Category: Travel

My husband and I agreed that we will not stop traveling in the future when we have kids. Many parents put aside going places and exploring the world when they have kids, but I feel the best education you can give your children is the experience of seeing the world. Yes, it’s definitely not as easy when you have to make frequent stops for diaper changes or try to keep their tantrums limited in public. But is it worth it? Definitely! Between my husband and I, we have 2 nieces and 6 nephews and as their favorite uncle and aunt 😉 , we have been with them and taken them to many places. My older bunch of the nieces and nephews often recall the trips they’ve taken with us!
_{Update: 3 nieces and 7 nephews!}

From all of our experiences combined, I’ve gathered some tips for road trips and traveling with kids. Although this is a fair amount of hacks while traveling with kids, we don’t have any children of our own. We definitely by no means claim to be even close to experts on this matter and understand that it’s always easier said than done.

KEEP READING

1 Give yourself extra wiggle time. Something always comes up with little ones. Either they are hungry or they need to use the restroom or they are just not feeling their best at times. Whatever the reason is, you need to allow it to pass or take care of it before you can enjoy the rest of your trip. That means giving yourself extra time and calculating in extra long breaks throughout your trip. It also means that you can’t jam pack your schedule like you did when you traveled without children.

2 Pick your battles. When you’re on the road for a long period of time, even adults get cranky. Why do we think that a child can sit still for a long period of time in the car and be completely well behaved? Give the kids a break; let them sing and shout. As long as they are buckled in and safe while on the road, I would say give them a little time to get all that energy out. After all, they’re on vacation too!

KEEP READING

3 Let the children choose! Allow the children to be a part of the decision making during the trip. In order for your little ones to be excited about the trip, they have to feel like they got to do something they wanted. Now, I’m not saying ask them to make all the decisions. I’m saying figure out two really good options (that doesn’t make too much of a difference for you) and let them pick! No matter what they pick, it won’t make a big deviation in your plans and they feel like they got to do what they wanted to!
For example, it’s lunch time and the two fast food places close by are Chick-fil-A and McDonald’s. Let the child choose where they want to go!

4 Pack snacks and lots of it! When kids are bored, they want to snack. It’s not that they are hungry; they had probably just finished lunch 10 minutes ago. They just want to snack! Doesn’t snacking make us feel good too? The trick here is to pack healthy snacks for them to choose from. Don’t pack too many sugar filled treats, chips or candy; they will be bouncing off the roof after all these sugary snacks. Instead, mix in a few healthy choices!

KEEP READING

5 Wipes, tissue AND water. Whether you are traveling with kids (or pets!), having wipes, tissue and water in the car is super important! You never know when someone’s made a mess and you need to clean it up before it becomes a permanent stain. Yikes.
I consistently carry wipes with me when we have our pug traveling with us. Often, I use it to clean his face, nose or body after making a pit stop. Other times, I use it to clean his cage so that it’s free of dirt or dog hair!

6 More hands. Keep your hands free as possible and your load as light as you can. Any day out can feel like its too much when you have to carry a child, bags, water bottles, stroller and so on. Opt out for hand bags, backpacks and other options that keep your hands free. This is a also a much safer option when traveling with kids as you’ll probably need to quickly react to keep the kids out of danger.

7 Release the energy! Kids need to release their excitement and energy somehow. Hence, we can’t expect them to sit still properly or behave the same way adults do. They need the time and space to unleash all the energy stored up. If you are site seeing or touring a city, maybe there is a park nearby where the kids want to play. Allow them that time. After all, which kid would willingly pass an opportunity to play in the playground? Let them tire themselves out and have fun with less rules and expectations.

Here are a few things that might make your next road trip a bit more relaxing for you!

Munchkin Miracle 360 Sippy Cup

For toddlers, this is the perfect sippy cup. No leaks, no spills, no mess! If you’re not using this by now, you have some catching up to do! My little nephew used to carry this with him everywhere he goes!

Diaper Bag Travel Backpack

Need to store all the children’s things and your stuff into a bag and still look cool? Check out this stylish diaper bag! You can wrap this around your shoulder to keep your arms free. SO much better than the old hand bag options from back in the day!

