How do you afford traveling so much? Cheap travel tips!

Hey Guys!
I can't tell you how many times I've been asked how I'm able to afford to travel as much as I do because I honestly lost count...
In 2017 I've been to Miami, a few places in the UK, Croatia and now Madrid, whilst studying in University and dancing 6 times a week, so I must be rich, right? WRONG! I'm neither rich, nor do my parents pay for my travels. So how am I able to afford it? Here we go...

1. Don't splurge on unnecessary things
My two biggest passions are ballet and traveling, so those are the only things I really spent money on.  Of course I buy clothes occasionally, when I need them, or go out for lunch or dinner with friends but I don't eat out all the time, I don't spend fortunes on expensive clothes and I don't invest in new devices a lot. You'd be surprised how much money that saves.
Also, I ask for money for christmas and my birthday, instead of things I don't actually need. My family knows about my passion to travel so I always get something travel related for major life events too. For instance, my aunt and uncle paid for my flight to the US as a graduation present.

2. Hostels and cheap flights 
When I travel, I don't stay in Hotels, that would be crazy expensive. I stay in Hostels and book cheap flights after comparing prices from various airlines. Don't book flights too far in advance or too close to your travel date and you'll be able to get great deals. Also watch out for flight sales. Follow airlines and travel sites on social media and find out about sales right away.

3. Work for your stay
Many hostels take helpers who work for them in exchange for free accommodation. I just stayed in the UK for a month without paying any rent, working at the hostel I stayed at 3 days a week. Saved me a whole lot of money and still left a lot of time to explore. I know many hostels do that, I've met helpers in America and heard of many hostels in South America who do that to. Consider signing up for sites like helpx to find jobs that give you free accommodation, it's not just hostels who do that, also private people, farm owners, etc.

4. Making money
If you have enough free time, find a job. I occasionally work as an extra for movies and tv productions and while it's not a fixed job, it does pay well and you get fed on set.

5. Do your math and be prepared to walk
Research the location of your accomodation! Are you central or will you have to spend tons of money on public transport to get downtown? There is no point in staying at a hotel/hostel 10 miles outside the city center of London for a few bucks less because you will end up spending tons of money on the subway to get to the city and back.

6. Planning and research
Research airport transfers in advance, in some places it's way cheaper to book those in advance! Is it worth investing in tourist passes? Find out! Make a list of places you want to go, find out how far they are apart, are you able to walk to many places or will you have to take public transport? Find out where to buy food in advance so you won't have to spend tons of money eating out! Also research free walking tours, I did some of those in Exeter and they were amazing! They do those in many cities, so find out if there are any at your destination. Also research free museums, there are so many in London, for example and they are really good!

7. Book in adavance
Especially when your in the UK, this is the ultimate money saver. Train tickets are seriously expensive if you don't book in advance and megabus offers amazingly cheap coach travels if you book a few weeks in advance. Same goes for National Express.

Try some of these things and you'll be amazed about how cheap traveling can actually be!

See you soon!
Laulie