Backpacking & Accommodation @au

How to Take A College Cross-Country Road Trip on a Budget

Many students feel as though they just can’t take a road trip during their downtime. When they’re on such a tight budget, how on earth can they afford to travel? It’s easier than you’d think. With a little planning and a good budget, you can do it. Here’s the best tips to help you take that road trip without breaking the bank.

Pick Cheaper Places to Stay

Picking good places to stay on your trip can save you a huge bundle in cash. The best and cheapest options are camp sites, when you find them on your way. They can usually offer you a spot to sleep for about $20-30, where a hotel may cost you around $150 a night. That’s a big saving. If there’s no camp sites, you can still save some cash on your sleeping arrangements. Look for hotels that offer a free breakfast with your room. That can save you a decent amount of money on food.

Pool Your Money

On a road trip, you’re going to be paying mostly for gas, accommodation, and food. The best way to deal with these expenses is to pool all your money for these things together with your friends. “This means you have the cash ready when you need it, and that no one will be paying out more than anyone else. It also means you have the money ready and waiting for you before you even set off on the road trip, so you’re safe in the knowledge you’ve got it at the ready” – says Mary Montgomery, a Travel Writer at Big Assignments.

Avoid Buying Souvenirs

Everyone wants souvenirs, it’s understandable. On a road trip though, you’re just not going to have the room for them. As well as this, they can get expensive, quickly. Make a decision not to buy anything while you’re on your trip, to save cash. If you must have something, items like fridge magnets and postcards can be cheap, and you can store a lot of them in a care easily. As well as this, you could pick items from the areas you visit, such as rocks and seashells, for free.

Take Pictures Everywhere

You may not be able to pick up souvenirs, but you can take pictures for free. With almost everyone having a smartphone these days, you’ll already have a camera in your back pocket. Use the camera to take pictures wherever you go, and capture the memories. It’ll cost you nothing, but you’ll be glad you did.

Load Up On In Car Entertainment

Mercedes Rivera, a Traveler and a blogger at Assignment help explains: “In this digital age, you can find plenty of in car entertainment to keep everyone happy. Before you go, look into downloading as many songs, podcasts, and audiobooks as you can.” These can all keep you entertained on those long stretches of road where nothing seems to happen. If your passengers can watch a screen without feeling ill, an iPad with movies loaded onto it can also be a lifesaver. A lot of this can be free, so take advantage of it.

Travel Light

Travelling by car means that you’ll be sharing a very small space for quite a long period of time. This means that you really should pack light. Some seasoned road trippers recommend allowing each passenger a school sized backpack, a pillow, and a blanket each. This saves you a lot of space in your car. As your car will be lighter, it also means that you’ll use less gas. Keep the room in your car for the people, not the stuff they’re bringing along.

Take Advantage of Free Activities

Take a look at what’s happening on your route as you drive along. There’s always free activities happening, so make it a point to stop and check it out. “There’s no better feeling than catching a free or cheap show, and it means that you’ll be seeing stuff off the tourist track. Start looking online now before you go, and create a plan for your route so you all know what you want to see” – comments William McPhail, a Travel journalist at Best Australian Writers.

These tips will help you save a ton of cash on your trip, so take advantage of them on your journey. You’ll be amazed at how cheaply you can take a road trip!

“Gloria Kopp is a travel writer and editor at Essayroo. She is a column writer at Huffingtonpost and Australian Help blogs. Gloria is an author of Revieweal reviews writing blog for students.”

Hostels: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Fun Fact: Good hostels can be hard to come by. Places can be very hit or miss and often the reason a hostel is great has more to do with the location more so than anything else. When trying to pick a good hostel there are a few things to consider

Price

Budget travellers have a natural preference to go for the cheapest accommodation but that can sometimes bite back. Many cheap hostels are unclean, the showers are filthy and the pressure is terrible, and the place could be rife with bed bugs! The lower the price usually means the lower the cleanliness.

Check Out Time

The best hostels have 11 A.M. check out times and the excellent ones let you checkout at noon. Sleep is priceless on the road because you’ll rarely get enough of it, if you’re travelling correctly!

Safety

A good hostel comes with good lockers. Lockers in rooms are an absolute must and a safe at reception is a major draw-card. Building security has got to be taken seriously, so make sure you check out the level of security before you book.

