Travel Therapy: Amsterdam + how to travel the world on a small budget

In 2013 I made a vow to be more adventurous and travel as much as I could. As we all know, travelling is very expensive, and the fact that I hadn’t yet won the lottery or met a rich Arabian prince meant I had to be very creative with my budget. Despite financial limitations, I was able to visit 14 new cities in 2014 alone (7 countries). Read on if you’d like to learn tips and tricks to help you fly on a small budget.(Tips are under the first few pictures)

I hope you guys find these tips helpful. Below are pictures from my short stay in Amsterdam--enjoy!


 I amsterdam sign at  Museumplein area

Tip 1- Pay for a plane ticket to one city and take the train/bus to nearby cities: Last spring, I spent some time in Europe and visited multiples cities. Before I bought a plane ticket from the US to Europe, I had done a research on the proximity of certain European countries from each other. I flew into Geneva from the US and spent 3-4 days exploring Switzerland. Paris which was one of my must-go destinations was only an hour flight from Geneva, so I flew to Paris and spent two nights there, (ticket was about $60). Brussels was only an hour and a half away by train from Paris, so I took a train to Brussels and spent a full day there. Italy rated high on my to-go list, so I flew in to Rome from Paris and spent 3 days exploring the ancient city. I also made sure to visit Florence which was only an hour away via train from Rome.

Peace from Vondelpark

Tip 2-Stick to one hotel & flight booking website: I use hotel.com for all my hotel bookings, and because of this, I am able to accumulate points and get free hotel nights.

I woke up early to catch the sunrise at Vondelpark

Tip 3-Stalk travel site & sign up for notifications: I have never purchased a ticket during a fare glitch, but I have heard of people who stalk airline sites and are able to take advantage of airlines erroneously publishing shockingly low fares. Sign up for email alerts on sites like http://www.airfarewatchdog.com/ and be sure to follow travel sites on social media. Someday, I too shall benefit from these screw ups. *knock on wood*.
Taking in the view

Tip 4-Buy your ticket way ahead of time: Rarely are plane fares reduced,so make up your mind about where you want to go and buy your ticket ASAP.

Amsterdam is the most bicycle-friendly capital city in the world-Wikipedia

Tip 5- Be flexible with travel dates: In the past I'd get notifications for extremely cheap flight/hotel fares and if I hadn’t planned a trip around that time, I would ignore the notification and then later feel like I'd lost out on a good deal. Well, now if I find an unbelievably cheap deal, I go far and beyond to make the time work for me. Last November, I visited Montreal, Quebec because I got a notification for a $40 per night hotel. I did a quick research and saw that the hotel typically cost $150. Montreal is is a few hours away from me, so I jumped on the offer and went off to explore the lovely city.

Amsterdam is the first home of the world famous beer, Heineken

Tip 6- Multi Stops: Unless you are pressed for time, NEVER buy an international ticket directly to your destination city. Last December, I visited Dubai and made sure I bought a ticket that had multiple stops. For my departure trip, I chose a ticket that would stop for more than 24 hours in Amsterdam. I had the choice of Moscow or Amsterdam, but I chose Amsterdam because the main tourist sights are in a central location. The trick however, is to make sure that the stop over is in the morning or early afternoon. Night stop overs are a waste of time as most places of interest are closed. For my Amsterdam trip, I arrived at Schipol Airport at 3:00pm in the afternoon and left at 2:30pm the next day. Being there during the day afforded me the opportunity to visit the tourist sights and experience the night life as well. 

I Amsterdam sign at Schipol Airport

A cute Dutch street

The dome of the Royal Palace of Amsterdam

Exterior of Rijks Museum

Amsterdam

Dam Square

At Dam Square

Had to make a stop at the world famous Bull Dog Cafe

Made it to the Anne Frank House. Her story is intriguing yet sad
 

Leidseplein Square is the party district of Amsterdam 


View from the morning canal boat cruise I took


A ride through the canals

And of course I had to make it down to the Red Light Distict. Ahem--lips sealed

That's all folks enjoy the rest of the week.