This is one of the more practical posts Rachel wrote as it something she was often asked about weekly. While she has a more general guide on how to handle money abroad, this one is specifically about money in India and how to handle rupees, the local currency.

With the help of Jules, our local Indian expert, we’ve added a bit of an update for 2020 to help answer all your rupee-related questions. Don’t worry, though, as Rachel originally said, this is a pretty basic post! Even in India, money is quite straightforward.

Still planning your trip? Check out our India ebook, born out of Rachel’s six years living and traveling through the country! It’ll help you plan every aspect of your trip all in one place!

Money in India: All You Need to Know

The 2016 Money Crisis in India

Back when Rachel wrote this post in 2017, India had just experienced a tourism disaster in late 2016 when the government announced they were pulling all 500 and 1,000 notes from circulation. She covered it here and had advice for visiting here. Of course, even back then, the issue had passed and was no longer a problem in India. The main result was that 1,000 notes were no longer valid.

Additionally, because of this money crisis, all over India a lot of places installed card machines. Today, it is a lot easier and acceptable to pay by card. Especially in restaurants, shops, cafes and other establishments. However, remember you will need cash for transport, markets, and other things along the way.

Two Types of Bills

Another point to remember is that after the introduction of the new 2,000, 500, and 200 notes came the newly designed 100, 50, 20 and 10. These are all a different set of colors as seen below and look a lot like monopoly money. Just to make it confusing for visitors, all the old notes, except the 500 Rs, are still in circulation and are valid.

Basically, there are 2 different possible notes for 100, 50, 20 and 10. You will get the hang of it and they are very clearly labelled with the amounts. Just watch out for the purple 100 and grey 500 as they can sometimes easily be confused!

How to Get Rupees BEFORE your trip to India

In order to prevent tax evasion, it’s nearly impossible to TAKE rupees out of the country. The max is 10,000 Rs.

In the USA, you can get rupees at AAA. Rachel’s parents got 50,000 Rs there before their trip to India. You can also order them through some banks but not all and, of course, many have different exchange rates.

In England, you used to be able to get Rupees at Thomas Cook. However, now you will have to call and ask your bank if they can order some in.

Some people will say that you cannot get rupees outside of India, but you can: Rachel has done it both through her small town bank and AAA in the USA.

Other than these countries, I do not have details further, but we would imagine it would be similar in Canada and countries in the EU. Check with your big travel agencies and also your bank as banks do exchange money, too. Don’t be alarmed if the wording is “buying foreign currency” as technically, that is what you are doing.

How to Get Rupees DURING Your Trip in India

In our opinion, there really isn’t any reason to stock up on rupees before you come. Rachel used to only ever keep around 10,000 Rs or less on her at all times in case she lost any or got robbed.

Banks/Cards to Use

The easiest things to do is to just go to the ATM and take out money at the airport. The fees are usually cheaper than exchanging at any of the foreign currency exchange counters. Bonus: If you use Charles Schwab, which is what Rachel used, they’ll reimburse you for any ATM fees and foreign transfer bank charges.

If you are coming from the UK then one of the best cards to have is Monzo. You can get the best exchange rate through here when paying by card and they waive ATM fees. The app that you should download for your phone lets you know exactly how much you have spent in your home currency literally a few seconds after payment or withdrawal. And if you are in a group and you all have a Monzo, it is a great way to keep tab on what everyone is spending and you can easily transfer money between each other.

Can you travel with foreign currency?

Rachel also used to travel with some US dollars in case of an emergency. Bring about $100 in $20s with you to save and put somewhere else hidden away. 

It is also very easy to exchange home currency notes to rupees. In most tourist places around India they have money exchange windows where you can usually get a pretty good rate – much better than at any airport. There will be a man with a drawer full of money who will happily exchange your notes. It is better to bring higher denomination notes. For example $5 and £5 are not commonly accepted everywhere.

Of course if you are going off the beaten track, to a hill station, a village or high up in the mountains then money exchange may not always be as common. So stock up when you can in cities. 

What is each bill worth and how much should I take out at the ATM?

As of the time of updating this post, May 2020, you can get the following bills/coins in India:

• Coins: you can get lots of different coins here, but the largest, 10 Rupees, is worth 13 cents. I often leave any coins as tips when I travel.
• 5 Rs bill (also a coin) = 7 cents
• 10 Rs bill = 13 cents
• 20 Rs bill = 26 cents
• 50 Rs bill = 65 cents
• 100 Rs bill = $1.31
• 200 Rs bill = $2.64
• 500 Rs bill = $6.59
• 2000 Rs bill = $26.35

As you can see there is a huge difference between the 500 note and the 2,000 note which is the largest note. This is because recently the 1,000 note was taken out of circulation with no news that it would re-enter.

Because of this, it’s difficult to break 2,000 notes outside of fancy restaurants, supermarkets, and hotels. When you can, try to break this big bill so that you have smaller change. Having smaller change will also make it easier to negotiate when you are shopping.

Max to take out at an ATM

As we said, take out no more than 10,000 Rs rupees at a time which is the maximum amount you can take out at most if not all ATM’s. You could, of course, use the ATM twice in a row and take 20,000 Rs and pay the fee twice. We only recommend this if you have to do something like pay for a week-long hotel in cash. Otherwise, you don’t need to have that much on hand as 10,000 Rs will likely last you around 5-7 days in India. Here is a breakdown of my India backpacking budget so you know how much to expect to spend (I go for $20/day).

If you need a large amount of money, compare the rates from your bank ATM fees and foreign currency transfer fees to the fees of Western Union. Often, it’s cheaper to send yourself money on Western Union which is very simple in India and can be picked up at most travel agent offices.

And there you have it. All you need to know about money in India and how to travel with rupees. Let us know if you have any questions below!

For More India Travel Planning Guides:

Check out some of these posts to help you continue planning your trip to India:

Trip Planning Tips

• The 30 Best Places to Visit in India
• Travel to India Made Easy With This Step By Step Guide
• 100 India Travel Tips You HAVE To Read
• 10 Tips for First Time Travel to India

Logistics

• How to Get an India Tourist Visa
• Travel Insurance for India
• How to Book a Train in India As Foreigner
• Do You Need a Filtered Water Bottle For India Travel?

Packing Tips

• How to Dress in India: the Ultimate Dos and Don’ts
• 10 Travel Essentials For India
• Men’s India Packing List
• The Only Backpacking Through India Packing List You Need

Itinerary Tips

• One Month Backpacking India | Itinerary, Hostels, Tips
• My Guide: the BEST Itinerary for India
• Kerala Backpacking Tips & 10 Day Kerala Itinerary
• Have The Perfect Rajasthan Trip By Copying This Two-Week Itinerary
• Goa One Week Itinerary for the Beach Lovers and Foodies

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The post Money in India: How To Get Rupees & Handle Money While Traveling in India first appeared on Hippie In Heels.

The post Money in India: How To Get Rupees & Handle Money While Traveling in India appeared first on Hippie In Heels.

Once upon a time it was pretty tricky trying to figure out how to get a tourist visa online. We’ve done a massive update to Rachel’s original guide to reflect how much has changed since she first had to get hers all those years ago. Read below for the quick and easy guide!

PS: Check out our India Guide eBook. After 6 years living there, Rachel’s experiences from backpacking to luxury travel have been put into this 100,000-word book which will help you plan the most amazing trip in India. Read what’s inside and reviews here.

Types of e-Visas for India

The e-visa can be broken down into:

• e-Tourist Visa (30 days, 1 year, 5 years)
• e-Business Visa (1 year)
• e-Conference Visa (30 days)
• e-Medical Visa (60 days)
• e-Medical Attendant Visa (60 days)

Chances are, you’re only going to need to be concerned with the e-Tourist Visa. We do have a post on e-Medical and e-Business visas here if you need those.

There are 3 options for the e-Tourist Visa are as follows:

1. One Month e-Tourist Visa: Valid up to 30 days and includes double entry.
2. One Year e-Tourist Visa: Valid up to 365 days and includes multiple entries.
3. Five Year e-Tourst Visa: Valid up to 5 years and includes multiple entries.

Important Note: For the 1 and 5 year visas, this does not mean you can stay in India for the whole time. You must exit the country after 90 days. If you’re from the US, UK, Canada, or Japan, you can stay for 180 days before needing to leave. If you have multiple entries selected then you are able re-enter India but you must leave before your visa expires and continue to stick to the capped number of days per visit – 90 or 180. For visas that allow you to stay longer, check this post for USA applicants and this post for UK applicants.

FAQ About the India e-Tourist Visa

Which airports is the e-Visa valid for?

Airports include: Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bagdogra, Bengaluru, Bhubaneshwar, Calicut, Chennai, Chandigarh, Cochin, Coimbatore, Delhi, Gaya, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Madurai, Mangalore, Mumbai, Nagpur, Portblair, Pune, Tiruchirapalli, Trivandrum, Varanasi & Vishakhapatnam.

Seaports include: Cochin, Goa, Mangalore, Mumbai, Chennai

You can, however, exit through any other authorized Immigration Check Post (ICP) in India.

Are the e-visas like visas on arrival?

No (unless you are from Japan, South Korea, or the UAE).

If you’ve ever applied for tourist visas to other countries, like Vietnam, those are typically visas on arrival. This means you apply online, get a letter of approval, and at the airport before you go through customs, you go to a separate area where they take your passport and add the visa.

The India tourist visa is not that, though you will get an email of your visa, which you need to print and bring with you to the airport.

Is the e-visa good for all parts of India?

Not all but most. It is not valid for restricted or protected areas such as Northeast India, Sikkim, Jammu, Kashmir, and parts of Himachal.

Can I apply for my visa right before I fly?

No. Even if you rush it for an “emergency visa” it’s going to take minimum of 2 days through iVisa‘s 2 day super rush processing.

Trust me, people get this confused. Rachel got many e-mails from people who didn’t realize until the night before and had to change their flights.

Usually the visa takes about 72 hours to process, sometimes faster. If you haven’t gotten it after 72 hours, you’re encouraged to call +91 11 24300666 or email indian-evisa@gov.in.

Can I just do a one way ticket to India?

No. You must have a return ticket or onward journey booked. This is a serious part of the Indian visa application process and they take it quite seriously. You will often be asked by the airline before you can even board your flight to India.

How much does the e-tourist visa cost?

Base on this calculator from iVisa, the government fees for a US Citizen are:

• 30 Day e-Tourst Visa: $26 USD
• 1 Year e-Tourist Visa: $41 USD
• 5 Year e-Tourist Visa: $82 USD

This should be roughly the same for other countries.

When does my e-visa time period start?

The e-visa will begin from the date you arrive in India.

It’s valid from the date of issue, and you can apply as early as 120 days before your intended arrival date. The latest you are recommended to apply is 4 business days before departure.

Who can get an India e-visa?

Most countries are eligible for the e-tourist visa, but not all. Check this list of countries valid for e-visa to India to see if your country is.

How many times can I apply for an e-Tourist visa?

You can only apply for TWO E-tourist visas in one year.

How to Apply for Your India Tourist Visa

There are two ways we’ll go over in this post. The first is the most straightforward way, which is through the Indian Government website and the other is through iVisa, which Rachel always preferred. We’ll outline both below. First up:

Through the Indian Government Website

Luckily for you, the process has become a lot more straightforward over the years. This way allows you to do everything yourself, and you simply follow the directions the website has laid out.

Warning: Just a word of warning that if you mess anything up with your application or wind up canceling your trip, you can not get a refund and must go through and pay all over again.

Step 1: Go to this page

This is the government page where you can begin your application. As you can see they now have a lot of information to help you out while you’re applying; including a sample application page.

Step 2: Fill out your application

At the bottom of the web page, click the button for “Apply here for e-visa.” Once you go through the application, you’ll be asked to upload a passport photo of yourself and a photocopy of your passport. Keep the specifications they have for each in mind and make sure your passport has at least 6 months left.

Step 3: Payment

You’ll them come to a page that prompts you to pay now or pay later. If you choose to pay later, you still must pay at least 4 days before arrival. You can choose between Payment Gateway or Paypal. Payment Gateway will have a 2.5% fee while Paypal will have a 3.5% fee.

Step 4: Approval

From there, within 72 hours, you should have a copy of an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA). Go back to the government website to confirm that your ETA status is GRANTED, and you can always track the status of your application on the site.

Step 5: At the Airport

You’ll need a physical copy of your approval with you at the airport, and there they will stamp your passport.

Through iVisa

iVisa is a 3rd party site that will handle everything for you for an additional $35 fee. It is the ONLY 3rd party site we recommend.

Rachel always preferred using iVisa and paying the extra fee because often the information around applying changes and can be confusing. And, of course, if you mess up, you wind up paying around $35 or more to redo your application.

Over the years, she had gotten THOUSANDS of emails about getting the e-visa. People have had issues with the government site (card not accepted to pay, site crashing over and over, no receipt of submitting it, and more).

iVisa on the other hand has a “zero frustration policy” and is like an added insurance policy. If for whatever reason you’re rejected, they’ll cover the cost to try again.

Here’s how it works for them:

Step 1: Go to this iVisa link.

Just a note this is an affiliate link for iVisa, which means we make a small commission if you visit through us. It’s no added cost to you, and we wouldn’t recommend the iVisa if it didn’t help countless HIH readers over the years make the whole process hassle free.

Step 2: Fill in Your Information

Simply add your nationality and where you’re traveling to (in this case, obviously India).

Step 3: Pick which e-Visa you want

Choose which e-Visa you want. They offer all the tourist visa options as well as the e-Business and e-Medical. Click “Go to Application Form” once you’re done.

Step 4: Fill out your application

Same drill as with the government site.

Step 5: Choose processing times

• Standard Processing: $35, 5 Business Days
• Rush Processing: $65, 3 Business Days
• Super Rush Processing: $100, 2 Business Days

Step 6: Finish Application and Pay

Finish your application and make sure all your details are correct. Then you’ll be prompted to pay. You’ll get a pop up that says “Status Incomplete.” Just click “Complete Now.”

You’ll then be prompted to make an account.

Step 7: Upload Your Passport Photo & Copy

Make sure your passport copy is in a PDF format and your passport photo has a white background and is in a JPEG format. Click Save + Continue.

You’re done! Click “Save and Complete request.”

Step 8: Print & Travel

Once you hit this, you’ll have a confirmation email from iVisa. Once they have your e-visa, they’ll send it to you over email. Print and show at the airport.

If you have any issues, you can use their customer service, which is available 24/7.

And there you have it! Everything you need to know about how to get a tourist visa for India! It’s not difficult, just a lot of detailed paperwork. We recommend starting the process as soon as you’ve booked your flight so it’s one less thing to take care of.

For More India Travel Advice

Check out some of these posts to help you continue planning your trip to India:

Trip Planning Tips

• The 30 Best Places to Visit in India
• Travel to India Made Easy With This Step By Step Guide
• 100 India Travel Tips You HAVE To Read
• 10 Tips for First Time Travel to India

Logistics

• Travel Insurance for India
• How to Get a SIM Card in India
• How to Book a Train in India As Foreigner
• Do You Need a Filtered Water Bottle For India Travel?

Packing Tips

• How to Dress in India: the Ultimate Dos and Don’ts
• 10 Travel Essentials For India
• Men’s India Packing List
• The Only Backpacking Through India Packing List You Need

Itinerary Tips

• One Month Backpacking India | Itinerary, Hostels, Tips
• My Guide: the BEST Itinerary for India
• Kerala Backpacking Tips & 10 Day Kerala Itinerary
• Have The Perfect Rajasthan Trip By Copying This Two-Week Itinerary
• Goa One Week Itinerary for the Beach Lovers and Foodies

And, of course, we recommend joining the Hippie in Heels: India Travel Tips Facebook group if you have more specific questions.

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The post How to Get a Tourist Visa for India the Easy Way (An India e-Tourist Visa Application Guide) first appeared on Hippie In Heels.

The post How to Get a Tourist Visa for India the Easy Way (An India e-Tourist Visa Application Guide) appeared first on Hippie In Heels.

The post Save Yourself Hassle: Buy a Local SIM Card in India first appeared on Hippie In Heels.

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If you want to stay in India consecutively for longer than 180 days without needing to leave, then an e-Tourist visa will not be appropriate for you. This article is going to explain step by step, in-depth, how to apply for an Indian visa from the UK. We have a similar post on how to apply for an Indian visa from the USA. Rachel’s fiancé, Ben originally wrote this guide, and we recently did a little update with the help of her friend, Jules, to make sure everything is up to date!

This complicated paper visa application is if you are coming to India and want a visa longer than the e-Tourist visa allows. If you only are coming for a short term travel, you don’t need to worry about this and instead will want to read this post or, if you know you want to use a 3rd party, jump right to iVisa to start the process.

Things to Know Before Applying for your Indian Visa from the UK

You’ll be working with VFS, not the Indian Embassy

In the UK, the Indian Embassy outsources their visa process to VFS. This website can be quite confusing so this guide has been written to help you navigate through the difficulties.

Visa Options

A long term tourist visa will allow you to have a visa to enter India between 1 and 5 years with multiple re-entries. It lets you stay in India for a maximum of 180 days per trip. If you want a 5-year visa, biometric information will be collected at the VFS Centre. You cannot apply for a 5-year visa by post.

How to Apply

In the UK there are two methods of applying for a long term Indian tourist visa: by appointment in person and by post.

Through Appointment at a VFS Visa Centre in the UK

Currently located in the following locations: London (Goswell Road, Hounslow) Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester, Belfast, Bristol, Bradford, Newcastle, Cardiff, Liverpool, Leicester, and Glasgow. Here are the location and contact details for each centre. Please read Step 1 below as the mission chosen is different to your chosen appointment centre. confusing!

By Post in the UK

This option is available however VFS advise you to make the application via appointment to avoid any inconvenience/delay. Postal applications are known to take 2-3 weeks longer than an appointment. VFS will also take no responsibility for your passport.

If you physically can’t make an appointment but you know a friend/family member that can visit a VFS Centre an authorisation letter can be submitted. This authorises them to submit your application on your behalf. The link for the authorisation letter is here.

Cost of Indian Visa For UK Citizens

The cost depends on the duration/length of the tourist visa, below is a table taken from the VFS site showing the current long term visa costs (as of 26th March 2020).

Select the following link to learn more about the options of Indian visas for UK citizens. Indian Tourist Visa Options to UK Citizens.

Indian Visa Processing Time for UK Citizens

Processing times vary for each application, it is typically between 3-5 business days, you will also need to add some time for your passport and visa to be sent back to you. If you are collecting the passport and visa from the centre, then this is typically faster.