BCOZZY Kids Chin Supporting Patented Travel Pillow

Kids often fall asleep for long periods and you need to protect their necks so that they don’t wake up with a strained neck (or worse, cranky!). This is a small, yet great option for traveling with little sleepy heads!

Car Backseat Organizer OR Backseat Organizer Holds Crayons Markers

This is another item that is great for young kids while traveling. Children often have a lot of things they need close by, such as their water cups, snacks, books, toys, etc. With something like this, it’s easy to keep everything together and organized. The car will stay clean and the kids, happy!

Regalo My Cot Portable Toddler Bed

Going on a few days of vacation with little ones can be a bit crazy! It’s hard to keep their routine and sleeping habits consistent while away from home. Packing something like a playpen/sleeping pack or portable toddler bed can come handy to keep the kids on schedule.

The whole point of this post is to encourage you to travel with children, even if that means some hassles and struggles during the journey. Kids will definitely remember trips with family much more than the hours of television they watched during summer months or the expensive toys they had growing up. Check out my Must Have Travel Items here for a few of my favorite things to have while traveling!

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.

“I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” – Mark Twain
My husband and I love to travel in a group, either with close friends or family. Half of our travels have been with family and friends and we have enjoyed all of them! One of the best things about traveling with groups is that you have fun no matter what the situation is. Another great reason to travel in groups is safety. Finally, a bonus reason for traveling with a group is that you actually save more money than traveling alone! Wondering how? Keep reading!

1 Accommodation

This applies if you book through sites like Airbnb, where you can book a whole house instead of rooms. For our (cancelled) trip to Guatemala, we had booked a whole house which can accommodate 4-6 people. We only had 3 people for the trip, but even if we had 3 additional people, it would have costed the same amount. Hence if we had 3 additional people, the price per person would be much less. Booking hotels may be more expensive in this situation, so I highly recommend booking a whole house or a full apartment if you are with a group.

Check out this Airbnb post to see what other benefits there are to budgeting your accommodation.

If you’re new to Airbnb and want $55 off on your first stay, click here!

2

Transportation

Often times, taxis can hold around four-six people, depending on where you are. You will probably pay the same amount for a 20 minute ride for two people as you do for six people. When you are in a group, calling a private taxi (and the convenience of it) might be better than using local public transportation. During our trip to Spain and Morocco with my parents, we used Uber, private rides and public taxis to get around the city instead of using public transportation.

*For long distance trips however, you save money when you take public transportation (see this next example).

3 Safety

You are likely to choose the more expensive option during travel to be safe when traveling alone or with 1-2 other people. When you are with a bigger group however, you can be a little bit more assured on the safety aspect and choose less expensive and more adventurous routes. This includes choosing cheaper public transportation for long rides between cities and states. During our Italy and Spain trip, we choose public train rides to travel from one city to the next, cutting our total cost down significantly. For a girls trip in Costa Rica, we took a local public bus from Monteverde to San Jose.

The more people there are in your group, the less likely you are to have a stranger approach you or try to harm you. Everyone in the group is able to keep an eye out for each other and for each other’s belongings. We were highly warned about pick pocketers while in Rome, so we walked in pairs and in lines, so that we could keep an eye on the person walking in front of us.

4

Bargaining

When shopping for souvenirs, the more you buy from a store, the more you can bargain. If you are buying just one item, it is unlikely you will get a discount from the shop owner. However, if there are a few people who wants an item and you buy 5 of those items instead of one, you may be able to get a bargain! I’ve used this method while souvenir shopping in Thailand, Italy and Morocco.

Check out my tips and tricks to bargaining here (my easiest written post yet!)

5 Food

Although the total cost will be higher for food when traveling in a group, the cost per person will be much less. When traveling together and trying new food, it’s best to order less at first, see what you like and then to order more. Depending on where you go, it’s also more likely that you will be able to share portions when eating out. Hubby and I love to try local food, food from carts and crowded food vendors no matter who we travel with. The more people traveling with us, the more different food we can try without stuffing ourselves full.

