How I Travel So Much (Without Being Rich) – Real Budget Travel Tips for 2025! 🌍✈️

[00:00] You've seen me in Tokyo, Athens, New

[00:02] York, Toronto, Paris, Bil Bao, Kov,

[00:06] Athens, Stockholm, but I'm not rich. I

[00:09] don't work remotely, and I don't have a

[00:11] secret trust fund. And I'm going to tell

[00:13] you how I do

[00:16] it. Yeah. When you see how often I

[00:19] travel in some of the places, I'm not

[00:20] being funny, Tokyo, and New York.

[00:22] They're most people's bucket list.

[00:24] You're assuming that I either work

[00:26] remotely, I'm absolutely minted, or my

[00:28] credit cards are bursting at the seams.

[00:31] The truth, I work a regular job, I live

[00:33] in the UK, and my expenses are the same

[00:36] as everybody else. In fact, mine are

[00:38] slightly higher cuz I live away from

[00:39] home during the week. I just plan

[00:41] smarter. I usually aim to spend under

[00:44] £120 a person for a three night European

[00:46] break. That's around €140 or $150.

[00:51] I've even done Canada and New York for a

[00:54] week, including flights for

[00:56] €350, which is

[00:58] $410 or $440. And my twoe trip to Tokyo

[01:03] was €1,100. And that was a package with

[01:06] British Airways, decent hotel, decent

[01:09] luggage allowance, the whole shebang,

[01:11] which comes in at $1280 or

[01:14] $1370. Obviously, you're only going to

[01:16] get those prices if you fly from the UK,

[01:19] but anywhere in Europe similar. Flying

[01:21] from the States, slightly more. And

[01:23] here's the main reason I have to do it

[01:25] on the cheap. I'm usually paying for

[01:27] some blood sucking, sorry, a somebody

[01:29] else. For example, one of my kids, both

[01:32] my kids, or in the case of Athens, my

[01:34] mother. That budget has to stretch twice

[01:37] as far. And a lot of people think what

[01:39] I'm spending in total for two people is

[01:42] what I'm actually spending per person.

[01:44] I'm not rich. I'm just careful. I use

[01:47] tools. I hunt deals. And most

[01:50] importantly, I research. Research is

[01:53] everything but making a note of your

[01:55] research. Get yourself a pen and paper.

[01:58] If you want to save money, if you don't

[01:59] mind splashing a bit, get a

[02:01] notebook. Let me show you how. And if

[02:04] you stay till the end, I will run

[02:06] through something I actually found today

[02:09] that I think will blow you away.

[02:12] [Music]

[02:13] Here's the first secret. Timing is

[02:16] everything. I rarely book flights solely

[02:18] based on when I want to go. I book when

[02:21] it's cheap to go. Midweek flight, half

[02:23] the price. Shifting by just one day, can

[02:26] save you 6070 or more. And these aren't

[02:29] all random offseason trips either.

[02:32] Paris, that was during the UK school

[02:34] holiday in August, peak time. However,

[02:38] for some reason, Paris isn't that busy

[02:40] in August. Most of the Parisians choose

[02:42] that time to go on their holidays. KCKO,

[02:44] we went during February half term.

[02:47] That's a peak time, especially for

[02:48] people looking to get away from the

[02:49] bleak British winter. Even though it's

[02:51] cold in KCO, it's still getting out of

[02:53] the UK in the winter. Toronto and New

[02:55] York, that was during the May half term.

[02:58] I will admit we did leave a day early

[03:00] and that particular year the Welsh half

[03:02] term was out of sync with the rest of

[03:04] the UK. However, that can sometimes work

[03:06] the opposite way as well. I don't avoid

[03:08] holidays. I just plan smarter. I use

[03:11] Google flights, Skyscanner, even Jack's

[03:14] Flight Club, but also the airlines

[03:16] themselves. Whiz Air are always cheap

[03:18] and I search differently. Instead of

[03:20] Rome in July, I search anywhere.

[03:23] Cheapest month. You just got to learn to

[03:25] play with it and what works for you. The

[03:26] map function in Google Maps is quite

[03:28] good. The magic of budget travel starts

[03:31] before you even click book.