Common Area

If your hostel doesn’t have a bar, leave. Kidding. But it should have a big common area. The best hostels have a place where travellers can hang out and socialize with each other. Common areas facilitate interaction and help solo-travellers have an easier time meeting people. They’re almost as important as…

..Staff

Oh man, is there anything worse than bad service at a hostel? The staff at a great hostel must be friendly, helpful and welcoming as well as knowledgeable about the city and its surroundings. The best hostels have natural people pleasers as staff, often fellow travellers themselves, or at least former ones, who can give good advice.

Fun Times

Even if the hostel you choose is clean and safe, you’re going to leave unsatisfied if it doesn’t provide a range of activities for guests. Tours and trips around the city, and special events at the hostel are great activities for fostering relationships between travellers. Parties and barbecues are an even better way for travellers to meet and greet each other, swapping stories of brews and burgers. Many good hostels have a games room for rainy days, ranging from board games to pool tables.

If you’re pressed for time and can’t bother going through the multitude of hostel websites out there to check out individual facilities, you can just hop online at TripAdvisor where heaps of travellers leave honest, sometimes too honest, reviews of hostels from around the world. If you’re travelling in your free Transfercar rental, you might want to check if the hostel has secure parking. If you’re looking for a way to save money, check out our deals on free RVs and campervans, where the room is clean and comfortable! Just check out our routes and with a few simple clicks you’ve got yourself accommodation on wheels for free! You can’t beat that!

Budget Travel: How to Get the Best Deals

There’s nothing better in life than planning a well-deserved vacation and booking your own holiday online. Whether you’re trying to find a last-minute ticket to the nearest tropical island or you’re looking for cheap accommodation when you get there, it can be hard knowing where to purchase flights and make bookings. The internet is like an ever expanding universe when it comes to finding great travel deals. But how do you find the right sights with the best deals? That’s where we come in! Our travel obsessed staff have put together a list of great travel websites to help you get to where you want to go on a shoestring.

FLIGHTS

Flightfox https://flightfox.com/

Flightfox is the only global marketplace of the world’s best flight experts who are obsessed with customer service. The best thing about this site is that the experts don’t earn commissions on your flights, so getting you the best deal is their main goal. Joining costs a small fee but it’s totally worth it.

FlyinAway http://www.flyinaway.com/

Flyin Away is a new site that puts pricing directly into the hands of YOU: the traveller and other travellers interested in the same flight. That’s right sugar, this is a competition! You have outbid the other scumbags, er, travellers to get the best deal. So get your game-face on and start ballin’.

Hipmunk https://www.hipmunk.com/

One of the best designed travel sites, Hipmunk can help you optimise your flight for layovers, length and, most importantly, price! And it’s not just about flight deals now that they have an extensive hotel search page as well.

Google Flights https://www.google.com/flights/

Oh Google, is there anything you can’t do?! Welcome to Google’s own flight search, a site perfect when looking for domestic flights in the great U S of A. Drag and drop your route to another location to see the price changes with a nifty map navigator. Keep your eyes on the bar graph view too, to see how fares change over any given time.

Yapta http://www.yapta.com/

The worst thing about booking your own travel is once you’ve bought your flights and then you see that they’ve gone on sale! Argh! But with Yapta, those days of endless frustration are gone. Yapta is like your mom, and she ain’t messing around. Depending on the airline’s policy, Yapta helps you get back some of the cash you blew.

Kayak http://www.kayak.com

If you don’t already know kayak then you must be some kind of hermit/hobbit hybrid who lives in a cave. This site is geared to finding you the cheapest airfares possible searching over 150 airlines and travel agencies that include Travelocity and Orbitz and some of the other big league travel mammoths. Kayak is like a one-stop-shop for cheap travel.

Last Minute http://lastminute.com

Disorganised? A little bit distracted? Just plain lazy? Last Minute is the perfect site for you. This dude shows you all the last minute airfares, hotel rooms and even attractions in an easy-peasy database. Often the cheapest flights are found on Last Minute, so as long as you can pack fast and tidy up loose ends quicker than you can say “Hawaii”, this might be your favourite site in this bunch! Happy shopping!