What is a good group of people?

If you are wondering what is a good number of people to travel with, I would recommend 4-6 people. Any less number of people might not help too much with saving too much money. In fact, having three travelers may be a challenge since everything is usually paired up in twos. Any more than 6 people will be hard to coordinate and might actually be less efficient to plan for.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.

The more I travel, the more I want to travel. Because one of my all time goals is to travel, we make our dollar stretch by budget traveling. Budget traveling is basically budgeting out your travels, spending less where you can and opting for the cheaper option in some scenarios. Most times, the cheaper scenarios are actually the more adventurous ones too! Which is why it’s easy to choose these options if you are traveling solo or without young kids.

If you want to make your dollar stretch, the easiest way to do this is to go to a country where the dollar has more value. For example, if you travel to Belize in Central America, 1 USD is worth 2 Belizean pesos. If you travel to India, 1 USD is about 70 rupees! This can go a long way in India, keeping expenses low. However, if you travel to Italy, 1 euro is worth only .9 of a dollar. This makes the dollar have less value in Europe.

Flight

Now, it doesn’t make much sense to spend a big amount on a flight across the world to Asia in order to travel budget there. But if you find a cheap flight to Asia, then I would jump on it!

For those who like numbers:
– I flew to Thailand for around $700, which I would say is a good deal. There have been tickets to Delhi, India for about the same range. I wouldn’t pay over that price range to that part of the world unless I was picky on the dates and was limited on time.
– Our recent trips to Europe have not been over $400. We were lucky to get those cheap deals, knowing that a normal ticket is usually over $1000.
(Check out how my Resources page to see where I look for tickets. )
– For all our trips to Central America, I’ve paid no more than $350. Booking in advance and being flexible on the dates is the key here. Traveling to these places off season is the best way to find these cheap deals.
– For trips around the US, we only fly when we really have to. Otherwise, we like to drive. I wouldn’t book a flight within the US for any more than $200 and that depends on the urgency of the flight.

Accommodation

Accommodation really varies based on what you are able to sacrifice and how you like to spend your vacation. When I travel, I would rather send less on luxury and more on experience. Some might say but luxury IS experience. For me, I want to experience the local life of the country we are in, not stay in a hotel which is similar to the US.

And here are a few numbers:
– In Central America, you can get hostels as cheap as 15-20 bucks or Airbnb for that price. If you want something more decent, you can get something for around $40. For a couple or family who wants a bit more room and convenience, expect to spend around $80-100. For hotels and resorts, you are looking at around $150-200 per night.
– Most of Asia is very similar. However, because getting a place in Asia is not expensive, it’s better to opt for something that has culture tied in to it, which might be a bit more pricey.
(I would not recommend winging it while traveling to India. Make sure to book a hotel and a good one, in a safe part of the town.) Check out more on my India post here!
-Europe in general can be a bit more expensive. Expect to spend around $40 per person for accommodations. Anything cheaper might not be a good place. There are some hotels that run for $500 a night (that I can’t give you any more details on)!

Food

What I learned about food around the world is this; just because it is more expensive, it doesn’t mean it is always better.

Estimates:
– In Asia & Central America, you can get a decent meal for less than $5, sometimes as little as $2! The price can easily fluctuate up depending on if you are in a tourist area and the size of the hotel.
– In Europe, expect to spend around $7-10 for a meal, depending on the same things mentioned above.
– North America; you can find fast food for as cheap as less than $5 or you can get more quality food for around $10-$15 per person.
– Africa; I’ve only spend a few days in Northern Africa in mostly tourist places and it was about $8-10 per meal in a decent restaurant. The more south you go, I expect it to be less, unless you are in a big city or tourist destination.

As you can gather from this, a day in Asia or Central America will definitely be more cheaper than a day in Europe or North America. If you are new at traveling and want to budget travel, I will recommend starting off somewhere in Central America or Southeast Asia. If budgeting isn’t an issue, start with Europe since it is safer to travel there. Wherever you decide to go, I would recommend to travel more locally and experience more culture!

