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Why are more Americans starting their own home based businesses? The numbers have been out the roof with the number of people who own and operate their own business from home. What a great time to start one for yourself! With the high unemployment rates and threats of layoffs people are starting to realize that the days of job stability are over. Some people think that home based businesses are rinky dink companies selling cheap products that no one buys. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Majority of home based business opportunities are with reputable companies with superior products,services, and they allow you to make a great income selling their products or services from home. Some of the top home based business company’s make over $1 Billion dollars in sales every year. Even Bill Clinton fully endorsed the industry because of the opportunity it gives to Americans to live the American dream through financial freedom, and business ownership.Types Of Home Based BusinessesProduct Based CompaniesProduct based home businesses sell products to consumers directly through a independent distributor which would be you. There are thousands of companies that sell anything from nutritional products, makeup, juices, to Tupperware. The sky is the limit with the amount of different companies that sell different products that you can choose from.Service Based CompaniesService based home based business opportunities sell a service versus a consumable product. These companies include insurance,electricity and natural gas,internet,mobile phone,legal, and many other services.Unlike product based opportunities you are offering a service to people instead of selling a product. These services offer substantial savings to consumers and gives you an opportunity to earn a great income just for referring their particular service.Affiliate ProgramsAffiliate programs are similar to ones I listed above but the only difference is how you get paid. With an affiliate program you get paid a % on the sales that you make when you sell their product or service. These do not offer any type of residual income that the other companies pay. Residual income is when you get paid over and over again for selling a product or service once. Affiliate programs pay you one time for every product or service you sell.Benefits Of Owning A Home Based BusinessLow Start Up CostsStarting a home business is the cheapest and easiest way to start your own business. Most traditional brick front businesses cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to get started and takes years to get into profit. The great thing about a home business is that it’s really affordable from $100 and up to get started and your up in running in minutes not months.Your The BossWhen you start your own home based business you are the boss. You work when you want and how often you want, but if you treat it like a hobby it will pay like one. So treat your business like a multi million dollar corporation because it can pay you like one.Unlimited IncomeThe sky is the limit with the income potential that a home business can generate. There are people making millions of dollars in the industry. Instead of earning a hourly income you are earning a weekly or monthly residual income and once it’s up and running you are getting paid regardless if you work or not. That’s the freedom that a home based business can allow for you.Tax BenefitsWhen you start any type of business including a home business you get tax breaks that regular employees do not. Here are a few examples of tax breaks:
Mileage- Write off mileage when any kind of business trip is made.
Utilities-Cell phone, internet
Travel- Let’s say you go on vacation. You can write off the expenses as a business expense if you do it right. Why not have a business meeting in Hawaii?
Meals- Write off your meals when you are doing business and this includes on vacation.
Check out a book called Lower you taxes big time! By Sandy Botken. He use to work for the IRS and gives you loop holes you can use for your home based business to take advantage of the tax breaks.Overall I hope you get an idea of why it’s a great idea to start your own home based business. Imagine earning thousands of dollars every month and getting to spend more time with your family and doing the things you love. The supplemental income can have a great impact on your bank account and you will have more money to spend or save or do whatever you want to! So I hope you make a decision to start your own business and cash in on the American dream!

Chances are you searched for plane tickets on at least one occasion and thought I guess it will still be there when I’m 65 and retired. Don’t be discouraged! I am going to explain how you can travel to your European dream country for less than you imagined possible.

Step 1. Forget about your exact travel plans

The quickest way to make your trip as expensive as possible is to narrow your search to something incredibly specific.

For example, just because you have a four day weekend on Easter doesn’t mean its a good time to travel. Open yourself to being flexible on the dates you travel, the locations you travel to and what kind of places you stay at. The more flexible you are, the cheaper the travel will be.

Step 2. Determine where it is that you really want to visit.

I know I just said to be flexible but that doesn’t mean you can’t choose where you want to visit, it means you have to be open to getting there ways you didn’t anticipate. If you want to visit Dublin more than anything, don’t search for flights from the US to Dublin only. Chances are you can find a plane ticket from the US to another European city for much much less. Then you can book another short flight to Dublin for less than $80 roundtrip. It’s a great way to see a bonus country as well!

Step 3. Determine which city you will fly out of

Flights to Europe vary tremendously in price depending on which airport you’re flying to, leaving from and the dates of travel. So a good first step may be to determine which airport you are going to fly out of. If you live in a big city such as New York, Boston or Los Angeles, lucky you! You’ll find the cheapest flights to Europe from these cities. If you don’t live in these cities, chances are you’ll end up flying through them to get to Europe. So if you can drive to one of those cities, that may be a cheap option. Otherwise, consider booking a flight to one of those cities from your hometown. Although it seems strange, you may get cheaper flights by booking each leg individually rather than booking a ticket from your home to your destination.

