Up, up, and away (at least for the weekend)

Sarah Kulhanek

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Feb 24, 2017 · 4 min read

If there’s one thing I love, it’s a quick weekend getaway. Trust me, I’d take month-long vacations across the world if I could, but as you and I both know, my accrued two weeks of vacation don’t exactly allow for that luxury. If limited time off of work isn’t enough of a roadblock, I also live in the most expensive city in the country…. Aka I’m too broke to afford flights and hotels.

However, I’ve been finding ways to get past those roadblocks and make the most of my twenties so that when I’m old AF I’ll have good stories for my grandkids.

After I graduated from the University of Michigan, I didn’t have any jobs lined up and I was okay with that. I’d been working multiple jobs throughout college and decided that I was given the perfect opportunity to take a break. With this in mind, my boyfriend and I did the stereotypical college kid thing: booked a two week trip to Europe. Now listen, I’m a very budget-conscious lady. I knew that this trip couldn’t blow through all of my savings that I’d need to a) pay my student loans, and b) put toward an inevitable move to start my adult life. When it comes to a major trip like this, my first piece of advice is to PLAN AHEAD. Not just figuring out your flights and accommodations, but really planning what you want to do while you’re on vacation. My boyfriend and I saved so much money by looking into accommodation options (hostels vs. hotels with points vs. Airbnbs), public transportation options, tours, etc. There were many restaurants we wanted to go to and tours we wanted to take that weren’t open on certain days, or had discounts for booking in advance. Two-weeks worth of planning out those activities in advance saved us hundreds of dollars. As for the flights (what is usually the most expensive part), we nicely presented relatives with the idea of donating their airline miles as a graduation present. (Timing, people. Timing.)

While shorter, domestic trips may not seem as expensive or daunting, they present their own set of challenges. How do you find the best flight prices? How do you minimize expenses once you’ve arrived at your destination? What should you pack? Don’t worry, brunchers, I gotchu.

Advice for booking flights and hotels:

1. Do all of your browsing in Incognito Mode. Hell, I do everything in Incognito Mode. I don’t want those increased prices on flights OR targeted ads showing up when I jump over to Facebook.
2. Set a price alert on your destination. If you start planning a bit in advance, you should be lucky enough to see the price drop at least once.
3. Sign up for airline emails to stay updated on sales, then…..
4. Book when you see a cheap flight! You have 24 hours to cancel after booking without a fee (on most airlines).
5. If you’re traveling spontaneously (or don’t need to have every detail planned out ahead of time), use HotelTonight for deals on hotels. Available rooms are listed at a discounted price if you wait until the day before (or day of) to book.
6. Check out which credit cards have the best bonuses if you’re thinking of planning a trip and don’t want to pay cash. I flew roundtrip from San Francisco to Wilmington, NC for 25k American Airline points (accumulated from credit card sign-up bonuses) and saved over $700.

Packing Advice:

1. Roll your clothes to save space. Lay things flat, fold in thirds, and roll each piece of clothing up. Weird, but it works.
2. Tuck your socks and underwear into your shoes to save space.
3. Put essentials in your personal item in case you are required to gate check you carry-on. Don’t be like my mom and sister who got stuck in a Chicago snow storm with only the things they had on their body.
4. It’s easy to forget little things, so make sure to remember the Advil, gum, hand sanitizer, and chapstick — even if you think you won’t need them.

General Travel Advice:

1. If you’re going somewhere that might not have cell coverage, use Google Maps to save maps for offline use.
2. Bring an empty water bottle to refill once you get through security to save yourself from buying a $9 bottle. And pack snacks in your carry-on. Always pack snacks.
3. Seriously don’t sweat the small stuff. If your flight gets delayed and you can’t take another one out sooner, just deal with the fact that you can’t do anything about it. People watch. Read a trashy magazine. Eat at McDonalds.
4. And lastly, if your flight is overbooked and they’re offering travel vouchers: take one. Especially if you can get where you’re going on a flight a little bit later. That Delta voucher is gonna come in handy when you want to take a last minute trip to Vegas with your friends.