Review of the book Travel Bible

At the beginning of the Travel Bible, the authors of the book focus more on philosophical questions – why actually start traveling independently, and of course a lot of positive things come from it: To live a much more varied and interesting life on the road than in the comfort zone at home. Seeing the world with your own eyes and not just indirectly through often flat news and media shows. Expand your horizon and enrich yourself with knowledge of completely different cultures and lifestyles. Travel at your own pace and at a greater depth than in the crowd of commercial tours from monument to monument, when there is practically no time to know the true charm of the place. Consolidate oneself not only by one's own pitfalls, but by the need to often rely only on oneself. In short: a „kicking“ chapter for those who lack to take the last step and set out on their dream journeys. Stop finally saying „I'll go next year“ and the next year again and still sit on your ass at home.

In the second part, it addresses the most classic issues of those who have not yet begun to travel independently. Traveling is expensive – I can't afford it! Traveling is dangerous and complicated – I don't dare! Of course, traveling is not as expensive as it seems at first glance from the catalog of travel agencies. The authors will provide comprehensive advice on how to save or earn money on the road. They also give tips on websites where states and places are divided according to the cost of living. You can choose destinations that are beautiful and at the same time do not ruin your budget. According to statistics, the world is about as safe as it used to be, maybe even safer. However, thanks to the speed of reports, which inform about any disaster, what happens where it seems, it seems significantly more dangerous. It is almost always statistically more dangerous to get in a car and drive on the road than to trek in the wilderness. In short: who really means traveling really should not make excuses that it is unaffordable and dangerous. It always works out somehow!

The ticket is often the biggest cargo of the whole trip. Here, it pays not to buy the first thing you see, but to look for a while before you come across the right one for a great price. From the beginning, the authors will acquaint you with their own pricing of tickets and how the whole system actually works (occupancy, transfers, competition, fuel price, cross flights, booking classes). They will also show you how to find out in what price range the „special tickets“ go to your desired destination and when it is usually the best time to buy a ticket. Then they will advise you on which style to search for a specific ticket and which search engines to use. Very practical matter! It also provides tips on how to further reduce prices for low-cost carriers and also how to try to avoid paying fuel charges. Or use error rates. Advice a bit on the edge. You will learn how to have a good overview of the best ticket offers from a large number of websites that deal with promotional tickets without spending hours opening various pages. They will advise you on how to get a great ticket around the world. The journey around the world is then described in more detail in the chapter at the end of the book. In short: the authors will advise on how to significantly save on tickets and thus severely cut the costs of the entire trip. Who is flexible with both time and destination can save a lot.

In this chapter, the authors will introduce you to what you should definitely not forget to arrange before you go on a trip. Insurance: a wide range of issues on how to choose the best ). The authors provide tips on how to significantly reduce the price of insurance. Visa: not only do not believe the information on the Internet, but also check the current situation at the embassy. Vaccinations and antimalarials: don't forget to have the classic travel trio vaccinated and not be fooled by expensive antimalarials everywhere. For those who are planning really long trips, there are tips on what to do with their belongings, an empty apartment / house, pets and how to handle mail and offices. In short: don't forget to get vaccinated, insured and all things handled with the authorities.

A seemingly trivial chapter, but very important. Newcomers traveling often carry too much of this, and in inappropriate luggage. At the same time, smaller luggage will often save you money, time and you will simply be freer. List of things and their packaging: the authors provide tips on how to best pack your backpack and what not to forget. Travel gadgets: they also add a list of travel gadgets that you won't find in the usual lists of things to do. They will introduce you to the project under 7 kilos, where they deal precisely with how to have your luggage as easy as possible. In short: the greater the minimalism the better.

In this chapter, the authors advise on how best to diversify your finances so that, for some reason, you end up on the road with no money at all. Don't forget the cash. It's always a good idea to have some dollars or euros. Choose your bank account according to the fees for withdrawing from an ATM abroad – so you can save significantly on longer trips. To be sure, it is good to have two bank accounts and two payment cards from different companies (Mastercard, Visa). Don't forget to have internet banking activated. The authors further discuss in detail the advantages and disadvantages of a credit card on the go. There is also an interesting Revolut payment card, which works even without an account. In short: don't just rely on cash or credit cards. It is ideal to combine everything and always keep at least 50USD of the last rescue hidden somewhere.

Transportation costs are always a big item on every trip. So it's definitely not a good idea to try to save money on it. The book contains a lot of tips on how to track properly and save a lot of money. Use of night connections: saving both accommodation and time. Carpooling: unlike the track paid, but often significantly cheaper and faster than other road transport. You can easily do it over the internet. Use local connections not those targeted only for tourists. Find out if there are any network tickets for the train, bus but also public transport. In short: if you have time and you enjoy it, track it down. Otherwise, check the carrier's websites for discounts or local transportation.

Especially on long journeys, accommodation is the most expensive item ever, so the authors of the book deal with it quite extensively and offer a number of interesting options. Hotels: here it pays to use not only classic booking sites, but also their comparators, which will often offer you a better price, but mainly a larger selection. The authors also mention a little-known but interesting opportunity to participate in the accommodation auction. Hostels: a cheaper option of accommodation in rooms for 2–20 people. The larger the rooms, the cheaper, of course. Mutual accommodation: couchsurfing, hospitalitylub. An interesting way to live with strangers for free. Airbnb.com: paid accommodation for private individuals. Rent a room / apartment but also the whole house. Ideal for more people for a long time. Work on farms: work for food and meals. An interesting opportunity to get to know the country from a slightly different perspective. Tents / sleeping / sleeping in the car: free accommodation. The authors present applications with tips on places where you can sleep like this. Housesitting: an interesting, albeit little known, way to live for free in a foreign country and take care of a foreign house. Exchanges of accommodation: the authors of the book will advise you on how to exchange accommodation with someone for a certain period of time. In short: on the go there is a great chance to save a lot of money when you try the options above. In addition, the choice is so varied that really everyone can choose.

At the end of the book, the authors deal in some detail with other than classic forms of travel. Digital nomadism: a new phenomenon among programmers, graphic artists, translators, etc., ie those who do not have to be physically in the office – work-related travel. You'll find lots of tips here to give it a try. Volunteering: which is really a slightly different travel, in which you can not only help, but get to know the location and people in detail. Luxury experiences with a discount: surprisingly, you will also find tips on how to save on exotic cruises, luxury accommodation and even a jet flight. In short: nowadays it is not a problem to travel and at the same time to earn money for it during the journey, or to help those in need on the other side of the planet. Even those who are interested in luxury experiences because of that do not have to go bankrupt.

In addition, the authors will advise you, as a bonus, how to learn foreign languages faster, use a dictionary without words or translate texts in Chinese with the help of a camera and text recognition software. They also give you useful tips on how to write travel articles, sell photos, shoot videos or organize travel screenings.

Travel Bible is a book that really fascinated me. For novice travelers, in my opinion, it is basically a must-read, which will make their lives much easier and they will avoid a lot of overstepping thanks to it. It is an ideal reading for those who have a more limited travel budget, because its essence is how to save money on the go. Even for experienced travelers, it brings a lot of interesting things, especially in the new trends associated with applications related to the Internet and smartphones, which can make your life easier. This book is clearly recommended.