ACCOMMODATION

Couch Surfing https://www.couchsurfing.org/

If you’re not too fancy for your own good then catching a night’s sleep in somebody’s couch and saving hundreds of dollars on accommodation costs might be your deal! CouchSurfing is a worldwide community of amazing hosts who offer adventurous travellers a free roof over their heads to help them see the world on a budget. Just sign up and away you go!

Home Exchange https://www.homeexchange.com/

Oh snap! You’re planning on travelling for more than a week or two? Then how about a house swap?! This site offers a huge listing of homes all over the world. You just list your own house, find a house where you’d like to stay and contact the owner to see if they’re up for swapsies!

Hotwire http://www.hotwire.com/

Hotwire offers some of the best travel deals available, both flights and accommodation, and also includes sweet planning tools and tips to ensure that you have the smoothest trip ever.

HOT TIPS

TripAdvisor http://tripadvisor.com

Tripadvisor is the ultimate site for serious vacation planners. You can book flights, hotels, and get tickets for shows and fun parks here, but the best part is that there’s a huge amount of reviews and trips from real travellers, and not computer cyborgs. Check out the destination guides too, as they’re cheaper than Lonely Planet.

Travel Blogs

If I had a dollar for every travel blog out there on the world wide web, I’d be taking cash baths daily, but how on earth does one find the jackpot when there’s so many to choose from. Check out this sweet site:

http://fathomaway.com/slideshow/fathom-2014-best-travel-blogs-and-websites/

This is where you’ll find the 24 of the best travel blogs that can help inspire you with their far-out destinations (Antarctica anyone?! No?..) and just some excellent writing.

And there you have it, some of the best sites online to help you plan your trip on a budget. Of course, there are even cheaper ways to travel, especially if you’re just looking to travel in New Zealand, Australia and America. With Travelcar we hook you up with a free car. Sign up today!

Backpacking tips for the student traveller!

At last! There is a decent break between study long enough to do some travelling! What better way to see the world this holiday season than to pack a bag and head off to backpack around some astounding places? To have a good backpacking trip, it is vital that a few key things are decided before you go. So here are some great tips on how to backpack when you are a student.

You are about to get your backpack and heft it onto your shoulder, and then stride out the door to become as free as a bird! There is just one problem; half your stuff won’t fit, and the stuff that does is causing back problems; you feel like an elderly person already! Here is the best packing order ever so you can stride with purpose and grace, instead of shuffling with pain and agony.

1. At the bottom, pack your sleeping bag and mat. Your bag will have a zip to open the bottom, so you can access these easily.

2. Then in go the shoes (not your walking boots)

3. Then goes the stuff that you doubt you will look at, but need to have; like very thick jumpers.

4. Gadgets and breakable souvenirs should go in next, nestled in safely.

5. Then CLOTHES!! To save space, roll your clothes. And have your ‘unmentionables’ in a drawstring bag…or you will wear the same pair A LOT as the rest will be lost to the depths of the bag.

6. Have a second drawstring bag for dirty laundry, and try not to confuse them!

7. Then place the cooking pan (with stuff crammed inside it) on top of the clothes and laundry.

8. Finally, your rain jacket, for easy access

9. In the top pocket place everything small, that would otherwise hide and not be seen until the great unpack after the trip; lip balm, sunscreen, first aid kit, tissue, hat etc

10. Remember, pack into the corners stuffing them with things that are unlikely to be used; like the hat and gloves you packed just in case Egypt got snow…

Who are you going to backpack with? Are going to be a solo Stanley, or head off round the world with your best mate, or are you wanting to go in a big group of all your friends? There are pros and cons to all. Solo means you don’t have to worry about other people, if you love a city, then break out the spontaneity and just stay a while longer. The feeling of freedom can be awesome. However, it can also be more expensive, and as a student, low cost travel is much better for those loans… Heading off with your best mate seems like a rockin’ idea, it will be cheap, you can split the cost of rooms and food between you. Plus there is an added safety bonus; they have your back. If your best friend is the stay at home type, or wants to travel but you have different ideas of where to spend the holidays, then you could join a bigger backpacking group. If you get a group big enough that entire dorms are booked out at the hostel by you, and you can get group discounts at museums and tourist spots, then this is a great idea. But, it requires A LOT of planning!! Everything has to be booked way in advance, and you have to stick to the schedule.

