Who does not love exploring new and exciting destinations? But no matter how exciting the idea of travelling is, big budgets and miscellaneous expenses keep us from setting out. However, the world can be our playground by just following some intelligent practices.

So before you plan your next trip, here are some tips shared by actor turned travel blogger, Shenaz Treasury to save money while travelling.

“I am not only travelling the world but I am also making a living doing it. I am truly proud of myself for being able to do this all on my own,” she said, adding that “today I can even take my parents with me. No greater pleasure than that.”

However, in her initial years, she did follow some rules to keep her travel within budget. Before sharing her tips, Shenaz also added that she does not have her own apartment and that “I share a car with my parents so I can save that money to travel and be free!”

Here are the tips!

*Avoid materialism and value experiences.

*Make a separate account for travel and put 10 per cent of your earnings into this account.

*There is no harm in following a budget ruthlessly. Cut corners wherever you can.

*Track your spending by using apps or by making notes of your expenditures.

* Practice travel hacking which allows you to take advantage of, and utilise the various offers given by airlines, credit cards, hotels, etc. You can accumulate and redeem points and get some upgrades, free stays, etc.

* Be flexible with your travel schedule and choose off-seasons for the best deals.

Recalling her journey, the blogger said, “When I was young and people asked me what I wanted to be – I didn’t say actor, model or travel blogger because that wasn’t even a thing then but I said that I want to do whatever I can so I can travel the world.”

Chances are, if you’ve ever tried to document your travels with a camera, you’ve taken some cliché, if not really cheesy travel photos. I certainly have, and I’m embarrassed to show those photos to friends and family after my trips.

In this article (and of course video above), I’ll be giving you my top nine tips to take your travel portrait photography to the next level. Hopefully, we can all capture some shots that we don’t feel the need to hide on our finsta.

1. No Stiff Smiles

No big cheese! We’ve all taken awkward family photos with big forced smiles and they’re as uncomfortable as they are cliché. I’m not saying look like the grumpy dad at Disney on your entire vacation, but loosen up. Try telling jokes or making your subject laugh to get a more natural reaction. This leads us right into Tip 2.

2. Break Eye Contact

Don’t look into the camera, especially with a big cheesy smile. Everyone would rather be on the beach with a mai tai in their hand, but we’re here for Aunt Gertrude’s 102nd birthday, so let’s try to make the best of it. Try capturing your subject looking at the architecture or landscape. Show them truly enjoying the scene, not the camera.

3. Competing Subjects

Pick a subject. One thing that travel photos suffer from is the lack of a subject. Before snapping a photo, pick your subject: What’s the focus of the photo? Whether it’s little Timmy, a building, a landscape, or even a slice of Sbarro pizza, have your person pose to emphasize themselves or the subject. The angle of your camera and depth of field are powerful tools for emphasizing a subject in your photos. Now, let’s dive a little deeper in Tip 4.

4. Environment Interaction

Climb stairs, lean on a rail or wall, sit on a bench, etc. Don’t be an idiot and hop the fence of Buckingham Palace for TikTok clout, but the most boring photos in the world are, “Here is a person… standing in front of a thing.” Get creative, but don’t be that person that ruins it for everyone.

5. Crowds

Avoid crowds. This may mean waking up before the average tourist, walking the extra mile, or stumbling upon that hidden gem that no one knows about. Talk to locals if you want to experience something unique off the beaten path. This is a secret to making great friends and finding unique photo opportunities that haven’t been shot to death already.

6. Lighting

Golden hour at sunrise and sunset will likely be your best lighting in most cases, but it’s different for each environment. And some places, like Las Vegas for example, truly come alive after the sun has gone down. Pay attention to the light for some truly dynamic images.

In large cities with skyscrapers like NYC, you’ll find great golden hour light on streets that run East & West, while North & South streets will be darker because the sun will be blocked until closer to mid-day.

7. Composition

In addition to lighting, composition is a huge part of what makes any great photo memorable. How you choose to frame your image, the angle, and the height of the camera will tell your audience where to look in the photo. Always be thinking about the rule of thirds, symmetry, asymmetry, keeping your horizon level, and not having distracting elements in your shot. You may find yourself laying on the ground to get the perfect shot, so suck it up buttercup, because in photography, this is the kind of dedication that takes a photo from being just okay to being great.

