Greetings!

So hopefully by now you have heard of SteemFest! If not, I have posted quite a bit about it (check this one, or 11 best reasons to go to Steemfest) as I truly feel it is an epic event that is not just going to be really fun, but VERY valuable! 

My biggest regret about SteemFest at this point is that I am only writing this article now and not a month or two ago....So while I am sorry for that, it's better late than never and IT'S NOT TO LATE TO GO TO THE CREAMIEST AND MOST DELICIOUS FEST ON EARTH!

I know there are a lot of people who want to go but are used to travel costing so much that it just doesn't seem feasible. 

Now obviously some funds will be required, but it is quite possible to do it on the cheap!

I have traveled the world in my time, and mostly it was with very little to no money at all! Yes, you have to sacrifice some comforts and maybe spend extra time waiting, but if money is the main concern then this could be what makes it possible!

If there is any chance at all to make the choice to go to Lisbon in November, then DO IT!

In this article, I show that taking these tips to the extreme could save you $1,500 or more on the average cost of this SteemFest experience!

 

The 3 main costs for most people will be 1) travel to Lisbon (as most people going do not live there), 2) the hotel, and 3) food and drink. 

Now while it is nice to hop on a nonstop flight right to Lisbon, there are many cheaper ways to do it. Let's look at the main and largely unavoidable cost of travel: FLIGHTS!

How To Find The CHEAPEST Flights:

• Obviously, don't choose first class! Some airlines now days even have cheaper seats in the back vs. in the front and potentially cheaper if you wait for a seat assignment when you check in at the gate. 
  
• Budget Airlines don't offer complimentary food or beverages, but DON'T buy them on the plane OR in the airport. This means take all your food/snacks with you, and fill up an empty bottle once inside airport security so you don't have to buy $4+ water. 
  
• Take minimal baggage. Most budget airlines offer cheap base tickets, but charge for every bag - even carry ons. 
  
  (Pack ONLY the ESSENTIALS..... All hand made Steemit Gear by yours truly)
  
• The customer service is usually bad on budget airlines, so be sure you know exactly what their rules, restrictions, and charges are and work that in, as they will charge you for every little thing (even printing tickets at the airport!) and not care at all. 
  
• Start your flight search using an incongnito browser that does not save your search history, then head to a site like Orbitz or Expedia, or as I prefer skyscanner.com or kayak.com to find the cheapest possibilities. You will likely be shown an inflated price if the browser recognizes you are comparing flights, so incognito is the way to go. 
  
• Be sure to check multiple routes, especially if you are flying from another country. It is often cheaper to take two flights to get to the final destination than one. For example, it may cost $300 to get to Lisbon from your home but only $100 to fly to London and $100 to fly from London to Lisbon, for a total of only $200.
  
• Multiple one way flights are often cheaper than round trip tickets, even if it's a multi layover round trip itinerary. Consider buying one way tickets to your destination, then looking for one way tickets back.
  
• Different dates often cost different amounts especially the CLOSER you get to the travel date, so look for flights on multiple days before and after your preferred arrival/departure. 
  
• Once you find the cheapest airlines, routes, and dates leave the sites like Skyscanner and go to the actual airline site. It is often cheaper on say VirginAirlines.com than the Virgin airline flight is on Skyscanner, because they have to give Skyscanner a cut. 

If you combine all of these flight finding tips, it will take a significantly longer time, but you can save hundreds of dollars JUST on the flight alone - and I haven't even gotten to the other money saving tips for other categories! 

Yes, it takes more travel time and more research time, but if you're on a budget and limited funds is what is keeping you from going to the most Fantastic Fest on Earth, then bear down and just remember how Creamy & Delicious it's going to be! Then while you're sitting on a layover, you can salivate at the creamy and delicious potential instead of how much time your wasting. 

Ok now on to the next most expensive part, the hotel. The hotels for SteemFest are close to $100 per night. That will run you at least $500 for the 5 day festival at minimum, assuming you don't stay an extra day before and/or after. That's a lot, yet it's another opportunity to shave hundreds of dollars off of your cost!

