Leaving Today (and budget traveling)

Woke up at 5am this morning to attempt to start adjusting to the time difference. My flight is at 5pm tonight which is sort of overnight but not really. When I land in Dubrovnik it will be 8am there, which is 2am here, which means probably some jet lag and a long day ahead.

I am mostly packed, just have to pick up a water bottle at Target and I’m done. I have left plenty of space in my bags to bring back treasures from my travels.

Packing for budget travel can be tough. Hostels miss some obvious luxuries like no room service or maid fixing your sheets. But they also save money on little things like toiletries. I got these cute refillable 3oz bottles to hold my shampoo etc and hope that will be enough for two weeks.

This is a beach and swimming trip so I will have to bring a beach towel. It’s a bulky item but necessary. Also have to bring a towel for showering. Many hostels have towels to rent for super cheap (maybe $2 max) but the boat said to bring a towel so another bulky item in the bag.

Honestly this has been one of my more expensive vacations. The flight is direct from Newark and I am flying Economy (oooh!) rather than Basic Economy…living large here! $950 to sit in the last row of the plane (but as of this morning the seat next to me is still empty…fingers crossed!)

The cruise is one of the better deals in my opinion. $1500 for 7 nights on the boat, 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches, and one dinner. I’m sure the drinks onboard are super overpriced but it’s a cool experience to sail along the coast.

Croatia has become super popular and prices have increased, I wish I went even a year ago. Outside of the boat, I have 5 nights accommodation at 3 different places for $395. Honestly I could have spent a lot less on this but in 2/3 I have a private room! Aging out of the dorms I guess?

One of my budget travel tricks is paying for things in advance. The flight was paid in January, the cruise paid in April. When I check in to the hostels I will use my CC and apply points. I always pay for accommodations with my cc points. So mainly need money for food and fun! (And back in the day I would definitely eat a loaf of bread and cheese with some stolen honey to save $$$, might be over that phase now but tbd bc inflation and I’m frugal and I love cheese and bread and honey.)

I have $500 in Kunas (Croatian money) ready to go for places than don’t take CC.

I think I’m ready?