[03:36] My next trip is Travel Light and Book

[03:38] Smart. I haven't checked a bag in almost

[03:40] 3 years now, other than long haul. So,

[03:42] you get no baggage fees, no standing at

[03:45] carousels, and definitely no dragging a

[03:47] suitcase through a crowded baggage hall

[03:49] or cobbled streets at 2:00

[03:51] a.m. And this is the bad boy I always

[03:54] take with me. It cost me £12 on Amazon.

[03:57] It's made by Narway. This thing has been

[03:59] on every trip, even the ones with the

[04:01] big baggage allowance. It folds into

[04:03] this pocket here and it is a good

[04:07] size, 12 quid. So, even my baggage

[04:09] purchases a budget. You can get it in

[04:12] more imaginative colors. Suin's got one

[04:14] with elephants on it. The wife's got one

[04:15] with flamingos on it. On all my European

[04:18] trips, that is the only luggage I've

[04:20] taken. Might have taken a coat with some

[04:22] fairly stuffed pockets, but everything

[04:24] goes in there. And bear in mind, I take

[04:25] cameras and an iPad. It's a little bit

[04:28] different for sewing cuz she likes to

[04:30] take a bit of makeup. That's what her

[04:32] pockets are for. And she pinches a bit

[04:34] of space in my nar way bag. I do wear my

[04:36] heavier stuff to go on the flight. So,

[04:38] in other words, if I'm going somewhere

[04:40] warm, but I want some jeans as well, I

[04:41] wear the jeans, might wear a jumper,

[04:43] might wear a shirt, and obviously a

[04:45] coat. Sometimes I don't even use the

[04:47] coat, but the coat's like an extra bag

[04:49] with the pockets. Bingo. Uh, for Canada

[04:52] and New York, we both took similar size

[04:54] bags and we paid for one overhead. I

[04:57] regretted it. cost too much, but we were

[04:59] going for a week. Do I look like a

[05:02] fashion blogger? No. Do I save 80 quid

[05:05] on baggage allowance? Absolutely. Do I

[05:07] blow 100 quid on a fancy bag that I then

[05:09] have to pay to check? No way. In fact,

[05:12] now way. But smart travel isn't just the

[05:14] bag, it's booking, too. Cheap flight

[05:16] isn't always cheap once you add luggage,

[05:19] seat fees, and check-in chaos. For

[05:21] example, a10 flight can become 60 70

[05:25] pound by the time you've paid to select

[05:26] a seat and put a bag on it. So, always

[05:29] check what's included. And sometimes,

[05:32] for example, British Airways, even on

[05:34] their short hall, are a little bit more

[05:36] generous. You get a personal item that

[05:38] goes under your seat and an item of hand

[05:40] luggage. Book is going to Canada in June

[05:43] and they've got more than enough luggage

[05:45] space. Might ask them to bring me back

[05:47] some duty-free. And the same goes if

[05:49] you're going longer hall. A package

[05:51] sometimes works out well. For example,

[05:53] with Tokyo, we were allowed two 23 kg

[05:56] suitcases each. God knows how we'd have

[05:57] got them anywhere. A overhead bag and a

[06:00] personal item. We're not crazy. We took

[06:02] one suitcase, one personal item, and I

[06:05] think we took a spare small rucks sack.

[06:08] We were well within the limit. However,

[06:10] you brought that as separates, you would

[06:12] have paid for the baggage. And let's

[06:14] face it, if you're going for two weeks,

[06:16] you do want a bit of space, but with

[06:19] Tokyo, you need that space for bringing

[06:20] stuff back. Budget travel's great, but

[06:23] only if you're getting what you actually

[06:24] pay for or what you actually

[06:26] [Music]

[06:28] need. Let's talk places to stay, cuz

[06:31] accommodation can often make or break

[06:33] your budget. If you get it wrong, you'll

[06:35] pay a fortune, but it can also make or

[06:37] break your holiday. There is no point

[06:39] staying in a doss house unless you're

[06:42] prepared to stay in a doss house. But

[06:44] here's the one thing for Europe. I

[06:46] rarely spend more than £40, $50, $50 a

[06:50] night, and I'm studying decent clean

[06:53] hotels with a location. Location is

[06:56] everything when you especially when

[06:57] you're only going for a short break.