How To Apply For An Indian Visa From The UK

Step 1: Complete the Online Visa Application

Page 1: Visa Application

• Select Country– United Kingdom
• Indian Mission – Please read carefully

If you live in Scotland you must Select “UK- Edinburgh” as Mission, while filling the online application form. When booking the appointment you can select Edinburgh or Glasgow.

If you live in any of the following places:

Birmingham, Durham, Humberside, Isle of Man, Isle of Scilly, Manchester, Shropshire, Yorkshire (North), Lancashire, Midlands (West), Staffordshire, Yorkshire (South), Leicestershire, Northumberland,  Cleveland, Yorkshire (West), Lincolnshire, Cheshire, Tyne and Wear, Cumbria and Derbyshire, Merseyside, Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire,

you will need to select “UK- Birmingham”, as the Mission while filling the online application form, appointments can then be booked at the offices in Birmingham, Leicester, Manchester, Liverpool, Bradford, and Newcastle

If you live in any other part of the UK, not the counties mentioned above, you can book appointments at any of the 2 offices in London (Goswell Road and Hounslow), Bristol, Cardiff, and Belfast. Applicants wishing the submit their applications at these offices must select UK- London.

If you want to do a postal application please select UK-London. Visa applications by post can be made, as long as it is for a less than 5-year visa duration. ALL applicants requiring a 5-year tourist visa will need to make an appointment application as biometric information is required (fingerprints and photo).

• Insert- DOB, Email, Date of Arrival
• Select- Tourist Visa and select purpose that best matches your trip.

Page 2: Applicant Details Form

• Applicant Details- Complete all fields for the person wishing to obtain a long term Tourist Visa, for Citizenship ID No insert- NA.
• Passport Details- Insert the details of the person wishing to obtain a long term Tourist Visa.
• Click Save and Continue (orange button)

Page 3: Applicants Address/Family Details/Marital Status/Occupation/Military Experience

• Applicants Address Details – Present Address and Permanent Address, if they are the same tick the box.
• Family Details– Father and Mothers Name, Nationality, Place of Birth (Town), Country of Birth.
• Marital Status– Single or Married, provide details if married.
• Parents/Grandparents Pakistan Nationals or Belong to Pakistan Area– If yes provide information.
• Profession/Occupation of Traveller– Present Occupation (select from list), Employer/Business Name, Address, Past Occupation, if any, Military Services (Yes/No- if yes provide details)
• When this section of the form is complete, click Save and Continue (orange button) at the bottom of the form.

Page 4: Details of Visa, Previous Visa Information, Countries Visited in 10 Years, SAARC Countries, References

All applicants requiring 4 years or less can make a postal application. After deciding the duration of your visa, complete the first section of the form.

• Places to be Visited– Insert places in India planning to visit into box one and two if required. Of course, if you change plans once in India, it’s not a big deal. At least get the flying into and out of destination on there.
• Duration of Visa– Please insert the duration in months- so 1 year would be 12, 1.5 years would be 18 etc.
• No of Entries– This means how many times you can re-enter India, as there is no cost difference between single and multiple entries, its best to select multiple unless you know you will only travel to India once whilst the visa is active.
• Port of Arrival- Please insert the Airport/Sea Port city you are planning to enter India, eg Mumbai.
• Expected Port of Exit- This is not a mandatory field but if you know, please enter the airport or port you have booked to leave India.
• Previous Visa/Current Visa- If you have had or have an Indian Visa please provide the details required.
• Other Information– List countries you have visited in last 10 years.
• SAARC Countries– If you have visited any of these countries in the past 3 years select Yes and fill in the details- Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka.

Reference:

• India – This would be a known reference if you have one in India, if you don’t use your hotel/accommodation as a reference.
• UK – This can be anyone you know who can act as a reference for you in the UK.

When finished click Save and Continue (Orange Button)

Page 5: Upload Passport Photo

• Choose File– Select the Choose File button first, then a window will open, find and select your passport photo image file, it must be in JPEG format and be no larger than 1mb in size. The image should 350 pixels (width) and 350 pixels (height). It should be a recent front-facing photograph with white background, do not scan your passport image and use this, it should be a new passport style photo.

The application is liable to be rejected if the uploaded photograph is not clear and as per specification.

• Upload Photo– After choosing the file to upload, click the orange Upload Photo Button.  This will take you to the resize screen.

Page 6: Resize and Select Photo

• Resize and Select- A preview of the JPEG passport photo you uploaded will appear in the left-hand box, with your mouse select the area of the photo showing your whole face and white background when happy click the orange Save and continue button.

Page 7: Review Passport Photo

If happy with the photo select “Save and Continue” if not happy select “Upload Image Again” and if you’re getting frustrated Save and Temporarily Exit or use the hassle free service!

Page 8: Review and Confirm Application

Review the form and make sure all information is completed and accurate, the visa could get rejected if this is not the case. If happy please select Verified and Continue button at the bottom. If you want to make changes select Modify.

Page 9: Confirmation

Now your application has been confirmed!

Click the Print Form (orange button), the completed application will then automatically download a PDF, into your Downloads folder.

*Make a note of your Application ID (Starting with GBR) you will need this to pay the visa fees online.

If you will be carrying out a postal application there is no need to click Book an Appointment, unless you are applying for a 5-year visa and biometric data is required.

If you click Book Appointment you will be taken to this screen: Select the UK Mission you inserted in the application form, then select “Get Appointment.”

At the time of writing this guide, the Get Appointment button was not working. Don’t worry if this is still the case keep on reading!

Step 2: Complete Declaration Form/Insert Passport Photo and Sign Printed Application Form

Declaration Form

The next step is to go to this link and download and print, complete and sign the Declaration Form, which looks like this:

Application Form

Print out the application form that was downloaded from the Indian Visa site. Make sure you have 2 passport photos that is 2 inches/5cm by 2 inches/5cm and glue one to the form, the second will be inserted in the envelope. Sign the box below the passport image box. The passport photos must be 5cm by 5cm – a special size specifically required for the Indian Visa.

Make sure to also sign the second page at the bottom, this should match your signature, all signatures should be the same as in your passport.

Step 3: Book Appointment/Make Payment

You’ll want to go to this link.

Page 1

• Insert your Application ID Number (GBR)
• Insert Passport Number used for Application
• Click Retrieve Application Button

Page 2: Re-Confirm Details

• Once you have clicked Retrieve Application you will be taken to this screen:

For Postal Applications

• Mode of Submission: Please select Sent by Royal Mail SDE
• Submission Centre: Hounslow London will automatically be selected.
• Mode of Delivery: You have two options, you can either select IVAC provided Secured Mail Envelope and pay for VFS to return your passport with visa inserted OR
• You can insert return self-addressed special delivery envelope with your application. If so select Self-Provided Royal Mail Special Delivery Envelope.

For Appointment Applications

• Mode of Submission- In Person at the Application Centre
• Submission Centre- Select the Mission that is closest to you, not the Mission you put in the application form!
• Mode of Delivery- You have three options:
  • You can either select IVAC provided Secured Mail Envelope and pay for VFS to return your passport with visa inserted
  • Collect in-person from the Application Centre OR
  • You can select return self-addressed special delivery envelope with your application if so select Self-Provided Royal Mail Special Delivery Envelope.

Visa Details

Please make sure you complete the following:

• Visa Category- This should show Tourist Visa
• Visa Duration- Please select the duration of the visa you are applying for- this must match what you inserted on the application.
• No of Entries –For Single select- S, For Multiple select M and Triple select T. This must match what you inserted into the application form.
• SMS Service- You can sign up to an SMS update service for a fee of 1.44GBP, if you don’t remove the tick from the box.
• Photo Upload Service– Untick this box as you are already providing 2 passport photos.

Finally, Click the Save Button.

Book an Appointment

Now go to the Appointment Menu and select the New Appointment Option.

A new window will appear showing a calendar, select a date that is suitable for you highlighted yellow:

You will then be taken to a screen that allows you to select the time of the appointment and confirm. When you are happy with the Date and Time select confirm. Make sure to have all your documents ready for this appointment. The next stage is to pay for the Visa online.

Click the Home option in the top left-hand corner of the screen.

Make Payment

After going back home you need to go to the Top Left of the Page and go to Visa Fee & Pay Details, and select Fee Details and Payment:

You will then see the payment summary below:

If the amount looks correct click Continue and you will be taken to a Payment Confirmation Screen, click Submit.

You will then be re-directed to a payment screen that looks like this, insert your payment information and click Pay Now.

When Payment has been confirmed a receipt will be generated, save this and print it. This will be inserted into your Application envelope.

Step 4: Final Stage, Prepare Your Application

Now you are ready to take your application to the appointment you have booked or post your application. Just make sure you have the following in one envelope:

1. Printed Application Form that has been signed on Page 1 and 2, with one 5cm by 5cm Passport Photo glued to the Application Form.
2. A second 5cm by 5cm Passport Photo inserted into the envelope.
3. Your completed Declaration Form signed and dated.
4. Your Passport inserted in the envelope.
5. A Royal Mail pre-paid return signed delivery envelope inserted (if you selected this option), do not include if you selected for VFS to return your passport and visa.

For postal applications seal the envelope and mark it to:

Houslow Application Centre Address
Indian Visa and Consular Application Centre
The Vista Centre
First Floor – Part A Block
50 Salisbury Road
Hounslow
TW4 6JQ

All visa applications by post must go to the above address.

That is it! You’ve finished your application. We hope this article on how to apply for an Indian visa from the UK made this a breeze for you. Thanks to Ben and Jules for taking the time to do this for all our UK readers!

For More India Travel Planning Guides:

Check out some of these posts to help you continue planning your trip to India. And don’t forget to pick up a copy of the Hippie in Heels India Travel Guide

Trip Planning Tips

• The 30 Best Places to Visit in India
• Travel to India Made Easy With This Step By Step Guide
• 100 India Travel Tips You HAVE To Read
• 10 Tips for First Time Travel to India

Logistics

• Travel Insurance for India
• How to Get a SIM Card in India
• How to Book a Train in India As Foreigner
• Do You Need a Filtered Water Bottle For India Travel?

Packing Tips

• How to Dress in India: the Ultimate Dos and Don’ts
• 10 Travel Essentials For India
• Men’s India Packing List
• The Only Backpacking Through India Packing List You Need

Itinerary Tips

• One Month Backpacking India | Itinerary, Hostels, Tips
• My Guide: the BEST Itinerary for India
• Kerala Backpacking Tips & 10 Day Kerala Itinerary
• Have The Perfect Rajasthan Trip By Copying This Two-Week Itinerary
• Goa One Week Itinerary for the Beach Lovers and Foodies

For more questions, feel free to join our Hippie in Heels: India Travel Tips Facebook group.

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The post How To Apply For An Indian Visa From The UK: The Easiest Step by Step Guide first appeared on Hippie In Heels.

The post How To Apply For An Indian Visa From The UK: The Easiest Step by Step Guide appeared first on Hippie In Heels.

I can’t believe I’ve been traveling for ten whole years now! While these days traveling is my full-time job, I traveled a lot on my own for a long time, even before starting Hippie in Heels. Throughout the years and numerous countries, not to mention living in Goa for half of this time, I’ve picked up a lot of travel hacks.

These are both practical things (like little ways to save money) to big lessons learned from experience, and I wanted to share them with you! So below are my favorite travel hacks after a decade of wandering the world.

My 10 Favorite Travel Hacks After 10 Years

Mykonos in 2009

2. Packing cubes are very much worth the hype

Why did it take me so long to get them!? I can’t imagine just putting my things in my luggage loose, without packing cubes, anymore. This keeps thing so orgnaized and as I get older I somehow am getting even more OCD. I have three sets because I wanted all sorts of size options.

Check out some packing cube options below:

Uganda, 2010

3. Stay local as much as possible.

I was always a fan of Airbnb, but the past two years, I look at the housing options there before I even look at hotels. From a $30 apartment in Tulum to a $200 MANSION in Merida, I’ve been loving staying in people’s homes. I love to cook breakfast, make my own coffee, and it has saved me so much money on accomodation. I’ve used it in India, England, Mexico, Ireland, and 10 other countries so far and not had one issue. I tend to go for whole houses, not rooms or apartments and actually have a guide coming out soon with tips on using Airbnb. This is a way to get MUCH more into the real life of the place you stay and will honestly change the way you travel. You’ll never go back to booking random hotels.

Get $40 off with Airbnb here if you’re a new user

Some of my Airbnb posts:

• 5 Reasons to Choose Airbnb
• Airbnb in Merida, Mexico
• Cutest Luxury & Budget Airbnbs in Goa

Taj Mahal, 2012

4. Get an incredible travel credit card

I’m about to turn 29 and just got my first real credit card! I went with the Chase Sapphire Reserve. The main reason I decided to get one was that this particular card covers you up to 75,000 in car rental insurance. This means you can decline it at the rental counter no matter how hard they try to upsell you. The other reason is that I want to finally get into points and they give you 3x points on travel spends. The third and coolest reason I got this card, is it gives you a Priority Pass (for you and a guest). This pass allows you into a lounge in nearly every airport in the world – and the airports that don’t have a lounge for you often have a restaurant you can dine with $30 or $40 credit. I actually added Ben to my account and then he can rent a car under his credit card (under my account) and use the car rental insurance, too. No more paying for a second driver!

Koh Samui, 2013

5. Planning your own travel itinerary is usually better than going on group tours, but not always.

90% of the time, I’m down to plan my own itinerary and avoid the cost of tours. When I plan it myself, I really research deeply (I’m talking reading dozens of posts for each city I’ll be in, checking IG hashtags, and Pinterest, too). I cater the trip to what I like in terms of food, sight-seeing, adventures, shopping, and hotels. While I prefer this, there are times a tour can really be helpful and mostly that is in India. I have done some really cool tours here in rural areas and learned SO much in just a week on a tour about India that I didn’t living here as an expat or traveling as a tourist. I think that doing a tour is a great way to go even deeper into a place you are traveling – you just have to pick the right one. If you are going somewhere that stresses you out, it’s best to look into a tour so you can relax and enjoy the trip. My biggest tip here is that before you go on a trip, PLAN IT. I used to wing it, and have traveled all over Europe and even India winging it. The perfect example of why NOT to do this is my Rajasthan trip. When I compare visiting there as a backpacker winging it 6 years ago to planning ahead when I went this Fall, it’s like a completely new place – I saw so much more and loved every second without the stress since it was planned ahead.

Check out some of my itinerary & planning posts:

• How to plan a trip from scratch
• Two Weeks in Rajasthan
• One Week in Goa
• Why You Should Add an “ME” Day to Your Itinerary

Bandung, 2014

6. Sometimes renting a car is the best and cheapest option.

Ben and I rent cars basically everywhere we go. We figure, if we can drive in India, we can drive anywhere. Like I said above, I now have a credit card with insurance which is huge in keeping the rental car cost down. You can rent for under $10 a day most places if you decline all the insurance. It’s not just my credit card, but loads of them offer this – call yours and see if they do! I look on rentalcars.com when I start searching and don’t have a favorite company: I use Hertz, Sixt, Europcar and so far haven’t had any issues. I always take photos and video of the car when I pick it up and we are careful to clean it well before returning it. In places like England, for example, we spend so much less having our own car than if we took trains, taxis, and the underground everywhere we went. It saves us hundreds of bucks on nearly every trip.

Istanbul, 2015

7. It’s better to buy high-quality items than to just buy cheap and throw away.

My H&M and Forever 21 days are pretty behind me – and I don’t really buy clothing that is really “trendy”. I shop thinking about travel and where I could wear things. I also buy a LOT less although spend about the same amount. Quality over quantity is what I go by and if that means paying $200 for a leather jacket I’ll wear for 8 years (so far!) or a $100 for a pair of linen travel pants I’ll where on every single trip I take, it’s worth it! I did break that while i was in the UK: I was so cold and bought like 5 sweaters at H&M and Zara which I already regret doing! I should have bought one or two awesome ones instead. When you travel, you should feel good in what you wear and wear “real life” items, not “traveling” pieces that you wouldn’t wear at home. If you dress “normal”, you’ll feel much more intune with the place you visit. Here is a post on where I like to shop.

Some of my favorite quality brands:

• Studio TIA
• FARA
• TopShop Jamie Jeans
• Melissa Odabash
• Free People
• L*Space
• Uggs

Finland, 2016

8. You can start small in trying to be more eco-friendly as a traveler

You might not be able to go from not thinking about your effect on the environment to being a eco-warrior overnight but you can start just doing small things to help as a traveler. Even just not using straws or using reef-friendly sunscreen when you go snorkeling is helpful. This year, I have thought a lot more about sustainable travel and wish I would have been thinking this way a lot sooner. Ben is helpful with this because he literally builds reefs and is very environmentally-friendly so I’m always learning. Alex in Wanderland has a great post on this from earth day. This isn’t really a “hack” but learning how to be more eco-friendly while you travel is something we should all keep in mind.

Morocco, 2017

9. If you want to go somewhere but aren’t sure where think about the experiences

Instead of thinking about how a place looks, what the beach is like, or where your friends are going, plan your trips based on the experiences you want. After 10 years, I look back and remember not checking Budapest and Prague off my bucket list but instead, I remember flying in a helicopter in Maui, rafting in the Nile, and dog sledding in Finland. I remember learning to surf in Bali and shopping my heart out in Morocco. I try to really choose the places I go based on the experiences I want to have there. Have you always wanted to surf in Hawaii? Have you wanted to take a baking class in Paris? Think about activities you want to do in your life and make a list of them…. then start checking them off rather than checking off a place.

Goa, 2018

10. It’s sometimes who you’re with and not the destination at all

My biggest tip is that you shouldn’t just travel for travel’s sake. As a blogger, I could literally be traveling NON-STOP all year to anywhere I wanted. But we only get this one life and as much as I love to travel, I love other things: my dogs, family, boyfriend, and my home. I am careful to not get travel burn-out where I stop appreciating the new places I go. I also try to balance having a normal home life. I would rather go to Florida (again) with my mom than go off on a solo trip to somewhere new because the first one is memories I’ll always cherish – it’s not always about where you go but who you choose to go with, or even who you choose to stay home with instead of bouncing off on another trip.

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The post 10 Travel Hacks from 10 Years of Travel first appeared on Hippie In Heels.