Step 4. Determine the cheapest European city to fly to

The easiest way to do this is to check websites that aggregate all of the cheapest airfares so you don’t have to search through hundreds of flights yourself. Some sites allow you to type United States or the city that you know you will be departing from in the “from” field. In the “to” field, try choosing “everywhere.” Then scroll down the resulting list looking for the first/cheapest country in Europe to fly to. If for example, Norway comes up at $340 and France comes up at $380, then it’s probably worth it to just choose France if that’s your desired destination; however, if the difference is more than $100 I would choose the cheapest airport first. The annoying thing about Skyscanner is that the deals are often no longer active and sometimes you also have to search through many dates looking for the cheapest to travel on. But, patience is key and it’s how you find the cheapest flights. Another word of advice is that sometimes the flights are through travel agencies and it is probably worth it to search for reviews on the agency before booking your ticket, keeping in mind that happy customers rarely write reviews. But if the agency has one out of five stars, that may be a clue to pass.

Step 5. Find an inter-European flight to get you to your European dream destination

One thing most people don’t realize is that to fly from one country in Europe to another is dirt cheap.

I have flown across Europe for $14 one way. No joke. I have never paid more than $60 for a flight within Europe. Use Kayak.com to find a flight to your actual destination from whatever country you ended up in booking the cheapest flight to Europe.

Step 6. Now that you’ve arrived, find a cheap or free place to stay

Everyone has their own idea of a dream vacation. If yours is staying in the Ritz, then I’m surprised you read this far through this article. For most of us, we just want to stay somewhere decent while enjoying everything Europe has to offer. I have never stayed in a dump in Europe. I don’t want to and I’m just not that desperate. Accommodations come down to four options: hotel, rental, hostel or Couchsurf.

Hotel. Staying in a hotel is a safe way to go and if it’s your first time to Europe or you’re not much of a risk-taker, then this is probably the route you want to take. Hotels depending on where you are visiting range from $20-$200 per night so you might want to keep that in mind when choosing a destination. I wouldn’t advise staying in Monaco unless your oil company is seeing record first quarter profits but staying in nearby Nice might be an option. In other words, keep your options open.

Rental. Booking a rental room, apartment, villa or house is also a safe bet but can be a little more complicated than just checking into a hotel. Sites like Homeaway and Airbnb offer some really unique locations and I have to say, some of my favorite places I have stayed in Europe were rentals. From a villa on a winery in Tuscany to a secluded mother-in-law in a quiet neighborhood outside of London, I really enjoyed staying in rentals and the price is often much less than staying at a hotel if there is a group of you that can share the cost.

Hostel. The word hostel brings up thoughts of scary movies but the reality is that the difference between a hostel and a hotel is sometimes indiscernible in Europe. Sure there are hostels where you get a bunk bed in a room with five other travelers and for some people this is exciting and interesting! But just because bunk beds aren’t your thing, doesn’t mean you should rule out everything that has the word hostel in the title. I have stayed at some “hostels” which were just as nice as a hotel.

Couchsurf. If you are really on a tight budget or if meeting local people is really important to you, there’s no better way than to Couchsurf. If you have no idea what I am talking about, visit the Couchsurfing website. Essentially, the site lets you request to stay with someone who is wiling to host travelers at their home for free and vice versa. People leave reviews on the travelers and the hosts so you can have some assurance they are reputable. This of course comes with risk and safety precautions should be taken. In addition, you should always have a backup plan in case the situation doesn’t work out.
Step 7. Eat cheap.

I’m focussing on the necessities of visiting Europe: travel, lodging and food. There are of course plenty of other ways to spend money but these are the things you have to spend money on, food being one.

Food is amazing. I love food and the first couple times I went to Europe I was disappointed because I randomly wandered into restaurants and most were subpar. This all changed when I started checking TripAdvisor for restaurant reviews, that’s all it took to make every meal out amazing. This wasn’t so much a saving money tip as a general word of advice. However, TripAdvisor does let you search by general price of restaurants so $ is cheap $$ is moderate $$$ is getting expensive etc.

Here’s a money saving tip: buying groceries in Europe is usually very inexpensive. So if you have booked an apartment with a kitchen, take advantage of it! Go shopping at a local market and buy some new strange foods to cook! If you’re on a road trip, get some sandwich stuff to save a few bucks.

Step 8. Realize there are still more expenses

Even though travel, lodging and food are your main expenses, there are of course going to be others. Things to think about include, transportation once you arrive, fees for attractions and souvenirs.

Options for transportation include taking public transit. Most European cities have fantastic and inexpensive public transportation that can be purchased using local currency or a debit card at a kiosk. Note that American credit cards often don’t work at these as you need a chip and pin number.

Renting a car is a great option if you plan on traveling outside of the cities, it’s usually quite affordable and gives you ultimate freedom in mobility. Trains, although charming, are not usually a cheap way to travel across Europe. Flights are much less expensive and quicker. But if you are in love with the idea of seeing the country side by train, then it’s worth giving a try. Tickets can be purchased in advance on the Eurorail website for a fee. Or if you’re more flexible and feeling like it’s worth the risk, you can purchase them in person at the rail station for usually quite a bit less.