[06:59] Take Athens. The first time I went, I

[07:01] went with Book and we stayed in the

[07:02] hotel Pergamos, which was in Ammonia,

[07:05] which unfortunately isn't famed for

[07:08] being the nicest part of Athens. We

[07:10] actually had to walk through a red light

[07:11] district. However, we were close to the

[07:13] main metro station and it wasn't bad.

[07:16] Books are streetwise, early 20s. I've

[07:19] traveled the world and I've seen worse.

[07:21] It wasn't bad at all. There was a really

[07:23] nice takeaway nearby, a restaurant

[07:25] nearby, and the hotel was clean. That

[07:27] was the main thing. But more

[07:28] importantly, the location worked. I've

[07:30] seen that one down as low as £20 a

[07:33] night. I mean, you're close to the

[07:35] action. Sometimes closer to some action

[07:37] than you'd like to be, but 20 quid a

[07:40] night. You can go even cheaper if you're

[07:41] willing to stay in a hostel, but the one

[07:44] thing in a lot of cities is the

[07:46] location. When I went back to Athens

[07:47] with mom, I found a slightly nicer hotel

[07:50] a little bit further out. It was the

[07:52] other side of Ammonia, but the criteria

[07:54] for me there was mom's not overly

[07:55] mobile. We needed to be right next to a

[07:57] train station, which we were. And we had

[08:00] a balcony cuz mom likes a cheeky vag.

[08:02] Again, that one kicked in at just over

[08:04] £30 a night. Boom. We could have had

[08:06] much nicer and stayed in Sintagma

[08:09] Square. You're talking £100 a night for

[08:11] a similar size room with a posh dorman.

[08:13] Do you really need a posh dorman if

[08:15] you're only going for a weekend?

[08:17] Probably not. But if that's what you

[08:18] want, go for it. Now, this is where

[08:21] Google Maps really kicks in. You need to

[08:23] know how are you going to get there from

[08:24] the airport and how are you going to get

[08:26] from there to the things you want to do.

[08:28] The crazy thing was we booked a long

[08:30] 15-hour coach trip and the pickup for

[08:33] that coach trip was next to our hotel.

[08:35] The people that were staying at the £150

[08:37] a night places were getting up an hour

[08:39] before us to go on the same trip.

[08:41] Sometimes cheapest it really is best.

[08:44] But another important thing is to scroll

[08:46] the reviews and learn how to read

[08:48] reviews. I would say half the bad ones

[08:50] are people who didn't get the upgrade

[08:51] they wanted or thought they were getting

[08:54] five star when they were paying twostar

[08:56] budget. If there's a few good ones

[08:59] recently cuz that's the other thing is

[09:00] the place can go downhill and the good

[09:02] ones are in the majority. ignore a lot

[09:05] of the bad ones unless they're really

[09:07] bad. You know, they're talking multiple

[09:09] complaints of staff stealing and that

[09:11] sort of thing. And the beauty with Trip

[09:13] Adviser, people who are hacked off will

[09:15] always show their worst pictures. I'll

[09:17] be honest, some of the worst pictures

[09:19] are nicer than some of the worst places

[09:21] I've stayed. You've got to pay, you

[09:22] know, you pay your money and you take

[09:23] your choice. But I've just I've been

[09:26] just as unhappy in a £100 a night hotel

[09:29] as I have in a 20 a night hotel. But you

[09:32] can do a lot to make yourself happy with

[09:33] the 80 quid difference. But I'm not

[09:35] suggesting you stay in deaf traps or

[09:38] ratinfested hell holes. I I haven't yet,

[09:40] but I just haven't spent big bucks. Go

[09:43] for something that's slightly less

[09:45] modernized, but still in great condition

[09:47] as opposed to something that's all

[09:48] marble. And that that'll be falling

[09:51] apart in 4 years as well. The only

[09:53] exception was when I went to Tokyo. The

[09:55] best located hotels had small rooms. I

[09:57] was traveling with my child. We wanted a

[09:59] twin room, which isn't that common in

[10:01] Tokyo. So, we downgraded to a

[10:03] businessgrade hotel, and I think we got

[10:05] a better hotel than a lot of the ones in

[10:07] Shinjuku, and it wasn't a bad price. I

[10:10] think the hotel worked out as about £50

[10:12] a night, which for Tokyo is a steal. It

[10:14] was still well located. We were next

[10:16] door to Ryoko train station, and we were

[10:18] walking distance from Aexa. So, to sum

[10:20] up for a break, if it's less than £40 a

[10:23] night, the location works and it's

[10:25] clean, it's a 10 from me.

