s better not to overdo it and not plan daily night trips for yourself - your body will swear. However, in some places there are slipper buses, the peculiarity of which is recumbent soft shelves instead of standard chairs (we made night trips to these more than once). It's definitely a great option for budget travel without loss of comfort.

In Russia, it is also convenient to travel by train for short distances, picking up night crossings. For example, we traveled from St. Petersburg to Moscow, from Perm to Kazan - the journey took exactly one night, we slept well. There are many route options. You can find and book a train ticket at.

(Photo by Don McCullough. Licensed cc by. www.flickr.com)

8. Use discounts

Groupon gives you the opportunity to buy coupons with a significant discount on a variety of things and events: restaurants, shops, entertainment, attractions, leisure etc. If you are a student, a young teacher, or you are just under 30 years old, then it makes sense to get yourself an ISIC, ITIC or IYTC card. in Europe and North America on them you can get good discounts in a variety of places - from cafes to museums.

9. Save on communication

Use Skype or Viber to communicate with Russia. Connect to local operators for local calls and 3G internet. By the way, Skype can also be used to call any landline and mobile phone numbers - these calls are paid, but inexpensive (for example, we used this opportunity to call from Vietnam to Russia and unblock a Sberbank card).

10. Use travel tickets

Find out about the ticket system for public transport. As a rule, there are many types of travel cards, depending on the mode of transport, validity period and travel zones. Think about what type of ticket is best for you. If you want to save money and decide to travel like a hare, keep in mind that in many countries (especially in Europe) fines for free riders are very high.

Also in many popular tourist cities there are special museum cards, which provide discounts for visiting attractions and allow you to skip the lines.

11. Organize excursions yourself

It is always cheaper to get to the place you are interested in without the participation of agencies and guides, besides, you make your own visiting program - there is no need to adapt to a given schedule and rhythm.

(Photo by Moyan_Brenn. Licensed cc by. www.flickr.com)

12. Eat at local restaurants

Eat while traveling cheap and delicious at the same time! Tourist-oriented restaurants always jack up prices. And in the places preferred by the residents themselves, you will find a real national cuisine, the lowest prices and the most delicious dishes. If you see a lot of local visitors in some restaurant or cafe, it means that the food is excellent there - feel free to come in too!

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Follow these tips, read the site and travel on a budget!

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

Remember that for the organization of good independent travel it 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 alone?

Independent travel won't always be cheaper(but in 60% -70% of cases it will be much cheaper) than to go on a package tour, where you don’t have to think and everything has long been thought of. But impression from "package vacation" will never compare with impressions and emotions received from a trip planned by you personally. And this is the first and main plus of independent travel.

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

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

Airplane tickets

For me, organizing an independent trip usually starts with ticket search to the desired destination. Moreover, it is not necessary that the plane tickets were to 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 be a substantial amount.

It often happens that for 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 in Europe are very cheap(often cheaper than other transport), flying for 2.5 hours for 1000 rubles is the norm there.

In this way, open the map, look, what cities are nearby and build a route. Of course, there are people who do not need all these troubles.

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

are looking for the best prices for a flight;
check prices for tickets from / to neighboring cities;
compare the cost of tickets on the search engine website and on the official website of the selected airline;
do not forget to look for a promotional code for the purchase;
let's use imagination in the development of the route!

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

Planning an independent travel itinerary

Once the start and end points are known, it's time to take action. travel itinerary planning. You should not gallop and change cities every day, but I personally do not like to stay too long in one place. Learn Internet information, forums, blogs— a sea of information and ideas.

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

Forums and blogs are a great source for planning routes.

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 sweat in the search best offers. Or maybe just take advantage of the growing popularity of the project, which itself will look for affordable tickets for buses, trains and planes, compare prices and duration of the trip (works in Europe)!

we are looking for information on the Internet, I advise Otzyv.ru, Vinsky's forum, tripavisor;

you can buy or download a guide with ready-made routes;

find the best options for moving between cities.

Selection of sights and interesting places for independent travel

To at least a little navigate the city, it is 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). In this list for yourself you need in advance Mark places you want must see, and plan their visit in the first days stay in the city. It's worth knowing beforehand opening hours, weekends, days when admission is free(it happens).

Again, use your imagination. You no longer have to blindly follow the tour program and run out sightseeing with your tongue hanging out because you're already meeting at the bus in an hour. Independence and time management- this is the fourth plus of independent travel.

Again, I get information about sights mainly from the Internet. In addition, for major cities can download/buy guide(I usually download and browse for "missing" places on the Internet).

Also I use travel app tripadvisor - you can see top places, reviews, as well as find good cafes / restaurants. The only possible negative 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 phone memory and use the app offline.

