So much for no spending before the month starts…

It was a nice idea ;)

Regarding the “no spending February’s money before February’s even started” resolution that I made on payday, today has been one of my more spectacular fails. I’ve spent almost £300 on non-refundable flights, hostels, and tour deposits, with another £550 due closer to the time. But, as far as my 2014 budget goes, that’s well within the allowance I made for holidays. So overall, it’s fine. I’m still on track for saving up this year. And I even saved £85 off the trip that I was going to take anyway by booking it now at the early bird rate :)

I’m so excited! I’m going on Busabout.com‘s Scandinavia and Baltics tour. It’s going to be FABULOUS! I haven’t been to either Scandinavia or the Baltics before, so this is completely new territory for me :)

Of course, getting to and from Vilnius (Lithuania) and Tallinn (Estonia) isn’t as straightforward as flying to Edinburgh and back. Wouldn’t that be nice!

I’ve ended up with Bristol-Kaunas (Lithuania) and Tallinn-Gatwick flights. So I have to get from Kaunas to Vilnius, which is apparently an hour or so by train, and looks like it will cost me less than £5. Much worse, albeit without the issue of the language barrier, is the trek from Gatwick home to Bristol. I love National Express, they’re great and have never let me down. But 5 hours from Gatwick to Bristol?! Holy cow! Not going to happen. I’ve booked a coach ticket from Victoria Station and am hoping I can make it there on time…

I’ve had to start a spreadsheet to keep track of all the different parts of the journeys and which ones I’ve booked already. It’s kind of making my head spin.

But it’s going to be SO MUCH FUN!!! I’ve been on two trips with Busabout’s sister company Haggis Adventures, and they’ve been spectacular. I’m hoping Busabout can continue the good work! :)

If you want to travel for a reasonable backpacker price in Europe this year, you should totally have a look at the Busabout website. The early bird deal is still on till the end of February. Go on, you know you want to!

DISCLAIMER: I am completely unaffiliated with Busabout and have received no incentive for this post (why would they give me anything, I’ve been a completely rubbish blogger and am unlikely to get anyone to buy anything!) I’m just super excited about my holiday!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!! :-D