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I did a survey last year where I aksed people what they wished I talked more about and a few people mentioned they wanted to hear more about the bad side of travel. They wanted to know about when things went wrong for me while traveling and how I dealt with it. I have been a lucky traveler, but no one has perfect trips. I’m going to share some times that things didn’t go as planned, and what I did in those situations.

1. Getting Pick-Pocketed

The first incident that comes to mind is when I was pick-pocketed in Barcelona. My second time abroad, at the age of 20, I came out of airport – first time in Spain – and hopped onto the metro with a friend. A group of 3 men and a woman kept bumping into me, all around my age or a bit older. When the doors opened for us to get off, Megan jumped off, but the guys blocked me in. I was pushing trying to get out and next thing I know they all jump off just as the doors are shutting. They had intended me to stay on the train, but I got off in the knick of time. They walked off and I didn’t realize what had happened until I saw my purse was open. They took my camera.

They were gone up the stairs of the metro when I noticed.  I left my backpack with my friend and run to find them. The boy closest to me didn’t really see it coming until I’d already grabbed his backpack and pulled him back to the floor. I yelled for the police and they came. They arrested all four of the people and found a lot of stolen goods.

To get my camera back, I had to go in their police car to make a statement. I had to call my Couchsurfing host from the police station and ask him to come to pick me up and help translate – looking back it was pretty funny. He was like “you’re where!? I’ll be right there!”.

So that is how I handled the sitution and honestly, would probably do the same thing again. But, I’m lucky they didn’t have a knife, to be honest, or that they didn’t get a chance to fight back. I wouldn’t do this in the USA if I was held at gunpoint or something, I would just over my things, but if some young probably unarmed person pick-pocketed me and was right there in a crowded area, I’d try to get my things back.

After it was said and done, I was bummed out because the moment they took my camera, they erased my memory card. Pro thieves they were. Luckily, a family member told me to get a new memory card and not touch this one so I wouldn’t write-over the deleted files. He used software to get the images back!

Later that night, walking into a club, the bouncer goes “you’re the girl from the train station today” and it was a guy who had come to help me when it happened. He helped, the police helped, my Couchsurfing host helped, and my friend helped. What was stressful then, became a traveler’s story. But, in the end, it was a $200 camera and it wouldn’t have been the end of the world if it went missing, but it was almost 10 years ago and the most expensive thing I owned, plus a band new present from my parents for my birthday.

As I’ve said before (in a whole blog post) do as I say, not as I do and when people rob you, let them. Safety is more important than a camera.

2. Having Luggage Go Missing

Everyone worried about airline issues and people (like me) get anxiety before flights thinking about everything that could go wrong. I have had my luggage go missing three times and all three times, it was returned to me (knock on wood). The first time it took a few days though, and I didn’t have much on me!

I was flying from Spain to Greece, a quick flight, and checked my backpack. The only thing I had was the tiniest little purse with my travel journal (to write in on the plane), my contacts, money, and my bill control. This wasn’t ideal. I learned from that moment to always carry a carry-on bag with a night’s clothing, toiletries, and things I would need in case my luggage went missing.

The next two times it happened was in India, and it came in on the next flight. So, what happens when the luggage isn’t there on the belt when you arrive? You need to go to the airline luggage counter at baggage claim and make sure it’s not there. Then, file a claim with them. They will try to locate it right then- it’s tagged and should be in the system. Sometimes they say “it accidentally went to ___” and others they say “we don’t have a clue”. Their responsibility is to get the luggage to you. You need to leave them an address and phone number and they will deliver it to you – you shouldn’t ever have to go back to the airport to retreive it.

3. Getting Very Very Ill

I get stomach bugs and things like that when I travel but there was one time I was sick enough that I called my parents saying I think it’s time I come home. I was in North India and had been trekking around in the Himalayas with Dengue Fever for weeks, although I didn’t know I had it. I just knew I had blinding migraines, nausea, and vomiting, the worst stomach pain of my life, couldn’t eat or sleep, had rashes on my hands and feet, and had a very high temperature. These things weren’t all at the same time though, and it was easy to blame food or altitude sickness for a long time. When I started to bleed from my nose and get large bruises all over my body, I went to the hospital. They tested me but already knew it was Dengue. My platelets were so low that the small hospital recommended I take a helicopter to Delhi for a tranfusion. I wasn’t up for that and said I’ve gone all these weeks with it, let’s wait and see. As long as I don’t bump into anything and rest I thought I’d be okay. And I was – I checked my platelets for the next two days and they had finally leveled out. It took a LONG time to recover from this and honestly was a rough month!

My parents were the ones who told me to stay in India when I was ready to call it quits, and thank goodness because a week later I met Ben and ended up living in India for five years, as you know.

When you’re sick abroad, you really have to make a personal decision. The place will always be there to come back to. If you are totally miserable there is no shame is coming home. You’ll know when you feel this sick what is right for you. The change ticket fee is usually a few hundred bucks and always keep in mind that worst case, you can be on your way home at any time – just get to an airport and book the next flight out if you need to.

4. Booking a Flight on the Wrong Day

This is my worst fear. I actually check my tickets and bookings 500x to make sure this doesn’t happen and yet – it happened recently. Luckily, it was a short flight from Bocas Del Toro Panama to Panama City. I had to pay a $50 change flight fee at the airport. I showed up for my flight and the lady said: “you booked this for the same day a month from now”. I was like oh my godddd… how!?! But, these things happen.

I should have followed my how to plan for a trip checklist more closely and how to stop anxiety before a trip as I mention going over your paperwork to make sure it’s all in order. The other thing to note is that these things happen: you could show up somewhere without a visa not realizing you needed one! Or go to the wrong airport in a city that has two (I did this in Bangkok).

When these things happen, it’s usually an issue of money. Money is what fixes these problems – a later flight, a change fee, or paying for a whole new airline because you have to leave right then. The only way around this is to plan better – and remmeber if it does happen that it’s just money and it’ll be okay. I recommend always having an emergency credit card for these situations in case you are low in your checking account. Here’s a post with some tips on handling money abroad.

5. Police Problems

In some countries, the worry is that you might face issues with police. For example in Mexico, Thailand and India (among others) where they are sometimes corrupt, you might be asked to pay bribes. It can be scary at first as you don’t really know your rights – and you don’t know if it’s safe to say no. 

Yes, I have had to pay bribes. Sometimes they are obvious and other times they are sneaky and I’m given a fake ticket – not even realizing I paid a bribe until later. Sometimes they ask for 500 rupees and then make a bill for 100 rupees. In Mexico, they straight up said there is not going to be a receipt for this. When they have guns and a reputation, it’s scary to stand your ground.

While you don’t want to add to the corrupton of a place, you want to stay safe. You have to make the choice that makes you feel the safest, regardless of it’s it’s contributing to corruption. This happens in Asia at border-crossings as well; they will say you can’t come to the country without paying a fee that you know isn’t correct. You have to ask what your other options are. Sometimes there aren’t any. Sometimes it’s night time and you are alone and you need to pay it.

Sometimes you will feel angry because you’d been targeted for something you didnt do: you “ran a red light” or you “didn’t stop back there” but you know you did. Are you in a position to essentially call the cop a liar? When dealing with police in countries where corruption is there, you have to use common sense and do the option that makes you safest.

In most cases, if you call the cop out they will let you go, but other times I have heard horror stories of drugs being planted or other things.

6. Not Having a Place to Stay Organized in Advance

I’m not really someone to do this now, but in my backpacker days I would often show up to a city with nowhere to stay. When you are a hostel-lover, it’s usually okay. Train stations in Europe almost always have people from hostels hanging around trying to get you to go theirs, and the same with guesthouses in places like the Thai Islands. There are many places where it’s not a big deal to have nothing set up – these are mostly tourist places.

The times I would set something up, even as a backpacker, are in very large cities, or countries where it’s my first time there. It’s a sort of mind-easing thing for me to know when I arrive I can get local money from the ATM, and grab a taxi to my hotel. Easy peasy. In places known for scams, you do not want to rock up with nothing planned at the airport and get in someone’s car to go to a guesthouse. Just don’t! In small towns that are backpacker haven’s, go for it.

When people ask me about going to India and talk about pre-trip jitters, I always say “have your hotel send a car”. You’ll pay two times more than a taxi, but your stress will be nada. You will have a guy there with a sign when you arrive. If your luggage is missing, guess what a local is there to help, he can help you find an ATM, watch your luggage while you go to the bathroom, and safely take you to your hotel.

If you do show up somewhere, a city that isn’t known as being very safe, especially if it’s nighttime and you are a solo female travelers (let’s just say Delhi!), then you should get on the airport WiFi and book a nearby airport hotel that is a brand you know (Ibis, for example, is a known brand but not too expensive like a Marriott). Just have some piece of mind that first night then go find a guesthouse or hostel. This is expensive so I don’t recommend (instead you should plan ahead) it but it beats booking a random guesthouse online that you don’t know if it’s good or bad minus some booking.com reviews and have a taxi driver take you to its location – that could be 40 minutes away in a big city – only to tell you it’s “burnt down but his Uncle’s place is nearby” – which yes, is a scam in India.

As with many issues that happen abroad, money is what fixes them. Planning ahead is what prevents them!

7. Fighting With Your Travel Buddy

The worst is when you start to get annoyed with your travel buddy – and they are probably just as annoyed with you. It’s so key to stay positive even if it’s a little fake and not act annoyed at everything that annoys you. Sometimes you have to fake it til you make it in these cases until that day you feel annoys passes. The next day you might feel fresher and realize it wasn’t them annoying you, but actually just the heat and a long day you had before. Had you gone mental telling them off for being annoying, you’d put a big kink in that trip!

Prep is important. Always talk ahead of a trip about what your goals are, what places you want to see, the type of traveler you are. You should be on the same page starting out. Talk about what should be done if one of you gets wasted and wants to go home with a stranger.

If you do have a drunken fight, you will just have to make up in the morning. These things happen. While in real life you can avoid the person for a week if you want, when traveling, you need to get things back on track right away. You have to be a little more open, understanding, forgiving, and be able to apologize.

You can also take a “you” day. I love solo travel and even on trips with friends, we will take days on our own. Maybe I want to go somewhere scenic and read and she’s up for another museum. Maybe I want to ride an electric scooter around town but she’s afraid, so we split up for the day. You can be a little selfish in what you want to do – it’s your trip too – but remember that when they want to do their own thing, you should let them without being bothered by it.

8. Feeling Homesick or Overwhelmed

This is for me, the worst thing about travel. I don’t get it often (thankfully) but when it does hit, it hits hard and it’s a really shitty feeling. Sometimes it’s because I’ve just been gone too long. Sometimes it’s work-related and I’m doing too much with travel companies along the way making it so I can’t even enjoy my trip. Other times I’m having shitty days, have traveled 50 hours it feels like and just miss my dogs and Ben and ask myself “why the fuck am I in Malaysia again!? I was just here!”

I get overwhelmed when I work too much, book too long of a trip to too many places, or when I’m just having people attempt to scam me left and right – it does take a toll. Sometimes pollution and dirtiness, crowds, and traffic can add to it. A long day to see the Taj Mahal might end up being a let down because you get scammed by the driver there, have long lines because you didn’t get there at sunrise as you meant to, and you have people bombarding you for photos – only to get back to your hotel to find out their powers out and you’ll be having a cold shower. That didn’t happen to me, it’s just a made-up scenario of an example of a bad day.

car broke down on the side of the road in Goa

The worst is that on top of it all, you might feel lonely. That is where the kicker is – when you are overwhelmed with a trip and start to feel along. Homesickness comes crawling up! But these things pass. Ask yourself if it’s the town you are in? Maybe you want to head to a new one – hop on the train. Maybe you’ve teamed up with a travel buddy you don’t even like that you met at a hostel. Tell them you want to do your own thing. Maybe you miss some guy back home – email him! Or FB, whatever. Call home. Talk to family. Have someone send photos of your pets.

Take a day to relex and recharge. I’m all about that self-care! I will take a spa day and go get pampered. I’ll get greasy American food like Pizza Hut or McDonald’s if I can find it and get a massage, manicure, and pedicure. I’ll book a nice hotel room, have a bath, put on my VPN and watch the Real Housewives and get a good night’s sleep. It will feel no different than a “treat yourself day” back home and then you wake up excited again for the beautiful new destination you have to explore!

9. Getting Injured

Getting hurt abroad can be scary. Some countries won’t have healthcare that you are used to, maybe it’s lower quality or things are done differently. The language barrier can also be difficult. Some places will even try to scam you at a hospital – it’s happened to me in Koh Phi Phi!

In regards to being overcharged, don’t just accept these numbers that hospitals come up with abroad. If it’s a developing country with a reputation for scamming, you need to really ask around what things should cost. I was in the hospital in Koh Phi Phi with awful food poisioning. I was just on a drip. They wanted a TON of money from me. I asked another girl there who was in for the same thing and she said she negotiated them down to 1/4 of it which was still so expensive. I did the same thing. Locals can help you to know what things should cost.

I was once head-butted by a bull. This happened in Varanasi, walking down a tiny alley in the backroads trying to get back to my hotel. I saw the bull, but having been in India for months and thinking that all the cows were my friends, I thought I’d walk past like I always do. No way Jose said the bull. He swung his head around and with the sheer force of his giant neck, threw me into a brick wall. His horn had ripped my pants open and left a puncture in my butt cheek! Going pantless in the holiest city is India is about as no-go as it comes.

I ran, thinking this bull might chase me and do it again! How many people saw my butt, I do not know. I pulled scraps of my pants over and got to my hotel, actually in tears from the pain, and told them what happened. They didn’t believe me. “No cow in India has ever done this”. Ermm, okay.

I bruised up a green and black bruise the size of my entire butt cheek and couldn’t really sit. It was terrible! Not bad enough that I needed to get help – what could they do? The puncture wasn’t deep but the impact was so intense it had probably bruised my bone.

I’ve ended up with a black eye surfing, Ben’s ended up with stitches from dog bites and surfing more than once. There is always a clinic nearby. Getting injured can happen. There are some things I avoid. I don’t drive scooters because I am not good at it (I can do it but don’t feel confident). I see so many people injured from scooters! I would never do risky things like running with the bulls (I’ve already been gored once – which is enough! lol but in actuality, I wouldn’t do this anyway because, to me, it’s animal cruelty).

I also have travel insurance (review there for the one I suggest) in case something very serious happens and I need to be transferred to a better hospital or even back to the USA. If bills are high, I can have my insurance cover it.

10. Money Issues

Running out of money would be a pretty bad thing to happen abroad. I don’t worry about this now and have credit cards so it’s not going to happen. I did use to worry about it – and it’s something that you should think about before a trip.

Consider this scenario: My first time abroad. I have a debit card and so does my friend. She had never used an ATM (we are from small towns, people, where you go to a bank and personally withdraw money from a bank teller). She got the card for our trip – it was 2008 I think. We got the ATM and she didn’t know she needed to know a PIN code. Whoops. Her bank couldn’t tell her over the phone or send a new card, so we had to share my money the whole time. I had $3,000. We were in Europe for like a month! I can and have traveled on a shoe-string, lol.

Looking back, there were so many ways to fix this. She could have wired me the money to my account – something that isn’t actually that hard and these days with Venmo and PayPal it’s super easy. We could have asked our parents for help. She could have sent money to herself via Western Union. When Ben and I need to get cash in large sums we use Western Union instead of an ATM. You just send it literally to yourself from yourself.

You should always keep a spare card hidden in case your purse goes missing, but in the case that ALL your cards go missing, I like to keep a secret place that I write down my card number. If I lost my card and know it wasn’t stolen (for example an ATM gobbled it up), then I can use the card for online purchases like hotels and send myself money via Western Union. If it’s been stolen, this won’t work. But you can still have a new card sent out to your home address and have someone there tell you what the numbers are. You can also use your bank account (no card needed) to wire money to someone you are traveling within the meantime. Here are some tips on how to manage money abroad.

There are always ways to figure out money issues – unless of course, you straight up run out. Don’t do that.

So there we go – those are 10 things that went wrong on my travels. What has gone wrong on your travels? Tell me in the comments!

The post 10 Times Bad Things Happened During My Travels & How To Overcome Them first appeared on Hippie In Heels.

The post 10 Times Bad Things Happened During My Travels & How To Overcome Them appeared first on Hippie In Heels.

Years ago I met Danielle through a friend – she had been to Uganda and I was dying to go! We were both nurses and travel-lovers. She is still a nurse but still finds time to travel all the time and has her own travel blog, Nurse to Nomad. I love that she can balance work and travel, and she offered to share with you all how she does it so seamlessly! Here’s Danielle.

12 ways to balance work and travel

If travel is important to you, it is absolutely possible to travel while working full time. I’m a nurse, and I have traveled to 16 countries and 37 states while working as a nurse. I know these numbers aren’t record-breaking, but they also would not have happened if I hadn’t worked hard for these adventures. There are some tricks to balancing work and travel.

Every country varies in how much vacation time a person gets. It would be amazing if we could all be as fortunate as Brazilians who receive 30 days of vacation per year, but some of us live in countries like the United States where there isn’t a minimum required amount of vacation time. And traveling year-round isn’t a feasible option for everyone.

If you’re working full time, you might have to get a little creative in how you fit travel into your busy life.

1. First, Make Travel a Priority.

If traveling while working full time is your heart’s desire, you need to ensure it is a priority in your life. Below is a quick checklist:

• Is travel important to you?
• Are you willing to sacrifice from other areas of your life to be able to travel more?
• Do you consider it to be something you are most passionate about?
• Is travel where you want a good portion of your money to go?

If the answer to these questions is yes then you know where your priorities are. You won’t have to question if you are making the right choices in life as you plan your trips, spend money on them, and use all your paid time off to see the world. You will know you’re pursuing your passion.

Read More: how to travel more this year

2. Use Your Vacation Time Wisely.

Never ever let vacation days go to waste. Use those babies. You literally get paid while you are traveling, yet studies say that 41% of Americans let vacation days expire. Don’t be that person. If your vacation time does not roll over, your time-off bank better be empty by December 31st.

Often, employees feel pressured by bosses to always be available at work, but you have the right to take a break from your job. Your vacation time is earned and should be used.

If possible, exclusively use your paid time off for travel. I’m a nurse, so I won’t tell you to go into work if you’re sick or in deep need of a mental health day. But I will advise you to not take the day off because you’d rather not get out of bed. Every hour of vacation time that you save can go towards the adventures that you are pursuing.

3. Take Advantage of Weekends and Holidays.

The weekend is a full-time employee’s best friend.