If you still don't trust yourself a bit and/or don't have time to work through your 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 the opening hours, prices, free days;
Otzyv.ru, Vinsky's forum, tripavisor or a guide will also come in handy;
select interesting excursion.

Internet, travel guides, TripAdvisor - a storehouse of information about attractions and places of interest.

Where to live while traveling

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

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

Booking etc.

Sometimes the choice of hotels can be quite difficult (for small towns). Then you can search the 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/11_8/zhdy0p55

Airbnb

In addition to the hotel / hostel, you can rent a separate room or even 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, the money for accommodation is withdrawn immediately and kept by the site. If a day after arrival from the tenant, i.e. you, no complaints were received - the money is transferred to the landlord.

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

And there are discounts for longer stays. 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!

Better choose options with reviews so as not to run into trouble.

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

I would point out that opportunity to choose accommodation for your own needs and requests, this is the fifth indisputable plus of independent travel.

Do not forget that when registering on airbnb using this link https://www.airbnb.ru/c/tgorokhova2?currency=RUB discount of 2100 rubles!

Couchsurfing

And the last way is find a local(kaucha), who will kindly let you live in his apartment free of charge, i.e.! Yes, for some it sounds like wildness. You write off with a complete stranger from the other side of the world and go to visit him. 🙂

Couch can often act as guide, move along interesting places Or at least talk about them. It's a great opportunity to go deeper immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the place and interact with people from other cultures. The site will help you with all this. couchsurfing that has been in existence for many years.

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

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

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;
and 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, check out the parking information. In some cities in Europe, entry into the city center by car is prohibited, 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!

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

we study fare prices, possible travel options;

Thinking about whether to buy a tourist card?

for those who have a car - be sure to find out the situation with parking!

Study in advance the types of transport and tickets, discount cards. This will allow you not to waste time on the proceedings on the spot.

Visa for travel in Europe

Many are afraid of the word visa and pay two or three times more money to visa processing firms. In fact, obtaining a visa to Europe is quite not scary. In large cities, there have long been multivisa centers, where you can consult and submit documents yourself (first of all, we are talking about Schengen).

The main rule when choosing a country for obtaining a visa is documents are submitted to the country in which you will stay the longest. If the number of days in several countries is the same, the country is preferred first entry.

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

Insurance no extra running can make a comparison and selection of insurances on the website . All options are available laid out, you can compare several insurance. In my experience buying even cheaper through this site(I made it out in the office for 10 days - it turned out 1010 rubles, another time I bought it through the site for 15 days for 740 rubles and with more options)!

Well, then you collect it all and serve it, better in advance. In my experience, from submitting documents to obtaining a passport, it takes an average of 2 weeks. If you receive not the first Schengen, it is better to request a multivisa, and there the consul will sort it out.

The seventh plus of independent travel is visa processing at a "fair" price, choice of 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;

choose a country for obtaining a visa;

find out the list of required documents;

download the questionnaire on the website of the consulate, print it out according to the specified rules (both sides) and fill it out;

we print out plane tickets, if any - for a train, bus or car reservation confirmation;

print out hotel or apartment booking confirmations;

we take a certificate of employment at work;

in the bank we get a certificate of account status (sometimes an extract from an ATM + a photocopy of the front side of the card is enough) or we leave a certificate of currency purchase;

select and draw up insurance, print;

we take pictures for a visa (sometimes you can do it right at the visa center);

we take it all, the necessary amount of money to pay the fee and go to submit documents!

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

What to take on an independent trip, more precisely, what should not be taken on a trip

No need to take 3 suitcases with you of things. Think about how many clothes you will need for 2-3 weeks? Given that everything and everywhere you can buy if necessary.

For many years I traveled with a small backpack - and there were always extra things! Remember that now the trend is that extra pounds and extra bags often have to pay. Usually 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 can't carry liquids(including creams) in containers, over 100 ml with a total volume of more than 1 liter. And it’s better to put all the liquids in one bag / cosmetic bag and not take it far away - they may ask you to show it. I just pour everything into small bottles left over from hotels. :) Similar bottles can also be purchased at the store.

think of a reasonable list of things;

we buy medicines on the road (just in case, of course);

necessarily!!! we study the rules of the airline (at least we read what is written on the ticket);

we remove all liquids more than 100 ml from hand luggage(including creams) or pour into small bottles;

we collect the suitcase, it is advisable to check the weight before leaving for the airport.

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

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

Just think about how much money you overpay travel agencies just for the fact that 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 consider the attraction, because it’s time to go to another one!

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

And with the money saved, you can order a transfer or hire a guide, and even stay for trips to restaurants and other entertainment!

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