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Hey everyone! I’m Sabrina, I’m a part of the team here at IVY. If your anything like me, you love travel tips from the best people, aka Sarah and Steve. If you need any travel advice, Sarah and Steve are YOUR people. Nonetheless, I chose to interview them with 3 questions for each, and they delivered. Stick around if your looking for some travel advice from two solid travel experts.
Sabrina:Sarah, what are some of your tips for solo traveling?
Sarah: “Be aware of your surroundings. Don't be paranoid; predators can pick up on fear and insecurity very easily. Just be aware. Don't assume everyone loves you- many of us live a very PRIVILEGED life. Do not assume higher crime in areas with a lower wealth discrepancy. Many predators will target wealthier areas.
Some good apps:Walk Safe is a great tool that pulls in police data to let you know when you're entering a high crime area.bSafe is another great personal safety app. It has an SOS button that will not only call for help but also record audio and video of your surroundings.Your contacts can even see and hear everything happening in real-time via live streaming if you hit SOS.
Your Biggest Weapon is your Face. As women, we have been conditioned to look good for others. To look nice. So it might be counterintuitive, but your face is an incredibly useful tool to discourage attention. If you start feeling uneasy, put your shoulders back, and make your face say "I will fuck you up if you even talk to me". Make bold eye contact and do not waiver.
Get subtle self-defense items. Items that are easy to access + activate are key–they will also give you the confidence.Check out our Amazon Safety Essentials ListHere!
Sabrina:When is the best time to book a flight?
Sarah: “This is actually a myth that there is a best time to BOOK a flight. However, the workweek is where you will see the most fluctuations.
A recentGoogle analysis of five years worth of travel data suggests prices just don’t fluctuate that much during the week. “If you shop for flights on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays instead of Saturdays or Sundays, prices have only been 1.9% cheaper on average over the past five years,” according to Google.
“Prices do fluctuate more during the work week, though,” added Bob Harrell, airfare consultant and principal of New York-based Harrell Associates, which analyzes airline pricing, generating weekly reports for its clients on hundreds of routes.
There are best days to FLY to get the cheapest flights- this is typicallyTuesdays andWednesdays.
“Historically, it’s been cheaper to fly in the middle of the week than on the weekend,”reports Google, “On average, flights that depart on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday have been 12% cheaper than weekend departures. If you exclude international destinations, the potential savings jump even higher to 20%.”
Book in advance–typically 6-12 weeks out. Airlines begin “actively managing” their flights and pricing four to six weeks ahead of departure.They look at the bookings they have and decide whether to open up or close certain types of fares, which leads to either price decreases or increases.
Once you pass what Harrell likes to call “mile markers” at 21 and 14 days out from departure, he says the computer will start recognizing you as a likely business traveler, which means prices will go up. So if possible, book more than 3 weeks out.
Watch our video on our favorite way to search for the cheapest flights → Here!”
Sabrina:What travel essentials make your life easier while on the go?
Sarah: “Not essential for some, but I HATE airport travel. The crowds, the waiting, the crazy expensive food. I rely heavily on airport lounges to help me maintain a hassle-free travel experience. They are stocked with plenty of food, a variety of drinks, fast & reliable wifi, often private bathrooms (some even have showers which is amazing for long travel days or layovers!) and sometimes private conference rooms where you can shut all the noise out for some work or rest time.
The most flexible & reliable pass that I have found that works no matter which airline carrier you are flying isPriority Pass. I get mine forfree with my favorite travel credit card. Even though this card does have a high annual fee, I definitely safe money on it with all the perks.
Which leads me to my second essential to make my life easier:TSA Precheck. No more taking off shoes, removing electronics, or the long lines. TSA Pre-check makes it possible for me to skip the standard long lines, throw my bags on the conveyor belt, and walk through the monitoring system. I would say my standard security time is 3 minutes from start to end. For those with travel anxiety, or anyone that just really hates the whole airport security experience, I cannot recommend TSA Pre-check enough!
How to get it: For $15 more dollars, you apply forGlobal Entry. The process is almost the same, and it makes coming back into the US easier. If you just want TSA Pre-check, you have to fill out an application, pay the fee, and go in for a short interview and fingerprinting. After you are approved, you will add your assigned number to any of your flight into and you will be able to breeze through security!
Other travel items that make my life easier: myBeis work tote. I am obsessed with this as it fits all of my things and organizes them so well. A spot for my passport, my ipad, pens, etc, and so much more. It sits right on my roller & is secured by a slip-over strap that keeps it on top for a smooth experience.
Airpod pros: silence is golden. Pair withAirFly in the airplane to use them! This AirFly also works at the gym :)”
Sabrina:Steve, how can I travel on a budget?
Steve: “My answer will likely be a bit different from what Sarahs’ could be! My thing is that I’m honestly not very great at research or finding deals. I feel like I’m not patient enough and where Sarah’s superpowers include (but not limited to) finding insane deals on travel, that just is not mine. There was a season of my adult life where I had very little money, but what I did have is talent with photo and video skills. So rather than researching and finding super low cost travel, I leveraged my talent as a way to travel. Whether it was to film a video for a sailboat company, shoot a wedding in Australia, film a documentary in Colorado, I always found a way to travel in exchange for a free flight. Sometimes I even made money on top of the free flight! There are definitely ways to leverage your talent to fly for free or even get paid to travel, you just have to put a bit of bait out there and see who bites!”
Sabrina:Lets say I want to travel. But I don’t want to go solo. What should I do?
Steve: “If you can’t get your friends to go with you JUST GO! The cool thing about solo travel is that you’re not solo for long. Traveling alone forces you to meet other people and make great friends along the way. Obviously be smart and research the places you are going to see how safe they are, but if you wait till someone can go with you, you might be waiting a long time.
Here are some tips to travel solo safely:
Sabrina:How should I prepare for traveling out of the country?
Steve: “Research research research.
Language barrier is something that used to stress me out so much, but what I’ve learned is that language is not only spoken. You can pick up so much communication from someone’s body language or actions. Learn some of the basics (thank you, please, hello) but don’t let a language barrier keep you from going somewhere you really want to explore.
Before you travel, research thecurrency used in that location and thevalue it holds against your currency. Budgeting for a trip that uses a completely different currency can be difficult, especially of things are much more or much less expensive than you’re used to AND the currency is different. If you’re worried about getting ripped off or paying too much for something, get a currency calculator on your phone.
When you go to places that are culturally different from where you’re from, go without pride. Get comfortable being corrected. Learn from people. There is so much we can learn from other cultures as long as we are open to it. Beyond that HAVE FUN and completely immerse yourself into that culture. Let go of expectations and just go with the flow. Let go of judgement of that place or yourself and just bring yourself into the present. There’s a chance you may never have another experience like this. Enjoy!”
Sarah and Steve never cease to amaze me with their travel tips. I hope you all enjoyed this and were able to gain some insightful information on their travel tips! Comment down below any tips you may have, and let us know how you liked this blog!
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