If you work Monday through Friday, plan your trips around weekends or holiday weekends so that you can use less vacation time. I recently flew to Seattle on Friday night after work, had Saturday and Sunday to explore, and flew back on Monday. It was a decent trip across the country, and I only used 1 day of vacation time.

If you are planning a long trip, 5 days of vacation time will give you 9 days of travel (Saturday through the following Sunday). 10 days of vacation time will give you 16 days for a trip if you plan the weekends out properly. You can see a lot in 16 days.

If you work random days, as some nurses or service industry workers, cluster your work days and travel while you are off work. Work the beginning of a week, travel, and work at the end of the next week. You can travel for a long weekend and not even use any paid time off.

Finally, if you work somewhere where it is not required to use vacation days during holiday weeks, work your full hours and keep the 8 hours of vacation time that week. For example, I chose to work my full hours during the week of Thanksgiving so I could save a day of vacation. I understand working a holiday might be a sacrifice, but remember working full time and traveling may require a sacrifice or two to maximize your vacation time.

4. Be Organized about Taking Time Off.

Talk to the person who makes your schedule, and seek out the vacation policies. Learn the best way to plan your dream trips.

Be organized. Don’t miss out on an epic trip to Chile because you forgot to submit a time off request. Mark your calendar and make plans.

Depending on how your schedule is made, you have some options on how to plan your adventures. If you have your heart set on a certain location, figure out when you want to go, request the time off, and book the trip well in advance. If you want to go where the wind takes you and you have flexibility, take a chunk of time off and then research the best flights during that time.

If you are looking for good flight deals and are up for going anywhere, subscribe to Next Vacay and use Skyscanner’s or Kayak’s Explore features.

5. Be a Stellar Employee.

A manager or scheduler might pay zero attention to your frequent vacation requests if you are totally pulling your weight when you’re present. Work hard, play hard.

6. Visit Destinations that Require Shorter Travel Time.

Consider a road trip to a nearby town that offers new adventures. If the drive is less than 4 hours, you could drive after work on Friday and be back Sunday evening. You can also search nonstop flights from your home airport to save time (and money!) on short trips. Most airline apps or websites offer a filter for nonstop flights.

We often forget to explore our own backyards, and it’s okay to be a tourist in a nearby town sometimes. If you are saving vacation time for a long trip to Europe in 6 months but have the travel bug right now – plan something small that still invigorates you. These types of trips can hold you over when needed.

7. Travel Alone.

If you are limited on when you can take time off, you might not be able to find a BFF that’s available on the only week you can make it to Ireland in September. Don’t always wait for someone else to accomplish what YOU want to do. Solo travel may seem daunting, but it can be one of the greatest experiences.

Traveling alone gives you the opportunity to really put yourself out there and meet other travelers. You learn about yourself and immerse yourself in new cultures. And most importantly for this post, it allows you the flexibility to travel when you want, on your own schedule.

I was living in Boston for a few months and learned that there were cheap, direct flights to Iceland in February. I asked a few friends to join, they all said “heck no” to Iceland in freezing February, so I went alone. I decided that my desire to explore Iceland and see the Northern Lights outweighed my desire to have a travel buddy.

8. Work Remotely.

If you spend most of your time at work sitting behind a computer, perhaps your manager will let you stare at that screen from a coffee shop in Spain. Approach your boss in the right way, provide assurance that you will perform your full work-load from abroad, and offer to do extra work before and after the trip if needed. Bonus points if you can network for your company while you are in the new city.

9. Take Unpaid Leave.

This might be worth a shot. If you are financially stable enough and want to cross off a bucket list location or want to spend an extended period of time somewhere, it could be worth asking your manager if they would consider giving you unpaid leave.

If you are an amazing employee, your manager might allow you to take some time off to pursue your passion and grow as a person. It costs companies a lot more money to hire new employees than to retain current ones, especially if you’re that stellar employee like I pointed out earlier.

10. If You Have an Off Season, Maximize your Travel.

If you work as a teacher or construction worker or any career that gives you time off during the year, take advantage of that time. You should know what dates you will have free ahead of time, so you have the ability to plan ahead. Google what countries are the best to visit during your off time, pick a place, and then track flight prices. The Skyscanner app allows you to set notifications for specific destinations and will email you if there is a decreased fare from your selected airport.

11. Travel between Jobs.

If you are someone who changes jobs frequently and has the opportunity to take some time off in between, do it. This might seem like a scary time to travel, but there is something very freeing in not being held down in a job and being able to travel how you want. This might require saving up some money ahead of time, but it’s worth it. This also might be your best option for longer-term travel. A month in Thailand, anyone?

12. Budget for Travel.

So you took this advice and have a week off to spend in Europe. How are you going to pay for it? Some people have “emergency funds;” I have a “travel fund.” I always try to keep enough money in my checking account that I could take a week-long trip at any time.

(Don’t go empty your emergency fund after reading this. I have one of those too; it’s just a lot more boring.)

Creating a budget for travel means spending less money in your day-to-day life so you can spend it on travel. Everything adds up. An apartment that is $100 less per month can equal a flight to Costa Rica in less than 6 months. Cut down on shopping, eating out, alcoholic beverages, etc. I could live in a nicer place and have nicer things, but that would mean not traveling whenever I am able.

We live in the time of side gigs, right? If you need extra money to travel, you can try driving for Uber, picking up extra shifts at work, walking dogs for the Wag app, or babysitting. If travel is your passion, work hard for it. Rachel has some great advice on her 9 Tips for Saving Money for Travel post.

I understand most of this advice is not easy. Saving an extra vacation day might mean going into work tired after a weekend trip. Spending less money might mean ordering water instead of a cocktail with dinner. Traveling alone might take a leap of faith. Some of these tips are sacrifices, but travel will enrich your life and make the sacrifices worthwhile.

I hope this advice leads to more adventures and less time at work. Travel can be accessible to you if you really want it. Don’t let a lack of vacation time keep you from living your life to the fullest. Save money, save your vacation time, and pursue your dreams.

Pin Ways to Balance Full-Time Work & Travel More for later:

Danielle Spindle is a travel blogger, full-time nurse, and lover of the outdoors currently living in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her work as a nurse revolves around helping people, and she uses her life as a traveler to help others achieve their dreams of adventure. You can follow her on her blog Nurse to Nomad, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post 12 Sensible Ways to Balance Full-Time Work & Travel More first appeared on Hippie In Heels.

The post 12 Sensible Ways to Balance Full-Time Work & Travel More appeared first on Hippie In Heels.

“Quit your job, go abroad, find love, don’t come back” is the quote that pops up all the time in my Pinterest and the dream of many. But are people really doing this?

Life isn’t always like the movies, but it could be, right!? When traveling, it’s not always the Eat, Pray Love experience people dream about where they find love when they weren’t even looking – but does it happen? Absolutely. In fact, I know a lot of people who have found love abroad. But these days, when traveling, many people are using travel dating sites and apps to kind of help that luck along.

I met Ben (who I’ve been with for 6 years and am now engaged to) while I was doing a solo backpacking trip in India. But how rare is finding love abroad and moving abroad for love to India like I did? I really don’t think it’s as rare as people think. When you are traveling, staying in hostels, or meeting other travelers you already have something huge in common: a love for travel, and often that means similar lifestyles and life views.

While you can start dating abroad by chance – one American friend is now engaged and living in Sweden with a guy she met on a G Adventures tour in Cambodia, often people are using the internet to make these things more likely to happen and there’s nothing wrong with that. I know so many friends personally who have met their current long-term boyfriends on apps like Tinder while traveling.

When you’re in a new country, all your experiences seem better, heightened, more exciting. Dating is no different – and things tend to move faster because of that whereas back home you might be text messaging for months before you go on a date, then date for months before you really take the next step to be a couple. When you’re abroad on limited time without jobs and in person (no messaging) it means that things are definitely going to move in a different pace.

While I was lucky to meet Ben in a bar, and 6 years ago didn’t even have internet on my phone while traveling ( Nokia flip phone for the win!), now you can use travel dating sites and apps to meet someone whether it be a fellow traveler in that country or a local.

Travel Dating Sites and Apps

I thought I’d share some travel dating sites that I have been hearing about in the travel world. As a travel writer, I follow so much travel news that I can’t help but be in the loop on literally all things travel even though I’m not single! If you want to go abroad, fall in love, and shake up your life a bit, maybe check out these websites and app.

1. Misstravel.com

This site has been in the media a lot both negatively (basically implying that girls who use them are escorts) but also positively with journalists sharing experiences of trying it themselves. With this site, you find people to travel with, host people in your hometown to show them around, or just visit someone in their hometown and stay at a nearby hotel. But, the truth is that you don’t always go on a trip with someone who is going to pay your way, you can also set it to book your flights and accommodation separately. The premise of this dating site is to find someone who also loves travel that you can travel with regardless of who pays – it’s not a “sugar daddy site” like the media portrays it be from what I’ve read. They recommend meeting in your own country first before going abroad together. This is a paid subscription website.

2. TravelHostDate.com

Travel Host Date has a big bit about how everyone on their site is verified as a real person with their version of background checks which they say keeps away catfishing and scams. You can also do a VIP membership where your account will be secret. You can host people, meet people abroad, and find travel buddies to date when you’re abroad. To be honest, it looks a little sketchy to me – with photos of girls holding up signs (they have to do this to get verified as a real person while apparently men do not have to), and mentions of Chatroulette (if you remember that from years ago!). They have meet-ups and events around the world you will be invited to as a member. It is a paid subscription website.

3. Yourtravelmates.com

This isn’t technically a dating site but many people use it as one. It’s similar to Miss Travel (without the negative press). You can find a travel buddy on this site using filters and see who has similar interests as you do. It’s also its own social media platform where you can get advice and share your travel knowledge with more than 50,000 members. This site isn’t just to meet someone from home to travel with, but to meet locals abroad and hang out with them, too. I’ve done this in a just friends way with Couchsurfing and it makes all the difference in your travels to hang with someone local – so for dating I’d imagine it would be awesome as well. This is a free app and website.

4. Bumble

I’ve talked about Bumble BFF on here before to meet someone who is just a FRIEND to travel with when you are abroad or an expat. Bumble is the main app and it’s for dating. It’s kind of a more upscale version of Tinder and people use it when they are abroad. In fact, Tinder is often used as well – but more as a hookup app according to my friends. If you want something a little more laid back with swiping left and right rather than an online dating site where you have to make a profile and take it more seriously, then think about Bumble and Tinder. Both apps are free.

4. Tourbar.com

Tourbar is a way to find a travel buddy or date ahead of your trip and set it up to meet them when you arrive. They focus on both saying there are “singles” to meet as well as “buddies”. Apparently they have verified profiles only and over a million members. They say they are better than “just a dating app” and better than a “free local guide” because they do both. You can also find someone on there to plan a trip with. They are here to help you “find your soulmate abroad”. The app is free but also offers more with a subsription.

5. Flipthetrip.com

This site also allows you to find either just a friend or a “companion” and is used as a dating site for travelers. It’s more to meet locals abroad rather than finding someone to travel with like MissTravel. They focus on meeting locals, getting a more authentic experience, and maybe finding love while they are at it. This is a free app. Two other very similar free apps are Skout and Airtripp.

Should You Try These Dating Dating Sites? Are they safe?

There are SO many more travel dating sites than this but some are sooo creepy and focus on weird stuff.  A lot that sounded cool like “Meet Me Outside”, a dating app for adventurers, have websites that are no longer active. These ones seem semi-normal and have good reviews so if you’re bored abroad, need to change up your life, and are already into Tinder or dating apps, then why not check it out?

Research actually says that 1 in 8 men want to meet their significant other while traveling and so do 1 in 20 women and they are cool with long distance relationships. With travel being such a priority for millennials its no surprise that research says 1 in 11 post-graduates surveyed met their SO while traveling.

In regards to safety, it’s just like using a dating site at home. You have to have your wits about you. You need to really check out their profile, talk ahead of time, ask for their social media handles, stalk them lol. Make sure you set up boundaries ahead of time, meet in a public place – all the obvious things. Always make sure to tell people where you are going and who you are meeting.

While I didn’t find Ben from an app, I did find him abroad, and I know that so many travelers are looking for that as well but are nervous to initiate a conversation with a stranger (especially when it’s not in a party environment) so these apps can help you get in touch with people who might never have met before. Time is short when you’re meeting people traveling, so it will be a totally different experience than dating someone back home – give it a go!

The post Dating Abroad: Should You Try Travel Dating Sites? first appeared on Hippie In Heels.

The post Dating Abroad: Should You Try Travel Dating Sites? appeared first on Hippie In Heels.

Getting health insurance in Mexico as an expat is a relatively easy straight-forward process. Unlike registering a car, getting a driver’s license, and opening a bank account – this is one of the big “expat” things to do here that does not require residency. I’m going to share how I, as a resident of Mexico got health insurance in Mexico as an expat from the USA and my boyfriend, a non-resident of Mexico, who is from the UK.

Getting Health Insurance in Mexico as an Expat

While getting the national Mexican Social Security Institute insurance (IMSS) would require residency, we have been told by various Mexican friends that anyone here who can afford private insurance should get it – this is due to lack of great government hospitals and a long wait time. You’ll have more chance of an English-speaking doctor at a private hospital than a government one. If you are a resident and you only want the Mexican health insurance that’s an option for you. For us, we wanted to make sure we were covered at all the 5-star hospitals in Merida like Star Medica, coverage for accidents all over Mexico, and coverage and flights back to Mexico if we had an accident abroad. We needed private insurance. IMSS is usually around 5,000 MXN per year (for a whole family, but we aren’t a family) from what I’m told so it was a no-brainer for us to get better coverage at better hospitals with less waiting time for just a couple thousand pesos more a year.

People sometimes ask about getting into Seguro Popular de Salud but this is a kind of “safety net” insurance which is for people who cannot afford the IMSS insurance or have pre-existing conditions and is based on a socioeconomic basis. This is a step down from IMSS. Foreigners who have residency here do qualify for this as I see retirees and others talking about using it on Facebook groups – but you do have to prove you have a very low income. With this insurance, you would be able to use the Seguro medical center only and from what I understand, by paying into Seguro, you wouldn’t have a bill at the hospital.

If you’ve heard of folks getting free doctor’s visits that is possible for anyone at most big pharmacies here. I’ve done this once because there is one up the road and I wanted to see which allergy meds would be best for me. It was fine and they are paid by the pharmacy. You then buy your medications from the pharmacy – think of it like a “minute clinic” in the USA. I needed a shot, bought the meds and needle myself, brought it back in and she gave it to me.

If you want information on becoming a resident, read this article which explains the exact steps I took to become a resident of Mexico.

A few things to note ahead of time in case you are a retiree is that your USA coverage does not link here in Mexico and that goes for Medicare, too. You will pay out of pocket unless you have a USA plan that specifically includes health care here in Mexico – so you need to check your plan closely if you intend on keeping it. Living here as an expat will likely disqualify coverage under the scope of travel insurance in most cases. If you are coming short-term, I always recommend World Nomads. This article is for those who intend to live in Mexico long-term. If you are a resident of Mexico, you are going to need Mexican insurance in most cases.

*unless otherwise noted with USD, all prices here are in MXN.

Get a broker for health insurance in Mexico

You can get insurance yourself online – you would fill out the application forms (which are in Spanish) and then submit additional paperwork like your passport copy and proof of address.

While you don’t need residency, you will need proof address like a bill in your name. If you have a lease in Mexico, it’s no problem – you just take the lease, a copy of the lease, and a copy of your passport with you to the electricity bill office and ask them to change it over to your name. It takes ten minutes!

If you want to compare multiple plans from top private insurance companies in Mexico, it’s best to go through a broker who you can talk to about your budget, deductibles you want, coverage you’re looking for, and more so that you can get multiple options.

After looking over various plans, we went with AXA Mexico. Other top companies are GNP, Metlife, and DVK.

Ben and I are unmarried so we did have to get two separate plans. The “policy rights” itself costs around 1,000 MXN so that meant we had to pay that twice.

Another reason to go through a broker is that when you need to make a claim, he/she is there for you and will help you through the process which will be complicated and in Spanish.

In Merida, Mexico, we went with Ricardo Castilla who also did our car insurance for us. You can contact him at yucataninsurance@gmail.com. We found him through the recommendation of the Expats in the Yucatan Facebook group which is run by Yucatan Transitional Services.

Once you decide on a plan, you apply which is on the website, print it out, wait for approval, then pay and get your insurance card and final contract.

What to look for in health insurance in Mexico

It’s not the same in all countries so in case you aren’t used to Mexican insurance, here are the main things to make choices on:

1. Level of the hospitals you want – it is by stars here like a hotel would be. We wanted 5-star service, so asked for 5-star hospitals!
2. Region – do you want just your state, do you want all of Mexico? Do you want international insurance? You’ll have to decide this for a quote
3. Max insured sum – typically 100 million pesos is enough for a maximum of coverage PER event
4. Deductible – the deductible can range to whatever you want, but we did 25,000.
5. Coinsurance – we went with 10% but I’ll explain this more later
6. Coinsurance limit – you want this to be low, we went with 35,000 MXN on our plan
7. “Travel” insurance – do you want to add in accident insurance in case you are abroad? For us, it only took the quote up 300 MXN ($15) for care in an American hospital if an accident happens. Without this, the basic coverage still included a plane ride back if needed but wouldn’t cover your American bills (or wherever in the world you would be)
8. Do you want added extras like room upgrades?
9. What is included in your emergency list: C-section, accidents like a road accident or broken bone, organ transplants, hospitalization fees, surgery, doctors fees, delivery and cesarean, medicine, medical orientation 24/7, lab analysis, emergencies with no deductible, accidental dental coverage
10. Tabulator – You want this set to as high as you can afford, I’ll explain later

Coinsurance and deductible – how does it work for health insurance in Mexico?

This is how you can think about what you’d actually pay in a situation with a couple of examples.

When you have an accident, you do NOT pay a deductible once it’s over your deductible reduction with you can see on mine is set at 2,000 MXN.

When you have an illness, you DO pay a deductible.

You always pay your coinsurance percentage up to the limit that is listed.

So, you are in a car accident and it’s 40,000 MXN for a broken arm, which is quite a good guess on the cost of this, in total. That means you will get a bill that is 10% of that and you owe 4,000 MXN, or around $230 USD.

If you are in an accident which is 300,000 MXN, you would pay 10% of that which is 30,000 MXN.

If you are in an accident which is 1,000,000 MXN, and the 10% is 10,000 MXN, you only pay up to your limit, and in my case, that is set at 35,000 MXN which is around $1,700 USD. So you won’t ever pay more than that when it is an accident.

