We answer all of your burning questions about travel - from your upcoming trips to top tips, and more:

Summer sales are coming - promise

First off, congratulations, reader! Secondly, in our expert opinion you’re doing exactly the right thing - you just need to be patient.

Assuming that travel chaos settles down even slightly in the coming months, airlines will be releasing multi-destination discounts to the USA to cover next summer. (And, of course, we'll be letting you lovely members know as soon as that happens.)

Beyond that, if you want to shave anything extra off the cost, you need to think about where you’re headed to. Flights to large US hub airports will generally be cheaper than smaller airports, and for obvious reasons of travel distance, major East Coast airports will tend to have the cheapest tickets of all from Europe.

Skyscanner allows you to view US airports by average flight price over the past week, which can be a handy tool to consult - Boston, New York, Melbourne in Florida and Washington DC all tend to come up as the least costly options.

In other words, if your final destination is somewhere not-particularly-convenient and a bit expensive, and you have the time for a road trip from a major city, it’s something to think about. (Nomadic Matt has some good tips on how you can do this while keeping your costs below $50 a day.)

Cargo ship adventures

Now, to answer the second half of your question (which is a doozy!). If you were thinking of joining a cargo ship specifically for your journey to the USA, on the other hand…then bad news. While it’s certainly an environmentally sound option, it really isn’t as cheap as many travellers think.

A night's bed and board on a cargo ship will likely set you back around £100.

But that day's travel will only cover about as much distance as an hour-long flight in a commercial plane - you’re probably going to spend at the very least 10 days on board.

In other words, you’ll almost inevitably end up racking up an eye-watering four-figure cost, to get to a port that may not necessarily be near your final destination (and usually it’ll cost you a few hundred quid extra to have a cabin all to yourself).

As places are strictly limited - always a dozen or fewer spots in order to comply with international safety regulations - you’ll also need to plan well ahead. For instance, Cargo Ship Voyages is currently offering passage from Cork to Chester, Pennsylvania in 2023 for 1413€.

Beyond that, we'd definitely recommend reading up on as many passenger experiences as you can, to get a good sense of whether it's the right travel method for you (Arimo Travels has a wonderfully positive story, the Hairpin has another, and Go Nomad has some great tips from a repeat cargo passenger!).

Here are a few key considerations from us:

Be flexible. Almost every cargo-ship travel experience we’ve encountered mentions that the ship’s departure was delayed by at least a day at the last minute, and most of them mention changes to the schedule mid-journey.

So while it’s perfect for a spontaneous traveller…we definitely wouldn’t recommend it if you have any scheduled appointments, friend’s weddings, etc, at the other end!

Figure out how you want to spend your time. A lot of passenger stories rave about how welcoming the crew were - but of course this isn't a given! The crew will be busy working and while they may find it a pleasant distraction to chat with their 'guests', it isn't what they're paid for.

Many passengers talk about how they found themselves with a lot of time on their hands and nothing to do - and relished the chance to spend some quality time alone without internet or distractions (to work on a novel, read, reflect, etc).

Some ships do come with a small gym or even a sea-water pool, however, so you’ll won’t necessarily be stuck working on that jigsaw every single day…

Don't be a fussy eater. Meals are included, but the quality will vary heavily depending on the ship (and the ship’s cook!). You’re likely to end up with less gourmet fare if you take a voyage that spends a long time away from port - like an Atlantic crossing, for example.

Weigh up your ship size. Larger ships will be a smoother crossing, but they’ll also be louder with dirtier engine emissions, so make a call.

Papers, please. Border requirements will be different for you as a passenger than they would be for a flight - for instance, to sail into the USA, you’ll need a visa even if you wouldn’t require one on a commercial plane.

Wikitravel has a nice selection of general tips about cargo-ship passage (book on a French or Italian ship for free wine at mealtimes!) as well as a list of specialist travel agencies that can help you place a booking. Bon voyage!

Don't Cry For Cheap Flights To See Argentina

You’re not wrong, reader: Argentina flights are seriously pricey at the moment, and it's rare that even our incredible flight-finders spot a really outstanding deal for Buenos Aires these days.

There are a few reasons for this, and sadly some of them are structural problems that are unlikely to go away - in late 2020, the government shut down commercial operations in the El Palomar airport in Buenos Aires, effectively blocking off the budget airlines which had been operating there.

In general, the Argentine government has spent the last couple of years bullishly supporting its own state-owned airline, Aerolíneas Argentinas, including fare-band legislation on domestic flights in 2021 to prevent any low-cost competitors from undercutting prices.