Step 9. Travel light

Although you might not think that traveling light will save you money, believe me, it will. First of all, every airline is going to charge baggage fees. So each leg of your flight is going to cost you $25 to $100 for each bag. That adds up fast. Secondly, if you have two suitcases, you are going to fill up two suitcases full of stuff that you probably don’t need. Thirdly, taking cheap transportation like the metro becomes frustrating and impractical when you’re hauling around two unwieldy bags. Fourth of all, your bags have to be with you at all times or in a hotel, so if you plan on checking out in the morning and going to another city, you won’t be able to do anything until you get to your hotel and check your bags in. All in all, it’s just a huge pain to carry a bunch of stuff around Europe with you. My advice, and I can’t stress this enough, is to fit everything into one backpack. I have a 50L backpack and it had everything I needed for a month and a half in Europe. Yes, there are places to do laundry in Europe as well. If you’re saying, well you don’t understand because you’re a guy. I traveled with two young women and they both fit everything into a backpack. If you’re saying you don’t understand because you’re young, I traveled with my mother to Europe and she fit everything into a standard size school backpack! You can do it too!

Step 10. Always plan for the worst and hope for the best

Whenever I travel to Europe I plan out my expected expenses and round everything up. I also plan for at least $200 of unexpected expenses. In the end, my expenses are always well below this number but I don’t want to ever end up in the situation where I’m overwhelmed by the cost.

Conclusion

In 2,000 words I have given you the condensed Europe-on-a-budget-guide. There are of course lots of other things to think about when booking your Europe trip but the most important thing is to just do it! Find those cheap airline tickets to Europe and book them. You can fill in all the blanks later, don’t try to plan everything out before getting your tickets and don’t try and plan every second of everyday. Leave time to be spontaneous and immerse yourself in the European life.

International Escape brings the very best international travel deals online to one place. Finding cheap flights from a specific airport to a specific airport isn’t always possible but by broadening your destination choices, you can find flight and hotel deals that you never dreamed possible. InternationalEscape.com does the dirty work of sorting through hundreds of thousands of daily flights to find those unbelievable deals. Fly from Los Angeles, California to Oslo, Norway for only $340 round-trip, yes these deals do exist! You’ll find them featured on the “Deals” page.

In addition to helping travelers find the very best deals on international flights, I decided to put my money where my mouth is, so I am traveling these very deals and bringing my experiences to you on the “Inspiration” pages of InternationalEscape.com. My hope is that these inexpensive travel deals will inspire others to pack their bags and make that international escape they’ve always dreamed of!

Many people dream about being able to someday retire and travel the world. There are also a growing number of people who are considering career breaks and time after school to travel extensively. A top concern and deterrent of these individuals is the cost of travel. This article will outline the several ways to save on transportation costs to allow discounted travel around the world.

Know your top destinations, but be flexible. Making a list of top destinations is an excellent outline for a travel plan, but keeping flexibility on how and when you arrive there is a key to budget travel.

• Airlines use specific airport hubs to connect flights to other destinations. Searching for direct flights both in and out of these locations can save significant amounts of money on tickets. It also often allows for time to explore the area around these hubs between flights.

• Start at an end destination and work your way back. Look at a top destination’s airport website and look at all inbound and outbound flights. This will give you information on which hubs service these locations most often, and other possible destinations of interest you can use as a connection.

Time is your friend. Long-term travel requires considerable planning with as much notice as possible.

• Taking time to research destinations is key to affordable pricing. Traveling to destinations during popular events will cost more than during non-peak times. Researching all forms of transportation are key: South America, and Asia offer luxury buses that are often cheaper and more comfortable than flights, while crossing the Atlantic Ocean can be cheaper on a cruise than by a flight once lodging and meals are factored in.

• Having flexibility in time of travel is a significant source of savings. Searching tickets over a month time-frame will allow for the cheapest options. Additional flexibility in travel time, and not being rushed to your destination will also allow for multiple connections and long layovers, the cheapest tickets usually available.

• Many cruise lines and some airlines offer a best price guarantee but do not advertise it. Booking well in advance and routinely checking back for drops in ticket prices gives you the opportunity to contact the company and request they match their current price. If they will not match the price often companies will provide you with a credit of the difference in price to use on future travel.

Use technology to your advantage. The Internet is the best tool for planning, searching, and booking cheap travel.

• Many search engines allow for you to search multiple airlines over multiple dates to find the lowest prices.

• Checking directly with the airline, cruise line, or bus company and not through a travel agent will give a comparison for all other prices. Signing up for the travel company’s newsletters and loyalty groups will often provide you with first access to special pricing.

• Following travel companies and travel groups on social media provides direct access to immediate news and specials. Travel groups often post glitches in booking software and most travel companies repair these in minutes. Followers that are able to book during the window of glitches are usually allowed to keep their prices. Travel companies occasionally offer followers discounts and travel credits for public feedback on social media.

• Use the booking company’s currency conversion. Changing the booking to multiple currencies can provide significant savings. Often changing currency in software assumes you are in a poorer region and provides discounted pricing. A quick search engine lookup will provide you with an accurate conversion, and a global credit card with no international fees is best for purchase.