If you are not in an accident and have an illness that needs to be treated, you have to pay your deductible and your coinsurance.

Here is an example. Your medical bills in total are 100,000 MXN. You’re deductible is 25,000. You subtract that first and pay 10% only on the remainder which is 75,000 MXN, making your payment 7,500 MXN.

You can use these tools to test out what you are willing to pay. If you get sick often, you might want a lower deductible and a lower coinsurance percentage. If you are accident-prone, you might want a lower coinsurance percentage or a lower cap on the coinsurance limit. It’s really up to you!

What is a tabulator?

This was one thing on my quotes that confused me! In Mexico, doctors are under different networks so if you have Doctors X,Y, Z available with your health insurance because they have a deal with the insurance that they will do their 40,000 surgery for just 12,000 through the insurance, that is great. But what if you heard Doctor B is the best? If you set the tabulator to “High” then your 12,000 limit will be set higher at something like 17,000 and then you just pay the rest – this is if you want to go outside your network.

The cost of health insurance in Mexico

It really depends on what you choose for what your cost will be. I told you above what we chose and that cost for us came to around 7,000 MXN per person for the year. That is $354 USD. We are both healthy people with no pre-existing conditions.

If you have pre-existing conditions, are a heavy smoker, and other things you’ll have to answer in your application, you will pay a higher amount and have an additional fee or in some cases could be declined coverage when you apply.

Things to note about health insurance policies in Mexico

Planning to have a baby? You need to have this policy 10 months before you are due that means you cannot be pregnant then sign up. Bad knees but it “just started hurting after you got the policy”? You have to wait 24 months for nearly everything along those lines – it weeds out people who are using the policies but hiding pre-existing conditions and really is good for only accidents in the first two years you have a policy.

If you extend each year, you will not be punished if you do end up with a condition later on that is expensive to the company.

Mexico’s health insurance is not preventative in any way – that means routine check-ups for dental care, vision, OB/GYN, dermatologist – all out of pocket. While a dental surgery might be covered or discounted, preventative won’t be so you can forget those $10 co-pays you are used to in the USA. I have been to the ER already once and my visit without meds was $50 just to see the doctor. I had swine flu – the meds I got later cost $20 and the lab draw I got cost around $20, too. That isn’t something your insurance can kick in for. You CAN get a more comprehensive plan that would cover these doctors visit and such, but you’re looking at over 20,000 for the year. We went with what is called a “catastrophic” plan since we really want it more for emergencies. Prices here are similar to India’s healthcare where we lived and paid out of pocket for five years, and we are more than happy to continue doing that for simple doctors visits and medicines. You’ll have to decide what works for you based on your own health.

Medications are mostly over the counter but even ones with prescriptions you just pay for yourself unless they were prescribed in the case of an injury or illness that was over your deductible and you went through insurance for them.

In accidents, you’ll just have to pay and then get reimbursed but if you are sick you can present your insurance ahead of time and have them pay it to the hospital.

Our policy isn’t “great”. Our deductible is high and so is our coinsurance limit, but really for us it is what worked best when we balanced out the risks and benefits and costs. You’ll find one that is perfect for you, too.

If you’d rather not get private healthcare in Mexico and are a resident, you can apply for the national medical care.

The post Getting Health Insurance in Mexico as an Expat & Costs first appeared on Hippie In Heels.

The post Getting Health Insurance in Mexico as an Expat & Costs appeared first on Hippie In Heels.

I have been a really bad traveler and even worse travel blogger for years. Why? Because I just got my first credit card and signed up to points programs. It actually makes me a little sick to think of the 500+ flights I’ve taken and not gotten a single point from – and it doesn’t make sense. I am the girl that uses the free undies coupon Victoria’s Secret sends out. I have McDonald’s coupons in my purse and a Domino’s coupon on my fridge for the next time I call. But, I never signed up for points which would have given my FREE flights (especially considering how much I fly, but even for people who don’t fly often, they get a couple free flights a year). Like I said, it kind of makes me sick thinking about it but it’s never too late to start.

Why didn’t I start sooner? It’s really not laziness as you might guess. I’m actually really Type A and on top of things but I just found points to be a confusing topic. It sounded like a huge project and I wasn’t sure it was really worth it. More and more, I would see friends on Facebook who didn’t even travel that often getting business class upgrades and free flights in the USA and writing in their caption it was because of points. After years of traveling and meeting travel industry experts at conferences, they all balked when I said I wasn’t signed up to points – telling me stories of their free travels around the world thanks to their loyalty programs.

When I was back in Ohio last February, my BFF from nursing school was like “this is enough Rachel, I fly 3x a year and get Southwest points and use my Chase card and got a free flight already this year… you could have so many! You need to sort this out!”. I remembered that years ago I did an interview with Bryce, a friend from college, who runs 10xTravel which has grown into this huge online travel community that shares information about points and loyalty programs. He posts his trips with his wife on Facebook and travels more than I do – so does his Facebook group of other points people! Since I interviewed Bryce, he’s been on TV telling his secrets to Good Morning America, ABC’s Nightline, and even is a TEDx speaker.

If I was going to start doing points and getting credit cards, I was going to do it right. In fact, one saying on his website is “do it once, do it right, get on with your life”. That’s what I wanted: to set this up right then just reap the benefits. For years, I’ve followed their Facebook group and they were the source I went with to learn everything I could about flying for free. Step 1: read their free ebook that has all the information in one place. You can download it here. It’s short, it’s straight to the point, and did I mention, free?

The book gets into the basics of how traveling for free with points works. It’s not rocket science and actually, I’m kicking myself more that I have waited this long. If you’re reading this, start now – don’t do what I’ve done! It’s torture. His book explains how with super minimal effort, you can get at least 3-4 free domestic flights per year. Really.

Then you’ll want to go to this page and start going through the basics of how this all works. Bryce types like he’s chatting to a best friend and that is why I chose to get my information from him. Other sites on points seemed like they were selling credit card sign-ups or talked with vocabulary that confused me. These are articles anyone can understand.

Some of Bryce’s success stories are going to make you really jealous, I warn you – but it just goes to show how well this can work if you do it right. Honestly, the main reason people don’t travel is money and the main cost of traveling is the flights which you can literally get for free if you do this. There’s nothing in your way! Here are some of the articles he’s shared about deals his readers have gotten:

• How A Reader Got a $24,000+ Honeymoon for About $1,200
• How I Booked a $28,000 Trip to Thailand for $326 (Detailed Step-by-Step)
• How I Saved $978.25 on My Vegas Trip (And How You Can Too)
• Booked Hotel and Flight to Thailand for $72.80
• Marcus Booked 2 Round Trip Flights to Paris for $185
• Booked a $24,368 Itinerary to Thailand for $166
• $10,659 Worth of Airfare for $320 (first class to Bora Bora)
• Booked $3,500 Trip for Only $101 (Costa Rica)
• $102 Round Trip from NY to London
• Booked a $3,263 Trip to Paris for $266

You guys, I want to go first class to Bora Bora. I want to go first class anywhere. So, it was time to start the process!

How to Use Points and Miles to Travel For Free

So, a little bit about my banking situation: I went to school on full-tuition scholarship and my parents (thank you mom and dad) gave me their old Tahoe SUV (which I promptly flipped going 80 MPH and totaled so then they bought me a very old indestructible Dodge car). Basically, I had no credit. I never got a credit card in college. I have a Charles Schwab ATM card and that is where I keep my money – I like this card because it reimburses me ATM fees all around the world so I never have to worry about that $3 charge at the gas station ATM.

I have been living in India for 5 years and it’s a cash-only society so I very rarely used my card anywhere other than an ATM. You don’t get points on ATM withdraws and no one really accepts credit, so I think that is why I never really pushed to get a credit card. Knowing I was moving to Mexico, it was really good timing. Thanks to Bryce’s advice, I signed up for the Chase Sapphire Reserve. I did it online in .2 seconds and got approved right away. I don’t know how it works, but they clearly don’t investigate that hard (lol, jk, sort of).

I was in India at the time of applying and I asked them to FedEx me the card (so expensive). They did (overnighted!). This was shocking and I loved them already. Some reasons I went for the Chase card, thanks to Bryce’s site:

• 50,000 points sign up bonus if you spend a minimum of $4,000 in the first 3 months. I had Ben and I’s flights to Mexico to book and two months rent to pay on Airbnb so I knew I’d hit the minimum spend.
• Free Priority Passes. Now, I’m one of those fancy people who can go into airport lounges, eat and drink for free, and take a shower. Oh my, how my trips have changed thanks to this gem! Plus, whoever is traveling with me gets to come in, too.
• Car insurance. I can decline car insurance and have Chase cover me in full. We rented for a month in Mexico for $17 USD.
• Adding a second person to my account. I added Ben (who is English and probably couldn’t get a credit card in England because he lived in India for 10 years) to my account without issue. He got his own Priority Pass and gets car insurance and all the other benefits.
• Travel insurance. I get travel insurance now included!
• 3x points on dining and travel and 1x points on everything else. I spend 100% of my money on dining and travel so that’s perfect for me.

To be fair, there are other cards but when you look at Bryce’s card breakdowns in this handy little chart, this one just worked best for me. The next steps for me with credit cards, are to get more. If you read his free ebook it explains how you can get all these sign-up bonuses and if you want to you can even just cancel the credit card after you get your points. You still get to keep the points. Just stay on top of things and write down dates so you know when to cancel it.

Step two was to sign up to the loyalty programs of the flights I often take. This took about an hour of just knocking it out and jotting down all the usernames and membership ID’s and passwords so I have it all in one place. I signed up for Jet Airways, United, Malaysian Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Air France, and Air Canada.

Step two was what I dreaded: I had to get all my flights for the past 6 months and claim them back. It’s awesome that airlines let you do this actually, but since I fly a lot it was a headache trying to find all my details. I went back and claimed tens of thousands of miles for various programs. You can only go back six months.

Now, when I book a flight, I always enter my membership ID. If I don’t have one for that airline, I sign up for one. I like to stay on top of this so I don’t have to go back and claim them later.

All in all, it took me a few minutes to sign up to the Chase credit card. It took me a couple of hours to get my loyalty programs sorted (only because I had so many old flights to claim) and I was already on track to have loads of points. I’ve read Bryce’s book twice now so that I know how to use my points, and keep track of when they expire so that I can get my free flights. I use Points.com to keep my accounts organized. You can enter all your loyalty programs there and then see all your points in one place. It’s free.

Actually, all this information and Bryce’s book are all free and it’s all here for you to just soak up and start following the advice he lays out so you can fly for free. If your dream is to travel, make it happen! Apply for a credit card and get some points, sign up for a loyalty program. Read Byrace’s ebook and devour his site for information. Reach out to him with questions! I’m sure he’d get back to you with personal advice.

I’m so excited to finally be trying to do this points thing – after putting it off so many years. I hope that you sign up and don’t do what I did as I probably could have flown to Bora Bora like 10 times first class if I’d done this from the get-go!

For me, the next step is getting more credit cards and more points (then probably canceling them) and using his credit card guide for the next steps. I have been a member of his Facebook group “10xTravel.com Insiders” and just eat up the information in there from other people just like me who are getting into points. I love seeing their success stories and it just gets me excited to get my first flight booked with points or my first upgrade! I hope that this helps you get stoked for free travel and I hope you join me in his Facebook group to learn more and get started!

Pin how to use points and miles for later:

The post Are Points and Miles Over Your Head? Here’s Your Easy Guide Toward Free Travel first appeared on Hippie In Heels.

The post Are Points and Miles Over Your Head? Here’s Your Easy Guide Toward Free Travel appeared first on Hippie In Heels.

I have been a big fan of Kiwi.com for years now, writing about it several times and never sponsored by them but just showing you ways that I use them to save on flights. I get newsletters from them and a recent one said they had a new “nomad” tool. The Kiwi nomad tool is the coolest thing I’ve seen for travel this year and I had to share it with you because it’s definitely the cheapest way to find multicity flights that I’ve found.

If you want to know more about why I love Kiwi, you can check out these posts:

• How Kiwi works to get the cheapest flights
• How to fly all over Europe (9 cities) for $355
• How to fly all over India (7 cities) for $200

To sum up what Kiwi does: they look for the cheapest way to get from point A to point B and do not only use “code shares” which would mean that if I went from New York to Paris, I might stop in London. A normal booking site like CheapOair (who I also love) or Google flights will only look for code-shares like flying American Airlines NY to London then a partner of theirs from London to Paris, like British Airways. What Kiwi will do is get that flight from NY to London on whatever airline is cheapest, then find a budget European flight from London to Paris that isn’t necessarily a partner of your first flight (aka Ryanair, EasyJet, etc). That would be you have to re-check in and it’s basically like taking a totally new flight. But, don’t fret – if you are delayed and miss that second flight, Kiwi has a policy to re-book you on another flight on whatever airline is leaving next, for free. It works as I’ve had to do it and they re-booked me with no hassle. If you were to book yourself on a NY to London flight on say, Google Flights or Expedia, then go to the Ryanair site and book a budget flight on to Paris, there is no safety net there if you miss that connection. THAT is why I love Kiwi! When isn’t Kiwi great? When you need a visa at the place of the layover or when you have a lot of luggage as you do have to check in as if it’s a new flight.

Okay, so moving on to the point of this post!

Kiwi’s Nomad Tool: the new cheapest way to find multicity flights

So in the past, I’ve written about how you can use Kiwi.com’s multicity tool to fly to a bunch of cities in one booking, super cheap. I linked to them above: 9 cities in Europe for $355 and 7 cities in India for under $200. I showed how you can basically put in your starting point and use their tool to go all around the place you want to visit at the cheapest way possible. If you haven’t read those, check it out as it kind of is something you need to understand before you read on.

All flight booking websites these days have multicity tools. Kiwi’s is unique because again, it doesn’t use code-shares and finds all the budget airlines.

This NEW tool, the “nomad” tool does something different and takes that multicity price down even lower. You can read about it here on their website where they show how their multicity tool got a low price of 442 Euros forPrague to London, Stockholm, Pari, and Rome. But when adding in the nomad feature, the price went down to 276 Euro.

What Nomad does is let you put in all the places you want to go and how many days you want to spend in each place. Hit the Nomad button and let their program do it’s magic.

No more figuring out which order to go in to get the cheapest flights and doing from point A to B to C, etc. You can just put in all the places you want to go, use their tool, and know that you are getting the cheapest flights – if you are flexible enough to travel in any random order between cities. It basically made the multicity tool even better. I know it seems like I work for Kiwi, but I don’t, haha! I am an affiliate of them but to be honest, they pay me a lot less than if I were an affiliate of Expedia or Kayak, but Kiwi is what I actually use.

“Using its powerful algorithms and proprietary data, Kiwi.com is able to search for the cheapest route possible between cities on the dates that a traveller wants to leave and return. No longer will people be flicking through tabs for hours trying to find the perfect adventure.”

They explain it like this: “The traveling salesman must travel between a number of different cities, but doesn’t care about the order in which he does so. He just wants to find the most efficient way to visit each one. If the salesman is visiting 10 different cities, there are 180,000 different combinations of journeys that must be checked to find the most efficient route.”

So, let’s try it!

I set my departure city as Merida, my departure date as the 14th of August and set it to return to Merida at the end of the trip on the 14th of September.

I’ve randomly selected the cities of:

1. Merida, MX
2. Columbus, Ohio
3. Nashville, TN
4. Las Vegas, Nevada
5. Orlando, FL
6. Any NYC airport
7. Austin, TX
8. Seattle, WA
9. Merida, MX

$885 USD for 9 cities, leaving from Merida, Mexico and returning to Merida, Mexico. You guys, that is insane. A round trip flight from Columbus to Vegas last time I went was nearly $600.

As you can see, it created the order for me in which I’d get the cheapest flight. I think this is pretty amazing for when you are going to like 5 cities in Europe on a backpacking trip or spending two weeks bouncing around Central America. I mean, even the route I just did, if you took away Merida, imagine someone coming to the USA as a tourist and being able to hit up all those places – the rate is $885 because it’s coming from Mexico into the USA and back out, but if you took off that flight it’s even less at $535. That’s wild!

Yes, it’s mostly budget airlines but for that price, this is definitely something I’m going to be testing out on future travels. I just booked Merida to Atlanta to Ohio and back to Merida and that was $500 because I wasn’t flexible on the order – so you can see how being flexible on your itinerary can make for some insane savings!

Have fun planning your dream trip. I hope that you can find some deals with this tool and if you do, please let me know!

Pin this info on the cheapest way to find multicity flights for later:

The post This New Kiwi “Nomad” Tool Just Made Your MultiCity Trip Way Cheaper first appeared on Hippie In Heels.

The post This New Kiwi “Nomad” Tool Just Made Your MultiCity Trip Way Cheaper appeared first on Hippie In Heels.

While I already talked how Ben and I took Kit Kat, Shanti, and Omni from India to Mexico, I wanted to write a general guide on how to fly with pets. There’s a LOT that goes into it from buying the right crates to making sure your pet isn’t freaking out, so here are all my tips here.

How to Fly with pets

Managing the paperwork & preparing your pets

This is key! You need to have the flights, paperwork, and all the legal aspects ready to go. I wrote about the paperwork necessary for my pets in this article. It has resources and links you can use to see what you’ll need for your pets. You’ll have to show this to the airline and customs.

Try to get this sorted and the crates ready months in advance so you can crate train your pet. You might even want to put them in the crate, move them to the car, and drive around so they won’t panic when the first time that happens is to go to the airport.

What You Need to Buy to Fly With Pets:

IATA cages for each pet

Make sure they’re correct sizes and they must be from IATA verified. We bought ours on Amazon and there were no issues. The crates are really easy to put together but make sure you don’t lose any of the screws especially if you need to take the crate apart for transport and then put it back together. Mine came with a little plastic water bowl, but we switched that out for a metal bowl as the plastic ones were targets for my pets – they wanted to chew them! Many airlines won’t allow the crates unless they are IATA verified. As for sizing, we went up a size for both of our pets who were borderline so they would have more space. You need to check the requirements for the airline (hence, already have the flight booked) and make sure you aren’t going over their weight and size requirements.

Cat carrier to carry on

Our cat came with us as a carry-on. We chose a carrier multiple carry-ons from Amazon and they really are mostly the same, however, some have a cool zippered side that can come down and make more room for your pet once you are on the flight or during the layover. My cat really loved that. I recommend getting a few and trialing them to see which is the best size (make sure it’s a product that can be returned). If your cat cannot turn around and stand up without their head touching the top, then it’s too small.

