This is a sponsored post on behalf of PenFed; all opinions are my own.

Now that travel is opening up, I’m pretty sure you’re ready to go. However, if you’re not comfortable yet, I think it’s great to go ahead and plan out and make a budget towards your trip ahead of time.

Covering everything from picking locations to planning an itinerary, I’ll try to set you up for the trip of a lifetime without breaking your bank.

Pick a Great Travel Card

You’re already going to be spending a lot of money upfront whether in purchasing luggage or to purchase plane tickets so why not go ahead and put it on your card. PenFed has their Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card that offers a ton of benefits. So go ahead and put that plane ticket and luggage on your card because you can get 50,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 in the first 90 days as well as points on travel and other purchases.

What I do is have that money pretty much in hand to pay it off just so I can be a little bit more responsible. It makes it easier to travel with the card because you are able to have peace of mind.

PenFed Benefits

PenFed offers outstanding member benefits. Previously, membership was limited to the military, certain government agencies, and residents of eligible locations, but as of 2019, PenFed is open to everyone.

When applying, select "None of the above" in the membership application's eligibility section and open a savings account with a minimum of $5. All members must open and maintain a share (savings) account with at least $5.

Please note, this is not a membership "fee." Rather, it is the member's ownership share, and the requirement is the same for every member. Once you join, you can enjoy all the exciting benefits of membership too! PenFed is insured by NCUA.

In just the first 90 days of becoming a member you can rack up to 50,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000, 3x points on all travel purchases, and 1.5 points on all other purchases!

Giveaway

Right now when you apply and are approved for the Pathfinder® rewards card you can enter to win their $10,000 dream vacation giveaway! Apply and get approved today and your ultimate vacation could be yours! And now, read on for more tips on affordable travel.

Book a Flight

I cannot stress enough to use a site that specializes in affordable flight planning. I know a lot of people tell you to Google flights, which is a great idea, but I have found super affordable flights on these speciality sites with a little wait time. If you live near a capital city or an even bigger city than yours, it might be cheaper to fly out from there. You can take a bus to that location or get dropped off by a friend who might be headed that way and spend anywhere from $100 to a couple hundred dollars.

Stay Out of Capital Cities

A week in Paris will cost you around $1500 if you’re doing it affordably. With the same $1500, you can visit three to four cities in three countries. The key is to not go to the capital. Paris is iconic but Lyon has better food and is way more affordable. Rome is great but Naples is better and you’ll get more bang for your buck. Granted you can find hostels outside of the city and you can commute in as well.

Chose a Hostel with Intention

I know this sounds kind of redundant but picking a hostel with intention is key to the success of your trip. Look up the location of where your hostel will be located and that will be a great start. But two things that I really recommend when looking for a hostel apart from a quiet room, is a kitchen and a free breakfast. I know you are on vacation and want to be able to eat out at the small local food joints, but eating breakfast gets your day started and it’s free. And having the option to have a kitchen allows you to either cook in the hostel and take food with you or have a snack whenever you want. You’re able to bring packed food and enjoy your picnic in the city. Check out my blog on how to choose a hostel right here.

Travel in the Off Season

Look and do your research before heading out. For example, say you are dead set on Paris. Paris’ quieter tourist season is typically in late winter or early spring. Traveling during these times can definitely save you money on food and lodging and the people that live there are typically going to be more inviting as well.

Take Advantage of that Student Life

Europe tends to be very student friendly so take advantage of that. Make sure you bring your student ID with proof of enrollment to take advantage of free or discounted museum visits at minimum. There’s so many different options per city that give you the opportunity to experience so much.

Also the eurail has a student priced train ticket. It’s heavily discounted compared to the regularly priced one and offers so many different perks from boat to train rides to in the city transportation.

Travel in the Interior

If you are on a limited time constraint, I definitely recommend just taking flights from each location with a local service like Ryanair. This will save you so much more time as you will be able to spend less time traveling and more time exploring.

If you visit there for much longer than two weeks, take advantage of the train system because you’ll see a lot more of Europe by looking out the window and you will also save a lot more money traveling that way. I do have to let you know that you might have to make reservations depending on how busy the train is but they are no more than a couple euros.

Go East

The further east you go, the more affordable it is! Not to mention that a lot of people tend to stick towards Western Europe so going east will give you a unique experience that you can talk about. Not only is food more affordable, but lodging is as well. The countries in Eastern Europe are incredibly beautiful and the scenery is to die for. Again you could probably mix this up with your travel and incorporate some western European countries as well.

Good Eats

This might require you to get out of your shell but talk to the locals. Ask them where their favorite places are to eat or just walk around in the city and stop in a place. But with food being one of the most expensive things on your trip, I definitely recommend splurging at least once per city. For example, a great chocolate shop experience. If a city is known for a specific dish, go eat it. Or if the city is known for their cuisine, take advantage of it.

You want to be able to have the trip of a lifetime and be able to eat food that you might not be able to find in the United States.

I hope these tips helped you out because they definitely helped me on my trip and on my journeys. Make sure to check out my blog on things you should do before you leave the country. Safe travels!

9 Tips for How to Make the Best of Your European Vacation