Abroad without a tour operator. Independent tourism

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Experienced travelers are convinced that traveling does not require a lot of money. Enough desire to wander and the ability to seek information.

website summarized tips from travel bloggers that will allow you to see the world at minimal cost. At the end of the article you will find a bonus in the form useful information for every tourist. And may you have more travels in the near future!

11. Travel on your own

Traveling on your own, and not through travel agencies, is both more profitable and more interesting. Yes, you will be solely responsible for any problems. But travel agencies do not solve much in such cases, preferring to shift the blame on the airline, force majeure, the receiving party, and the like.

On your own, you can lay out the “same” dream route, choose a cheap flight option, book the best-priced hotel with a convenient location for you, and pick up a transfer.

4. Rent out your own accommodation while traveling or go on an “exchange vacation”

An exchange vacation is an opportunity for free accommodation while traveling, and maybe even a chance to meet your love like the characters in a movie.

2. Don't buy what you can get for free

  • WiFi. When booking accommodation, immediately choose an apartment or hotel with free Wi-Fi. During the day, use free Wi-Fi in restaurants and cafes, gas stations and shopping malls.
  • Area maps. Free cards are available at counters in many hotels, apartments and hostels. The map can also be picked up at the Tourist Information Office. As a rule, they are located in the city center or near the main attractions. Download electronic maps of the city and a guide to your phone in advance.
  • Water. In Europe, you can drink tap water everywhere. Drinking fountains have been installed in many cities, and you can safely drink from them. To check, you can look at

Or how to travel on your own, without travel agencies

How to travel on your own? The question is quite reasonable if travel organized by travel agencies for some reason does not suit the tourist. These reasons, by the way, are quite heterogeneous. Someone prefers to travel on their own for mercantile reasons, in order to save money, someone - because of a dislike for traveling as part of crowded tourist groups. Some travelers are drawn to the exotic, untrodden paths and routes. Others, on the contrary, gravitate towards civilization, historical and cultural heritage various countries of the world. In other words, everyone's motives independent tourists different, everyone is looking for something different, individual and in this sense exclusive. This, perhaps, is the very essence of independent travel. Independent tourism allows everyone to find something of their own and organize a trip for themselves, focusing on their own interests, needs, habits, and so on, so on, so on ...

However, this is all poetry. It is clear that if people travel on their own, then someone needs it. Discuss "why and why?" in fact, infinitely possible. However, the purpose of this note is to describe the key points of an organizational nature. If you travel on your own, then how to do it, where to start, where to run?

In general, in our opinion, the question of how to travel on your own can (and even should) be divided into several components. What are these parts? For example, you can take any average tour organized by any average tour operator. Most often, the tour consists of flight(travel by bus, train, boat, etc.), hotel stay(in a villa, in an apartment, in a tent, etc.), transfers(transfers from the point of arrival in the country to the place of residence and back) and excursion program(visiting museums, trips to other cities, etc.). The same components include independent travel. In other words, if you plan to travel on your own, then you will have to take care of all organizational issues yourself. As they say, if you like to ride, love to carry sleds.

Next, we consider each of these aspects in more detail and formulate a series practical advice. In doing so, of course, it must be taken into account that different countries have their own characteristics. Therefore, we will try, on the one hand, to avoid excessive detail, and on the other hand, to concentrate on the general points applicable to the organization of independent travel in general.

Transport

If we talk about independent travel abroad, then perhaps the most popular view transport means airplanes. Let's start with them, especially since today there are quite a lot of useful tools on the Internet that allow you to search for the most convenient and affordable options for air travel to any country in the world.

One of these tools is presented on i- TicketsFinder.ru. The same search service can be found at www.aviasales.ru. In addition, you can use www.skyscanner.ru and www.momondo.ru to search for air tickets. They are similar in many ways and partly complement each other. The meaning of their use is simple. All of these sites allow you to search for air tickets while using many independent sources of information, including both airline sites and ticket agency sites. As a result, this makes it possible to choose the most profitable offer, the best flight options and buy the tickets you like online.

