If there is one thing I learned from my study exchange in Copenhagen it’s that experiences are so much more valuable than goods. I used to be quite materialistic and I am still a “gadgetman”, but I do realise now that there are way better ways to spend money than on a new flatscreen and home theatre system (yes, I actually bought these things last year and haven’t used them all that much).
TravelMagic
A few months ago I was introduced to TravelMagic, a yearly seminar in Brussels about travel hacking. Travelling is not “cheap”, and will never be really cheap*. But travel hacking is about using your money in better ways – getting free upgrades, finding the best deals, etc – it’s about travelling in luxury on a budget.
With TravelMagic you fly in First Class for roughly the same price as an Economy ticket, you go on a citytrip for €0,00 and you are greeted with a complimentary glass of champagne upon arrival. You can have the best elite status in a hotel chain without even having stayed there once or you can get an employees rate without actually knowing somebody working there.
Poor students
I must not exaggerate. Even though you can score some pretty awesome deals, travelling on its own is never cheap. There is a lot of collateral damage when travelling, you spend more money on food, drinks, attractions, etc. For a student these expenses add up pretty quickly.
Anyway, remember the time you went on a last-minute holiday? You thought you did a pretty good job finding that deal, didn’t you? Well, I thought that as well 2 years ago when I went to Turkey for 780 euro for 3 nights in a nice resort for 2 persons. Guess what, now that I know some tips & tricks I could have gone to somewhere way fancier! This is what travel magic is for me: spending the money you were going to spend anyway, but getting (way) more for it in return.
Basel, Switzerland
Basel is the cheapest destination of Brussels Airlines. Starting from just €69 you can book a round-trip from Brussels. Since my re-exams are bound to be done next week I chose to take advantage of this.
I found a great rate at Radisson Blu, and the “Great Getaway” sale of Hilton also drew my attention. We’re talking about respectively four and five star hotels here, right in the center of the city. These rooms usually sell for around €200-€300 per night. I paid €350 for the flights and 3 nights in these hotels. And technically, these are double rooms, so if I would have shared this room it would been even less!
Copenhagen, Denmark
Yes, it’s time to go back! After living there for 5 months last semester, I now want to pay this wonderful city another visit: and I’ll be taking my dad with me, since the last time he was there was over 25 years ago.
Unfortunately the flight was not that cheap at €175 because of the short notice I booked this one. This is where airmiles could have come in handy: this is usually a great solution for booking fares on a short notice. I don’t have enough unfortunately but luckily I am saving them, so when the time comes I will make good use of them.
Time for good news: I’ll be doing 3 different hotels in 3 nights. Radisson Blu Scandinavia, Radisson Blu Falconer and the Bella Sky Comwell. Again, a room in these hotels would typically set you back around €250 euro per night. Luckily I found better rates: I will be paying €285 for all of them.
I will keep you posted about my experiences! Peace out.
*Note: Actually, travelling can be cheap indeed. Look for error fares and best rate guarantees and you can actually travel in luxury for almost literally no money.
