Hi, friends and Happy Saturday! I hope you enjoy this set of home decor ideas for your Saturday enjoyment. We are still plugging away on the bathroom, probably two more weeks to go. Mark and I will be working on our side to get some woodwork finished and I will be painting that vanity, so we definitely have more DIY to do to get to the finish line. After some delays and disasters with our countertops (the original remnant piece we chose was cracked during fabrication so back to choosing another), we finally have one chosen and ready to go, so that should happen next week. We are so ready to get finished, cleaned up and start using this bathroom. What fun that will be!
Happy Friday to you all! We are in the home stretch of the biggest part of the bathroom renovation, so I’m happy to say we are getting there. After posting on Monday about the renovation, the countertop was supposed to be installed on Wednesday. As fate would have it, a corner of the counter broke during fabrication, so I couldn’t use it. It was on to Plan B in the countertop material, but by today we should be on the way to the next stage of countertops installed and then the guys will come back and finish up that wall, as well as the vanity faucets and tub installation. It’s been quite the process, but that’s the way renovations can be. Mark and I have board and batten to do in there as well as I’m hanging wallpaper in the water closet and painting the vanity and walls so we have plenty to do waiting for the countertop to come in. Whewwww! Progress!
Today’s Feature Friday is a new to me blogger, Michelle with Thistle Key Lane. She has a clean and classic style that I think you’ll find refreshing. Michelle says she likes to incorporate things into her home that have a fun story or special memory behind them.
History Banská Štiavnica is a town located in a volcanic caldera in central Slovakia. its location made it an excellent place to mine silver and gold. During its heyday, it was the second-largest city in the Kingdom of Hungary after Budapest itself. The mining culture here had several things about which are unique to mining …
The Wachau Wachau Cultural Landscape is an Austrian World Heritage Site location along the Danube River approximately between the towns of Krems and Melk. It is one of the most popular world heritage sites in the country attracting thousands of riverboat passengers each year, as well as visitors from the nearby capitals of Vienna, Bratislava, …
The Major Mining Sites of Wallonia is a UNESCO World Heritage Site established in 2012 which preserves the heritage of coal mining and early industrialization in Wallonia. The site consists of four different properties: Grand-Hornu, Bois-du-Luc, Bois du Cazier, and the Blegny-Mine. It is one of 12 world heritage sites in Belgium, and also on the European …
Everyone wants to save money when they travel, and flying can be expensive. Here’s how I use budget airlines & low-cost carriers to score cheap flights around the world!
I’m always looking to save money when I travel, and I travel a lot. Booking the cheapest flights with budget airlines is a good way to accomplish this.
Most people book tickets with the airlines that they know best — Delta, United, British Airways, etc. Partly due to all the expensive marketing they do.
But there are many low-cost airlines that offer great flight deals too.
Budget carriers are able to provide cheaper tickets to many destinations around the world because they save money in other ways — for example by restricting free luggage allowances or meals & drinks on their flights.
They cut out some of the extra perks (while still maintaining high safety standards), in order to make their prices more competitive with the big airlines.
Some budget airlines are pretty bad, but others can be awesome!
I frequently use budget airlines to help save money while flying, and wanted to share some of my favorites with you for different popular destinations.
Budget Airlines Guide For 2020
Flying From United States To Europe
Norwegian Air
Norwegian Airlines has cheap flights from the US to Europe
Norwegian Air has been voted the world’s best long-haul, low-cost airline 5 years in a row by the SkyTrax World Airline Awards. And there’s a good reason. Norwegian flies to over 100 destinations in Europe from a dozen different major cities in the United States. And they do it for cheap, too.
While they charge for checked baggage, they are one of the few budget airlines that offers a free personal item and carry-on bag. Another great reason to fly them is their fleet of modern aircraft like the comfy 787 Boeing Dreamliner.
