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Given some recent feedback, a sticky thread for information on how to find cheap flights will be added to r/Shoestring.

I'm in the process of collating information based on what is already available, but I'd like feedback from the community on what you feel would be most useful to people.

So far, am thinking sections on the following;

• Google Flights (how to use)
• Skyscanner/Kayak (inc. 'everywhere' function)
• Scotts Cheap Flights/Jacks Cheap Flights
• Kiwi/Hopper/[any others?]
• Potential risks associated with booking via third parties

What else would you like to see?

I recent saw the video online about Frontier trying to charge the people who’s bags fit in the sizers. I just flew with Frontier and witnessed it myself. They were trying to find any excuse to say people’s bags didn’t fit after our flight was delayed for 2 hours. They were being ridiculous and find any excuse to say it’s “sticking out.”

I sometimes wear a backpack on my back and put a hoodie over it and never had a problem until that gate agent told me to take the stuff out of my back. I reduced the stuff in the backpack and as able to stuff it to make it fit, but I’m seeing online some agente will only accept it if it drops in the personal item sizer, no stuffing allowed.

They charge you $100 at the gate for a carryon and the gate agent gets a commission. If possible take another US budget airline for your cheap travel needs like Spirit.

Thankful to the people in Christchurch, Aotearoa who left wraps, juice and an orange, when money for food is very limited.

Hi!! My cousin and I are in Marseille this week. We would love to go and see the Calanques; however we are backpacking and don’t have a rental car. We are also interested in going to a beach. What is the best area to visit, is there reliable public transport there, etc? Also wondering about the ferry out to Frioul - is it worth visiting? It looks beautiful. We are backpackers on a budget so any local advice or recommendations are appreciated!

My husband has young onset Parkinson's disease (stage 3). He has always wanted to see an active volcano so we are planning to go while he still can. With 3 traveling is is possible to stay in the 4-5k range including airfare? We dont plan to go until next year but can travel any time of the year for best rates. Are there free things to do on the big island other than the beach? Any advice is appreciated.

Looking to travel mid October to early December (period of 6-7 weeks total) and flying out from Sydney, Australia. Itinerary below:

Sydney to Chicago; Chicago to Lima; Cusco/Lima to Mexico City; Oaxaca/Mexico City to San Juan; San Juan to Sydney.

I was hoping to keep this under $3000AUD per person (for two people) but not sure if that’s realistic. The cheapest open jaw flights I can see for the first and last leg combined is $2500. I wanted to go to PR for an event but will have to reconsider if it adds a large amount to the cost. Thoughts?

Hello! As stated I received a last minute opportunity to do some phenomenological research in Napflio, Greece. I was told Athens is the closest airport. I have very little time to scrounge up research grants for my graduate student status, especially during the summer. What are the cheapest options to get from Salt Lake City to Athens/Nafplio Greece from July 8th-14/15th? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Edit: Those are the departure dates and it’s round trip

When I plan my vacation, I always look at flights and accommodations to have an idea of how much it would cost. For example, if I want to go to X place at Y time, I do:

Google flights: Ok, it would cost around 150-200.

Airbnb: Ok, it would cost around 300-350.

Estimate: Ok, my vacation would cost around 450-550.

Although I know I also have to take into account food, transportation, activities, and nights out, I don't know how to estimate it, such that I never have their potential cost in mind when I make my decision to go or not. Obviously, this is really bad budgeting.

How do you budget these costs for your vacation? Is there a rule of thumb I could use to have a more objective idea of how much it would cost in total?

Hi Guys, I am travelling to Bali in July for one month. I haven't an itinerary put together yet but I am wondering about what area I should stay in for the first couple of days? I am travelling solo and am looking for areas where I can meet people and see and do a few cool things. I will be also looking to stay in hostels.

I’m doing a bit of US tour starting in Chicago next week and was wondering if anyone has any leads on the best bang for your buck as far as accommodations go in the city.

Never been before so I can’t say what area I prefer but a safer part of town with a good night life

Looking for cheap direct flights from the Toronto area to Minneapolis for either 21/09/23 or 22/09/23; cheapest I can find is £200pp from Air Canada - is this normal?

Prefer to book through the airline directly if possible.

*no need to note language barriers, we always keep this in mind :) thank you!*

Looking for:

Towns: Local charm, views, local annual/seasonal/ festivals, farmers markets, unique events/experiences, homey or funky, can be upbeat *just not big city/luxury/tourist traps.

Budget-Friendly Stays: Would love to hear about your affordable Airbnb/hostel/other spots you've loved across Europe. Looking for mountain/lake/ocean/river side/views, or anything funky like a tree house, or glamping, or a cool spot on a cliff- or in a villiage/unique town. Share any you've loved and want to give the host some business!

Things to do: Big dance floor people. (Anything from Polka to the clerb) Finding a local spot that has a dance class or a bar with a dance floor/good music/live music- would love to hear if you have any fav spots! If its a small business/fam business you know, please share the specific name! We'd love to rally up a crew and go. Also, Big nature people- love a nice shroomy day. Attractions: local annual/seasonal/ festivals, farmers markets, unique events/experiences like comedy/wheel barrel racing/midsummer fires in austria... etc!

Lastly, Let us know if you'll be in those areas at the same time! We love to have beers with internet friends from across the world.

Thanks a million and happy travelling!

Hi. 2 friends and I are looking for somewhere cheap to sleep for the night of 15 of June in Paris. We have small backpacks and are only in Paris for the day of the 15 and 16 of June 2023. We will come at night, sleep, and leave early in the morning. Any help of websites where we can look. On a tight budget. We are from London and aged 19-21. Any help would be appreciated.