Pee pads

You need these for the carry-on and some airlines will allow you to put this in the checked crates. We did with Air Canada. Some airlines won’t allow it and some websites will say not to as your pet could get nervous and try to eat them (causing injury or death). It depends on your pet’s temperament. Ours wouldn’t eat them so we felt confident it was okay. The cat wouldn’t go in his carrier – and he was in it for 24 hours!

Water bottles

You can get a crate that has water bottles or buy one that you think is better suited. You can also then get a funnel which you can cable tie to the crate and easily fill their bowl up without opening the crate.

Proper Harnesses for each pet

You DO have to take your pet out of the checked crates AND the carry-on crates to go through security. I recommend a harness because then it’s pretty fail-proof for them not being able to get out of it and run off (which was my worst fear). Just note that for the checked pets, you have to take all of the collars, harnesses, and leashes off of them before you hand them over to board the plane.

Quality leashes and collars

Don’t cheap out on the collars and leashes. You should get ones that are hardcore and won’t break. If you pet was ever going to try to get out of a collar, this would be the time! We also made them quite tight so that there were no “oops” moments of the pet backing up and pulling their head out of the collar.

Tags with pet names + phone numbers

I get them made on Etsy sometimes but you can also get them made at any pet store or buy them online. This is really important. If you are flying internationally (we moved from India to Mexico) and your old number won’t work, make sure the number on the pet tag is one that is actually reachable.

Laminated photos and signs for the cages

We laminated copies of the pet paperwork and photos of the pets (a close-up and a side view) which we put on top. All the water bowls and funnels were held on with cables ties. Also, you must secure the door of the crate with cable ties when you hand your pet over so no one accidentally opens their crate! We also duct taped water bottles on the sides of the crate so that people had no excuse to not give our pets water during the layover.

Medicines + products to help east the trip

This is really a personal decision. We bought MANY types of products from calming drops to chewable melatonin treats and tried them out ahead of time. They seemed to work but the day of the journey we panicked worried that it could slow their heart rate. Every website has a different view on whether or not to give meds. Most vets say it’s okay while PETA says no way. It’s up to you! Airlines WILL NOT accept your pet if it looks sedated. Linked below are the ones we tried. The pets didn’t love the treats so we had to put peanut butter on them.

[easyazon_image align=”none” height=”110″ identifier=”B074QNJ8B4″ locale=”US” src=”https://hippie-inheels.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/31qveyCMCsL.SL110.jpg” tag=”Hipinhee-20″ width=”72″]

[easyazon_link identifier=”B074QNJ8B4″ locale=”US” tag=”Hipinhee-20″]SynergyLabs Richard’s Organics Pet Calm; 4 fl.oz.[/easyazon_link]

[easyazon_image align=”none” height=”160″ identifier=”B01MXVLZJK” locale=”US” src=”https://hippie-inheels.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/51C6i1AW3zL.SL160.jpg” tag=”Hipinhee-20″ width=”98″]

[easyazon_link identifier=”B01MXVLZJK” locale=”US” tag=”Hipinhee-20″]NaturVet Quiet Moments Calming Aid Plus Melatonin 180 Soft Chews 13.9OZ[/easyazon_link]

For more flying tips:

• Best Airplane Pillow Review: Which One is Really the Best?
• Best Travel Outfits for Planes
• Long Haul Flight Essentials

Pin it for later!

The post How to Fly with Pets first appeared on Hippie In Heels.

The post How to Fly with Pets appeared first on Hippie In Heels.

Many people get pre-trip travel anxiety which is relieved when they land in their destination, but others carry that anxiety while they are on vacation making it so they cannot truly relax and enjoy the moment. I want to talk about being nervous to travel or fly, being afraid to travel, and how to travel calmer so you can enjoy the moment.

You might see these carefree chilled-out travelers on Instagram or IRL on your trip and think “I wish I could feel that stress-free”. You can! If you are Type A and not naturally chilled out, you just have to prepare a bit so you can get to that zen state.

How to Travel Calmer and Avoid Travel Anxiety So You Can Actually Enjoy Your Trip

I have written about how I get anxiety before I travel which seemed to surprise a lot of people, but actually, it’s very common and many people feel uneasy before a trip. Some people even feel sick to their stomach from the nerves.

Travel anxiety is a mental thing, so for me, it’s all about calming my mind before a trip. To do that, I organize my mind first.

I know that sounds really weird but stick with me. I organize my mind then I organize my stuff for the trip. I start with running through the anxious thoughts I’m having and write them down. Am I worried I don’t have enough connection time at my layover? Am I worried that my luggage is overweight? Am I worried that the Airbnb I’m staying at isn’t in a safe part of town?

Basically, the way that I get over my anxiety and travel calmer is by addressing everything that is bothering me head-on. I use a luggage weigher and make sure my luggage is the right weight. I read forums to see if the area my Airbnb is in is safe and message my host to make sure someone will be there to meet me and let me in.

Preparation is key.

• Make sure your flight and hotel bookings are saved on your phone.
• Double check all the dates and timings.
• Make a list of what to pack. I love using the KonMari method to pack in an organized way.
• I make sure my travel documents are accessible like my travel insurance, my passport isn’t going to expire, and see if I need a visa.
• Have I done the things at home I need to do before I leave for the trip? Do I have a ride to the airport and did I give extra time in case there is traffic?
• Are you nervous to go alone? Consider planning the trip with a friend even if that means waiting until your friend is able to travel.
• Keep all the important stuff in one place so you know they are there. If you suddenly think “omg did I pack my passport?!”, you can quickly look in that pocket and see all your most important items.
• Do it all the day before you leave, not the day you leave.
• I also make sure my house is clean and in order before I leave so I don’t have to stress about that near the end of the trip.

Those are really the key things you need to have sorted out. Your paperwork, lodging, flights, and packing what you need. Somehow just going through it like a list will help you feel more relaxed because your mind will realize that you’ve DONE the things you need to do.

In severe cases of travel anxiety, you could even take photos of the things you are afraid you’ll forget to do at the house like turn on your curling iron. Then you can look at the photo later and know YES, I did turn it off. This is quite extreme, but if you worry that much then definitely try this out.

While you’re on the trip, having the things you needed packed and ready to go will make getting started with your day easier. You should pack only what you need and actually think about each outfit – pack the outfits that you love. Make sure your personal item tote bag on the plane has the things you need in it.

The more you plan, the less stress you’ll have. Here are my tips to plan a trip. Try to compartmentalize your trip into pieces and make a list. Start going through it all so that you can clearly see you ARE on top of things.

Read about your destination. Read personal blogs. Read safety tips. Download apps that will help you like Uber. Make sure you have internet access abroad by buying a SIM card at the airport or renting a hotspot to take with you on your trip.

Once you have gone through this and know that you are prepared, then STOP. Don’t keep going over it. Don’t keep checking your luggage or flight time. Do it once, and stop.

It’s time to enjoy the moment. Read a book you’ve been putting off while you’re on the plane. Watch a movie you’ve been dying to see. Try to enjoy the flight journey as part of the adventure. I recommend avoiding alcohol and coffee on the plane as well as excessive sugar. Some people swear by using [easyazon_link identifier=”B075W9KL7G” locale=”US” tag=”Hipinhee-20″]weighted travel blankets[/easyazon_link] and I bet that does work considering being under a heavy duvet is the best feeling ever.

Focus on anything other than the trip and if you feel anxious, take deep breaths and go back to reading your book, listening to your favorite music, or whatever you are distracting yourself with. Some people say you can tense every part of your body one by one for 10 seconds then release starting at your feet and working your way up to ease anxiety or distract yourself. You can also snack which for me cures everything, haha.

On the trip, once you arrive, you’ll already have everything sorted and most of the stress behind you. It’s time to TRY to relax. If you are an anxious person, avoid coffee. Meet friends and get out of your hotel room. If you are worried about getting lost, use Google maps and if you don’t have internet take a screenshot of the map, download the offline version, and carry a business card with the address of the hotel on it.

Always carry $50 USD with you so that in any case, you can hop into a taxi and get back to your hotel. Knowing that you can just get back to your hotel at any time is a nice way to relax!

These are some tips I use to ease travel anxiety and be able to enjoy the moment while I’m abroad. I hope these will help you travel calmer, too! When you travel while feeling totally carefree it’s pure bliss! Pin how to travel calmer for later:

The post How to Travel Calmer and Enjoy the Moment first appeared on Hippie In Heels.

The post How to Travel Calmer and Enjoy the Moment appeared first on Hippie In Heels.

I am such a huge fan of Airbnb and have used it all over the world, in over 20 cities – and it’s now my preferred way to book lodging. I am going to share what it’s like your first time using Airbnb, show you how to set up an account, what types of places to search for, and my tips for using the website. I also have a $40 off Airbnb promo code. This Airbnb discount code is only for your first time using Airbnb and setting up a new account.

I remember before I used the website, I found it all a little confusing and daunting. At a hotel, I knew I would have someone there to greet me when I showed up and help me get situated or help if something went wrong. With an Airbnb, I wasn’t sure where I’d meet someone to get the keys and what would happen if something went wrong in the middle of the night. Basically, it seemed sketchy.

But look at these places – wouldn’t you rather stay somewhere like this than a hotel if it were cheaper? It usually is.

So, I started out with Airbnb in my own hometown, Goa, India. I tried out all the top Airbnb’s here and even wrote a post about my favorite ones (I found some gems!). Once I was comfortable, I started using it on all my travels. Recently, I bounced around Merida, Mexico for weeks and stayed in some very cute ones as well. I’m going to share why I am such a convert to Airbnb below and also walk you through how to use the platform and all my tips for choosing a host.

Airbnb Promo Code: How It Works

Maybe you’ve had someone mention to you before that there is an Airbnb first time coupon – and it’s true! The Airbnb discount code is currently set at $40 off your first booking but it always changes. It has gone as low as $25 and $40 is the highest I’ve seen it. The amount is set by Airbnb.

Click here to make an account and receive $40 in credit.

The great news is that if you sign up, you get $40 off and I get $20 off my next booking. Then, you get your own link and you can even get $20 each time you recommend friends to sign up.

Beginner’s Guide to Using Airbnb

Setting up an account

This is the easy part. Click this link. Click “sign up with email”. Follow the easy setup instructions by giving them your name, email, birthday, and create a password for your account. Once you’ve entered that information click the big red button that says “sign up”.

You’re good to go! You can now “edit your profile” and add some information about yourself. Your host will want to make sure you are a good person and someone they want to allow in their house.

Finding your way around the Airbnb website

I will take you through finding a cool place to stay. I’m going to pick Charlotte, North Carolina as I love that city and used to live there (and I’m actually really curious what Airbnb’s are there).

1. In the top left, click on the empty search box and start typing “Charlotte”. It will auto-populate. Click search.
2. Click the “dates” button and input your dates. I put May 15-17. Click “apply”.
3. Click on “guests” and put how many. I put two.
4. Now it will say “homes” or “restaurants”. Click “homes”.
5. You’ll see search results.

Now, it’s time to filter them out. Under “home type” you can choose “entire home”, “private room”, or “shared room”. I usually go entire home unless I’m somewhere very expensive and need to rent a room in someone’s home. I did this in Dublin and it was okay, but I prefer to take a whole home so I’ll choose “entire home” and click “apply”.

Next, filter your price. I put mine at a $200 maximum per night. I like to make it high so that I can see all the fun results even if I’m not really hoping to spend that much – but if I see someone I’m obsessed with, I might splurge!

You can click “more filters” and add in other things you want or need like the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, if there is A/C, if there is a pool, if pets are allowed, if smoking is allowed, and dozens of other filters.

I set it to “two bedrooms”. Now, I can see my new search results.

To the right, you see a map. You might know which area you want to be in. For example, you want to be in the downtown area (called “uptown” in Charlotte). So, you can just click on the plus sign to zoom in on the map and zoom to the area you want to stay – you’ll see just the places now that are in that area.

You’ll want to save ones you like. You can just hover over the little heart until it turns red and it will save to your favorites. In the top right, you’ll see “saved”. You can make lists for “Hawaii homes” or “NYC pads”.

Once you save all your favorites to Charlotte to your list, you can then look at them all in one place on your “wishlists” and compare them or show them to your travel buddy to see which one you want to do. I narrowed it down to four. It will show you all four and also have a map to the side showing where each of them are.

My favorite is the “chic loft” for $85. Once I was to split with my travel buddy that is just $42 for each of us per night – plus you can use the $40 sign up bonuses on your booking. I can also see that this is a “superhost” which is great and I’ll explain that later (it’s something you can filter for when you search). This loft actually has FOUR beds.

Once I clicked through, the rate actually went down to $79 per night. You can click the main image and scroll through images of the whole house. Next, read all the booking details. The host sets their own: cancellation policy, smoking policy, pets policy… they are all there. If you want a place that you can cancel for a full refund, you can choose that in your filter when you search.

They will have a personalized note for each heading. For example:

• Guest access: Entire space is included in this rental. Please, make yourself at home. 
• Interaction with guests: I am here for you during your stay, but our level of interaction is up to you. I’m only a phone call/message away. You will be able to self check-in upon arrival.
• Cancellation: Moderate – Cancel up to 5 days before check in and get a full refund (minus service fees). Cancel within 5 days of your trip and the first night is non-refundable, but 50% of the cost for the remaining nights will be refunded. Service fees are refunded when cancellation happens before check-in and within 48 hours of booking.

Checking out is easy you just click BOOK! It will automatically add your promo code and you just enter your debit or credit card information.

Sometimes hosts will require you to “request to book”. This would mean that you request it, they look at your profile to see if you are cool, then they accept it. They have 24 hours to accept or decline. If you don’t want to deal with this, then you can filter for “instant booking” when you search.

Choosing a host

When you look at a host, the best way to see if they are good is to read the reviews and see how the host responds to people. You can also choose a “superhost” which will be someone who was a great host and has perfect reviews.

Always read reviews!

Leaving reviews & getting reviews

Most Airbnb users take reviewing quite seriously.

Here is a review of this Charlotte property: “The instructions on how to check in were remarkably detailed. I loved the space. It was so chic. Jay was great at communicating. The loft was extremely clean. If you look to the left on the balcony you will see a lovely view of the city. There are two small beds upstairs that aren’t particularly comfortable for a couple but perfect if you are traveling alone or with a friend. Also, my spouse is over 6ft tall and his feet dangled off of the bed so if you’re really tall that may also be an issue. Due to the fact that the loft is directly in front of the entrance, I often heard the door slamming shut from other residents coming and going throughout the day but it wasn’t unbearable. We did order food and it was easily accessible for the driver which was great. In conclusion, I would recommend the space.”

Remember that YOU get a review, too. Here are some ways to be a good Airbnb guest:

• Arrive to meet them to get the keys when you say you will, and message them if you are going to be late due to traffic or a flight delay.
• Keep the noise to a minimum and only contact your host if someone goes wrong.
• Clean up before you go.
• There is usually a list of rules in the house for you to follow. They might say “please strip the beds and leave the bedding on the floor so we know which beds you used”. This would be because if you made the bed to be nice, they might not think you used that bed. They might say to leave the dirty towels in the laundry room or to load the dishwasher for them to run it once you leave.
• Basically, be polite and follow their rules.

How to handle issues with your stay

If your house’s A/C breaks or you lose the key, it’s not the end of the world – your Airbnb host will help you fix the problem.

When the problem cannot be fixed or you don’t want to stay anymore due to the place not being as described, you simply contact Airbnb. They are known for always giving back your money if you show them proof of your claims and will help you book a new place. Their customer service is known to be good but in my years of using Airbnb, I’ve never had to reach out to them.

Why I love Airbnb

• The first reason is that it saves me a ton of money. When traveling alone, a studio apartment is so much cheaper than a hotel. With a group, you can get an amazing villa on Airbnb, split the cost, and always come out cheaper than if everyone in that group had gotten individual hotel rooms. In small towns where there are only one or two hotels, the prices are usually high – so that is a great time to try Airbnb (I do this in Ben’s cute hometown in England).
• Usually, the small hotel room that I can afford is nowhere near as cute and charming as renting out a whole apartment or house on Airbnb.
• You get to live like a local. Imagine wandering through the alleys in Paris and looking up at the cute windows with balconies above. You might daydream about what it would be like to live in one – but the thing is, you can Airbnb one probably cheaper than what a hotel would cost.
• They usually leave you coffee, tea, and other little bits like shampoo and such in the showers. It’s often their home, so it’s stocked up with the things you’d likely need.
• You have your own kitchen and can choose a house that fits all your needs. If you have pets or need a home that is wheelchair accessible, you can filter that out and search for it. I stayed in an epic place in Mumbai with my pets.
• You’re also helping the person you stay with pay their rent or mortgage and are helping them make some money on the side.
• In the same way that you got used to Uber and now think it’s saving you a ton of money and is so easy to use – Airbnb will give you that for lodging. After your first stay, you’ll be hooked.
• Now you can also book experiences and restaurants through Airbnb.

Here is the Airbnb promo code again: click here to sign up

I hope you enjoy your first Airbnb stay! Comment with any questions you have.

Pin this guide to Airbnb and Airbnb promo code for later:

The post $40 Airbnb Promo Code + Beginner’s Guide For Your First Time Using Airbnb first appeared on Hippie In Heels.

The post $40 Airbnb Promo Code + Beginner’s Guide For Your First Time Using Airbnb appeared first on Hippie In Heels.

India is cheap to travel and has cheap healthcare, but don’t let that make you think you don’t need travel insurance here. You do need travel insurance in India as a traveler. I have been living and traveling in India since 2012. I’ve had my fair share of hospital visits in those years!

In this article, I’m going to share:

• When you might need travel insurance in India
• What I consider the best international travel insurance for travel in India and anywhere else, the company I personally use, World Nomads
• What is included in your coverage plus what is and is not covered by World Nomads
• Where you can buy travel insurance online for India travel
• Examples of prices of insurance for India travel through World Nomads
• Compare travel insurance India: other travel insurance companies in India my readers have used and found good deals

Things in India you might need travel insurance for

There are times during your trip to India where you might need travel insurance. I’ll break down the most common instances of injuries and other issues with travel India. Here are some instances that having insurance would save your butt and make sure you don’t lose any money:

-You might end up canceling your trip due to stress or a friend bailing; this happens a lot to my readers.

-Your luggage might get lost. This has happened to me twice in India.