How to SAVE $$$ On Room Accommodations:

• DON'T STAY AT A HOTEL! Hotels are expensive because you are paying for the location and atmosphere. 
  
• The next step down would be a motel which has less fancy accommodations, amenities, and often less prime locations. This can save you half or more alone.
  
• BUT DON'T STAY AT A MOTEL! Motels are still expensive when every dollar counts!
  
• Consider a hostel which may save you another half off of a motel. You get very basic accommodations, but if it makes or breaks going to SteemFest, it's well worth it!
  
• If you DO stay at a hotel/motel, then find people to room with - even if you have to sleep on the floor, you can save tens of dollars per night!
  
  

• Now you may think that's the bottom of the line, but wait - there's more! You can literally stay every night in Lisbon for FREE! Yes that's right: there is something called couchsurfing.com, and you can start a profile on there, upload some nice photos, and link it to your social media platforms so people can see you're a real and decent person not a serial killer. Then start looking anywhere in the general vicinity for hosts and contact them ASAP!
  
• Now I highly suggest the couch surfing over this option but if it really comes down to it....Bring a sleeping bad and a tarp and sleep under a bridge or behind a building! Yea, I know.....You're thinking "what do you think I am, a bum?" But that's not what I am thinking; what I am thinking is if you're really going to let a couple hundred dollars keep you from SteemFest you're CRAZY! This one tip can wipe out ALL room costs for the entire trip, and what an adventure!
  
  

Ok, so I just provided room options that went from the standard $500+ all the way down to the potential of ZERO!  I know almost no one LIKES sleeping in a cheap motel, or on someone's couch or under a bridge, BUT you'rE not going to sleep that much anyways and do you LIKE MISSING OUT ON CREAMY DELICIOUSNESS???? No, I thought not, so that bridge is sounding pretty mouth watering now isn't it...

Ok, onto the 3rd biggest cost (for some of you fancy diners or bar goers it could actually be the biggest cost, however that's obviously NOT you): FOOD! So now I shall list ways to save 90% or more on food!

Save BIG time on FOOD:

• NEVER eat at a restaurant! Restaurants are EXPENSIVE. Period. 
  
• Never buy prepared foods. Even if it's not a restaurant, you're PAYING for the prep. 
  
• With your SteemFest ticket you get 3 FREE dinners and 2 Free lunches!
  
• So you say then what can I possibly eat? Well there are things called "markets" where they sell raw whole foods. You just buy some of it for super cheap, and snack on it like a rabbit when you get hungry!
  
• Now that extra money you saved you can buy BOOZE!!!
  
  
  
  
  
• Oh wait, that brings me to the next BIG money saver: NEVER GO TO A BAR!
  
  
  
  
  
• If you're going to drink, don't drink at a bar - it's WAY more expensive. Just go to the store and buy some booze and put it in a stainless steel "water" container. Then you can bring it wherever you go and save MASSIVE $$$  and STILL BE BUZZED! Almost no one will expect it, and you will be buzzing and sitting on a wallet still full of cash!
  
  

Well there you have it! As I said, I have traveled the world and been doing so on a budget of almost nothing for years! I really could write a whole book on it, but I wanted to compose this to highlight the BIGGEST money savers before it IS too late, in hopes to motivate you to make the choice and GO if you're still worrying about $500-$1000! 

These tips that I just provided, taken to the EXTREME, save about $1,500 on this trip - that's a LOT of money for some of us. 

Plus, I didn't even mention the benevolence and generosity of Steemit and Steemfest! They actually have a @t-r-f account, which reimburses Steemians after check in for their travel cost based on distance from Lisbon. 

So there you go - A LOT of money saving potential and plenty of real opportunity to BUY YOUR TICKET TO STEEMFEST!

So recalculate and reconsider making the choice to say YES to SteemFest!

All GIF's are from giphy.com

As always I appreciate your support and welcome your feedback!

SteemOn!