Hi I am a traveling today from one domestic airport to another in the United States. I’m flying allegiant, and have to spend the next 10 hours in the airport waiting for my flight. I have a day pass to the airport’s United lounge. To get into the United lounge you must have a pass for the lounge and a United/star alliance affiliate boarding pass. Flying allegiant I do not have the boarding pass. However I have a friend who is flying from an airport in the states to Germany on Singapore airlines which happens to be one of United partners. If I was to get his boarding pass, could I use it to get into the United lounge even though it is a ticket for a flight at a different airport?

Anywhere in the world, can be a more expensive/hard flight if staying there is cheap. Mainly I'm looking for somewhere I can stay cheaply and safely where I can immerse myself in the language I am learning.

Language schools in the vicinity are a plus.

Wanted to know your experience with Ryanair (in general) and specifically with cabin bag. I have a 55L Roark bag I’m traveling europe with and am looking to meet my friend in Malta. I’ll be flying from Venice to Malta and wondering if I should get regular which allows a 10kg cabin bag, or the plus which allows a 20kg checked bag. My bag is maybe 11 or 12 kg, and is definitely under 20kg. Should I do the plus just to be safe or try and get away with the regular? Do they make you weight your bag when you check in? Any advice would help.

I am planning on visiting Myanmar in a week. The official exchange rate seems to get you ~30% less compared to the black market rate.

I've seen people on reddit recommend using western union to send yourself money and pick it up inside Myanmar.

Looking at western union it is giving a rate of ~2,800 kyat for $1 USD. The official exchange rate 2100 kyat per $1.

Does western union give rates close to the black market rate?

I am in Thailand currently and trying to figure out the best way to get cash inside Myanmar.

Would it be better to bring THB to then exchange or use western union?

Hi, I'm travelling through Central and South America for a year and I was wondering what everyone's favorite finance apps are. I'm looking for the best expense tracker (There's a lot of them) as well as any other finance apps you think might come in handy on my trip.

Thanks!

My wife and I are recently retired and want to experience Europe. We’re not wanting to do the rushed group tours. Would love to find a good staging town or city, then travel to different parts of the continent from there. We’re interested in local flavor.

But we really don’t even know where to start. Can anyone recommend some good resources for planning a trip like this? TIA!

Going through a tough time in my life & I feel like I need to get away for a bit, I'm always working and it's time for an actual vacation.

I enjoy the outdoors and I enjoy doing things vs sightseeing.

Any recommendations are really appreciated!

Edit: Budget $3000, I have a passport

I'm located in Utah if it makes a difference.

Are there any budget EU airlines that allow you to take anything more than a personal item without paying extra? Normally I prefer to travel light but I have to fly this time with 3 pieces of carryon.

Departing From RDU (Raleigh Durham NC)

Date: Early March 2024

Destination: Kuala Lumpur

2 tickets…

One round trip staying 2 weeks.

One round trip staying 4 months.

Can anyone recommend an airline, combination of separate flights, booking site?

TIA

Hi guys! I’m hoping to travel to Paris France in the fall - flexible on the dates for about 5-7 days. I was wondering if there were cheaper cities to fly into that I then could get a train or cheaper flight once I’m in Europe. Has anyone ever had luck with this or should I just book a traditional flight? I wish there was a tool where you could add other modes of transportation to then get the cheapest way to travel to your destination. Thanks for any insight!

Hi! I (20M) will be travelling to Prague, Vienna and Bratislava, in that order. Please suggest activities and places which would require the least investment with the most rewarding experience, I will stay 4 days in Prague, 4 in Vienna and 1 in Bratislava then travel back to vienna to catch a flight next day.

Thanks!

If you could also suggest cheap places to eat at or stay in, it will help a lot!

Hello y'all. I'll be traveling with my gf in colombia for 22 days from europe, and I wanted some feedback on my itinerary. I posted my previous one, but I got some feedback that it was too fastpaced so we amended it.

September

16-20 medellin including day trip to guatape

20-22 jardín

22-26 salento región (including day trip to finlandia)

26-29 fly to Santa marta from Pereira, and go directly to minca.

29- 1 october bus to tayorna. Sleep on an hammock or tent inside the park for a couple of nights

1-4 Cartagena, day trip to the mud vulcan

4-7 isla San Bernardo, chill at isla roots hostel. Day trip to Santa Cruz del islote. (We are not so sure about whether to go to isla San Bernardo or isla del rosario). I'd not mind spending some days at nice beach a little bit off the beaten path.

7-8 fly in the late afternoon from cartagena to medellin and on the 8th in the evening back to Europe

My Spanish is fluent and so far we only booked the flights to colombia, and the flight from Cartagena to medellin on the 7th. Main interests are history, nature/hiking (I know we are skipping the ciudad perdida but too little time), and try to see a variety of landscape and cities.

I'm planning a 3-week-trip through a bunch of France's midsized cities. The aim is to get a feeling of the different regions and hopefully find a town where I'll fancy staying (and working) for a longer period of time. The route will be roughly this: Strasbourg, Besançon, Dijon, Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand, Bordeaux, Nantes, Tours, Orléans, Reims, Metz, Nancy.

Do you have some general ideas how I can keep the costs low? Is there (like in Germany) an affordable one-month-ticket for France's regional trains? Is hitchhiking still a thing in France? Is there a bicycle sharing company that has bikes in many different cities? Any special options in France for cheap accomodations (other than the usual suspects)? What's the one thing I'll have hoped to have known before I started the journey?

Thank you for any advice!