There are so many ways you can travel, go on vacation, and explore the world, it can sometimes be a bit overwhelming. Here are some ideas, and a little bit about each, along with the pros and cons of each way of travelling. Travelling comes in so many different shapes and sizes, just like people do, and so there are so many different ways to travel these days. It’s important to look at all the options that are available to you, because there are so many! Included here are some conventional and less conventional ideas to get you started, and to help you figure out which way you want to explore, take a vacation, or get off the beaten track.
Get your backpack and go explore some forests, if this takes your fancy.
Couchsurfing
This is the one of the cheapest options, but because of that you sacrifice a bit of your freedom as you’ll be staying at someone’s house. Although the company is called couchsurfing, often people have spare rooms where you can stay, rather than actual sofas, so don’t worry too much! This can be a great option if you want to get to know the city from the perspective of the locals, and experience “truly travelling” whatever that really is! If you enjoy being social and feel relaxed sharing your house with other people, this would work really well for you. Even if you’re more of an introvert, it’s only for a few days, and you could gain so much from your hosts. If you are travelling alone, remember to have conversations with your hosts before hand, and to check out the reviews of the that have been posted on the website. If you have hunger for adventure, and value experiences over leisure or comfort, this way of travelling would be great for you. The website also offers an option to meet up with locals and do activities or spend the day together, while not staying with them, but finding your own accommodation. Again, there’s an experience here to suite everyone.
Getting Your Travel Planned for You
In a nutshell, this is getting your travel, flights, hotels, booked for you when travelling abroad. There are a few benefits to this, and some reasons why people are choosing this form of travel, especially with the changing political climate of Europe, it is getting much more difficult to get visas. This means making travel plans can be a bit more challenging. Getting a visa through flight reservation for visa, could give you a better chance of getting a visa at all. So many visas were are rejected, when people want to travel to Europe, or around the world. Flight reservation for visa means you have a better chance of not wasting your money. It can be so risky buying tickets for flights, especially if the whole family, or a party of you, is going. When your obtain a visa, you cannot change flight times and dates, making you plans very inflexible. Sometimes, you will have to show evidence of hotel bookings too, which can be very difficult if you are planning to go backpacking, or intend to find accommodation when you get there. I you do choose to book through companies like visa, that will essentially create an itinerary for you in less than 24 hours, this will all get sorted for you. Likewise, if you want a hassle free holiday and want someone to sort out your travel plans for you, this could be a great option.
Airbnb
This option is a nice inbetween, as it’s certainly not the hotel experience, but you can wind up at some really interesting places. Airbnb can be great for a private romantic getaway, adventure trips in nature, or getting an ideal central apartment for prices that are competitive with hotel prices. If you prefer to cook your own food, or enjoy having you own space, this could be a great option for you. The idea Airbnb is that someone rents out to you their house or some people rent out a room in there home, which is obviously a lot cheaper than a full apartment or house. If you do choose to go with airbnb, this can be a really interesting option if you’re looking for an unusual getaway, or something slightly different. There’s everything from hobbit hole, to cabins and tree houses, castles, or even lighthouses. Whatever you heart desires you can find it. Keep in mind on top of accommodation, there is a small fee from the website. The review your host system means you will get great accommodation, and great hosts. Often, your host or owner might be around if you have any questions, but compared to couchsurfing, they generally leave you to your own devices. The site is also offering the experience option now which is growing in popularity. This can be anything from a night on the town, yoga classes, or shoe design. There’s plenty to do and keep you entertained, while still enjoying and exploring a new destination.
Carpooling
This is a form of travelling where you simply pay a price set by the driver, and travel with them on a part or all of their journey. Think of it as mobile couchsurfing. Perhaps couchsurfing is
Bit too intense, but you still want to meet new people. Chatting to drivers and other passengers can be a great way to learn about the locals, or to meet new people. Carpooling is great for cheaper travel, backpackers, and going to places off the beaten track. Journeys can range from a trip the next town, to the next state, or even country. Travelling by rail all the time can sometimes be limiting, driving on the road can give you a totally different feel to a place, and you can see it in a whole new way. This doesn’t even have to be for when you’re away from home, you could even use it for getting to work, or travelling in your hometown if it’s available.
Volunteering
One of the biggest companies for this is WWOOF, which stands for world wide organisation of organic farming. If your idea of getting away is learning about sustainable farming and getting stuck in on farms, this would be great for you. This is a great way to have an active holiday, making a difference, meeting like minded people, and probably getting a tan! These kind of organisations are great for passing on knowledge about farming, and environmentally friendly practises. If you’re into wildlife conservation, or want to give fronteering a go, there are definitely volunteering schemes out there to suit you. Volunteering gives you a chance to not only get away and learn something new, but to help others to thrive and give back to your community. Here are some blogs if you want to find out more, and see what others are saying about their experiences around the world.
Cruise Ships and More
You can either book a ticket on a cruise ship, or even work on one to experience some travel. If you do work on one, the hours can often be long, but they will always need people to care for children, be life guards, cooks, hospitality staff and photographers. If you’re wondering where cruise ships might go, here is map to check the many routes they take around the world. If this kind of travel intrigues you, cargo ships are also offering a similar experience. They are boasting to have similar services to cruise ships, but are perhaps less glamorous than your average five star cruise ship heading to the Caribbean. If you want to go to some places but don’t have the money, if want to make a bit of money without paying rent. Think about working on a cruise ship, as they go everywhere. It’s always summer somewhere in the world.
There are some gorgeous places in the world that are waiting to be experienced, by you.
A vacation can be so many things. A chance to get away from work, some quality time with the family, or a chance to really explore the world and yourself. Hopefully, this has given you some ideas of ways you can make this possible. You can be smart and make flight reservations when travelling abroad for a more traditional vacation, or there are so many other, more unconventional ways to travel. Carpooling, couchsurfing, airbnb or volunteering are all great ways to meet people and experience new things. Not to mention, you can discover wonderful and strange places that a travel brochure might not tell you about. Don’t be afraid to work a little or even for free, as these kinds of experiences can be worth so much, and can turn out to be really valuable.If travelling for you is about discovering unique places and forging memorable experiences, think about all the different and many ways which you can see the world, and go explore it. All that’s left now is to prepare for your trip, enjoy!