Where are you going to stay? A hostel is great fun, you get to meet loads of people and make friends from all over the world. They can also be a great, cheap option for the student traveller. It’s a good idea to have your sleeping bag ready, just in case they don’t provide sheets (or you don’t want to use them) and in a hostel you won’t have much privacy. If you do go with the hostel option, always dibs the bottom bunk as ladders are hard to navigate after a few beers at the backpacking bar. A campervan is great if you are travelling with a small group of friends and you can all split the cost. In a campervan, you won’t have to worry about thieves or ‘that guy’. You can often get amazing deals on travelling with campervans (and the very best deals are with Transfercar), so keep your beady wee eye out for them. Just make sure you can cover the cost of petrol. Camping is another option, and is good for if you are walking across a country or something similar, just make sure there are good, safe, camping spots dotted all over where you plan on strolling.

How are you going to get there? Planes are fast, but expensive and you don’t get to see the countryside. If you have a campervan, you are already covered, but for other situations a car might be best. Backpacking and road trips is an awesome combination and definitely worth considering. Bikes are also good if you are not planning on going a million miles in one day.

Finally- where are you going? There are many amazing places to backpack or to travel around cheaply if you do it right. Just remember to balance it, for one expensive city you can probably see three non-expensive, so maybe go to Paris, and then Eastern Europe. Or Madrid, and then walk the Camino de Santiago. Other options can be to pick a cheaper country, like Indonesia or Costa Rica and just spend a long time there, you will get such an amazing knowledge of the place, and phenomenal experiences.

However you decide to travel this holiday season, Transfercar can help you. We have great campervan deals, and great car deals to get your where you need to go! Transfercar will help get you to the best backpacking destinations on the planet. So enjoy your gallivanting around the world!

Kicking Back in Kaikoura

The natural wonders in Kaikoura are simply unbeatable here in New Zealand. This seaside settlement is a winding 2.5 hour drive from Christchurch, 1.5 hours from Blenheim and only 2 hours from Picton. With your free Transfercar rental, getting here is literally a breeze! No longer just a pit stop for peeps travelling between CHCH and Picton, Kaikoura is a top destination for international visitors. Let me tell you why…

New Zealand’s Sea World

Kaikoura is infamous for its wealth of marine activities. From stalking whales to swimming with dolphins, we’ve got all the sea creatures you need and more! Hey tough guy, why not try catching your own dinner with one of the local fishing tours? Or try scuba diving mad reefs with local dive operators, some of the best and most experienced in the country? If you’re fit enough, kayak out and enjoy the exquisite beauty of our Peninsula or hit the waves on your surfboard. But, if you’re more comfortable on solid ground, there’s plenty to do on land.

Take a Hike

If you want to see the amazing snow dusted Kaikoura Ranges, walk the shore or get lost in the native bush, you can take leisurely thirty minute strolls or half day hikes with the local tour operators. That big mountain range you saw looming in the background while you were flirting with whales has an overnight hut. That is if you’re feeling adventurous enough to climb Aconcagua, one of the largest and most beautiful mountains of the country! The beach walks can take you to NZ Fur Seal colonies but don’t touch! This isn’t a Disney movie! They bite! Also on offer is quad biking and horse trekking. It’s all here in Kaikoura.

Kai in Kaikoura

It’s no accident that the Maori word for food ‘kai’ is found in the name of this delicious city. Your New Zealand cuisine experience is incomplete without enjoying iconic seafood dishes such as grouper, cod, mussels, paua and the God of the Sea: Crayfish! All hail the mighty Cray! Kaikoura’s restaurants have oysters, scallops and whitebait available in season for your belly. On the first Saturday of October since 1995, Kaikoura holds a seafood festival called Seafest, a taste, sight and sound extravaganza for those who enjoy great food and a good time! If you’re not into seafood or you’re deathly allergic to it, Kaikoura has options. From cheap and cheerful takeaways to upmarket restaurants, there’s a wide range of meal choices to cater to any palette. Bon Appetite!

