Travel Inspiration Done Differently
The idea of travelling and exploring new places is an attractive one. The thought of experiencing foreign cultures, different food, a change in weather, or even just escaping for a break to relax is all very attractive. So the question is; why do more people not travel away on trips more often?
We've put a lot of thought into that question over the years, and we think the answer is actually pretty straightforward. Most people either don't have the spare time to travel for weeks and weeks on end (especially without having to sacrifice daily commitments such as University, jobs, etc.), or don't have tonnes of spare cash to burn on mega expensive trips (or in most cases, usually some combination of both).
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It seems as if the general idea of 'travel' these days suggests you have to go away for months on end, spending thousands on flights to reach the far corners of the globe and leaving your regular life back home behind. It feels like if you don't go travelling with just a backpack to hostels on the other side of the world, you aren't actually travelling or seeing the world at all.
The truth, though, is that seeing the world, exploring, having a great time and making memories doesn't require such a massive commitment in either time or money. We've come to realise that how good of a time you have depends far less on where you go, and instead depends on who you're with, what places you visit within a destination, and how much (or more to the point, how little) you spend in order to make it all happen.
It's exactly this type of thinking that inspired us to start the Shoestring Travel Club in the first place; to show people like you that you can go away on trips abroad, make great memories and have an amazing time, all whilst using spare time you already have and without breaking the bank in order to make it happen.
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Our Philosophy
Our philosophy follows this thinking pretty closely. We want to help you travel more for less, and everything we do comes back to that very same principle.
For example, look at the photo below. Which destination do you think this picture was taken in?
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Thailand? Australia? Somewhere in South America?
Nope. This photo was actually taken on the island of Ibiza... in April.
This comes back to the point we made earlier, great times can be had almost anywhere. You don't have to go to the far corners of the world to have them, you just have to go somewhere.
That somewhere can be popular, not popular, in season, out of season, or anything in between. When you start to say 'why not' and simply go and visit places, you'll start to realise how you can have a fantastic time and visit some spectacular places for very little time and money.
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And that is exactly what we want to inspire you to do!
How We Aim To Help You Do It
Finding Deals
In order to best help people like you to understand these types of trips are possible, we find and show you any great flight and trip deals we find. These deals in theory can be to anywhere, but we specifically look for flights and trips that are cheap enough for almost anyone with a bit of spare time and cash to be able to take. Therefore, they are almost always to destinations in, around or at least in close proximity to Europe.
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We upload any deals we do find to our members area, and send our members emails giving an overview of deals we've found. These deals are coupled with links to book them for yourselves if you decide you like the look of one!
Destinations: Information & Inspiration
In the dawning age of AI, the web is full of bot-generated recommendations that have been pulled from all sorts of sources. What they cannot give (at least at the minute) is an opinion, and we think it's those honest opinions on places that might not be in the mainstream that matter.
We research destinations in depth using various methods (including visiting them ourselves). We don't want to show you a super expensive Michelin-starred restaurant just because it was rated top on trip advisor. We'd much rather find that little hole-in-the-wall bar well outside the main tourist area serving the best garlic bread you've ever eaten for €3.50, or the hidden cove with a golden sandy beach, no people and a small cave in the rock allowing you to sit right by the waters edge and watch the fish swimming under the waves. For us, its about uncovering those fantastic places that you might not have heard of before, but might prove to be the highlight of your trip.
The best places we find get added to our online travel maps, giving you a perfect tool to see exactly where we've found and give you ideas of where to visit. However, remember these are only ideas and inspiration! At the end of the day, its all about exploring new places and giving things a go, so make sure to explore other places yourself, too.
Showing You How
Whilst we try to find the very best flight deals and trips on the web, we know that not all deals we find will work for you. There might be a trip you'd love to go on, but the dates might not work with your existing schedule. Therefore, we want to show you how you can find great Shoestring-style deals for yourself, giving you the ability to book and go on a trip away anytime you have the spare time and money to do so.
Our booking tips pages contain info on how we find flight deals, where to look for accommodation and even recommendations on things like car hire companies and airport transfers. We hope they help to inspire you to take Shoestring-style trips on your own schedule!
Not Just A Deal Finder
Whilst finding and showing you great travel deals is the cornerstone of what we do, our interest in you having the best time for less stretches beyond the deal itself.
Because of this, we started our Shoestring Travel maps. These are interactive mobile-friendly maps that are filled with our own personalised thoughts and recommendations of places within different destinations, such as things to see and do, restaurants to eat at, bars to visit and more.
We make sure that these maps are your right-hand travel companion for when you're away. We don't shy away from telling you what we think of a place, good and bad, so that you have the insider knowledge you need before you even arrive on your trip.
That's Us!
That's pretty much everything about us and what we want to do here at the Shoestring Travel Club. We hope to see you on the inside very soon!
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And if you want to have a look of some first hand examples, you can follow Adam (Shoestring Founder) on Instagram as he goes on Shoestring-style trips and demonstrates exactly what you can do too! ( @gonesomewhereelse )
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Adam - Founder