When I first started traveling, I booked everything weeks in advance.

Flights. Hostels. Buses. All confirmed before I even packed my bag.

I thought that was the smart way to do it.

Turns out, it was just the anxious way.

Slow travel changed that for me.

When you stop rushing from place to place, you stop needing to have everything figured out three weeks ahead. You start booking a few days out. Sometimes the night before. Sometimes the morning of.

And honestly? It made everything cheaper.

Not always by a little — sometimes by a lot.

Here's what I noticed after doing this for a while:

Hostels drop their prices when beds go unsold. If you're flexible with your dates and not locked into a specific property, waiting can work in your favor.

Ground transport is almost always bookable last minute in Southeast Asia. Buses, trains, ferries — most of it doesn't sell out the way flights do. I use 12Go for this. It shows all the route options in one place, including prices and travel times, so I'm not hunting across five different websites at 7am.

Flight deals reward the patient. I don't always get it right, but tools like Aviasales help me track prices without obsessing over them.

The one thing I don't wait on is travel insurance. That stays booked before I fly. SafetyWing is what I use — monthly, flexible, and it follows me across countries without locking me into a fixed itinerary.

I'm not saying throw all planning out the window.

Some things still need to be booked early — especially during peak season or if you're crossing borders on a specific date.

But if you're doing slow travel the way it's meant to be done — staying longer, moving less, following the feeling — you have more room to be flexible than you think.

And flexibility, I've learned, is one of the best budget tools there is.

Are you someone who over-plans trips, or do you like keeping it loose?

I'd genuinely like to know — just hit reply.

Talk Soon,

Safe Solo & Slow Travels,

Neji Traveling Solo

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P.S. - Booking a trip soon? Here are some resources to use:

• Book your flight with Aviasales.
• Book your hostel with Hostelworld.
• Book your hotel with Booking.com.
• Book your hotel in Asia with Trip.com / Agoda.
• Book your travel insurance with SafetyWing.
• Book trains, ferries, and buses with 12Go.
• Book your day tours with Get Your Guide.​
• Book your car rental with Discover Cars.
• Check out the my travel itineraries.

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