Tree Huggers

You’ll find the most unique accommodation at Hapuku Lodge. Remember the tree houses of your youth? Well, forget them, because you ain’t never seen a tree house like this before! Nested at 30 feet above the ground in the canopy of native Manuka grove, each of these spectacular Tree Houses has mind-blowing views of Kaikoura’s dramatic mountains and Pacific coastline. These trees come in one bedroom or family size and are favourites for honeymooners, couples and families looking for an unforgettable tree top stay.

Get in touch with Transfercar today to get to Kaikoura for free!

Things to do in NYC

Post by: Jessica Festa

Need help planning your New York City itinerary? Look no further, as we’ve gathered some top Big Apple experiences featuring both well and lesser-known attractions. The following recommendations are provided by native New Yorker Jessica Festa, who also blogs regularly about NYC and beyond on her websites, Jessie on a Journey and Epicure & Culture. The following experiences will help you have a memorable trip while seeing the city from a local point of view.

1. Immerse Yourself In Nature

While New York City is technically a concrete jungle, you may be surprised just how many lush parks and gardens you can find in the city. The most famous is Central Park, encompassing 843 acres (3.41 square kilometers) of greenery and outdoor attractions. While you can come here to simply sun and stroll, the park is also home to bird watching at The Ramble, kayaking, theaters, a carousel, a zoo with indoor rainforest and endangered animal breeding programs, sculptures, an inspiring 4-acre Shakespeare Garden with quotes from the author and plants mentioned in his works, a castle, sports fields, free walking tours, bike rentals and loads of free events like concerts, yoga clinics, photo safaris and performances. In Brooklyn, notable greenspaces include Prospect Park — created by the same designers as Central Park and full of flora, fauna and activities — and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden with its loads of themed gardens, guided plant walks and educational family events.

2. Try Something New

There are so ways to do something quirky or novel in NYC. If you want to get active, hone your aerial acrobatics skills at the Trapeze School of New York/ or head to Bryant Park for a free Petanque lesson. If you’re a foodie, sign up for an excursion with Freegan Info to learn more about the culture of dumpster diving and salvaging wasted food. You can learn the art of sultry dance at The New York School of Burlesque, practice rock climbing at Brooklyn Boulders, taking a cooking class at the Institute of Culinary Education and more. You may also want to check sites like CanaryHop and Vayable to see what kinds of unique experiences are being offered by locals.

3. Explore NYC, For Free!

There are a number of excellent tour companies in New York City offering insider knowledge and memorable experiences; however, for those on a budget FREE Tours By Foot offers complimentary walking, biking and bus excursions, typically lasting about two hours. While this list is by no means exhaustive — there are so many different tours offered — some suggestions include a “Subway Art Tour,” “2014-When We Were Idiots (A Comedy Walking Tour)” and “Ghosts Of Greenwich Village.” Every day of the week they offer about 10+ different excursions, so there’s always something to do. Just remember to tip your guide, as they only make what you give.

4. Eat Sweets

My favorite neighborhood for sweet treats is the West Village in Manhattan, home to an array of high-quality bakeries and chocolate-focused venues. While Sockerbit sells Swedish candies with unusual textures and flavor combinations, Molly’s Cupcakes allows you to make your own cupcake or purchase one of their freshly-made treats in a whimsical space with swingset chairs and board games. At Sweet Revenge one can opt to pair decadent homemade cupcakes with wine and beer, at Popbar offers artisanal gelato on a stick dunked into gooey dips and coated with toppings, and Ayza Wine & Chocolate Bar serves up delicious dessert pizzas and chocolate martinis.

5. Take In A Beautiful View

Along with popular sites like the Empire State Building and Top of The Rock, there are loads of lesser-known places to take in a beautiful view. Head to Upstairs at the Kimberly for innovative farm-to-fork tapas, craft cocktails and front-row views of the Chrysler Building. For a free view of the Statue of Liberty, nothing beats the Staten Island Ferry. Walking or cycling over the Williamsburg or Brooklyn Bridges offers water-enhanced skyline vistas, while the DSW Designer Show Warehouse in Union Square allows for a unique vantage point of the Empire State Building, Metropolitan Life Insurance Tower and the Fuerza Bruta Theater.

What’s your favorite thing to do in New York City? Please share in the comments below.