On this topic, however, it is worth additionally reading articles in which the issue of searching and buying tickets on the Internet is considered in more detail:

In addition to airplanes, of course, there are other modes of transport. We will not dwell on each of them for a long time. Rather, here are links to several rather useful sources of information from which you can draw a lot of useful information:

  • rzd.ru - the official website of Russian railways, information about international routes RUSSIAN RAILWAYS.
  • www.seat61.com - site about railways around the world (in English).
  • www.aferry.to and www.directferries.co.uk - search for ferry tickets, cruise ships etc.
  • www.ecolines.net and www.eurolines.com are bus routes from Russia to Europe and between European countries.
  • www.busstation.net - site about bus routes all over the world.

Hotels

Booking a hotel on your own is quite simple, at least from a technical point of view. There are many online booking sites that allow you to solve this issue in just a few minutes. There are, perhaps, even too many of these sites, and at the sight of this variety, inexperienced travelers sometimes fall into a stupor. Therefore, we will try to set some guidelines that will help you understand the topic of self-booking hotels on the Internet. To begin with, we list the most notable, in our opinion, sites:

All of these and other similar sites allow you to book hotels in almost all countries of the world without leaving your computer. To do this, you will need to provide your data: last name, first name, email address, as well as, as a rule, bank card details and some other details. Thus, there is no need to call or write directly to the hotel. The whole process is automated. But that is not all.

In addition to hotel booking sites, there are services that search several sites at the same time and thus bring together information from various sources. Thanks to this, it becomes possible to quickly compare prices for hotels of different booking systems, choose the best deals and thus save money and time. Examples: www.roomguru.ru and hotellook.ru. More hotel price comparison sites reviewed on i- HotelsFinder.ru(see, in particular,).

However, we will not repeat ourselves here. To expand on the topic of self-booking hotels, you can refer to the following articles:

Transfers

If we talk about transfers, then the first thing you should pay attention to is the websites of public transport networks, the websites of airports and train stations, as well as other official tourist resources of the country or countries in which you plan to travel. All these sources of information allow us to solve most of the issues related to the need to get from one point to another. In addition, there are many companies offering individual and collective transfers for independent tourists. It is clear that listing all such sites in one list does not make sense. And therefore, in this part of the travel organization scheme, you will have to arm yourself with search engines and google, Yandex, ramble ... At the same time, as a rule, there is not so much information in Russian. But in English you can find almost anything.

Tours

In terms of organizing the excursion program, everything is still more individual. First, everyone has their own interests. And secondly, on the Internet, most often, it is quite easy to find information about any countries, cities, sights, etc. yourself. Here again, you can turn to the search engines and search-search-search. Armed with the information found, guides and tourist guides, you can see a lot on your own. But you can go the other way and trust private guides and guides. Russian-speaking specialists offering relevant services can be found, if not in all, then in most countries of the world, especially in Europe. Of course, most of them do not work for free, but you don’t have to look for anything - they will tell you everything and show you everything.

These, in our opinion, are the foundations of independent tourism. Of course, in the process of planning travel, you will have all sorts of questions that are not covered in this article. But the main thing is to start, and there will always be information. One thing is for sure - you have to make a lot of discoveries if you decide to organize your trip yourself, without travel agents and tour operators. Good luck!

More detailed information about organizational moments, briefly described above, can be found in the corresponding section

To begin with, it is worth mentioning that you can drastically change the type of vacation to an independent one only for the sake of traveling to the country of your dreams. For a trip for 7 days to Turkey, such sacrifices are not required. In addition, there are destinations that will be more profitable if you buy a package tour. These include the same Turkey, Thailand, and until recently, Egypt.

Well, for those who are attracted by the unknown, and those who dream of laying their own route along exotic country, you should seriously think about self-planning your vacation. After all, only the traveler himself can maximally adjust his pastime to his personal interests, not a single travel agent will do this.