[10:30] Next up, it's the little things. This is

[10:33] where budget travel goes from bare

[10:35] minimum to actually brilliant. I don't

[10:37] just save big, I save small, but I save

[10:40] small over and over again. For example,

[10:43] a pinchos tour in Bill Bao. You're

[10:45] combining drinking and eating and

[10:47] getting a bit of exercise. £20,

[10:50] £25, $26. Bilbao also has the Barrett

[10:54] card which is one of the cheapest ways

[10:56] to charge up a card because the public

[10:58] transport system there is so

[11:00] unbelievably cheap. A lot of journeys

[11:02] work out as about

[11:04] 5050 including something you would

[11:06] normally consider touristy like the

[11:08] bridge and the finicular. A free course

[11:10] meal in Sophia you can hit them for

[11:12] under £10. Go two streets back from

[11:14] where it looks trendy that 500 yen which

[11:17] is about £350. temporet meal in Tokyo

[11:21] still lives rent free in my head. I've

[11:23] just been out tonight. I have just paid

[11:25] for a similar meal £16 in Birmingham and

[11:30] it wasn't as good. And don't overlook

[11:31] transport passes. They're not always a

[11:34] great deal, but in most cities they are,

[11:36] or at least it puts a cap on what you're

[11:37] going to spend. For example, in

[11:39] Stockholm, you can get all around the

[11:40] city for 72 hours for £20, and that

[11:43] includes your airport transfers. Very

[11:45] seldom does the most popular way of

[11:47] getting from the airport. Work out the

[11:48] cheapest. For example, in Stockholm, the

[11:50] Islander Express is amazing. It's about

[11:52] 20 pound ahead. It's fine if you're on

[11:54] your own. Bit of luxury. Save you 15

[11:56] minutes on getting into the city. When

[11:58] you're paying for two freeloaders, I

[11:59] mean, children, you better get on a

[12:01] flick bus. It takes 10 minutes longer,

[12:03] but it's only 4 quid. Boom. In Dublin,

[12:05] the leap card, £7 covers all your

[12:08] transport for 24 hours. you get on the

[12:10] airport, um the official ferry bus from

[12:13] the ferry's terminal, that's £8. You

[12:15] only got to use a well, you don't have

[12:17] to use a bus at all. You're already in

[12:18] front by the time you get into the city.

[12:20] The other thing is look for your bank,

[12:22] your travel packs or deals with your

[12:25] credit card. I use Barclays. I've got a

[12:27] And this is not sponsored. I subscribe

[12:30] to their travel pack. I get six free

[12:33] airport lounge visits a year. If you're

[12:35] paying for them out your own pocket,

[12:36] that's 40 quid. I get me RAC cover

[12:39] including Europe and I get multi-rip

[12:41] travel insurance for the whole year or

[12:44] anywhere in the world for me and any

[12:46] dependent children or children under 21

[12:49] that are traveling with me and my wife.

[12:51] The only thing it doesn't cover is my

[12:53] mom because she's over 70. She's

[12:55] actually 15 years over 70. Yeah, we have

[12:57] to stump up for that. None of these are

[12:59] flashy, but they all add up. For

[13:01] example, yes, eating out's nice.

[13:03] However, in Japan, the mini mart, you

[13:06] know, the gambinis, the meals there are

[13:08] amazing and they're pennies. Um, in

[13:11] Greece, I think it's law there, they

[13:14] can't seem to charge more than £5 for a

[13:16] girros. A girros is like a kebab with

[13:18] chips inside. It's unbelievable. Even in

[13:21] a restaurant, you'll get a girros for

[13:23] about £7. Boom. That's nothing. That's

[13:25] less than a Big Mac meal. There was one

[13:27] night in Greece. Me and Book were back

[13:29] late, so we just couldn't be bothered to

[13:30] look for a restaurant. Yeah. Two jeros,

[13:32] two cans of pop, and two bottles of

[13:34] water for a trip in the morning for £8.

