preparing for your trip abroad--mentally & financially.

If you guys are anything like me, planning a trip to the places you've been dreaming about for a long time fills you with a series of mixed emotions. Anxiety--what if I can't get past the language barrier? What if i get super lost? EXCITEMENT-- Oh my gosh, I cannot believe my dreams are coming true! Frustration--How am I going to save enough money? Everyone is getting there and loving it already. I'm in the midst of ALLLL of these and you know what, that is okay.

First of all, every travel experience you have is yours and yours alone. It's not going to look like anyone else's, and it shouldn't. You're going to have so many unique moments of your own that you will remember for the rest of your life. If it takes you longer to save up money, so what? Your trip is going to be that much more special when you get there and trust me, you will appreciate it SO much more. I'm working my butt off to save money for my trip in May, and it's frustrating to be honest because I just want to be there already! The travel bug is real folks, and it sucks.. I'm not well off by any means so travel is a luxury, one I'm willing to work for. When I get my check I pay my bills and the rest goes to my savings. That means I have to say no to a lot of things..BUT, I know it will be worth it when I'm getting on that plane and making my plans come to life. Trust me, it's an amazing feeling! I'm going to to do it the way I want to. Which is why I have a travel journal I'm writing down all the specific places I want to go to. It helps with anxiety to plan out which day you're doing what and how long it is going to take you to travel there. You may think it will be easy when you're there, but it's tough enough to navigate the language and transportation systems, so help yourself out a bit! Start small by writing-- 1.where you want to go, 2.how much it is going to cost, 3. how much travel time you need between places, and 4. where you're going to stay. However, that doesn't mean if you go against the schedule all is ruined. Sometimes it's better to throw in something you didn't plan.The first thing I'm going to do this time around is figure out which country to fly into. Germany? Amsterdam? Who knows, but how exciting is that? If you're getting nervous or frustrated planning your big trip, don't worry, embrace it. Before you know it, you'll be walking out the door to the airport. So take a deep breath and just start! I've attached some of my favorite websites to get you started. ;-)


-http://www.thehostelgroup.com/travel-community.html (hostels)
-https://www.skyscanner.com (flights)
-https://www.ryanair.com/us/en/ (flights)
-www.airbnb.com (hotels, flats, etc.)
-www.travelpirates.com (flights, packages)




best,
Miranda xx