Hope this has been a helpful post for anyone who wanted real numbers and budget comparison! I can only speak for the countries I have been to. So if you have been elsewhere, leave a comment and let me know below!

Many people don’t know where to look for resources when it comes to traveling between cities, or traveling within a city to all the main attractions. I am compiling a list of travel resources that may help you to plan your trips and make it bit easier and more adventurous! These resources include things like a sightseeing information or international ferry websites. I hope to grow this list the more I travel and the more experience I gain.

Flights

I find deals on flights from a variety of places. My main go to place is Google flights! Google flights also has an option to send you emails for a flight you are tracking- I mean, how easier can it get? If that’s not enough, there are many more apps, websites and programs you can use!

One app I have used to book a flight was Hopper, to book our flight to Dominican Republic! It was super easy to navigate and use.
Kayak and Orbitz are also several websites I use to compare and track prices. I have used Orbitz to book hotels few times and they even had really good customer service when I mistakenly booked a resort for several grand! Thankfully they cleared everything and was able to refund the money; so I booked the next resort and hotels with them the following trip!
Other websites I like to keep up with often are EscapeHouston and CheapDFW. I am sure there are many more within your own city if you do a little digging.

Another major, but not very popular service I use for cheap flights is Next Vacay. It’s my only annual paid travel service that I use as of now. They send you emails with the amazing deals they find. The deals only last about 24 hours, so you will have to be flexible about where and when you want to travel. The best part is that they are not a third party; you go directly to google, search the flight and book it via the airlines.

Attractions & Sightseeing!

City Pass

City Pass is an American company that offers grouped deals to the major attractions of a city. City Pass is offered in about 14 big cities across the US and is definitely worth it if you plan on sight seeing majority of the attractions. When my friends came in to visit me in Houston, we took a City Pass and visited all the tourist sites and popular places within Houston. We also used City Pass in cities like Chicago and loved it.

Looking for something similar in other countries?

Many of the major cities have one form of this City Pass or another. The European version of this is known as City Passes. We used Roma Pass for our 2-3 days in Rome and it worked well. We were able to catch the bus anytime we wanted to, use the quick entry and even get a free access pass for the first attraction.

Check out this great European City Pass website that shows you all the different passes for many major touristic cities! This sight is great because it gives you many options and companies to choose from!

City Sightseeing

City Sightseeing is a world famous bus tour that takes you within a city to all the main attractions. I’ve used city sightseeing in Dubai solo and it was super safe! It was very convenient and easy to understand directions. They also included a huge map with the whole city, the bus routes and city attractions. If I don’t have a car while exploring the city, this would definitely be an ideal way to get around with less stress!

Prices vary by the size of the city and attractions there. In some cases, tickets for children are about half of an adult ticket. Few premium tickets also come with free entries to specific places and discount prices for restaurants and other attractions.

Many cities within the US have City Sightseeing such as Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, Nashville, Miami, San Antonio, Washington DC and more! Since most people here own/rent cars, it is not used widely among Americans. However, if you are from another country and prefer not to drive, this is a great option!

Other famous cities that would be worth using City Sightseeing are Florence, Seville, Barcelona, London, Singapore, Lima, Amsterdam, Dublin, Athens, Budapest, Paris and the list goes on. Check it out here!

”

Besides City Sightseeing, there are also several city tour bus options in most bigger cities including Big Bus, USA guided tours and more!

Groupon

Although Groupon is an American based company, it has many many offers both inside and outside the US! It’s not fair to put Groupon on the attraction section, because Groupon contains much more than that, including international whole package trips, hotels and restaurant deals. Even though I haven’t used Groupon for international traveling yet, I have used it for hotels in big cities within America.

Other some of my favorite companies such as this includes TripAdvisor, Viator (owned by TripAdvisor) and Airbnb. I’ll be talking more about Airbnb as a source for accommodations because that is my main go-to for booking accommodations. However, TripAdvisor and Viator are both great tools to help you see all the things to do in a city, the price ranges, the reviews of the activities, etc. There is so much information on the site that you can gather even if you don’t book their service. I used Viator to book our wine tour in Italy and it was great!