8. Candid Moments

It sounds easier than it is, but be sure to capture candid moments. This is probably my favorite tip. Not every shot needs to be posed. Capturing your subjects in a journalistic fashion as they explore the environment, will lead to more natural feeling expressions and more genuine storytelling images of your travels. You’ll be taking quite a few more shots, but when the moment and the lighting are working together… that’s a great photo!

9. Put the Camera Down

A counter-intuitive tip here: put the camera down. I have trips that I hardly remember, aside from some photos stashed on a hard drive, because I had my camera up to my face the entire time. I completely missed out on the moments and memories with friends and family, because I was so worried about trying to capture them. And that, Alanis Morissette, is actually irony. Taking the time to enjoy your surroundings will lead to better imagery when you’re not tunnel-visioned through your viewfinder.

Those are my nine tips for taking better travel portraits! Until next time, get out and go shoot!

Whether you’re traveling within the U.S. or to a foreign country, you should take extra precautions to stay safe. Distractions born of travel — such as taking in the sights, eating delectable food and exploring new cities — can increase your risk.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

These international and domestic travel safety tips will help you reduce your risk so you can enjoy your vacation and avoid trouble as much as feasible. Here’s how to travel safely — ranging from actions that can be implemented on the fly and ones that require a bit more preparation.

1. Digitize important documents

Your wallet or purse is filled with important documents that criminals can exploit. Leave unnecessary items at home (like your Social Security card) and make copies of everything else you would need in an emergency, like prescriptions, a backup credit card (so you can at least make a digital purchase in a pinch) and your passport.

Take a picture and upload them to a secure folder on the web. This way, if anything is stolen, you can easily take steps to reduce the damage that criminals can cause. You can easily call the bank to cancel debit and credit cards and request a new ID from the embassy. You can also use a secure digital vault system like 1Password or LastPass to store these documents.

2. Minimize how much cash you carry

It is important to have a little cash when traveling, but most retailers accept credit cards, even abroad. Not having cash minimizes your wallet’s value to a thief, and you can dispute unknown charges from a card. Just make sure to carry a card that has no foreign transaction fees when traveling internationally.

3. Look less like a tourist

The more you dress and act like a local, the less risk there is from criminals targeting you as a tourist. Adapting your style to that of the locals, walking with confidence and keeping maps hidden can help you blend in. When using directions on your phone, only look at it briefly while walking.

Further, familiarize yourself with the city and your route before leaving the hotel. If you do need to look up directions for an extended period of time, consider stepping into a store or cafe to do so, rather than staying outside.

4. Share your itinerary with someone you trust

Whether you’re traveling alone or with others, share your itinerary with someone you trust back home. Check in once a day to let them know that you’ve made it to your next destination or back to your hotel. These small steps increase your safety during travel.

It’s also wise to create and share a safe word so that family or friends would know if you’re in trouble, even if the conversation seems normal to someone else who may be listening. You can take this a step further and consider sharing your live location with a trusted friend or family member via your smartphone.

5. Research travel advisories for destinations

According to the U.S. Department of State, “conditions can change rapidly in a country at any time.” Its website keeps a continuous list of travel advisories in destinations around the world. While these advisories don’t always mean that you shouldn’t travel, they do help make you aware of the potential conditions you’ll find when you arrive, or areas to avoid.

Check the State Department website before making travel plans, and again before you depart. Somewhere that may have been safe when you booked your trip may have deteriorated since then.

6. Sign up for Smart Traveler Enrollment Program

The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, or STEP, is a free service from the State Department that allows citizens traveling or living abroad to receive the latest security updates. The information that you provide also makes it easier for the nearest U.S. Embassy or consulate to contact you in an emergency.

7. Notify credit card companies of your travel plans

Because you may be traveling to cities outside your normal spending patterns, let your bank know your dates and destinations of travel. Many banks allow you to notify them via your online banking portal.

This will minimize the potential of the bank locking your account due to perceived fraudulent transactions, which could leave you stranded.

Additionally, consider bringing a backup credit card.

8. Be careful with public Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi can open your devices and sensitive information to hackers. Using a VPN service is one of the best ways we know of to stay safe in an airport, when exploring your destination or at your hotel. VPN services create a secure connection to protect your personal information when browsing the internet or using web-connected apps on an open connection.

Security.org, a security product review site, conducted a study in June 2020 and found that just 31% of U.S. internet users use a VPN service for public Wi-Fi connections. That means almost 70% of public Wi-Fi users are at risk of being hacked.