Tune in to the fact that the next trip will be organized by yourself. Do not expect a travel agency representative to do everything himself and offer a ready-made option. Try to plan something simple on your own, start with a trip to a nearby city, then go to Europe for the weekend, and then take on the organization of a full-fledged long vacation.

Even a minimal knowledge of English will greatly facilitate your stay abroad. The communication process will go even better if the tourist tries to learn a few words and basic phrases in the language of the country he is going to. You won't need to have long discussions with the salesperson in the store, but saying "please" and "thank you" to him in his own language is not so burdensome and pleasant for both parties.

Even if nothing is clear from the speech of the interlocutor, do not despair - the sign language helps out not the first generation of Russian tourists.

Council, at first glance, having a very controversial relationship to tourism and yet very rational. Having a license and a car makes traveling anywhere in the continent more affordable. Even in your own country, you can discover a lot of interesting things with only a map and a little money for gasoline. And abroad, where cars are rented at every corner, it’s completely illogical to go on excursions by bus, fairly overpaying at the same time.

In order to check the profitability of the event, we will carry out a simple calculation. In Montenegro, an excursion from Budva to Kotor costs 40 € per person. Car rental also costs 35 - 45 € per day, about 20 € more for gasoline, and sightseeing and entry to the Old Town is free. For a company of four, the trip becomes more than twice as economical, and for traveling couples, this option is more profitable.

Travel search engines that have developed over the past few years allow you not to spend free time to monitor websites of hotels and airlines, and search everything in one place. , Kayak, Skyscanner and more help you find the cheapest deals and book them instantly. The main advantage of metasearch engines is that you do not need to pay for their services, and the prices for offers are much lower than those of tour operators.

In addition, on some of them you can also choose tickets for the train, bus, rent a car or book an excursion. So the entire vacation is collected in half an hour, like a constructor, within one resource.

Do not burden yourself with huge suitcases and dozens of bags. Believe me, for a comfortable stay, a minimum of things that fit in one backpack is enough. All modern hotels provide laundry services, so it will be easy to take care of clean things for every day.

In addition, you should not bring shampoo, soap, towel, toothbrush, hair dryer and other little things with you - everything that is not in the hotel can be easily bought at the nearest supermarket.

Yes, exactly two: the first for a debit account, and the second for a credit account. Although these options can be combined in one card, you should not do this. There are many temptations for a traveler on a trip, but losing your head and spending all your money on the first day, relying only on a loan, is not The best way start rest. It is enough to put the amount that you plan to spend on an international debit card and try to fit into the budget. Well, a credit card will become a kind of guarantee for emergencies.

Language forums and chats, groups in social networks and interest clubs - all these are places where you can get to know a resident of the country to which you plan to travel. Communication will help not only to raise the level of a foreign language, but also to learn a lot about the place of your vacation.

In addition, upon arrival, it is worth starting conversations with waiters in cafes, sellers on the beaches or guides. It is from them that you can find out the addresses, passwords and attendance of those establishments in which there are only locals, which means that a special atmosphere reigns.

Solo travel is often more risky than organized tour. That is why it is worth paying a little more attention to your safety. First you need to make copies of all documents, negotiate with relatives or friends certain time, through which communication sessions will pass, and take care of your money. Shouldn't be carried around large sums in cash. By the way, about where it is most reliable to hide money on vacation,.

When booking a tour, renting a car or entering a cafe, always pay attention to the number of visitors to this institution. Paradoxically, in this case, long queues are a good sign and a kind of guarantee of the quality of services.

Before you go to the city of dreams, you should think about what to do there. Information about numerous attractions, shows, museums and excursions is available in abundance on the Internet. Do not be afraid that, having planned everything in advance, you will not be able to enjoy the process. It is advisable to make a list of places that must be visited and find out in advance the cost of travel to them and the price of entrance tickets. This will allow you to more accurately calculate the budget of the trip and avoid sudden expenses.

