TZI’m a pro when it comes to planning zero budget trips. It’s hard to do but not impossible, so let’s begin.
When I say zero budget, of course I don’t mean zero. I basically mean low. But you get the point.
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1. Plan Your Trip months ahead.
Know when you’re travelling. Not necessarily the hour and day, but let’s say the month. That way you can know how to start searching for flights. Ideally 5 months ahead isn’t a bad time. It’s September now, and so I need to make a trip in 2020, now is the right time to plan.
“If you want to travel to a certain place, be flexible about the timing. If you want to travel at a certain time, be flexible about the location. Choose one — not both.” —Tausha Cowan, The Globe Getter
2. Use Money Saving Apps.
See my review of top travel apps and this will help you a whole lot. I’ll recommend Skyscanner.
3. Prepare to Cook Your Own Food.
You cannot be eating in restaurants every day. It definitely adds up! Budget travelers know that cooking for themselves saves them big bucks and no thanks to the Nigerian currency, every naira adds up! So pack your Egusi, Rice, etc and prepare to cook!
4. Never ever do hotels. Airbnb It!
I will always recommend Airbnb for foreign trips. And yeah there are horror stories but with a little research, a lot of common sense and favor, you should be good. You can use Hostelworld too like I said in one of my posts but nah. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. Use my referral link and get $23 off your first Airbnb stay.
You can also do it the other way!
While Airbnb is great for finding a sweet place to stay on your vacation it can also help you fund your travel in the first place. If you’re going away, be sure to put your apartment on Airbnb while you’re gone. That way, you’ll be earning back the cash you’re spending on your accommodations.
5. Plan to do some work on your trip to earn money.
Trips are expensive, no matter the country. So while you have a zero budget, it doesn’t necessarily have to end that way. There are so many skills you can offer for a trip and get paid digitally via paypal or bitcoin (if that’s your thing).
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“The rise of digital jobs has caused a rise in “location-independent” workers — i.e. people who can do their job from anywhere. Consequently, more people are working and traveling at the same time.
And there are loads of startups popping up that connect traveling workers with each other. Remote Year, for instance, is a group of “digital nomads” traveling and working together for one year. And global co-working spaces like the Surf Office in the Canary Islands, and Mutinerie Village, an hour and a half outside of Paris, are great for working travelers.” — BUZZFEED.
6. Ask for it.
Yeah. Crowdfunding is a thing. There’s Kickstarter, Patreon, and so many platforms now that people take advantage of it. So go open an account, let people know how legit your trip is, and how it will save the world – if it actually will – and watch people help you out
It’s a wonderful part of humanity.
7. Save ahead of your trip automatically.
Recommended read: 3 Investment Apps You NEED to HAVE.
Yep. There are apps available that you can use to save, esepcially for Nigerians. Piggy Vest is an app/platform that helps you save money little by little over a period of time and collect the money when you need it plus interest. Cowrywise does the same thing as well. They take the money every day from your account, you don’t need to do anything. I’ve not been faithful but I’ll fix up!
8. Choose Off Periods.
“There are times in the travel industry called ‘shoulder periods,’ which are basically off-peak times. Like, when kids go back to school (September), after New Year’s (early January), and just after Spring Break (April). Airlines and hotels often give big discounts on airplane seats and hotel rooms during this time, since it’s not a popular period to go. –BUZZFEED.
There are so many tips I could have given but I’m sure you get the point. Everything is possible if you put your mind to it, so go plan that trip!
– travellerzee.
Recommended Links:
- 7 Best Travel Websites in 2019 [A Detailed List]
- 12 Essential Travel Gear for Your Next Trip
- Nigerian traveling Abroad? These 5 tips will help.
- 5 ways to save money
- 10 Cool, Free Travel Apps in 2019
- Countries Nigerians Don’t Need a Visa To Visit