9. Get travel insurance

To improve both your physical and financial safety, consider purchasing a travel insurance policy ahead of your trip. This safety net is helpful in avoiding out-of-pocket expenses for emergency medical treatment, trip delays, cancellations or interruptions, lost luggage or evacuations.

Most policies will reimburse travelers for unused accommodations, transit or activities that were nonrefundable but had to be canceled for a covered reason. Similarly, if your luggage is lost by an airline or train company, you’ll likely get reimbursed through the baggage protection on your policy. Plus, if your policy has emergency medical coverage, you won’t be hit with a huge bill for medical attention overseas (where your U.S.-based health insurance is likely not useful).

Some credit cards come with built-in protections, whereas others don’t — in the case of the latter, you will need to purchase a stand-alone policy.

If finding ways to travel safely is your goal …

Now that we’ve shared some tips on how to travel safely, you can travel with more confidence and less risk. Though implementing most of these tips has little or no cost, they may take time to set up. Investing the time to increase your travel safety will be well worth it if you can avoid dangerous situations that can interrupt or ruin your next trip.

We’ve rounded up some of the best family vacations that everyone — from toddlers to grandparents — will love.

Planning a family vacation can be stressful. There’s so much to consider, from finding family-friendly accommodations to choosing a destination with activities that your whole crew will love. Thankfully, we’ve narrowed it down to seven types of family trips, so you can stop stressing and start getting excited about all the incredible memories you’ll make while traveling together.

Whether you’re planning an intimate getaway for your kids and partner or a multigenerational trip with your entire family, we’ve rounded up some of the best family vacations that everyone — from toddlers to grandparents — will love.

Set sail on a cruise.

With lots of family-friendly excursions and onboard activities, multiple options for dining, supervised kids’ clubs, and more, everyone in your crew can make the most of their vacation while spending time together on a cruise

Relax at an all-inclusive resort.

Like cruises, family-friendly all-inclusive resorts are a fantastic option for multigenerational travel because they have something for everyone. Whether you’re looking for a tropical escape in the Caribbean or a domestic resort with a fun, camp-like atmosphere, the best family resorts offer a range of activities that the whole family will love (along with kids’ clubs for the days when everyone wants to do their own thing). With meals, activities, and more included in one price, all-inclusives are an ideal family vacation for those seeking a totally relaxing getaway.

Hit the slopes.

Get outside and hit the slopes with your family on a ski vacation. With so many family-friendly ski resorts in the United States, you might be just a drive (or short flight) away from a great destination. Look for resorts with good ski school programs, terrain for all ski levels (and plenty of bunny slopes for beginners), and activities for all ages — Beaver Creek, Whiteface, and Park City Mountain Resort are among the country’s best.

Take a classic American road trip.

Hit the road with your crew in tow and check national parks and iconic roadside attractions off your family’s travel list. See the Grand Canyon and the red rocks of Sedona on a road trip through Arizona, ride down Route 66, or even drive across the country. Of course, if you’re traveling with kids, you’ll want to invest in some car organizers and stock their favorite snacks to make the journey as smooth as possible.

Visit the “Most Magical Place on Earth.”

The young and young-at-heart can’t resist a theme park vacation. Florida and California are home to some of the world’s best theme parks, and Disney World is really the ultimate theme park destination, with four amusement parks, two water parks, perfectly themed on-site hotels, and an expansive shopping and dining district. Rides and attractions for all ages, interactive dining experiences, and the unforgettable Disney magic will make this a trip to remember.

Soak up the sun on a relaxing beach vacation.

Families of all sizes love a low-key beach vacation. Whether you fly to the Caribbean to soak in turquoise waters at a five-star resort or rent a house somewhere on the coast of the continental United States, there’s a beach vacation for every budget and travel style. Hilton Head Island, the Florida Keys, and North Carolina’s Outer Banks are among the nation’s best island destinations.

Jet off to somewhere new.

Want to go a little further afield? Planning a family trip abroad can seem daunting, but the memories you’ll create while exploring a new part of the world together will last forever (and potentially inspire a lifetime love of travel for your kids). Learn about ancient history and snack on gelato in Rome, spot favorite animals and learn about conservation on an African safari, or go to the extremes of the Earth on a family-friendly Antarctica cruise. There are so many places worth traveling with kids, and wherever you go, you’ll give your children the opportunity to learn about culture and history through local experiences.