[13:37] That's about £650 for a meal for two.

[13:40] Sometimes staying in the shitty area

[13:42] pays

[13:44] off. And I think the biggest thing I've

[13:46] learned that you can take as a tip or

[13:48] just listen is I stopped treating travel

[13:50] as a luxury and started treating as a

[13:53] habit. It's something that I really

[13:54] enjoy doing. I think it broadens the

[13:56] mind. My kids are 21 and coming up on

[13:59] 18. were in those twilight years of them

[14:02] actually wanting to come on holiday with

[14:03] their dad and I don't think I did enough

[14:05] of it when we were young. That's why I

[14:07] want it to become a habit. Book is an

[14:09] art student. I've taken them to MoMA,

[14:11] the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

[14:13] They've been to the National Gallery of

[14:16] Bulgaria. More interesting than you

[14:18] think. They've seen some of their

[14:19] favorite art pieces in Tokyo. Now, how

[14:22] does that complement an art degree?

[14:23] You're giving them an investment in

[14:25] travel. I build my year around it. I

[14:28] skip impulse buys. I keep a notebook of

[14:31] prices and flight alerts and I plan way

[14:34] ahead. For example, if you look at

[14:36] British Airways, they release their

[14:38] prices 355 days in advance for their

[14:41] packages and they often start them off

[14:44] at a low level, sell the first few

[14:45] seats, see how it's going before you do

[14:47] your pricing. Um, some of the more

[14:49] obscure airlines like Air China, 3

[14:52] months in advance is a sweet spot there.

[14:53] You've got to, it's like anything in

[14:55] life, you've got to learn about it to be

[14:57] able to do it. Whiz Air about three

[14:59] months are the sweet spot and with

[15:01] EasyJet you have to keep an eye on when

[15:03] they're releasing their flights but

[15:05] that's usually I think they do it three

[15:06] times a year but I for some reason I

[15:09] don't seem to fly easyJet very much. For

[15:11] example for the kids this year as a

[15:13] Christmas gift I bought a trip to

[15:15] Stockholm to go to the ABA Museum and

[15:17] stay in Jumbo Stay. So glad we did. It

[15:20] doesn't exist anymore. It went bust a

[15:21] couple of weeks ago. They can tell the

[15:23] mates they have stayed in a converted

[15:25] 747. It's quirky. It's different and

[15:28] they've done it. They've been to the ABA

[15:30] Museum. They've danced in the subways

[15:32] under the amazing subway art. They've

[15:35] also had meatballs made from bears.