Photo: thinkstockphotos.com, flickr.com

A huge number of traveling brethren with backpacks pass through me. And the most frequently discussed question: how to travel the world cheaply? Like, where to start? Where to look for these most notorious promotional tickets, where it is better to book hotels, how to make a route. What are the features when visiting a particular country?

Nuances, ambiguities and small subtleties...

It seems that I have been traveling for more than a year, but I myself constantly encounter new quirks. Either they don’t let you on a flight, then they refuse a visa, then they block your card ... Especially, where anything is not an airport, then it has its own coordinate system, where it’s somehow not appropriate to climb with your own charter.

And you have to constantly keep your finger on the pulse: read, communicate, ask. It's good when you have time. And what about those who painted the route in advance ??? Of course, take advantage of existing experience! That's what the article will be about!

Everything starts with a map. Study the places of arrival and departure. And it doesn't matter: do you go abroad to Europe, do you trip around the world or ride around your country. All this is easy to do without travel agencies and large labor or material costs.

For example, I have long wanted to see with my own eyes the monument to Duke in Odessa and the Potemkin Stairs, so I built a very strange route, although not without a certain internal logic.

What I usually do:

  1. I always look at where the airport is located on the map in relation to the city. Or, for example, the station in relation to the airport.
  2. Looking for public ways to get to the city. Often, the airport is connected to the station by some route vehicle: train, shuttle bus, tram, etc. AT major cities except for my hometown, Almaty, there is such a thing! Immediately saves a lot of money on a taxi
  3. I am looking for hotels closer to transport hubs. In China, for example, I always found hotels within walking distance of train stations. The latter, thank God, were almost always in the center (except perhaps in Kashgar somewhere on the outskirts)
  4. I read electronic versions of Lonely Planet. You can find it easily on the internet.
  5. I look at the thematic forums. For independent trips to India or Thailand, I always study Hindustan forums (this is generally a storehouse, the collective mind works there) and bpclub. Less often - Vinsky's forum. Blogs also help. For example, before my first trip to Thailand, I read life-trip.

Useful tips for transport

  1. Uber taxi. (Use my link to get a nice bonus of about $ 5 as a discount). For the lazy ones, here is the Uber promo code nbq1zaduue. Roughly speaking, these are private traders who register in the Uber system, each have their own rating and can let you down anywhere even in super-luxury cars. I used it in Indonesia, the official price from the airport to Ubud is from 250,000 local rupees (a little less than $ 20), Uber gave 150,000.
  2. Bla-bla-car. If you are going to travel far, use it! Also a companion search service. Lots of options for choosing drivers, cars and departure times. And if you are driving yourself, then this is a great option to save some money by finding a companion for your journey.

After you have more or less decided on the route, you can start packing things. Read about the contents of your luggage and how to pack your backpack.

By the way, you can travel just as cheaply through. There, of course, there is no such mega backpacking, but it’s quite an interesting option.

Here is the roof of the Nepalese bus that carries my things.

In general, I am all for learning to manage finances. Therefore, a little earlier I wrote an article both at home and while traveling. This article can be expanded with all the recommendations available there.

Now it's time to buy air tickets

About the nuances - there will be a separate article. Here I will give general recommendations.

I always use only 2 sites to find cheap flights:

Option times

Great metasearch engine with the ability to choose the cheapest flight month or find the cheapest city in the country you are flying to and from. In general, a huge number of settings and search options.

If you are looking for tickets much in advance (which I highly recommend for finding the lowest price), you can subscribe to the direction by email and the system will send you notifications of price changes by email.

Option two

Their feature is a low price card.

Otherwise, the functionality is a little more modest than that of the skyscanner. But chips for subscribing to a number and direction are also realizable.

After you have found the desired ticket, do not rush to buy it right away. Go directly to the airline's website. Perhaps there will be additional sales and discounts.

So, I managed to find a great option for Moscow-Colombo from S7 at a price of 17,200 rubles. Moreover, this offer was not listed either on Scyscanner or aviasales, and the carrier was Qatar Airways, which are famous for their service and comfort. For the Qataris themselves, the price for this flight started at 22,000.