EXAMPLE AIRFARE
NEW YORK CITY (JFK) – ROME (FCO) for $429 roundtrip
JetBlue doesn’t just fly in the United States, they fly to 3 destinations in South America as well as all over the Caribbean and Central America. And unlike other low-cost budget airlines, they also provide economy passengers with free snacks, drinks, wifi, and in-flight entertainment.
They’re definitely one of my favorite budget carriers to fly with — especially if you’re close to one of their major airport hubs like New York, Ft Lauderdale, Boston, Long Beach, or Orlando.
EXAMPLE AIRFARE
FT LAUDERDALE (FFL) – QUITO, ECUADOR (UIO) for $299 roundtrip
Air Asia X flies from Honolulu to nearly 30 destinations around Asia, plus many connections at other popular destinations like Los Angeles. If you’re going to be spending some time in Southeast Asia, it’s a wonderful choice to fly cheaply. They charge extra for checked baggage and food, but they do offer a free carry-on bag.
EXAMPLE AIRFARE
LOS ANGELES (LAX) – BANGKOK, THAILAND (BKK) for $451 roundtrip
Air Canada Rouge flies from many different US destinations to over 60 Canadian cities, plus a few international stops in Europe, Asia, and South America. It’s basically a stripped down version of the larger Air Canada brand. They don’t provide free in-flight entertainment (but you can rent an ipad). A checked bag will cost you $30, and a meal starts at $6.
EXAMPLE AIRFARE
NEW YORK CITY (LGA) – TORONTO, CANADA (YYZ) for $256 roundtrip
Southwest Airlines is the largest low-cost carrier in the world, and my favorite budget airline for traveling domestically within the United States. Not only are their flights super affordable, they offer TWO free checked bags standard (including golf bags and sports equipment), and some of the funniest flight attendants in the business!
EXAMPLE AIRFARE
NEW YORK CITY (LGA) – DENVER (DEN) for $168 roundtrip
While flying with a low-cost carrier will leave you without many of the perks of the larger airlines, what they don’t skimp on is safety. In fact, many budget airlines have better safety records! Except Indonesia’s Lion Air. Maybe skip them…
2. You’ll Pay For Luggage
Always check the exact baggage allowance when flying a budget airline. You’ll almost always pay extra for a checked bag, and frequently for a carry-on bag too. That means weighing your bags with a portable luggage scale, because unlike major airlines, they almost ALWAYS weigh every bag (and maybe you!). Check if it’s cheaper to pay for your bags in advance too.
3. You’ll Pay For Food
While some unicorn budget airlines offer free food (JetBlue FTW!), most don’t. That means if you want to eat, you’ll be paying extra. So either budget that into the cost of your flight, or plan to pack your own meal and snacks for the trip. Personally, this doesn’t bother me too much because I prefer to bring my own food anyway. Airline food sucks!
4. The Airplane Interior Is Basic
Another way budget airlines save money is by keeping the interior of their planes pretty basic. Harder, less comfy seats. Possibly no in-seat entertainment system. Maybe less legroom. That’s not always the case (Norwegian planes are awesome!) but it often can be. You get what you pay for after all.
5. Inconvenient Airports
One dirty little secret of flying budget airlines is that some of them use “alternative” airports that are located outside major cities. For example, Beauvais Airport is about 1.5 hours away from Paris, compared to the main international airport of Orly. Keep this in mind, and double check how far away the airport is and how much ground transportation is going to cost.
6. There Are Many Budget Airlines!
While I’ve listed my favorite budget airlines here, it’s hardly all of them. If you really want to save money, you can research fares on every single one with the helpful Wikipedia guide organized by country. There’s a lot!
Happy Flying!
So there you go, a quick guide to booking flights with low-cost airlines in order to save some money on your next trip. I hope you score a great deal, and if you do, feel free to let me know in the comments below!
Travel Planning Resources
Packing Guide
Check out my travel gear guide to help you start packing for your trip.
