Make Me Marvellous with Minimal Money Mondays: #travelhacking

TRAVEL HACKING - OH YES!!!!!!!!!!


     Alright already, so I'm not the FIRST one to post about this Godsend known as #travelhacking, but please, be patient with me.  And, thus, the first tip to travel hacking is discovered - PATIENCE! You will get that deal, you will get that low price, the red square next to the date and time will show up (avid users of the EUROLINES website will appreciate that one  :).  Sometimes, I will find after a successful search that I have been looking for a bargain for 3-4 hours, it happens people, and guess what?  It's SO worth the time and energy.  Alright now, y'all, let's move on down to the next tip - TIME, TIME, TIME (and I hear it waits for no one).  So, c'mon then y'all, let's go!

     Oh, dear magic 8-ball, dost thou see my future? No, not possible.  DARN IT!  Guess, I'll just have to best to figure it out on my own.  Okay, here goes, 3 months from now, I will be on that flight booked on www.expedia.com and THIS will save me at least HALF the cost of the ticket.  TIME, people, TIME, its just gotta be managed.  Because I travel on a budget, I often find that if I know my schedule then I save. I don't fly often but when I do, I use www.expedia.com.  More often than not, a 2-3 month window will lower the cost dramatically.  And that makes a cheap travel queen, like myself, sleep easy.

     To sleep or not to sleep,  THAT is the real question.  Y'all know it's coming - sleeping on the bus/train in order to save on those killer accommodation prices!  WHEW!  I had to, I had to write it, I had to.  No, no one would RATHER sleep on a bus/train as opposed to sleeping in a nice comfy bed but when you wake up the next morning and realise how much you've saved, the bus/train becomes more and more appealing.  Yes, really.  And, oftentimes, the night prices are the cheaper prices.  Another perk of night travel is that on many of these bus trips movies are shown and that makes the experience even more enjoyable (see my post on EUROLINES to see that movies are more of a staple rather than a rarity).

Speaking of EUROLINES and their already low prices, there is a way to get an even lower price when booking with them - website 1 vs. website 2.  I know, a bit cheesy but accurate, nonetheless  :)  For example, let's say you would like to book a trip from London to Budapest.  First, you look on the UK website, nationalexpress.com (website 1).  Then, you go over to the Hungarian EUROLINES website, www.volanbusz.com (website 2).  Both websites will list a price of around 200 dollars US.  However, on www.volanbusz.com, you will find an even lower price based on the fact that this ticket can not be modified or refunded (which I have found to be extremely useful and worth booking).  In all fairness, www.nationalexpress.com offers a non-refundable option but I have found that www.volanbusz.com offers and even lower price. 

1)   PATIENCE
2)   TIME
3)   SLEEP
4)   COMPARISON SHOPPING

The key factors in successful #travelhacking...you need to be flexible with the above mentioned and also willing to sacrifice them, if needed.  But, it's well worth it in the end. 

Well, in the words of the ultra-savvy Mr. Bugs Bunny, THAT'S ALL FOLKS!

 

From Plovdiv to Budapest via Sofia and Serbia (EUROLINES): TUESDAYTRAVELSWITH'TIMBO

So, this time our travels have led us to Budapest, Hungary - from Plovdiv, Bulgaria via Eurolines Bus Company.  We started our day at 5 am (getting ready to head to the bus station by 05:40).  From Plovdiv to Sofia, we rode a small 10-seater van.  Once in Sofia (an hour early and a first for us, I might add), we were able to grab some snacks for the trip and get a good seat (since there were so few people on this early morning bus we were able to each have 2 seats to ourselves to stretch out - and eat, thank you Mr. Bus Driver). 

Pumpkin Pooh getting her grub on with a pastry given to her by a fellow passenger

(her grandmother made them  :)

 

Chug-a-lug, chug-a-lug, chug-a-lug, we're off to Serbia.  Crossing from Bulgaria into Serbia wasn't as arduous and exhausting as I thought it would be. 

 





YES, we had to get off the bus and show our passports and YES we had to bring our bags from the bus with us, but the process was quick and straightforward.  And after we returned to the bus, we were pleasantly surprised with...

 

...a movie...

Killing Season starring Robert DeNiro and John Travolta

(appropriate movie given it was about the war in Bosnia and Serbia and we started and finished the film while in Serbia)

 

The bus driver played movies all the way into the evening and the genre of movies varied from action to romantic comedy.  There were many bathroom breaks, an extended meal break and plenty of time to just walk outisde for a photo op.

 

 

All in all, the trip from Plovdiv to Budapest was great.  This trip proves that the bus drivers really can make or break a travel experience and thanks to the bus drivers on this bus route, our experience was quite positive...

 

 

...and we arrived at Népliget International Bus Station in Budapest half an hour early.

 

 

I'd say that was some good ol' fashioned grade A customer service, wouldn't you?