[15:38] Where else can you do that? Books

[15:40] managed to go within 3 months of passing

[15:42] their driving test. They had an

[15:44] international driving license and they

[15:46] were racing a Mario Kart through the

[15:48] streets of Tokyo. Once in a lifetime

[15:50] experience before they're even 21. For

[15:52] mom, for Christmas, I bought her a trip

[15:54] to Athens. We hadn't been on holiday

[15:56] with for ages. It didn't cost me a

[15:58] fortune. I think it was £96 each and I

[16:00] took my mom to another country when it

[16:02] was warm in March. Not only that, I got

[16:05] to spend three quality days with my

[16:07] mother. Don't forget I live away from

[16:09] home during the week. Don't see her as

[16:10] much as I should and I should invest in

[16:12] putting time in. She's going to cherish

[16:14] that. She told everyone where we when we

[16:16] were there. This is my Christmas present

[16:18] for Miss Hunt and she loved it. It's all

[16:20] about memories and investment in

[16:22] spending quality time with the people

[16:24] you care about. This isn't about being

[16:26] rich. It's about dragging the most out

[16:29] of life as you can. And it doesn't have

[16:31] to cost a fortune. Don't forget, I've

[16:32] just said Stockholm was £70 each. I've

[16:35] just been for dinner with bulk. We spent

[16:37] nearly £40. Don't get me wrong, it was

[16:40] worth it. Two dinners with your child is

[16:42] the same as taking them away. What gives

[16:44] you more value? I spent 2 hours with it

[16:46] wasn't even 2 hours. It's was probably

[16:48] an hour and a half, including the time

[16:49] walking from book's place to the

[16:51] restaurant and back. Now, isn't 72 hours

[16:54] of quality time more valuable? You don't

[16:56] need to wait for the perfect moment or

[16:58] go big budget. You just need a plan and

[17:01] a bit of nerve. And don't discount

[17:02] holidays in the UK. Xede is an amazing

[17:05] tool. You can find a hotel in instead of

[17:08] staying in central London, stay in Shaw

[17:11] Ditch. You can still get to central

[17:12] London very quickly. I've seen hotels

[17:15] there more a cross between a part hotel

[17:18] and Airbnb for a family for about £60 a

[17:21] night. Book went down there for a comic

[17:23] con mediocre and I mean mediocre hotel

[17:26] still had their own room. Still had a

[17:28] private bathroom £26 a night and that

[17:30] was in the

[17:33] summer. Now surely the experiences I've

[17:36] talked about are better than putting

[17:38] £200 a month away to go to Spain for a

[17:40] Fortnite all inclusive. Don't get me

[17:42] wrong, if you enjoy a week in a Fortnite

[17:43] in Spain, all inclusive, do it. But I

[17:46] think getting as many places in as you

[17:49] can across the year is much better. You

[17:51] know, let's just take a look at the last

[17:52] 12 months for me. Athens twice, Kov, Bil

[17:56] Bao, Paris, Sophia, Tokyo, New York. You

[18:00] add all that up together, I have spent

[18:02] less than £2,000 ahead. And look at the

[18:05] holidays I've had.

[18:08] So, to recap, no, I'm not rich, but I

[18:11] travel more than most because I make it

[18:13] a priority, or as I said earlier, a

[18:15] habit. I go when flights are cheap. I

[18:17] travel light. I pick smart hotels. I

[18:20] don't waste money on fluff. I grab the

[18:22] little savings that save up and stack up

[18:24] into something amazing. And that's the

[18:26] real key for me is if you can save, for

[18:29] example, instead of having a soft drink

[18:31] with every meal, ask for a glass of

[18:33] water. You're saving £3 per person per

[18:36] meal across two meals a day. That is

[18:39] three six 912 a day. I know it's minor,

[18:43] but that's an extra12. That would cover

[18:45] your travel pass. That might cover lunch

[18:46] the next day. It might cover entry into

[18:48] an attraction. But you adapt that

[18:50] attitude to everything without coming

[18:52] across as tight. The kids want an ice

[18:54] cream, buy them a bloody ice cream with

[18:56] the 12 quid you save by drinking water

[18:57] instead of Coke. Simples. And I'm not

[19:00] doing anything that any one of you can't

[19:02] do. I've just figured out how to make it

[19:04] work. And if you stuck around, I said

[19:06] I'd show you an amazing deal I found

[19:08] this morning. I was sitting in the

[19:10] coffee place. I was only drinking normal

[19:11] coffee. They were drinking cappuccino.

[19:13] I'm still saving a quid for my next

[19:14] holiday. I found five nights in

[19:16] Marrakesh in June. Flights and hotel for

[19:20] round about 120 a person. That's in

[19:23] June. Just so happens that Sen finishes

[19:25] college, 20th of June. Weather's

[19:27] amazing. Then there's a bit of a sweet

[19:28] spot before the prices go up, before the

[19:30] kids break up for the summer. Bingo.

[19:32] You're going in the summer, but you're

[19:34] paying winter in Blackpool prices. And

[19:36] this is what budget travel really looks

[19:38] like. And it's better than you think.

[19:40] Don't get me wrong, there are going to

[19:41] be things if you want to do a safari in

[19:43] Kenya, that's going to cost. Do a safari

[19:46] in Kenya if that's important to you.

[19:47] We'll see you soon. And there'll be

[19:49] another video very soon. Thanks for

[19:51] watching.

[19:53] [Music]