-You might have your backpack or luggage stolen.

-You break your camera, laptop, or other important belongings during the trip.

-You are going to be riding a scooter in India or will be traveling by road or train; accidents are common in India and a broken limb costs a fortune without insurance.

-You will do adventures such as riding a camel in Rajasthan, parasailing in Manali, white water rafting in Rishikesh, canyoning in Goa, bungee jumping in Goa, Cliff jumping in Hampi, trekking and camping in the Himalayas, jet skiing or surfing in Pondicherry, SUP, mountain biking, and even safaris.

-You might get food poisoning, Malaria, Dengue Fever (it’s rough), Typhoid (a friend just had it), break an arm, or get an infection.

-You are so injured or sick that you need a family member to fly over here and help you get an emergency evacuation flight home.

These are things that insurance will reimburse you for!

Travel Insurance India: The Best Travel Insurance in India

I use World Nomads when I travel and have for 8 years. Why? It’s always noted as the best in the business. Here is what I look for in a travel insurance company and this is what World Nomads is known for:

• They have fair prices.
• They reimburse easily and without hassle. There are hundreds of reviews by bloggers who have had to file a claim with them and got their payment immediately and without issues.
• They cover adventure activities in their baseline insurance (more on that later).
• Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, Tour Radar, Intrepid and other companies that I know and trust, all recommend World Nomads.
• You can extend your policy while you are traveling (very rare to find a company that allows this)
• Open to people from over 150 countries
• Customer service available 24/7 to ask questions or file a claim

World Nomads ticks all my boxes. It was an easy choice for me years ago even on a tiny backpacker budget to use them, and to this day as a more mid-range traveler, I still use them. In India, it is the #1 company I recommend.

What is and is not included in your World Nomads travel insurance:

When you check a quote for World Nomads, you can choose standard insurance or explorer insurance. They each have different itemized results of what is covered. I use the standard insurance. The standard insurance covers MANY adventure activities, like getting hurt falling off a camel (actually listed as covered, lol) but doesn’t cover extreme things like heli-skiing. You can see a full list here.

For both, you have coverage for hospital stays, emergency flights home, flight delay and cancellation reimbursement, lost luggage, theft, and more. You can see a full comparison in this article where I break down the two plans and what is and is not included.

There are only two times I would upgrade to the “explorer” insurance:

1. If I were renting a car. Collision damage is included on the explorer which means you can decline the coverage offered by the rental car company which is usually WAY WAY higher. This is KEY. If you will be renting a car in Goa (the only place in India I recommend it) then get this.
2. If I were doing serious adventures the whole trip. For example heli-skiing, ice climbing, or deep cave diving. India does offer some of these, so check out what you want to do.

Read More: What is and is not included on World Nomads insurance & which plan to choose

Buying travel insurance for India online

It’s easy to buy travel insurance online. For most companies, that is the best way to do it – not via the phone. Make sure you double check all the information you are entering and print off a copy of your policy. Jot down the number you would call in the case you need to make a claim. Be sure to read the fine print of any policy you are planning on buying.

Hospitals in India are modern and do cost a decent chunk of money so don’t be fooled into thinking your insurance won’t matter here or they won’t understand it. They will – show it to the hospital and call to make a claim immediately.

Keep all paperwork regarding your claims like a police report in the instance of theft or a hospital bill if you are injured.

Compare travel insurance costs in India based on the amount of time you are visiting India

If you are coming to India for one week, one month, or six months, the cost will change significantly. I am doing a search now based on an American travel (just because most of my readers are American) so you can see the actual results.

One Month Travel Insurance India

The standard plan is $131 and the explorer plan is $190. If you break down the standard plan, it comes to $4.22 per day.

Two Months Travel Insurance India

The standard plan is $187 and the explorer plan is $269. If you break down the standard plan, it comes to $3.11 per day. As you can see, the price goes down per day the longer you stay.

Six Months Travel Insurance India (the maximum you can stay in India)

The standard plan is $595 and the explorer plan is $804. If you break down the standard plan, it comes to $3.30 per day. This is about the same per day as if you stay just two months.

World Nomads isn’t the cheapest insurance online – but it covers A LOT and that is why everyone from Lonely Planet to Rough Guides and Frommers recommends them. You will find cheaper insurance, but I cannot vouch it will be good insurance.

My two cents is that you NEED travel insurance big time and you have to just budget this into your trip in India. Most people come here for just two months, so just save up an extra $187 and get your butt covered.

Get your own quote for World Nomads below. Just fill in the required information and your dates to see what it might cost for you.

Comments and a comparison of other companies my readers have used and liked

I run a Facebook group for travelers coming to India where they give and get tips. You can request to join it here. They discuss travel insurance a lot so I thought I’d share some of the comments and questions they’ve noted.

When someone asked which travel insurance they would look into, here were the responses, although I cannot vouch if the companies other than WN are good or what they cover, so do you research:

“I’ve been shoppping around for some travel insurance and I’m quite shocked by the prices. I just wondered what sort of quotes others have had for long term travel. For 6 months, 35 year old male with no medical conditions, all my quotes are in the region of £300. Is this normal?”

“I think I paid 1k for a year. 300 is not unreasonable, especially for what it offers in case of emergency.”

“I used World Nomads (after reading their terms of service VERY carefully) and the one claim I submitted to them was paid in full and work out perfectly. Dude, if you get hit by a bus in India and need to be airlifted to Bangkok you going to wish to god that you would have spent $1,000. Is it likely to happen? hell yes, it is, the drivers are insane!”

“We did ours through a comparison website and the cheapest for us was Explorer Travel Insurance (for 2 adults, ages 24 and 29). It came to around £300 ($421) for the two of us for a year! Obviously look into what you’re doing but ours included insurance for extreme sports too!”

“I paid $750 for 364 days with Seven Corners.”

“I picked up a 5-star policy with Gowalkabout for £99 ($139) with a 10% discount down to £88. This was their mid-range policy which covers me for much more than needed, but the basic was well… basic.”

When someone asked if they really did need travel insurance in India, here are some of the actual comments from members of the group:

“I was so so happy to have an insurance, it makes it so much easier when you’re sick or something gets stolen and I always had someone from my home country to phone at all times… I’d say it is definitely worth the money!”

“Depends. If you have lots of money or help at home if something happens by chance then I’d say no. But on the other hand, you can find cheap insurance. Good to have for peace of mind! Mostly I worry about having it in the case of accident or illness.”

“Although I am a total believer in things always working out well, it’s definitely smart to have. Just in case your luggage gets stolen or you do end up needing medical care, it’s good to have! (I once ended up in the hospital with salmonella poisoning and was so happy insurance took care of everything!)

“Absolutely non-negotiable to travel without it. I wish they would make it a requirement as part of visa applications or purchasing a ticket. I’ve been travelling for 2 months and have read more than 5 serious stories where people have fallen through rooftops/been in scooter accidents/slipped down waterfalls etc and now they don’t have enough money for the correct treatment and so are stuck in government hospitals trying to raise funds on GoFundMe to get the injured person medical care or a medical evacuation to somewhere with better doctors. I know of families in the US who have had to refinance their houses because their children traveled without medical insurance and they were in a serious accident which they couldn’t afford to pay for. My two cents but really if you can afford to travel then you should factor insurance into your calculations as much as you do accommodation & travel costs.”

“I broke a crown in Nepal and was VERY happy I had my travel insurance (with World Nomads). Also, if you are planning to trek above a certain elevation, make sure your insurance covers that. I’ve heard WN is one of the only ones that doesn’t require additional coverage (but haven’t confirmed this so please do your research). It’s worth it!”

“Absolutely! It’s vital. A friend of mine was involved in a dreadful bus accident. Paralysed from the neck down. After three months she finally was stable enough to go home with a doctor and a nurse accompanying her on the flight.”

“I would not advise going without insurance! Trust me, if shit really happens (road accidents being the most), the hospital might even not treat you in an emergency case if there is no insurance! I have encountered quite a few tragedies where people died in hospital before the help (as in relatives with cash) arrived, and in the end, you will pay a fortune because they know you don’t have another choice! Sorry to be so negative, but it’s a not a matter to take lightly. India hospitals are pretty terrifying already! Don’t save a few bucks which can save your life!”

Pin travel insurance India tips for later:

The post Travel Insurance India: What You Need to Know About Booking International Travel Insurance for Your Trip to India first appeared on Hippie In Heels.

The post Travel Insurance India: What You Need to Know About Booking International Travel Insurance for Your Trip to India appeared first on Hippie In Heels.

Cheap Flights to Hawaii With Next Vacay

When people think of taking a week or two-week vacation in the USA, they tend to go to Florida, North Carolina, or maybe California. Hawaii has always seemed like a “save it for the honeymoon” or “save it for later” kind of place. Why? Because the flights are often expensive and people always say it’ll cost a couple of grand to have a vacation in Hawaii. But this is often in your head. You don’t have to stay at a 5-star hotel on the beach. Actually, I stayed in Hawaii for a month and did a lot of Airbnb rentals, cooking at home, and staying at small inns rather than resorts. I rented surfing and snorkeling equipment from small shops rather than booking tours. You can do Hawaii on a budget – and it might even feel more authentic.

I use Next Vacay to be on the lookout for insanely good deals since they email me a few times a week (sometimes a few times a day). They emailed me this deal of $341 for Hawaii and I immediately called my mom to see if we should book a trip. The price was so low and I feel like people just don’t imagine that you can go to Hawaii for this price from the mainland. I get so stoked when Next Vacay send out deals like this and end up tweeting about it all the time because it just lets people actually go the places they dream about – wanderlust in action! Next Vacay has been one of my favorite websites for travel for over two years now. You can read my full review here.

After you get the flight booked, you get to start planning your trip! You’ll have to think about which island really calls to you. Each island is so different and while Oahu is often visited most because of Waikiki and the Pearl Harbor memorial. Many people will tell you the Big Island is totally overlooked and you should prioritize it in your plans. Kaui is known as the most beautiful (it’s where Jurassic Park was filmed) and Maui is definitely a chilled honeymoon spot. These are the four most popular and it’s usually best to pick just two on your first trip.

Try to use the money you saved on the flight to treat yourself to a surf lesson or book a touristy yet amazing luau even if just to eat the delicious buffet.

You can do a mix of pre-planned activities and finding your own adventure. For example, one day you might want to take equipment from the hotel to snorkel from the shore but another day you can splurge out on a catamaran tour to snorkel at a small nearby island. You don’t have to do tours for everything. With a rental car, you can go explore bamboo forests and find secret waterfalls all on your own. 

Visiting just a couple of islands means there’s always a great reason to come back!

You might just be rolling your eyes thinking “there is no way I can go”. Whether it’s money, time off of work, or family commitments, you’re more likely to find a reason to stay home than to go.

With my blog, I might be showing you MY travels, but the point of it all is that I strive to make YOUR travel dreams real, not just something you “pin for later” on Pinterest. Later may never come! I show you tools like Next Vacay and booking websites to save you money on car rentals and hotels so that you can do it now – not later.

I’m sure you all want to swim with turtles and eat shave ice under a rainbow (not an exaggeration; Hawaii has a bizarre amount of rainbows, ha!). Try to think outside of the box. Now that you know there is a flight to Hawaii cheaper than you imagined, what can you move around to make the trip work? Do you need a dog-sitter or babysitter? Maybe you can ask your family to help. Do you have some vacation time you have been avoiding taking for years? It’s time to take it!

Yes, we’re all busy and we all have bills – but my travels to Hawaii and beyond are things experiences I’ll remember for the lifetime and the some of the best money I’ve spent. One thing that brings ideas like this trip to Hawaii from my mind to reality is using Next Vacay – signing up for it two years ago brought me trips and experiences that I would have missed otherwise. Their cheap deals made my travels so much better (and more often).

So, Wait – What is Next Vacay?

I have been using Next Vacay for over two years. I reviewed them and it went viral – I get video messages sent to my inbox on Instagram thanking me for turning them onto Next Vacay. In my 4 years of blogging, I’ve never seen my readers react so positively to a brand and get this excited about travel deals. It’s been wild to watch Next Vacay grow, as I knew the brand when they first started out. In fact, I am the first blogger they ever worked with.
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The main thing people ask before signing up is: “Is this real? It seems too good to be true.”. It’s real. It’s not too good to be true! It’s not a scam and there is no “hidden small print”. I can give you my word on that.

Let me sum up how Next Vacay works, don’t worry I’ll be quick!

You sign up with this link. You’ll get a month free trial, so you can cancel before your card is charged in that month. If you like it and keep it, you’ll pay their small fee of $25 which is for a whole year and input your closest airport and a couple of nearby ones. Then watch the emails come pouring in. I get a few a day as my airport is quite popular, but you might get a few a week. The prices listed are always a round-trip price. The email will tell you when and where you can get the deal and give you a link to click to book. You book through the link to a major airline site or Google Flights, not through Next Vacay.

The price for the membership doesn’t go up. It’s stayed the same price of $25 since I’ve been with them – and considering how popular they are, they could charge more but don’t which I appreciate as a member. They use their technology to find crazy cheap deals, only searching dates and destinations that make sense (not a two-day trip to Minnesota on a Tuesday in winter) and when one from your airport pops up, they email it to you.

The best part is that if you don’t find a deal you like in SIX months, you can cancel and get your money back. There’s literally nothing to lose. At the very least, you’ll get some travel inspiration in your inbox to keep your wanderlust alive.

For me, the best deals are ones from the USA to India, which is a flight I take a lot and they have saved me so much money finding deals on this. Rather than just reading my good deals, you can look at Next Vacay’s Facebook page to see the many users sharing the deals they’ve recently booked.

Ready for your dream trip? You can sign up for your free trial and plan it! Here are some other people’s reactions to Next Vacay so you can see what I mean:

Click here to get a free trial to next vacay

Pin these cheap flight to Hawaii deals for later (just hover over and the Pinterest logo will pop up for you to click it):

This post is in partnership with Next Vacay. I was paid for this post but only write about things I truly believe in. I have been a happy user of their services for over two years and not only love this company but think it’ll be the smartest $25 you spend toward travel this year!

The post Finally Cross Hawaii Off Your Bucket List With This $341 Round-Trip Flight first appeared on Hippie In Heels.

The post Finally Cross Hawaii Off Your Bucket List With This $341 Round-Trip Flight appeared first on Hippie In Heels.

I know it’s a little late already into the year, but I wanted to share some ways to travel more in 2018 before even more of it gets away from us! While I love to share my adventures abroad, I also want to share with you how you can start having a life of travel – it doesn’t mean you have to pick up and go all the time but even taking a week vacation twice a year is a good starting point. Some people aren’t taking one at all. Here are some realistic ways you can try to travel more in 2018.

7 Ways to Travel More

The first three steps are going to tell you how you can start planning and saving on flights, lodging, and transportation once you reach. Then I’ll go into how to save on activities and food. Lastly, how you can get some more time to start taking action.

1. Find Cheap Flight Deals

The best $25 I spend each year is for a membership to Next Vacay. I’m sure you’ve seen me write about it over the years. You pay them this annual fee and put in your airport plus a couple other airports you might want to drive to for a good deal, and they email you a few times a week (or day if you live near a popular airport). The email will have crazy low flights going somewhere cool from your airport. They find flights for weekends and holidays, not just random flights that don’t make sense. You can read the review here. But this is the number one way to get cheap flights from YOUR airport on your radar. You can also read blogs like The Points Guy and Airfare Watchdog to see special discounted rates and “accidental” rates if you are ready to book quickly. You can get round-trip fights within the USA for under $100. You need to have alerts for them, though.

You can also avoid the $25 membership (although I think it’s amazing) and go to Kiwi.com and use their everywhere function to see where the cheapest place you can fly to is at any date/time you feel like putting in. It’s genius. Here’s a review of how it works and why I love them. Skyscanner has something similar but you will see in my review, why I personally prefer Kiwi.com.

Definitely can’t afford a flight and staying within a 10 or so hour drive? Consider Megabus. I took this often from Columbus to Chicago in college and it was sometimes $10.

Remember: don’t go somewhere just because it has a cheap flight is A. you aren’t interested in that place or B. it’s expensive to travel around once you reach. Travel somewhere you can afford. Here are the 33 cheapest places to travel to in 2018, according to Forbes.

2. Sign Up for a New Airbnb Account and Get $40 Credit For Your First Stay

$40 might not sound like a lot but on Airbnb, it really can be. I’ve found good deals on Airbnb in big cities all over the world. If you are in a group, you can rent a whole house for $100 in some places – once you take off $40 and split that by the group, you’ll have your accommodation worked out pretty cheap. Often times, renting an apartment for a couple rather than a hotel room can save you a lot of money and Airbnb is a great way to really get into feeling like a local when you travel. Here’s a link to get $40 off. If you sign up through my link, I get $20 in my Airbnb account. That’s not because I’m a blogger! It’s just something that Airbnb does for everyone. You can then get your own link to share with your friends and get $20 every time a new Airbnb customer signs up.

3. The Trick to Saving Big on Transportation

Once you get off the flight to your new destination, it’s always easiest to hop in a taxi – but it’s also always the most expensive. It’s imperative that you get a rental car, use public transportation, or maybe even Uber. It’s even more important that you compare prices for these things. You need to think how much you’ll be traveling each day. For example, is a rental car (split by you and your travel buddy) cheaper per day than if you had to each pay for Metro tickets in London? Add in car parking fines and petrol. Which one is better? If you are a group of four, maybe it’s cheaper to split Uber. Have a think about this and choose your best option. There is one trick to save big on rental cars: book with a credit card that offers rental car insurance (my Chase Sapphire Reserve does) and decline your rental car insurance that they offer. Usually, the “upsales” are where the cost is.  Most credit cards only cover you if you decline all other insurance offered. That makes it easy and much cheaper. For example, in Cancun, Mexico, you can get a car for $1 per day. Just don’t let them upsell you and chat with your credit card company before to make sure you are covered.

4. Get into Couponing Your Holiday!

Look for online deals like Groupon for activities you can try in the city you are visiting. Maybe some aerial yoga or SUP? See if Groupon has a BOGO special. Not sure you can afford to eat out? You can do some local diners to try local food and cook the rest of the time at home in your Airbnb. For some, food is the most important so you’ll splurge but for others, you are happy to make spaghetti at home and put your money toward activities. You can check sites like Viator to see if there are tours for the day you are booking. Even more broke than this? Do free walking tours and tip what you feel is appropriate. You can find these in nearly every big city.