I hope you enjoyed my guide to flying budget airlines! Hopefully you found it useful. Here are a few more wanderlust-inducing articles that I recommend you read next:
Overview Pont-du-Gard is the remains of a Roman aqueduct that delivered water over 30km to the Roman colony of Nemausus, what is today called the modern city of Nimes. It also holds the distinction of being the highest surviving Roman aqueduct in the world. The aqueduct was used as a bridge across the river for …
At the end of 2019, the team and I ran a reader survey. We wanted to see what you liked, didn’t like, and wanted from us in the future. There were some interesting and helpful suggestions in there.
I read through over a thousand responses, as I wanted to see what you wanted from us. You can’t get better without feedback, and we always want to make sure we’re serving your needs.
So, as we make our way through this year, I wanted to share with you some changes you can expect to see on the website:
First, we’re continuing to bring on new voices to write for us. You might have noticed that we’re having more guest posts to more destinations! We’re currently looking for articles about:
LGBT content: stories by transgender people, queer couples, and solo gay, lesbian, or bi travelers
Africa-related content (bonus points if it’s East or Central Africa)
Second, I plan to write more travel stories this year. We do a lot of brass-tacks, hard-numbers stuff here. The nuts and bolts of travel. Practical information.
But last year, writing my book inspired me to get into more storytelling. So this year, as I make my way around the world, I’m making an effort to create more stories about the places I visit — their history, people, and culture. So you’ll see such content popping up with more frequency.
And you’ll see more history and culture in our how-to posts too. I want to start painting a more holistic view of each destination we write about.
Third, we’re going to be hosting a lot more events this year. We’ve started The Nomadic Network so we can do more in-person events this year. We really want to take this online community offline, so we’re building a great website for that and hosting lots of events.
Fourth, a lot of you suggested topics you wanted to see, so we’re busy making that happen! Some of the topics you’ll start to see more of over the course of the year are:
Eco-travel
Traveling with pets
Family/kid-friendly travel
Traveling when you’re older
How to make friends when you travel
How to make the most of your time
How to save more money BEFORE you go
Off-beat destinations
“Thematic” ways to see a city
Reader stories
Ways to volunteer
Itinerary posts
And a bunch more!
Obviously, I can’t write all the time (or expertly on all these topics), which is why we’re going to be bringing in a few more regular contributors and writers now. So not only will you be seeing more content, you’ll be seeing a lot more diverse voices on the website too.
And, as a sidebar to that: since we have so much content now, we’re going to be doing a new redesign in the middle of the year so the site will be easier to navigate.
That’s it! Those are our big plans! We’re super excited about what’s in store for this year.
– Matt
Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks
Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.
Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the largest inventory. If you want to stay somewher eother than a hotel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. I use them all the time.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:
Looking for the best companies to save money with?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel – and I think will help you too!
Tucson is a lot more than a warm place to visit in the winter. Its location in southern Arizona in the Sonora desert makes it the best spot in the United States to learn about several aspects of science, history, technology, and culture. Tucson is a lot more than a warm place to visit in …
Are you in the travel industry? Want to learn from the best, meet your peers, and make deals with brands?
For those of you who don’t know, in 2018 we created an event called TravelCon. This three-day conference connects you with industry leaders, influencers, and celebrated writers through keynote speeches, small-group writing and photography workshops, breakout tutorial sessions, networking events, and industry panels.
At TravelCon, you’ll:
Improve your craft in the four major areas of travel: video, photography, writing, and blogging
Learn what’s hot, what works, and what doesn’t
Keep current on the best practices in digital travel publishing
Learn about new products and services
Meet destinations and travel brands
Network with experts inside the travel industry
Learn from experts outside the travel industry
Make connections with other travel lovers
Have a ton of fun!
This isn’t just for bloggers — we focus on all sections of the media: photographers, vloggers, podcasters, freelance writers, travel agents, and guidebook authors.
Think of it as a travel version of the professional development doctors, lawyers, nurses, teachers, and other industries have!
