How do we do it and how could you do it, too?

Inspired by yet another curious inquiry, here it is. The truth behind all this traveling.

It’s not that we don’t work. We do, full steam on!
And no, Tony isn’t a millionaire.
Also Kris doesn’t come from long history of wealth and fortune, as the rumours say.

List of trips made until 2012, in Dominican Republic (12.2012)

The truth is quite boring, to be honest. We go to work every day, work long hours, go home, throw in some hobbies.. the normal stuff. And then we plan our travels, which is the biggest and most important hobby. Actually it's the way of life! And that’s it. As simple as it gets.

Annually we tend to visit 6+ countries per year. Highest number being about 18 for Tony (including business travel), our common maximum was around 12, which was in 2014. On yearly basis we make about 4-5 trips (excluding weekend trips). On average in 2014 we spent 300€ per month/each (flights and accommodation) on traveling divided throughout the year, 365 days). This was an expensive year because we did three big trips which is not typical even for us (Argentina, Indonesia, Hawaii & San Francisco (2in1)) and three smaller (2in1, 4in1 and Italy) ones in Europe. You can easily reduce this amount by half or even more. Easily.

We only have the typical amount of average European vacation days, no extra’s included. 

Waiting in traffic on Bali.

This is how we got to this point:

Our first trip together was to Portugal. 10 days in Lisbon. We booked it through a Nordic booking website (flights & hotel). The price was ok, not particularly cheap, but ok). Direct flights and 3* hotel with basic breakfast. We moved around by public transport and ate in local restaurants.

The second trip was Egypt. Booked via travel agent. This was half-board meaning we had breakfast and dinner at hotel. Transportation to and from airport included. Also did a self-planned trip by local bus to Cairo to see the real Egypt. I guess this triggered us to ditch the travel agents and stick to our own planning. The pre-planned trip with guides, microphones, bus rides, waiting for people all the time to find the bus and go to toilet etc. wasn’t for us. I am sure there are lots of people who prefer this but for us it didn't feel convenient. We need more freedom and I guess we’re not that much into making friends with fellow travelers. On these trips I think it’s sort of necessary to mingle.

Berlin

At this point we started browsing for options. Flights, different booking sites, reading lots and lots of travel articles and so on.

However, the point is that we did a couple of trips with very different planning and started to get an impression of what works for us. Next we had to learn how to find the best flights. I wouldn’t say the cheapest flights because that’s not always the best option even when you’re on a budget.

By the end of 2010 we had visited Portugal, Egypt, Italy, Poland, Greece, Hungary and were getting ready for Dubai. But we were just starting out.

How about a hike up Mt. Olympus in July? 

You need to familiarise yourself with different travel booking sites (flights, hotels, all-inclusive, last minute etc.), hotel sites, airlines etc. The more you use them the better you become in this. We just browse them even when we don’t plan anything just to get an idea of prices or distances and routes to destinations we’re interested in. Also, one site might be perfect to plan a trip today but it might be lousy for the next trip you’re planning. It’ll give you an idea of an average price for flights. For example, after doing my homework I know that anything more than 600€ for flights to Asia (Indonesia, Taiwan or Japan, for example) is too much and more than 800/900€ for Chile is, again, too expensive and you should get it for less. Might be a good idea to add a couple of days and combine Chile with New York. You save money and get to add another destination! 

The good news is that you don’t have to learn it all now.

You should be able to easily find error fares or super good deals for flights to exotic destinations for about 300€ but we don’t normally do this. However, lots of people hunt for these deals so go for it when you find one! These flights normally require being able to book fast and also include long layovers or sometimes even changing airports etc. We’re corporate employees so we haven’t had the advantage to try these flights and often even skip them because of the hassle. However, do take a look! You might find a fortune at the end of this rainbow!

Our breakfast in Chinatown, New York (12.2012)

A good way to cut costs is to travel together - your partner, a friend, maybe a family member, group of friends - anything but doing it alone is normally cheaper. ((We’re not backpackers and don’t know anything about hostels (which probably might be cheap for single traveler)).

We hear people say how they would love to travel more but in the next sentence they talk about 5 star all-inclusive resorts. These work probably for families with kids or if you really just want a well maintained pool and keep the cocktails coming but it probably won’t turn you into a world traveller.

Keeping the cocktails coming in Barcelona!

Be flexible! We’ve gone from 5 star to no-star during one 14 day holiday as we tend to move around when traveling. Choose the hotel to fit your needs. A hiking holiday is better near your trails, not at the beach resort if you’re going to be out of the hotel most of the time. In case you’re looking for quality, relaxation and lounging by the pool, do choose the hotel with most services, otherwise your relaxation will only go half way. Compare your options and be willing to compromise. We love luxury above all but sometimes it’s so much wiser to book that simple little room for 22€ per night next to the market in Funchal than a luxury designer hotel down the street. There are plenty of accommodation options to choose from nowadays for every wallet. Also, location is important when booking your hotel - not just the distance from sights and transportation but also the nature of the destination - is it a tourist destination or not? You will pay much, much more for a basic hotel in Paris than a luxury hotel in Düsseldorf or Kuala Lumpur. 

No introduction needed

When are you travelling? Peak season is expensive! Especially visiting an expensive destination during peak season will drain your wallet. Some destinations are way better during off-season. Try Antalya in January!

If you don’t have the money now, save it and travel when you have saved some. And don’t use it for a new TV or a new car. You’re saving it for something better.

How about a new 40" 3D TV or a luxurious Christmas vacation on Waikiki beach? Which one do you choose?

We used to travel less because we wanted to spend the Christmas with the family and the Easter with other family and Mid-summer day in the countryside “at home” and the same applies for the Independence day and Labour day - you name it. We still love our families, but now we travel on all these days. During Christmas holidays you add a couple of days (normally 5) and you get a two week holiday! For Easter you add maybe two days and there you go, 4-5 day city trip in one of the beautiful cities in Europe. Ascension day with Whit Monday with 5-6 days added and again you have a holiday of two weeks! Mid-Summer Holiday in North of Europe combined with 1-2 days and you have again 5 day holiday. On average in Europe you have about 7-9 national holidays (on weekdays) per year. Add this to your 25-30 vacation days and you have lots of trips to plan!

Last: dedication. You might not be there yet, but you have to start somewhere. Next time, before you say to yourself that you don’t have the money or enough time to do this, change your thinking and ask yourself, HOW can you have the money and time to do this? It’s all about setting the goal and going for it (like in everything else in life).

We only started extensive traveling 6 years ago. During this time we have visited more than 40 countries. Before that we just sat around looking at those who traveled constantly and wondered; how do they have the time and money?