**Tip: Even though I use these third party companies at times, I try to book directly majority of the time. Because these sites take a commission, the prices may be higher than booking directly. For this reason, I only when the cost is reasonable and convenience is needed. For example, I’ll use this when booking for a larger group or if we need pick up/drop off services.

Transportation!

How do you pick a method of transport? Although there are many things to think about, it narrows down to these three major things: time, expense & convenience. Check out this blog post to see how I think through our itinerary and pick a form of transportation, while traveling in the US. For more options, keep reading!

Air

There are so many methods of transportation depending on where you are and how much time you have during your trip. Every place has a preferred or more efficient form of transportation. In Southeast Asia, we flew two to three times from one part of a country to another. We did this in Thailand (Bangkok> Phuket> Chiang Mai) and in India (Kerala<>Delhi) for time efficiency. In Europe though, we decided to use the train system to get from one place to another to be cost efficient. In the US, we drive to neighboring states, but fly to further ones. Check out the list below for the specific transportation we have used to get from point A to point B.

Ground

Europe: Renfe

Renfe is a well known train service within Europe. We rode it several times in Italy and Spain this past year and had great experience with it. If you are looking for an easy way to travel from city to city, using this train system is usually the best option. With Renfe, you are able to book in advance for a single seat or a mesa seat, which comprises of 4 seats. Whether you book for 1 person or for four people, the total will be the same. You will be basically booking out that whole section for yourself or your group.

Make sure you print out a paper copy of your ticket before traveling. The ticket shows the coach number, which is where you enter from at the platform. It also shows the plaza which are seating assignments and has all the information you need on it. An estimated price of a one way ticket between two cities that are three to four hours away from each other starts from $30 and goes up. The prices depend on the season, on the train times and how soon you book your ticket.

Check out the Renfe website to book your tickets hassle free!

Tip: If the website or words are in another language, use Google translate to translate the information to English!

India: Indian Railroad

<<Coming Soon! >>

Enterprise

Yes, I am talking about the American company, Enterprise. It’s comfortable when you are out of country and you see an American company you know and trust. That’s what I felt when I saw that Spain had Enterprise, even in the smaller cities. It’s so much better when you have control of where you are going when you want to and when to stop. It’s great if you are going on an adventurous trip with friends since you will be able to go on the road less taken with your own ride. Although the service was not up to par at the Spain location, we were still able to get what we wanted and where we wanted, in time.

Enterprise is in over 85 countries and is the biggest car rental. Check out the Enterprise-car rental website to see if they have a office at your next travel destination. #notsponsored

Greyhound & Mega Bus

Want to travel cheap? I’ve gotten Megabus tickets for a dollar one way (yes, you heard that right! ONE US dollar) from New York to Boston! I booked a few months in advance and secured my seat. The best part about this is that even if I had changed plans and didn’t use the bus, I was only loosing a few bucks. Megabus is available in the US, Canada and United Kingdom! Greyhound is all over the US and in Canada!

Water

Ferries

A ferry is another great option when it comes to traveling between two places, that are divided between a body of water. We took a ferry between Spain and Morocco. When I was looking into the different ferry companies they offered, I found more than what I was looking for. We ended up booking a local ferry company that only makes trips between Spain and Morocco. However, I was pleased to find ferry companies in other continents as well! Direct Ferries is a website that gives you access to all the ferry schedule all over the world. They show ferry rides between many European, American and Asian countries!

Check out how we traveled from Spain to Morocco in detail here!

Tip: Travel in the late morning or early afternoon. This will give you enough time to get to the city of departure and get to your destination before the sun goes down (given your trip is less than 6 hours).

Accommodations!

Airbnb

Airbnb is a adventurous yet still safe option of accommodations. If you are new to traveling, I will recommend getting hotels or resorts to avoid the stress additional planning and safety. If you have traveled a bit more and wish to travel more locally, I would recommend to start using Airbnb. Airbnb offers so many benefits during your stay and allows you to get that local experience (if that’s what you are going for). Check out my post dedicated to Airbnb and why I love using it so much! (Not sponsored y’all!)

Click here for 30 dollars off on your first Airbnb experience when you sign up!