Unlike other events, we’re focused on bringing you intermediate- and advanced-level talks and top-tier talent from inside and outside the travel industry, so you can learn the skills needed to advance your career.
This year’s event is in New Orleans from May 8th to 10th. Since we’re only three months away from TravelCon, it’s time for another update! We’ve been planning a lot in the last few months as we head towards the finish line.
Schedule
We’ve released the schedule! Check out it here. We’re focusing a lot more on monetization, Instagram, freelance writing, and succeeding on social media. I’m so excited about the speakers and the talks we have this year. While the times of the talks are subject to change, you can see what you’ll learn at the event. Here are some of the highlights:
How to update content so it ranks better
How to succeed on Pinterest in 2020
How to run small group tours
How to become a travel agent and add new revenue to your business
How to build a strong online community
The micro-influencer: how to succeed as a small fish
The law: legal and IP issues you should know!
How to get freelance work
All the tax stuff you should know!
Affiliate Marketing 101
Advanced Google Analytics
How to improve your UX and design
How to write effective sales pages
Making money on YouTube
LGBTQ freelance writing
Two sessions on improving your writing
A guide to self-publishing
How to hire people the right way
How to run Facebook Ad campaigns
SEO best practices
How to make money on Instagram
And so much more!
All in all, we’re going to have close to 50 sessions to choose from. And don’t worry if you can’t make them all! Included with the ticket is a virtual pass of all the talks. We record every talk and keynote so you can access them after the event to continue to learn!
Speakers
Since our last update, we’ve added some new speakers:
Bani Amor
Travel Writer
Cynthia Andrew
Simply Cyn
Joey Coleman
Author, Never Lose a Customer Again
Adam Groffman
Travels of Adam
Mike and Anne Howard
HoneyTrek
Benet Wilson
The Points Guy
Cal Fussman
Author
Erin Sullivan
Erin outdoors
For a full list, check out our homepage. We’re going to have 60 incredible speakers from inside and outside the travel industry. Many don’t normally talk at other events so TravelCon is one of the only events you can see them at!
Workshops and FAMs
We’ve released our workshop and FAM schedule. This year we’ll be having complimentary FAM trips before and after the event that will allow you to visit New Orleans as well as the surrounding area. You can see a list here, but some highlights include:
Demonstration Cooking Class with Crescent City Cooks
French Quarter Tour with Historic New Orleans Walking Tours
Garden District Food Tour with Fat Tire Tours
Glory Days of the Garden District Walking Tour with Ask Arthur
Grand Garden District Tour with Two Chicks Walking Tour
Harbor Jazz Cruise with Steamboat Natchez
French Quarter Ghosts & Legends Tour with Haunted History Tours
Cocktail History Tour with Dr. Gumbo
Check out our sponsors!
We’ve been signing tons of sponsors for this year. Our exhibit hall is going to be larger than last year and includes brands that have never attended before. During the event, you’ll be able to book meetings with decision-makers, organize campaigns, and make the deals that will grow your business. Some of the sponsors we have this year
Additionally, though they don’t have their logos up yet, we’re going to have Sony (!!!), TripAdvisor, HostGator, AdThrive, and Moon Travel Guides too! In total, we’re going to have about 40 brands and destinations this year. There’s more to come but, without contracts signed, I don’t want to jinx it!
***
All in all, it’s going to be a fantastic event! We’re going to have an incredible New Orleans–themed opening party with music, performers, and a taste of the new and old New Orleans. We also scoped out venues for our niche meet-ups too.
We’re capping our event at 800 attendees this year. We’re currently over 50% sold out and expect to sell out soon (we’ve sold out every year). With only three months to go, don’t miss out on the biggest travel media conference of the year.
If you have any questions, leave a comment! See you in NOLA!
– Matt
Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks
Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.
Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the largest inventory. 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. I use them all the time.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:
Looking for the best companies to save money with?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel – and that will save you time and money too!
