1. Not reading hostel reviews and just going for the cheapest one.

I booked most of my hostels using Hostelworld which has a great rating system, but I didn’t pay attention to some of the reviews of hostels. At my first stop in Amsterdam, I chose the cheapest hostel and ended up getting bed bugs on my VERY FIRST day!! I had also booked the hostel for a few nights so I had to suffer through knowing I was being bitten for a few more nights. Most of the time, reviews are kept very recent and other travelers will report any issues with the hostel, so be sure to check these in the app or on the hostel’s own page.

2. Traveling between cities too often and not taking rest.

Over the course of 21 days, I hit 12 cities in 5 countries!! They were all extremely beautiful, and definitely worth visiting, but next time I would travel to fewer cities and spend more time in each. I was spending on average two to three days in each location, with travel by train or bus between each. This was EXHAUSTING and definitely took away from being present in each city I visited. I also ended up hitting the ‘Best of’ points of each city (ie the most popular museums and restaurants) and didn’t dig into the deeper history and culture of the places I saw. Additionally, switching places so frequently is more expensive than spending four to five days in each place before moving.

3. Not utilizing free resources like Guruwalk as a starting point for planning.

Now that I’m a more experienced traveler, I schedule a FREE Guruwalk guided tour to hear about the history and best restaurants of a new city as my first activity upon arrival. Many of these tours are given by locals who have a real passion for their city and can show some of the best spots in their area. From there, I can decide if the places I researched in advance are worth visiting with my remaining time on the trip! This has saved me so much time wandering around not knowing if a restaurant has authentic cuisine as well as knocking a few popular monuments off my list right off the bat. You can also meet travelers with similar interests as you among the group and team up to explore the city afterward. Schedule your FREE tour here!

Liked what you read and want to plan your own trip? Contact me at feliciacarrara@gmail.com, schedule a consult, or follow my journey @felcarrara on Instagram.

*Disclaimer: I have used affiliate links in this post. These come at no extra cost to you and I may earn commission from these links. This helps support my travel business and allow me to keep producing content for you!

and I’ve been traveling the world since I can remember. My parents always prioritized experiences over gifts around the holidays, so I’ve spent many hours in a car watching the landscape go by, in a plane looking down at the clouds, and sleeping on passenger trains.

I’m currently in university studying International Relations (go figure), so my passion is traveling on a budget and seeing some of the less-explored parts of the world.

Two summers ago, I spent 3 weeks backpacking in Central Europe, hitting 5 countries and spending under $4k for all expenses (airfare, food, hostels, and experiences). Since then, I have developed even more of a passion for helping others to explore the world with the money they have now instead of waiting until their ‘million dollar break’ to discover the globe!

See below for some snapshots of that trip Can you guess some of the places we went?

How I can help you?

The aim of this blog is to tell you all about my travels- starting from a few years ago and progressing up to the present moment and (hopefully) beyond! I’ll give you recommendations for my favorite cities, eateries, and accomodations all for FREE. All I ask is that you share my blog with your fellow travelers and respect the locals and nature wherever you go.

Follow along with my journey live on Instagram here.

If you want more (and personalized) guidance, visit my Thatch page for some guides or a consultation call.

And lastly, thank you SO much for being here. I hope you can find inspiration for your next trip in these posts.

Bye for now,

Felicia