Elona Karafin aka "Elona The Explorer" keeps a blog where she documents her weekend trips to basically everywhere spending less than $1,000 per trip. She shares her tricks and tips on how to do it. If you like to travel yourself and feel adventurous enough to go on a weekend trip every once in a while but without paying too much for it, Elona’s tips may be just what you need.
Turn off the "cookies" in your browser before using travel sites (or clear them before you return). Many travel sites use cookies to remember you and show you the same fares, even if they were high. "They assume that's what you're willing to pay," Karafin says.
Here's how you clear cookies in Chrome.
This is what to do in Internet Explorer.
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Be flexible on where you'll go. "I use websites that allow me to put 'everywhere' as a destination, and New York as my origin," she says. She goes where ever the bargains take her.
One of her favorite sites for finding deals on flights is Jetradar.com. "It has some of the best deals I’ve ever seen."
Read more of Karafin's favorite apps for traveling on the cheap.
Another favorite is Hotel Tonight. "Hotel Tonight is by far one of my favorite apps because it literally has the best hotel deals on the market, period."
Read more of Karafin's favorite apps for traveling on the cheap.
Another pro tip: "I buy my trips on Tuesdays and Wednesdays because price trends show that’s when they are the cheapest."
See more of Karafin's tips for traveling on the cheap.
Nothing beats research before booking travel, she says: "Can I find a cheaper flight? Can I book flight and hotel separately? I visit many blogs for tips and message the blogger with questions."
Read more of Karafin's tips for traveling on the cheap.
She also creates a budget in advance. "I research prices on everything from food to tours before my trips. I set up an Excel spreadsheet with the latter prices to help me understand my budget."
She suggests creating detailed plans of what you'll do on your short trips in advance, too. For Dubai, "I had a plan A, B, and C just in case."
Click here to see Karafin's preliminary itinerary for Abu Dhabi / Dubai.
However, she advises not paying for many activities in advance. "I never pre-book anything online, unless I do a lot of research. I try to meet locals right away. If I’m sitting at a restaurant, I ask the waiter/waitress, what's the best way to get into a sight or an attraction."
Read more of Karafin's tips for traveling on the cheap.
In addition to saving money on travel, she's got tips on saving money on her life so she can afford to travel. For instance, she recommends putting a small part of each paycheck away in "a high yield savings account." While she still eats out, she buys wine at quarterly wine auctions, instead of the store, she says.
Read more of Karafin's tips for saving money to spend on traveling.
Karafin also has tips for how to travel a lot while working full time. "Many people think that taking time off is frowned upon in a corporate environment. I tackle this misconception by working really hard and constantly asking for new projects and tasks to take on. The latter proves that I am serious about my work, and I am."
But her top tip for working full time while traveling frequently: "Value YOUR time," she says. You have vacation days. Use them throughout the year. "I take two, three days off at a time and combine them with a weekend, creating a long weekend."
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