---

And More!

The Parking Spot

I’ve had nothing but good experience with The Parking Spot the several times I have used them. Parking services like this come in handy when you depart and arrive early in the morning or late at night. This is also a great option for anyone who lives far away from the airport as well! Taking a taxi or Uber may be expensive and having someone drop you off may be more difficult. My husband and I recently discovered the ease of using The Parking Spot and will continue to use it for all our future trips.

Safety & Health

Smart Traveler Enrollment Program

Now besides the transportation, stays and tours, another major aspect of travel is safety and health! As an American citizen, no matter which country you go to, there is always a US embassy there. Check out my STEP blog post to read all about staying safe and connected with the US embassy throughout your trip.
Click here for the US Department of State travel section, which gives you all the information you need about passports, Visas, travel documents and more.

Center of Disease Control and Prevention

Another thing I do before visiting a country is checking out their recommended vaccines, high risk diseases and any outbreaks. The CDC (Center of Disease Control and Prevention) is a great source for any kind of trip or people. They have sections for people traveling with children, traveling on a cruise, traveling while expecting and much more. Check out the travel portion of CDC here!

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.

This was a topic many viewers wanted to read about. Saving money for traveling is all about priority. How you prioritize traveling makes a big difference on how you spend your money AND time. After all, time is money. If traveling is a priority over these following things for YOU, then consider eliminating or just cutting down a little. All the following things listed here have less priority in my life than travel and so I do these things less and spend less money on it.

Keep reading for the top nine things I do to save money for travel! For everything you gain, you must give up something too, so I’m also adding the downside of my list as well!

1 I’ve stopped buying clothes and unnecessary things for myself. I stopped growing a long time ago and I can still fit into clothes I bought ten years ago. This works to my advantage because I don’t have to keep buying new clothes over and over again. When I do, I hit the back of the store for the best deals.
Downside: I’m not always the one that is up to date on fashion. Did I say ‘not always’? I meant “I’m never”. But that’s okay for me. I would rather fashion-lessly roam the streets of Morocco or walk along the beaches in Belize;)

Now, it’s not always easy to say no to things; but I really ask myself something along the lines of “Do I really need another summer outfit at the moment or can I spend that $30 on a night in Thailand?” And for me, the latter always win. However this does not mean I deprive myself of something I REALLY want or need. If that summer outfit is definitely a must have and I absolutely love it, then I’ll buy it.

2 I mostly drink water when eating out and don’t spend money on soft drinks or alcohol. This started off as a diet technique (don’t drink your calories). Then I realized how much I was saving just by switching out my drink with a cup of water. Occasionally, I’ll still have some soda with the pizza and some iced tea with my fried chicken, but for the most part, water it is!
Downside: There is no downside! I keep off those extra calories AND save money!

3 We don’t waste money on a gym membership. I’m a true believer that if you want to get fit, you can without paying a monthly subscription at the gym. My husband and I occasionally hit up the recreational center, but otherwise we do other activities to keep us active. We take our dog on walks in the neighborhood and do a good share of gardening at home. I dance and teach dance in our community or church once in a while and my husband plays tennis/badminton every week.
Downside: We are not the fittest people in town. And we are A-OK with that, because we are not in town often 😉

4 Limit eating out. Those who see my daily instagram stories, I know what you’re thinking. It seems like I eat In-N-Out every day for lunch though. Well, close. I do eat out on some work days for convenience. Also, this is one of my “have to have” things. I look forward to my In-N-Out meal every single time. But the thing is, I don’t add all that extra, unnecessary additions to my meal, like the extra cheese, side of fries or that fountain drink, which adds up the cost quickly.
For the new year, we have decided to start cooking more at home and to only go out on special occasions or to celebrate something.
Downside: No downside again! This is another win-win situation. Save calories and money!

5 I don’t pamper myself to massages/nail spas/hair salons, etc. frequently. If there is a major occasion, I may treat myself to something basic. Besides that, I try to do it all at home for a fraction of the price.
Downside: I have to take that extra effort and time.