Sometimes people ask me from which country to start traveling around the world? I answer: with my own! I am sure that in the immediate vicinity of you there are many opportunities for interesting life and adventure.

Go!

It is according to this algorithm that I always organize independent trips both for myself and for my friends. So, for example, we rode on. Each of them, of course, will have its own characteristics. However, the basic idea always remains the same: to use the Internet. Every point is mine personal experience, sore and valuable!

How to travel cheap on your own? Where to start, where to rent a house, how to buy cheap tickets? I will try to answer these and other questions below, based on my own experience.

Remember that in order to organize a good independent trip it takes a lot of time, but such a trip gives you complete freedom of action and can make your dreams come true.

Is it cheaper to travel alone?

Independent travel won't always be cheaper(but in 60% -70% of cases it will be much cheaper) than to go on a package tour, where you don’t have to think and everything has long been thought of. But impression from "package vacation" will never compare with impressions and emotions received from a trip planned by you personally. And this is the first and main plus of independent travel.

If you are going to the first independent travel be sure to read on!

How to travel cheap on your own and how to organize an unforgettable trip?

Airplane tickets

For me, organizing an independent trip usually starts with ticket search to the desired destination. Moreover, it is not necessary that the plane tickets were to this particular country/city.

For example, if we talk about Europe, then there distances between cities and even countries are relatively small. And the difference in ticket prices between them can be a substantial amount.

It often happens that for the "won" difference in the cost of a plane ticket, you can not only get from one city to another, but also live there for several days. And by the way, flights in Europe are very cheap(often cheaper than other transport), flying for 2.5 hours for 1000 rubles is the norm there.

Thus, open the map, look, what cities are nearby and build a route. Of course, there are people who do not need all these troubles.

If the final price of the intermediary and the airline is the same or differs slightly, then it is better to buy tickets on the airline's website to avoid trouble. By the way, when buying tickets S7 has a promo code S7APP through the app(2-3% of the tariff), a trifle, but nice.

  • are looking for the best prices for a flight;
  • check prices for tickets from / to neighboring cities;
  • compare the cost of tickets on the search engine website and on the official website of the selected airline;
  • do not forget to look for a promotional code for the purchase;
  • let's use imagination in the development of the route!

Check ticket prices for neighboring cities and countries. Check prices on airline websites and multi-search. Try to circle the route.

Planning an independent travel itinerary

Once the start and end points are known, it's time to take action. travel itinerary planning. You should not gallop and change cities every day, but I personally do not like to stay too long in one place. Learn Internet information, forums, blogs— a sea of ​​information and ideas.

I always use the forums on Otzyv.ru and Vinsky forum. Various blogs are found by search.

Forums and blogs are a great source for planning routes.

Tickets for transport between cities and/or countries You need to look on the websites of local carriers. If you really want to save money, you will have to sweat in the search best offers. Or maybe just take advantage of the growing popularity of the project, which itself will look for affordable tickets for buses, trains and planes, compare prices and duration of the trip (works in Europe)!

  • we are looking for information on the Internet, I advise Otzyv.ru, Vinsky's forum, tripavisor;
  • you can buy or download a guide with ready-made routes;
  • find best options moving between cities.

Selection of sights and interesting places for independent travel

To at least a little navigate the city, it is enough make a list of the main attractions and other places of interest to you (you can also pre-mark them in Google maps or print / buy a map). In this list for yourself you need in advance Mark places you want must see, and plan their visit in the first days stay in the city. It's worth knowing beforehand opening hours, weekends, days when admission is free(it happens).

Again, use your imagination. You no longer have to blindly follow the tour program and run out sightseeing with your tongue hanging out because you're already meeting at the bus in an hour. Independence and time management- this is the fourth plus of independent travel.

Again, I get information about sights mainly from the Internet. In addition, for major cities can download/buy guide(I usually download and browse for "missing" places on the Internet).