5. ‘A Grand Don’t Come for Free’ – You’ve Got to Save

You have to save some money for a vacation. Even if you have a lot of money, still make a vacation fund. If you have no money, make a fund. Start putting $10 a week in it. By the end of the year, you’ll have $520 in there. That’s enough for a flight to many places. What you would spend on groceries the week of your vacation, don’t – use it for the food while you’re there. You can buy groceries and cook in your Airbnb. That’ll balance out. You’ll then just need to use your own non-travel-fund money to pay for your hotels and such. That’s just a small example but you could put away $20 a week and have your whole budget holiday covered. Don’t buy coffee before work. Don’t go shopping for new vacation clothes. Don’t go out to eat and to the bar. You’ll really have to think a little more about how you spend. If you want to put $20 bucks away, throughout the week when you almost buy headphones you need, first ask your family if they have an old pair and then put that $20 into your travel fund! Try to actively save money. Here are some more tips.

6. Don’t Waste Your Vacation Time

Millenials tend to use up their vacation time while anyone older tends to keep working through those hours, feeling some pressure to skip a vacation. Vacation is GOOD for you; here are some reasons why. So many people, especially in America, don’t take a holiday even though they have there mere two weeks off. See if your family can babysit or a friend’s teenage kid who you can hire at an affordable rate. See if your family can watch your pets. Try to avoid paying a lot of childcare and pet care while you are gone. Talk to your boss to see if you can do work from “home” on vacation if you need more time. I don’t love the idea of working on vacation, but I do it all the time so it’s not the worst thing.

7. Plan Your Vacation Time Around a Holiday

Think strategically! If you had a week’s holiday of business-days, then plan that around MLK Day or President’s day – even better, a long holiday where you have even more real time off work which won’t count toward vacation days. While flights can be more expensive during these times, that is where being flexible in your destination can be helpful and booking whatever are the best deals from your airport. This T+L article tells you exactly how to extend different holidays.

Pin these awesome ways to travel more in 2018 for later:

The post 7 Realistic Ways to Travel More in 2018 first appeared on Hippie In Heels.

The post 7 Realistic Ways to Travel More in 2018 appeared first on Hippie In Heels.

The following article is from Erica, who has a blog focused on responsible and sustainable travel. I get asked about responsible travel in India often and how to support the locals while you travel here – hopefully, this post will give you some insight on what responsible travel means. Erica has traveled in India and many other destinations so this post will have general tips that you can use while in India or anywhere for that matter.

Tips for Responsible Travel in India and Elsewhere

Deciding to travel more consciously means resolving to support locals as much as possible, especially if you’re visiting a developing country. As much as positive actions will support the locals, you’ll also find yourself coming away benefiting from a more enriched cultural experience.

It’s easy for many of us who come from the Western world to take our ability to travel for granted. When all-inclusives and resort holidays are marketed to us through TV, radio, and billboards every day, it’s easy to accept this type of travel as the norm without thinking twice about it. After all, the idea of being waited on while spending our days relaxing on the beach is ridiculously enticing.

To me, infusing any type of travel with as much of the local culture as possible is exhilarating. Staying off the resorts, meeting locals, and having authentic experiences are not only great ways to get to know the country you’re in, but they also are great ways to support locals.

1. Let the locals be your guide

There seems to be this stereotype of “mom-and-pop” type accommodation that it is dirty and unsafe. While that may be true in some places, many travelers (myself included) know from their own experiences that most of the time, that’s not the case at all – Hostels, guesthouses, boutique hotels, and even Couchsurfing can be great (and safe!) ways to meet new people and experience new cultures, languages, and foods.

I’ve been to one all-inclusive resort in my life, in the Dominican Republic. As soon as it was booked, I excitedly started looking into what tours and excursions were available. But I began having second thoughts as soon as I started looking into pricing. I’d already paid well over a thousand dollars for everything I could eat and drink at the resort. Was it worth it for me to spend another couple hundred dollars for a tour, to spend a day off the resort?

I ended up deciding it was too expensive. I did not get to experience any Dominican culture that week, and many other resort goers make the same decision every week. Between price and convenience, really there’s no need to leave the resort at all.

There’s no guessing how many local tour operators are losing out because of this norm of all-inclusivity. Not only will a locally run tour give the traveler a richer takeaway, but often will actually work towards preserving the culture itself.

2. Respect local attractions

In the age of Instagram, finding an undiscovered place to visit in a foreign country is nearly impossible. Many will simply find this annoying and think nothing deeper of it. In some cases, though, like the Jaisalmer Fort in India, an overabundance of tourism causes important cultural attractions to face structural conservation problems.

None of this is to say that I think you should deny yourself a visit to a place just because it’s popular. Read up on your destination first, and take into consideration whether the activities you want to enjoy might be harming the spots you visit or exploiting the locals. Choose sustainable.

I had a fabulous time exploring cenotes and Maya ruins with AllTourNative in Mexico. They take steps to make sure their tours impact the environment as little as possible, as well as provide jobs for Maya communities and promote the Maya customs and culture.

3. Shop like a local

In North America especially, the local food trend is gaining traction. It’s not a bad motto, eat local wherever you go. Not only is it great for your health (benefits include less chance of contamination, higher nutrient levels, and more!), but also it really supports the local farming communities.

Supporting small, locally-owned restaurants is one way to support local businesses, at home or abroad. If you’re planning to spend an extended amount of time in one place and have access to a kitchen at your accommodation, visiting a local market to buy your own groceries is another great way to support local farmers.

Food isn’t the only way to make a difference, either. Purchasing gifts and souvenirs from local merchants rather than gift shops is a great way to support local artisans. But make sure to pay fairly for anything you buy. Often travelers will try to haggle prices down the equivalent of a few cents. The cost difference could really make the merchant’s day, while being insignificant to us.

4. Think twice about the volunteer program

I know, intuitively it seems like the best way to support locals in a less developed country is by working with them. Volunteering in an orphanage or building a school can only help, right?

Well as it turns out, your time spent volunteering is likely doing more harm than good.

Hear me out.

Volunteer tourism, or “voluntourism” is a lucrative industry that was, unfortunately, quickly corrupted. Families are being broken up so that the world’s orphanages are full enough to meet the tourist demands. Volunteer agencies are paying out much less than what they can afford to support the local organizations they work with.

Additionally, the training of volunteers is not always up to par. Are you a qualified healthcare professional? Are you confident in your ability to build walls safely and straight with limited tools available to you? You get where I’m going with this right – if you wouldn’t be qualified to do a job in your home country, you shouldn’t be trying to do it in another country, especially one more needy than your home.

Volunteering in India

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t volunteer abroad at all. Do your research to make sure that your volunteer agency of choice is ethical and truly supports local people and causes. Is their website full of flowery marketing copy promising you a fulfilling and cultural experience by working with them? They may be more business focused than cause focused. Do they have a clear and strict vetting process for volunteers? If their volunteer application process feels a bit reminiscent of applying for a paying job, chances are that they’re doing their due diligence to ensure their volunteers are capable of truly helping.

Responsible travel boils down to treating every aspect of your destination with respect. Challenge yourself to travel consciously, and your effort to make a positive impact will improve not only your own travels, but the world as well.

About Erica Cosentino: Erica’s wanderlust was first ignited in 2015, after taking her first solo trip to India. Since then, she has developed a passion for responsible and conscious travel and blogs at Treading Wander, where she encourages her readers to do the same. When she’s not blogging, Erica works in marketing and moonlights as an amateur aerial acrobat.

The post 4 Easy Tips on Responsible Travel in India (and Elsewhere) first appeared on Hippie In Heels.

The post 4 Easy Tips on Responsible Travel in India (and Elsewhere) appeared first on Hippie In Heels.

This post is in partnership with QVC for International Women’s Day. I was compensated for my time in writing it.

Dream, Dare, Do for International Women’s Day with QVC

Anyone with a dream can take a dare to do it. That’s the key message from QVC this Women’s Day – and it’s one that I have been living by for the past five years. When QVC reached out to me to write a post to celebrate women who have made their dreams come true by creating their own business, many of which are in fashion, it was an obvious yes from me. Fashion-loving girl boss over here!

It’s funny because I spent evenings in High School and College watching the Real Housewives on BravoTV, three years ago I started writing for BravoTV, watched Lisa Rinna (who I love from the show) kill it on QVC – and now am partnering with QVC to support other women’s dreams… talk about coming full circle.

It may seem like I’m always just chilling like the photo above, but I work really hard on this blog. I’ll share with you how I became my own boss like some of these ladies from QVC did.

How I Became My Own Boss

I started my blog about four and half years ago, after leaving nursing and moving to India. If that sounds like a crazy thing to do, it was. I started out blogging now knowing anything about the travel blogging world, let alone how to build a website – but found there was loads of information online about how to start a blog. It wasn’t luck, though. I wrote a minimum of 6 posts each week. I was very active on social media, engaging with people in the travel industry. The first six months, I didn’t make a scent. It took me a year to make half of what I made as a nurse, and two years to match it. At year four, I’m now making double what I made as a nurse. Working hard, being authentic in my writing, looking for great campaigns to monetize my work with, and striving to explore new places has helped my blog grow.

It’s so important to support other women, not just in my small travel blogging space, and I have always made it a priority. Here in India, I promote loads of brands run by women who make their products in our paradise of Goa. When girls reach out to me with products they are developing that match my brand (and they have no budget to promote it), I will promote some of them anyways to help them along in their journey – like others have helped me in the beginning.

Lady Bosses I Love from QVC on International Women’s Day

There are dozens of women on QVC making their dreams come true (did you ever see the movie Joy!? Amazing). If you want to support some women who have dared to live their dream this International Women’s Day – let me make it easy for you. I’ve gone through quite a list of ladies who are killing it on their website and chose some items and brands that I love. You can click through and shop on these links!

tarte

I have been using tarte products for seven years and love them. Three items that I have and love are the Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Wear Blush (mine is in “fearless”), Tinted BB primer with sunscreen (really light and feels like you are wearing nothing), and the LipSurgence Lip Stain. Actually, every time I wear that lip stain, people ask me where it’s from!

Aimee Kestenberg

I love these bags by Amiee Kestenberg! I’ll put my favorite in the box below (which you can scroll through with the arrows).  She has fun designs as well as classics with details like fringe keychains and tassles. I have so many tassles on everything I own, ha! I love the boxy shape of the satchel because it is sturdy enough to keep a camera safe while traveling. She also makes really stylish luggage and overnight bags. I love this carry-on bag.

Perfect Formula

If you know me, you know I always have my nails manicured. I might not wear makeup much, don’t even own a blow-drier, curling iron, or straightener, and like to dress kind of bohemian – but my nails are always done! I’ve actually done them as long as I can remember, usually in nudes and pinks – and this set by Perfect Formula lets you do a perfect gel manicure yourself at home. I rarely splurge on going to the spa for nails (if I’m going to the spa, I’m getting a massage!) so it’s nice that you can buy this really affordable and do your nails yourself all year without paying for a luxe treatment. This three-piece kit has won loads of awards and it is just $36 or you can go for the kit with other goodies along with these 3 bottles for $48.50

There are so many other brands by women on QVC that I love like G.I.L.I and Lug Travel (amazing for Type A travelers). I’ll link some favorites in the carousel below.

To top off the celebration, in honor of International Women’s Day, QVC® and participating vendors will donate a minimum of $250,000 to benefit Nest, a global nonprofit committed to the social and economic advancement of women by supporting female artisans who might not have the resources they need to flourish. Happy International Women’s Day!

The post Dream, Dare, Do for International Women’s Day with QVC first appeared on Hippie In Heels.

The post Dream, Dare, Do for International Women’s Day with QVC appeared first on Hippie In Heels.

There’s something about Paris. When I first went to Europe, there was no other place I was more excited about going to than Paris. It’s got a dreamy quality about it, but it’s not just a Hollywood manipulation – from misty gray mornings following your nose as you track down the best croissant to strolling the aisles at Port St Ouen looking for vintage finds, Paris has a “certain something” that can’t be missed. There are a million reasons to travel to Paris, but did you know that you can get a round-trip flight from within the USA to Paris for just $375? This is cheaper than when I just flew to Florida from Ohio! The trip of a lifetime to Paris isn’t out of reach.

This vintage postcard was bought for €1 at Port St Ouen, a vintage shopper’s heaven in the North of Paris. The flea market here is said to be one of the largest of its kind in the world.

One of the best views of the Eiffel Tower is from the top of Tour Montparnasse – 210 meters up!

Cheap Flights to Paris With Next Vacay

I think people have it in their heads that it would cost thousands at a minimum to go to Europe for a week, but it really doesn’t have to be that way if you are proactive about planning for your trip. I use Next Vacay to be on the look out for the crazy low price deals they email to me a few times a week. They emailed this deal of $375 to Paris and I just had to share this with you because I feel like it’s SO much more affordable to travel to places like Paris than people realize. I love that Next Vacay makes these deals known which makes dream destinations more accessible for us to travel. (I actually listed them in my favorite 9 websites I use to plan my trips and wrote a full review you can read here.)

Once you’ve got your flight, the next step in planning a trip is to find a hotel. I always tell people to research a bit first to see what area/neighborhood you want to be in rather than finding out later the amazing deal you found means you have to take a taxi 30 minutes into town each day. If you can find hotels in neighborhoods of Marais or St. Germain, you’ll love these areas with cool boutiques and shops selling baguettes on every corner. While you might think it’s great to be near the Eiffel Tower or Champs-Elysées, I don’t actually recommend these areas unless you’re rolling in the dough.

Because you are saving so much on a flight if you use deals like this from Next Vacay, it means you’ve got a little extra to use to get a nice boutique hotel or get a cheap hotel and use it to macaroons and nice wine.

This is an apartment in Le Marais with a little Parisian picnic using ingredients and wine from a local French supermarket!

The best things in Paris are taking long walks, taking in the views, and of course boozy brunches. Are you dying to visit!?

Just writing this makes me want to head straight back to Paris!

Now,  I’ve talked to a lot of my readers about the best ways to make their travel dreams a reality, especially traveling to Paris. When we talk about the details of their trips – walking down the Seine at sunset, or visiting the Eiffel Tower for the first time – their eyes light up with possibility and wonder. I absolutely love seeing how excited they get! But way too often that excitement fades. That’s because they start thinking about all the reasons they can’t “just go” to Paris.

And I totally get it.

When I started traveling, purchasing a quick flight to Paris was something other people did. Not me! How could I possibly just take off and go travel to Paris? It felt selfish. It even felt unfair. Like, “Who am I to just take off and enjoy a week in Paris?”

Then one day I asked myself “Why not? What’s stopping me?”

And that’s when I realized I had all of these reasons for saying no, without thinking of all of the reasons to say yes! The experience, the excitement, the culture, the beauty. I’d always dreamed of this trip, why shouldn’t I take it? Of course I deserve this!

A part of me wanted to believe everything would fall apart if I took time off for myself- but in reality, I knew things would be fine.

Yes, we’re all busy and it can be hard to make time for ourselves and our dreams. Going to Paris wasn’t just about having a luxurious vacation–it was me saying yes to myself, and my life. And all I needed to do to make it a reality was take one tiny step, which for me was signing up for Next Vacay–which has literally changed my life. These cheap flight deals are really a game changer.

So, Wait – What is Next Vacay?

I have been using Next Vacay for over a year. I reviewed them and it went viral – people started emailing me telling me the amazing deals there were getting from Next Vacay. I am so excited to see people getting to travel places they never thought they could! There are not many companies that I promote, and Next Vacay is something that I believed in back when they were a brand new company and I am so happy to see how huge they have become – being on the live news, TIME.com, and so much more.

Let me sum up how Next Vacay works in case you don’t want to read my past review:

You pay $25 for the whole year, input your local airport and a couple nearby ones, then they start emailing your deals that make sense for you (prices in the email are always round-trip). Then you use the deals to book directly through the airline they found the deal, not through Next Vacay. Basically, Next Vacay are just the deal hunters telling you when a crazy cheap flight is available from your hometown airport to well, anywhere in the world like Paris, Sydney, London, The Maldives, Hanoi, and New Zealand. They don’t send a deal out unless it’s a true “steal”. It’s a husband and wife team, and you’ll right away notice how personable the emails are.

Naveen & Shaylee Dittakavi, the husband and wife founders and deal hunters of nextvacay.com, sending deals out to members while waiting to board a flight

The fact that it’s $25 now and was $25 a year ago means a lot – they aren’t trying to raise their prices. $25 is so cheap to pay for a year of deals, that I’m surprised they haven’t! You can do a free month trial, and you can cancel if you don’t find a deal in six months that you like with a money back guarantee – so there’s literally no downside. They will email you before year two starts to see if you want to go ahead or cancel the subscription (before your card is charged).

What caught my eye with this website over a year ago, was when Naveen, the owner posted to Facebook he was on a roundtrip flight USA-India for just $300. I was like, wow, I NEED these deals in my life.

I haven’t been disappointed with at least 2 deals coming to my inbox each day to amazing places like Madrid for $450, Dublin for $400, Puerto Vallarta for $500 and Mumbai for $825 (with Columbus, Ohio as my home airport). You can also check out Next Vacay’s Facebook page where they share deals that their users got (which the users themselves posted to Facebook). It’s amazing to see people so excited about their upcoming trip.

Just by paying $25, you get the best deals ever sent to your inbox which honestly opens up your life to so much – because travel is just “step one”. Once you get there, you will have life-changing experiences, meet friends, maybe meet a significant other like I did, or you might even find a new career from travel! It will open so many doors. I wouldn’t be promoting something I don’t believe in, and I really feel like for $25 this is a no-brainer. The best part is they find deals over holidays and long weekends, too, when you can actually take the time to travel.

Where do you want to travel? Paris, somewhere else? Start now! You can sign up for your free trial and start actually living out your wanderlust dreams at a fraction of the cost. If you aren’t sure it’s as cheap as I say, check out these recent trips Next Vacay members booked  – so awesome.

Click here to get a free trial to next vacay

Pin these cheap flight to Paris deals for later (just hover over and the Pinterest logo will pop up for you to click it):

This post is in partnership with Next Vacay. I was paid for this post but only write about things I truly believe in. I have been a happy user of their services for over a year and not only love this company but think it’ll be the smartest $25 you spend toward travel this year!

The post There’s a Million Reasons to go to Paris, But This Round Trip Flight For Just $377 is the Best One! first appeared on Hippie In Heels.

The post There’s a Million Reasons to go to Paris, But This Round Trip Flight For Just $377 is the Best One! appeared first on Hippie In Heels.