6 I never pay full price for anything. I’ve learned to shop strategically and almost never pay full price for anything unless I need it (like grocery). I shop for the winter during the summer and for summer during the winter. I buy fall items after fall and Christmas items after Christmas. For brands, I shop at outlets or hit up our local TJMaxx or Burlington!
Downside: I don’t think there is one.

Time is Money

…and money is time. So when you waste time, you’re wasting money. Keep reading to see what I mean!

7 I don’t watch TV. (Well, besides the 15 minutes we sit in front of Youtube while eating dinner). I don’t binge watch shows and I don’t sit and watch a full episode of anything. When I finish eating, even if the episode isn’t over, I turn the TV off. Also, we don’t pay for cable or any TV channels.
Downside: I’m not up to date with all the latest tv series and shows. I also can’t tell you the latest movies running in the box office.

8 I don’t waste time keeping up to date with other people’s life. AKA I am not active on social media such as Facebook and Snapchat (like I used to be) on my personal account. I don’t watch every single video that gets forwarded on Whatsapp. All my social apps are not easily accessible from my home screen. I chose settings for these apps in a way that I don’t get a notification on my phone for every single action taken. For this new year, I am also trying to keep my phone further away from me while I am at home for the evening. This helps me to get more done without feeling the need to check my Instagram page every 30 minutes.
Downside: I don’t think there is one?

9 Last but not least, I work a lot. I am lucky to have a flexible job, where I can work as little or as much as I would like. When I am not traveling, I work my butt off. So if you notice that I haven’t posted on my instagram story in a while, I’m busy hustling. I believe in working hard and then, traveling as much as possible.
Downside: When we do travel, I work right up the minute we leave (sometimes at the airport too) and pick right back up as soon as I get back home.

If you like this post, you don’t want to miss out on my Bargaining Tips & Hacks post!!! If you are looking into jobs that allow you to travel, check out Business News Daily post on the top travel jobs!

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.

Still feeling skeptical about booking Airbnb homes? Had a previous bad experience that you don’t want repeated? This is not a sponsored post, but I love booking through Airbnb for my stays when I travel abroad. Here are some ways to carefully choose out good places to stay and to weed out the bad ones.

1 Choose a Superhost! This doesn’t mean the regular hosts are not good, but Superhosts might just be a little bit better than average. They tend to go out of their way and pay attention to detail and quality. Some of them might also know a few tour guides or tour companies that can give you better rates.

2 Location is key. You want to be inside the city area or in walking distance to all the places that are on your list. This way, it saves you time and money when you make the commute to the city and attractions. I also would recommend a location on a main street (with other houses/apartments) rather than an isolated house. They tend to have more range, better connection and better access to help if needed.

Airlines Flash Sale ! Save upto $45. Use Promo Code: CBF45

3 Read the reviews. Especially the bad ones. Reading the bad reviews gives you an idea of what they don’t have and what went wrong. If the reviews give specific reasons why they didn’t like this stay, then reconsider your options. The combination of the reviews mostly foresee your experience at the Airbnb.

4 Look at pictures. Make sure you look through all the pictures and keep in mind that these pictures are mostly taken professionally. One important thing to look for is the entrance of the home/hotel from the street. The inside of the home might be great but if you’re entering through a ratchet or sketchy place, that might already ruin your stay.

5 Look into their calendar. Check their availability calendar to see if they are booked out on most days or have very little bookings. This will give you an idea of how good and experienced they are. There is a reason that some Airbnb homes are booked more than others.

6 Know your hosts. You know when you try to get information on people by their Facebook page? Well, do the same here;) Click on their name and picture and do a little research on who your hosts are. If I am going solo, I prefer a couple’s Airbnb over a man running it alone. I look to see if they have provided their government ID, email address, phone number, etc. (You can find all this on their page.) I also look through some of their reviews, other listings, and what languages they speak.