Also I use travel app tripadvisor - you can see top places, reviews, as well as find good cafes / restaurants. The only possible negative is that there are not enough reviews in Russian, it is advisable to know English (or use a translator application). Also information about major cities can be downloaded to the phone's memory and use the app offline.

If you still don't trust yourself a bit and/or don't have time to work through your sightseeing program, you can always hire a guide! Online tripster and even in Russian. Often found there really interesting routes!

  • make a list of attractions;
  • find out the opening hours, prices, free days;
  • Otzyv.ru, Vinsky's forum, tripavisor or a guide will also come in handy;
  • select interesting excursion.

Internet, travel guides, TripAdvisor - a storehouse of information about attractions and places of interest.

Where to live while traveling

In the process of compiling the route, I at least briefly looking at house prices where I plan to stay. It may happen that a plane ticket from Russia will cost as much as one night's stay in the city.

For example, in Europe hellishly expensive in Switzerland and Scandinavia. In this case, for a budget tourist it is important competently plan your stay in the most expensive places... well, or use couchsurfing.

Booking etc.

Sometimes the choice of hotels can be quite difficult (for small towns). Then you can search the official website of the city, where you can usually find a list of hotels- and search directly.

And by the way, you can return 1000 rubles by booking accommodation on Booking using my link https://www.booking.com/s/57_6/1f708229

Airbnb

In addition to the hotel / hostel, you can rent a separate room or even an entire apartment. Airbnb, which is rapidly gaining popularity, will help you with this.

The meaning is this - people rent out their housing, you rent it, the money for accommodation is withdrawn immediately and kept by the site. If a day after arrival from the tenant, i.e. you, no complaints were received - the money is transferred to the landlord.

My experience with this site is only positive. It was possible to live in a separate apartment at a price cheaper than a bed in a 6-bed hostel.

And there are discounts for longer stays. So, for example, we lived in an apartment in Genoa for 9 nights for only 15,000 rubles, i.e. for 800 rubles per day per person!

Better choose options with reviews so as not to run into trouble.

By the way, this way of living allows you to go deeper immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the city. You can see how real people live and feel like a little local - open the door with your own key, say hello to your neighbors, go down in the morning for fresh bread to the local bakery ... 🙂

I would point out that opportunity to choose accommodation for your own needs and requests, this is the fifth indisputable plus of independent travel.

Do not forget that when registering on airbnb using this link https://www.airbnb.ru/c/tgorokhova2?currency=RUB discount of 2100 rubles!

Couchsurfing

And the last way is to find local resident (kaucha), who will kindly let you live in his apartment free of charge, i.e.! Yes, for some it sounds like wildness. Debit with absolutely a stranger from the other side of the world and you go to visit him. 🙂

Couch can often act as guide, move along interesting places Or at least talk about them. This is great opportunity deeper immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the place and interact with people from other cultures. The site will help you with all this. couchsurfing that has been in existence for many years.

The site is available in Russian, but for the whole idea it is desirable to know some foreign language (for communication), well, or look for only Russian-speaking couch. There's a similar tip here. read reviews.

If you're too lazy to look for yourself, create a public trip— describe your itinerary, interests, what you want from your stay. And potential coaches will write to you and invite you to visit. 🙂

  • learn approximate prices for housing at the stage of route planning;
  • looking for hotels; or on one of the most popular resources;
  • check the price on the official website of the hotel;
  • and you can also rent an apartment or a room, with a coupon for 2100 rubles it will be cheaper;
  • or try your hand at couchsurfing.

If you are going to rent a car, check out the parking information. In some cities in Europe, entry into the city center by car is prohibited, in many there are problems with parking (not to mention the fact that they are paid). For example, in the center of Amsterdam, just a day parking pass will cost 30 euros!

Possibility go anywhere and at any time using public transport, and even better, a rented car is the sixth plus of independent travel!

  • we study fare prices, possible travel options;
  • Thinking about whether to buy a tourist card?
  • for those who have a car - be sure to find out the situation with parking!

