What I’ve learned about traveling the world on a budget!

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This post has been brewing for a couple of months in a note on my cellphone. As I traveled around and thought about what I’ve learned that could be helpful to others I wrote it down on a note... and here it is!

Well... It's been a year and I think I have picked up a thing or two about how to do this budget traveling thing!

Traveling is fun but it's also hard! You have to be smart, you have to be quick, you have to use common sense! And trust me, some people don't have it!

It's hard enough to travel to places where they don't speak your language, add to that not using the same alphabet, not understanding signs, bus schedules, prices on supermarkets! It's all hard work but the rewards are worth it!

So here are some things I think could help others traveling or prepare for their travels.

...First and most important..

Budget budget budget

Did you hear me? Budget is EVERYTHING!

On my shorter trips I didn't budget much because I knew I would go back home soon and get more money. With long term travel the $$ in the bank account is only going one way: DOWN!

I can't be spending money like crazy because I might not be able to travel for as long as I want.

On my other trips I've spent $2,000 on a 7day tour glamping in a private reserve in South Africa, having my own luxury tent with game rides 3 times a day, went on a helicopter ride over Iguazú, took a microlight over Victoria Falls, but with long term traveling some things change... No helicopter rides here!

Get an app and enter EVERY SINGLE THING YOU DO! At the beginning I forgot but now I have no idea how I ever traveled without it!

*App recommended: Trail Wallet (i think only iPhone) or Trabee Pocket for Android.

The number two question is: how did you do it? How did you save so much?
1. Prioritize. New Frye boots for $400 or change soles of old Frye boots for $36? Do you really need another dress? Or the expensive MAC blush? Do you really need to eat out 6 times a week? Mmmm how about that daily $5 starbucks? How about that spodify membership that you pay every month but listen to free Pandora? Prioritize your needs and your spendings.

2. Determination... "El que quiere, puede"... I put 120% effort on most things that I want, I set a goal and keep the eye on the prize... it's worth it!

3. Hard work.Don't expect things to fall from the sky for you! Be good to others, be honest, work hard for what you want!

4. Realizing that I do not need much to live. Materials things are unnecessary, live life with less, you will feel better and save a lot!

...on the road...

Be smart, Use your brain!

First of all… LOGIC!

Use common sense, don't go out by yourself at night in a place where you might be at risk, don't drink too much without having a friend, know the real price of things before you buy or before you get into a taxi. DO NOT BELIEVE EVERYBODY! Especially taxi drivers!

I have known so many people who got scammed, I even almost got taken to the market of choice of a tuc tuc driver in Delhi, India, but I screamed at him and got off his tuc tuc, even after he told me I was in a very dangerous area... I wasn't... I'm still here... plus, he doesn't have a clue how strong El Salvadorian girls are!

Have a strong backbone

Traveling is not all sunshine and rainbows! You have to be strong, I bet weak temperament people don't last long on their own around the world.
Traveling has been a lot of fun but there is always a bit of harassment, pushing, touching, the rudeness and guess what? As a woman you have to fight back (like the time I started hitting the Iranian Guy who grabbed my butt!)

I think I was born strong, ever since I was little I spoke my mind and I never let anybody take advantage of me. Well, you need that kind of character to be able to survive in a chaotic world that you have no idea what is going on.

Every time you get into a 3rd world country you get harassed by taxi drivers, tuc tuc drivers, and even random people. They will lie, they will take you wherever they want if you let them, they will for sure take advantage of you. You have to be strong and say no, you have to be strong and hit the guy who grabs your but, you have to scream to the 10 guys who think they can cut in front of you, you have to push them out of the way and get notice, let them know that you are visible, and that you will not take their crap. That's just how a woman survives!

Oh! and you really have to work on your bitch face! I am a kind person but I bet you I can make a mean bitch face to scare away people who want to take advantage of me.

Another thing... AVOID eye contact with guys who come and walk next to you and harass you. Ignore them, don't smile, don't even acknowledge they are there. If you let them talk to you into getting into their tuc tuc for something you don't want... then good luck to you!

Use the power of observation!

It is very important to keep your eyes open and notice behavioral patterns of people, notice signs and make sense of them, be aware of your surroundings at all times etc.