7 Always message your hosts before booking! I always shoot a message to my hosts, even if I am not sure about booking them. I do this to find out a few things.
Firstly, it tells me how quickly they will respond. You can also get an idea of how well they communicate in English. Sometimes, even if I don’t have any questions, I will make up a few. It will help me to see how they respond to several questions at once or a problem (such as needing an early check in). Last but not least, I’ll see if they have resources (any tour guide connections, etc.). I will probably only ask this once I book with them, since they are not obligated to give information like that prior to booking. Their responses give me an idea of how much they know, care and is willing to help.

8 Take a close look at the amenities. If it shows that there is no hot water, no microwave or no individual bathrooms, then you will see this before hand. If you’re okay with it and book it anyways, you won’t be surprised when you show up and don’t have these things. Check out the rating for ‘amazing amenities’ in the review section as well!

Tip: If you are going to an Airbnb that doesn’t have a carbon monoxide detector OR new hotels/resorts (with possible on-going construction), look into buying a portable one. If you have been keeping up with news from the popular vacation destinations, you must have heard about CO poisoning and deaths associated with it.

9 Read the fine prints. Make sure you read all the rules, fees and cancellation policy. The rules may include things like no pets or no smoking. There may be hidden cleaning fees that pop up while you get to check out. Cancellation might not refund all of your payment. There are so many fine details that you have to read and reread. When you travel to another country, you can’t assume everything is the same way as it is back home. Rules and etiquette may be different.

I hope this list will help you to recognize good Airbnb stays and pick those out specifically. By following these steps, you should be able to eliminate some bad ones from your list. Now, has all my experiences with Airbnb been great? No, I’ve had a few things I didn’t like at some of my stays, but nothing major or unsafe.

Travel thoughts

With these kind of accommodations, I realize I need to look past the privileged American attitude of having everything at hand the moment I need it. When I do that, all the little hassles just become minor adjustments and it becomes more of a learning experience.

For me, staying at Airbnb make traveling a bit more local and personal and teaches me a thing or two. If I stayed in a hotel or resort everywhere I went, I wouldn’t get that same travel experience. Don’t get me wrong…safety always comes first. There are definitely some places I would recommend a hotel or resort over a private home.

Check out my travel perspective series here!

What are your thoughts on private homes and Airbnb? Is there something additional you look at when booking? If so, I would love to hear about it!

If you’re new to Airbnb and want $55 off on your first stay, click here!

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.

Christian churches, Hindu temples, Buddhist temples, and Islamic mosques, to name a few, are all places of worship which are considered holy. When you visit these temples, it is your duty to respect the people and their religion. It’s not often that you visit all four places frequently and know the rules of the place. Therefore, it’s very important to know what to expect and how to behave while you are there. Most of these places of worship abide by similar rules. So, keep reading if you plan to visit a place of worship you are not familiar with!

Christian Churches

• Dress modestly (no shorts/tanks/tees)
• No shoes inside church
• Women to cover their head
• Men & women sit separately (in most Eastern/traditional churches)
• No eating allowed inside the church
• Front section of the church is only for service leaders and priests

Hindu Temples

• Dress modestly. For women, cover shoulders and knees
• Take off shoes upon entering the premises
• Some temples will provide clothing to cover up if shoulders and knees are not covered
• Not all areas as accessible to outsiders/non-believers.
• Women are not allowed in some parts of the temple

This is a picture of a Hindu temple in Kerala, that I got to visit during a festival. It was filled with candles and lights for the night time prayer rituals.

Buddhist Temples

• Dress modestly; shoulders and knees should be covered
• Take off shoes before entering building
• Silence should be maintained at all times
• No food or drinks allowed inside

Islamic Mosques

• Dress modestly: For women, loose clothing that covers the whole body + scarf to cover the head. Men: cover body including knees and shoulders.
• No visible tattoos
• No food/drinks/alcohol, etc allowed.
• Taking pictures or videos are not allowed
• Some will provide women’s abayas (body covering) and hijabs (head covering).
  *The only way you can enter as a non-believer is if you go on a tour.

No matter which country you are in and which place of worship you visit, I would highly recommend going with someone you know. If you go with a local, who knows the rules and surroundings, you are less likely to stand out or do anything out of the norm.

Visiting temples (known as watts) is a popular thing to do in Thailand. Check out my most visited blog post on our Thailand trip here!

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.