Study in advance the types of transport and tickets, discount cards. This will allow you not to waste time on the proceedings on the spot.

Visa for travel in Europe

Many are afraid of the word visa and pay two or three times more money to visa processing firms. In fact, obtaining a visa to Europe is quite not scary. In large cities, there have long been multivisa centers, where you can consult and submit documents yourself (first of all, we are talking about Schengen).

The main rule when choosing a country for obtaining a visa is documents are submitted to the country in which you will stay the longest. If the number of days in several countries is the same, the country is preferred first entry.

When the country of submission was decided, study the list of documents(for a tourist visa, these are usually plane tickets and other transport; hotel / apartment reservations; proof of solvency - a bank statement, a letter from a sponsor, a certificate of currency purchase; medical insurance; employment certificate; Photo).

Insurance no extra running can make a comparison and selection of insurances on the website . All options are available laid out, you can compare several insurance. In my experience buying even cheaper through this site(I made it out in the office for 10 days - it turned out 1010 rubles, another time I bought it through the site for 15 days for 740 rubles and with more options)!

Well, then you collect it all and serve it, better in advance. In my experience, from submitting documents to obtaining a passport, it takes an average of 2 weeks. If you receive not the first Schengen, it is better to request a multivisa, and there the consul will sort it out.

The seventh plus of independent travel is visa processing at a "fair" price, choice of insurance with the options you need from any insurance company, and even with discount.

  • find out if there is a visa / consular center in your city;
  • choose a country for obtaining a visa;
  • find out the list of required documents;
  • download the questionnaire on the website of the consulate, print it out according to the specified rules (both sides) and fill it out;
  • we print out plane tickets, if any - for a train, bus or car reservation confirmation;
  • print out hotel or apartment booking confirmations;
  • we take a certificate of employment at work;
  • in the bank we get a certificate of account status (sometimes an extract from an ATM + a photocopy of the front side of the card is enough) or we leave a certificate of currency purchase;
  • select and draw up insurance, print;
  • we take pictures for a visa (sometimes you can do it right at the visa center);
  • we take it all, the necessary amount of money to pay the fee and go to submit documents!

If there is a visa center in your or the nearest city, do not overpay intermediaries, submit documents yourself! It's not difficult at all. And it’s better to immediately ask for a multivisa.

What to take on an independent trip, more precisely, what should not be taken on a trip

No need to take 3 suitcases with you of things. Think about how many clothes you will need for 2-3 weeks? Given that everything and everywhere you can buy if necessary.

For many years I traveled with a small backpack - and there were always extra things! Remember that now the trend is that extra pounds and extra bags often have to pay. Usually the size of a suitcase (backpack) that can be carried as hand luggage55x40x20 cm, up to 10 kg.

It is also worth considering that in hand luggage can't carry liquids(including creams) in containers, over 100 ml with a total volume of more than 1 liter. And it’s better to put all the liquids in one bag / cosmetic bag and not take it far away - they may ask you to show it. I just pour everything into small bottles left over from hotels. :) Similar bottles can also be purchased at the store.

  • think of a reasonable list of things;
  • we buy medicines on the road (just in case, of course);
  • necessarily!!! we study the rules of the airline (at least we read what is written on the ticket);
  • we remove all liquids more than 100 ml from hand luggage(including creams) or pour into small bottles;
  • we collect the suitcase, it is advisable to check the weight before leaving for the airport.

Take a reasonable minimum of things. So you will be more mobile and save on flights.

That's all the main points when planning an independent trip. Believe me, following these simple tips, you can travel independently and cheaply!

Just think about how much money you overpay travel agencies just for the fact that some uncle / aunt will “lead you by the hand” from the bus to the next attraction. And often you won’t even be able to really consider the attraction, because it’s time to go to another one!

By planning a trip yourself, you can do everything the way you want!

And with the money saved, you can order a transfer or hire a guide, and even stay for trips to restaurants and other entertainment!

I hope this article helped you learn how to travel cheap on your own. Happy independent and cheap travel!