Travel Hacks from Niklenburg

The other day, we once again pestered Lena and Nikita – the Niklenburg bloggers – with questions. You're already familiar with them from our previous interview. This time, our conversation wasn't so much about round-the-world stories as it was about practical tips for those planning a trip – for a week, a month, a year, or forever :) Read on – it will come in handy!

How to save on flights? To buy affordable airline tickets without overpaying, it's important to keep a few key nuances in mind when booking. First of all, you need to use ticket search engines wisely. Some of them offer flexible search options, allowing you to see how flight prices change throughout the month or find out which month offers the cheapest tickets for your desired destination. Secondly, you should know that some websites track your online behavior and use it to determine prices. The price can depend on whether it's your first time looking for tickets to a specific destination, what device you're using, and even which country you're accessing from. Therefore, it's best to search for tickets using your browser's "Incognito" mode. Often, you can save on flights by using low-cost carriers or charter flights. It's also worth remembering that a round-trip ticket sometimes costs less than a one-way ticket. How to plan your itinerary? Planning your itinerary is an important stage of trip preparation. When creating it, it's crucial to consider several factors. Firstly, the need for visas. Secondly, the method of travel between countries (as our experience showed, it's not always as simple as it seems). Thirdly, seasonality and major events. For example, Brazil is great in February – during the world-famous carnival, while in Panama from May to November, there are torrential rains for half the day, every day. How to plan your budget and not run out of money halfway through your trip? The website nomadlist.com, which is new and not yet widely known in Russia, is very helpful for planning your itinerary and budget. There you can see how much it costs to live in any country in the world, and also filter countries by weather, safety, interestingness, and so on. Personally, I was and remain completely delighted with this site and even wrote a review about it on the niklenburg.com blog. How to choose a hotel wisely? We book hotels through booking.com. This site has an absolutely reliable system of reviews and ratings for hotels. If a hotel has a rating below seven points, I wouldn't book it. The overall rating is formed based on scores for cleanliness, staff friendliness, location, and adherence to the description. If the rating is low, something is wrong with the hotel. Additionally, the tripadvisor website helps with hotel selection. It collects independent reviews from people all over the world about hotels and more. How to earn money while traveling? There are many ways to earn money while traveling. For example, many backpackers work part-time in hostels. In addition to a salary, the traveler gets free accommodation, and sometimes food. Another way to earn money while traveling is teaching. You can teach anything, but foreign languages are most in demand. Also, a guaranteed way to have a decent income while traveling is selling food. It's enough to prepare something simple and tasty, such as burgers, jelly, or truffles, and go out with a tray or box. Many travelers earn money by juggling or performing other street acts, playing in restaurants, selling handmade souvenirs... Not to mention that nowadays it's quite easy to find remote work online. How to avoid becoming a victim of scammers while traveling? In almost every country, there are many ways to trick tourists. Before traveling, it is extremely important to read about what is happening in the country/countries you plan to visit. Being informed means being armed. What haven't we encountered! From vastly inflated prices for food, taxis, souvenirs, to attacks and robberies. To avoid potential problems, you must always be as vigilant and cautious as possible. Don't get into unofficial taxis, don't follow strangers, even if they friendly show you the way, don't carry a lot of money, jewelry, or very expensive items. And always bargain. Often, the price can be cut by two or three times! How to save money while traveling? Two pillars of budget travel are hitchhiking and couchsurfing. This has been tested and proven by all travelers on the planet, and we are no exception. In addition, today there is an insane number of various volunteer programs that allow you to travel the world, spending only on transportation. At the same time, volunteers gain tremendous work experience, interact with locals, immerse themselves in the culture, and also get free food and accommodation. One of the great websites for finding volunteer work is workaway.info. Another well-known housing rental website, airbnb.com, also helps save money. There you can find wonderful apartments that will be significantly better and cheaper than a hotel. If you replace flights with bus travel, you can also significantly reduce your budget. And we never spend money on excursions, as we visit free Free Walking Tours.