It’s the start of a new year, which means we are busy planning our upcoming summer travel. In July of 2018 we’re heading to Ireland for a good friend’s wedding. Given our love of long-distance hiking, we quickly got to work on finding a trek we could add on to our trip. After exploring some options in Ireland we ultimately decided to tackle the West Highland Way through the Scottish Highlands. We’ll spend 8 days hiking this 96-mile trail before hopping over to Ireland for the wedding. We’ll have many more posts on our West Highland Way trip in the future – but for now let’s focus on how we’re getting across the Atlantic and back for less than $100 per person!
Travel for Free
How to hike from Aspen to Crested Butte for (nearly) free
Have you checked out our Guide to Hiking from Aspen to Crested Butte? Maybe you’ve thought that this would be an awesome adventure, but you worry about the cost of a trip like this? Even if you don’t live in Colorado, it’s still possible (and even quite easy) to conquer this classic hike without breaking the bank by using the strategies described here and by opening just a single credit card! Keep reading to find out more.
How to Hike the Tour du Mont Blanc for (nearly) free
Have you checked out our Guide to Camping on the Tour du Mont Blanc, TMB Trip Report and TMB Photo Gallery? Are you itching to get started planning your own TMB adventure, but nervous about the cost of such a … Read More
Backpacking Gear on a Budget
So, you want to take that first big backpacking trip. You’ve gotten your body into decent shape, you’ve saved up your vacation days, and maybe you’ve even used some of our strategies to book your travel for free. Way to go! You’re ready! Except, you just need a backpack…and maybe some trekking poles….and most of the other items on our packing list. If you’re like us, you enjoy spending your hard-earned money on experiences, not stuff. Before we embarked on the Tour of Mont Blanc, I didn’t have much gear to my name. As a Chicago native, I had acquired hiking boots at some point during my decade of living in Colorado, and I had running clothes, but little else. I’d previously gotten by borrowing Ian’s way-too-big, broken-frame backpack for shorter trips, but I knew that wouldn’t cut it for an 11-day trek. Believe it or not, I was able to procure all of the high-quality gear I needed for the trip without stretching my uber-tight budget even a little bit. Here’s how I did it:
Welcome to the Travel for Free Series!
Welcome to the Travel for Free series on TMBtent.com! If you are anything like us, one of your biggest hurdles to traveling more is the cost of the trip. Flights, hotels, dining out, and all the other expenses that come with a big trip add up fast and can quickly make that dream vacation seem unattainable. We had always dreamed of hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc and camping along the way, but when we would add up the cost of two round-trip flights from the U.S., lodging, food, and transportation it seemed like a price tag that was out of reach. This all changed when we discovered the world of travel hacking, which ultimately let us make our TMB dream a reality for under $500 per person, including round-trip international airfare!