Perhaps sensing that this isn't exactly a competitive market for them right now, a number of international airlines have stopped operating in Argentina at all - including Emirates and Qatar - and several direct international routes have been cut off.

Don't give up hope entirely, though. Over the past couple of years we’ve continued to see half-decent discounts to Buenos Aires during the big British Airways annual summer sale (which usually comes in August - we'll have to see how the suspensions mentioned above affect that).

If you miss that opportunity, you can always get a bit clever.

Deals pop up to Uruguay semi-regularly - last month we found an Air France / KLM return to Montevideo from UK airports for £489, for instance.

You can then pick up a surprisingly convenient ferry directly from Montevideo to Buenos Aires, crossing the Rio de la Plata estuary that separates the two cities (it’ll take you about two-and-a-half hours, or there’s a cheaper - and slower option, Seacat, that makes use of bus transportation for part of the journey).

A bit more hassle, perhaps, but it certainly beats shelling out on a £1,000-1,200 plane ticket.

Of course, if all that country-hopping sounds tiring, you can always take a couple of days to relax in Montevideo - see the gorgeous parks, dip your toes in the sand of Pocitos...

Feel like packing it all in and going travelling - but worried about how you can stay financially afloat while you do it?

Fear not, reader - the amazing Akasha from our Flight Finders team has been brainstorming some of the most unusual (and sometimes lucrative) jobs you could take while working abroad.

Here's a couple of juicy ideas to get you started:

Estate Manager

Estate managers supervise the day-to-day operations of private estates and mansions (think Downton Abbey). Your role can be anything from managing staff and budgets to whispering words of affirmation to a houseplant worth more than your annual wage. It’s kind of like running a company, but that company happens to be an ultrarich family with more money than sense. Sadly, no stock options, though.

Qualifications: Being a pro at the Sims 4 isn’t going to cut it. You’ll need at least a bachelor's degree, unwavering discretion, and a level of multitasking that makes Barry Allen look like your average Joe.

Average Salary: $99,942/year — yeah, that’s not a typo.

Benefits: Separate live-in accommodation and the chance to live in some of the world’s most beautiful places.

Won’t suit you if: You have healthy boundaries or if you cry easily.

Typical Locations: Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Oman, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, New York, Los Angeles, China, Hong Kong, and Japan.

Ranch Caretakers

Trading in alarm clocks for roosters, city lights and honking horns during rush hour for the creak of a saddle and a crackling campfire. Living on a ranch might just change your outlook on life.

It’s definitely hard work, and no two days are the same. Some ranches hire couples for housekeeping duties, others seek physically fit cowboys and wranglers, and some just want you to cuddle Alpacas all day.

Qualifications: Experience with animals and farm equipment, a background in hospitality, and a certain level of physical stamina, are just some basic requirements for entry-level jobs.

Average Salary: $27,000/year with performance bonuses.

Benefits: Accommodation is usually provided and can be pretty nice! There's also a good chance you’ll get some free horse riding lessons thrown in.

Won’t suit you if: You cringe at the thought of mucking out, or you need to be within a 5-mile radius of a Starbucks.

Locations: Wyoming, Tennessee, Texas, Montana, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and western Canada.

Get inspired with more of Akasha's recs - from high-end nannying to swimming with sharks - over on the JFC website.

Our Pick of the Clicks

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across the web this week.

Dodge the crowds: Forbes has been pulling together a list of under-visited and underrated destinations in 2022 - from Sicily to Slovenia.

Aww-rizona: CNN Travel is continuing to make us cry ugly tears - with this charming story of a Danish and American teenager who randomly met at the Grand Canyon and then fell in love from opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

Don't blame me: This week, Hollywood celebrities have been responding (badly) to the revelations that they're disproportionately contributing to the climate crisis by frequently taking ludicrously short private jet flights.

Mega-star Drake has defended his private plane use by observing that his jet is often flying completely empty (which, as the Internet pointed out, doesn't...really make it better).

Taylor Swift has also proven unable to shake off the negative news coverage - she's put out a press statement arguing that she frequently rents her private jet out to her friends, so she shouldn't be held responsible for their emissions.

I knew you were trouble, Taylor. Worst behaviour, Drake.

NOPE: Oh, good, one woman returned home post-holiday to find 18 live scorpions in her suitcase - arachnophobes, it's probably best not to click. (Personally, we’d be following Ellen Ripley’s advice on how to deal with this one.)

If you like the sound of having someone loudly boom 'FIII-GARO' at you from a cramped airplane aisle as you try to sleep, then you'll be glad to hear that opera singers have been flashmobbing on flights.

We'd be Verdi annoyed, personally.

Thanks for reading!