Smart World Traveller

To travel by taxi in Sofia is cheap and affordable. But there are couple of things that you have to pay attention to in order not to get cheated. Here are some tips for safe travel with a taxi in Sofia (like the locals do). 1. Avoid getting a taxi from the street.  There are a lot of fraud taxis that would charge you up to 10-20 times more for a single ride. So, always read the rate that should always be displayed on the front window of the taxi. Normally all prices there should be LESS than 1 BGN each. Regular rates nowadays are:  avg. initial (starting) fare: 0,70 BGN or 0,36 EUR; avg. fare per kilometer / day time (6:00 AM – 22:00 PM): 0,80 BGN or 0,41 EUR; avg. fare per kilometer / night time (22:00 PM – 6:00 AM): 0,90 BGN or 0,46 EUR; avg. waiting fare per minute: 0,22 BGN or 0,11 EUR (this is when the car gets stuck in a traffic or is waiting at a traffic light); Beware that many fraud taxis copy on the outside (similar logo and name) one of the biggest ...

Often I get the question "How do you manage to travel that much? Isn't it too expensive?" And the fact is we travel a lot because we know how to get the best deals and save money... Here are some advises on how to save some money when buying travel tickets... Search the flight search engines first. Sites like  skyscanner.net  or my favourite if you read German  flug.idealo.de  allow you fast look for the cheapest fare possible. They often are capable of combining airlines to get the best deal for you, which is not something you can always do yourself. It is a good idea to use the 'incognito' mode of your browser when using these, as many sites use cookies and change the prices based on these. For flights (unlike rental cars), the presence of these cookies normally means higher prices for you.  Check for a package deal. Often it is way cheaper if you book the hotel and the flight simultaneously. I got this experience with British Airways where it was 20 GBP...

You want to travel, but your budget does not allow? Think again! Most of the people traveling abroad use  booking.com  or another hotel search engine. And yes, it works in many cases. Many, but not all... Plus, this only gives you access to hotels and more luxurious apartments, which as rule are very expensive. How can you get a more pleasant stay for less? Here are some ideas (tested and verified by me): Airbnb - a great alternative to standard hotels and my personal favorite. The idea is brilliant - if you have a spare room in you house or a whole house or apartment, you can host someone in there without having to rent your space for a longer period. Hosts can choose whom to lend the property to and have the flexibility to set their own prices. But, these are much cheaper than the hotels and you have more space for you and your friends. For me the biggest advantage is that you literally feel like in home. And, often you get some perks that make you smile - like free b...