Probably it doesn't come naturally to everybody, I have been in training for years on how to observe people and make sense of their behavior but try your best to notice the guy who has been following you for a couple of blocks, or the guys who keeps coming back close to you, or the little kid who is just the right size to stick his hand into your pockets.

A good example of this is the day I went to the Rose festival. I arrived with 2 friends and at the entrance I noticed a photographer come in.. no big deal. When it was time to leave we didn't know how to get back to town since there were no taxis and guess who I saw? The photographer who I knew came on his own at the same time as we did and what did I do? I approached him and asked him "do you know how we can get back to town?" and guess what? He offered us a ride back to town.. we saved on taxi, we met a local, we almost died going against traffic in a one way street! haha
Noticing little things help!

Sense of Orientation

I think this is key to any traveler!

I can still remember my brother and I holding maps in the car in Miami and helping my mom navigate the freeways leading us to Disneyland in Orlando from the airport in Miami.

Nowadays we are so used to our smart phones to do everything for us that we forget that "back in the day" (meaning less than 10 years ago) we didn't have the technology and one got somewhere by getting lost, asking for directions, or simply by pure luck.

I say, go get yourself lost and find your way back. When I walk I always look for landmarks to help me remember the way. There isn't a better way to get to know a city than by having your eyes wide open and noticing the small details along the road!

Share Location on Google maps!

I learned this from an Aussie girl in Bulgaria!
You can share your location at all times with the people you choose. I share it with my mom so on her phone she can see where I am.
If you do not have data it only updates on wifi but even that is very useful. If I go missing at least she knows where I was last!

Be friendly

I know I just said to work on your bitch face but also learn to listen to your intuition, strengthen your gut feeling and be kind to locals. You easily can figure out who is authentic and who isn't.
At hostel talk to the people in your room, make friends! My journey would be so different if I didn't talk to the Swedish girl in a hostel in China, by making that connection I made a new friend, I now love Ida and our time together! (Especially pedaling across a highway in china in a tandem bike while we both screamed like crazy)

Loved it when me and 3 other girls in Busan sat on the floor with a map and studied the map together.. Make friends, they make life better!

... When you get to a new city...

Know the currency exchange

The number one cause of you getting scammed is... not knowing how much you are actually paying!
Usually we get to a new country go to the ATM, get some money and then find transportation or what not and if you don't know that one dollar is 2.4 lari in Georgia how are you going to know that 120 lari is $50 and that sounds like too much for a taxi ride in pretty much any country?!?!
Also, even if you are getting harassed by taxi drivers don't give in. Take your time, breathe, negotiate, then make up your mind. They know that the more they harassed you the more anxious you will get, and the easier for them to trick you! Be careful!

Another great tip is to go on hostel world before leaving and checking the "map" tab, they usually tell you how to get to hostel by foot, public transport, or taxi and how much it will cost.

*App recommended: OANDA Currency converter.

Go to the tourist office, always.

The tourist information is (usually) the best place to get information about a city, the places to see, and the free walking tours. Also, they always have nice maps and they can advise you where to go and how to get there.

Some tourist information are amazing, specially the ones in Zagreb and St Petersburg, they give you booklets with a walking route and history of the places you see on the way!

Free Walking tour!

Guide in Krakow

Always, always, always go on the free walking tour! (well, unless you are in Yerevan, Armenia!)

Also, always, always, always TIP the guide!

I have learned that the free walking tours are the best way to get oriented in a town. I always try to go on the free walking tour first thing because it gives you an idea of what there is to do in the city and how you would like to spend your time. The guides are very knowledgeable and give you tips on local restaurant, public transport and what not!

Transportation

Never take the last bus, because the last bus should always be your backup plan.

Check schedules online bus don't really rely on them, have them as a reference but in my experience there are usually more connections than the ones that might show online (depending on the country!)

It is always a good idea to go and check out the bus/ train stations before your departure and take pictures of the schedules.

Hostels are also very helpful with this; if the hostel is run by locals ask them to call the station to double check departure times.

Allow enough time to get to the airport, bus station, or train station when moving on to your next destination. I know myself and I know I worry if I am not at the airport 3 hours before my flight or an hour before for trains or busses. I would rather wait an hour for a bus than miss it for 3 minutes and have to buy a new ticket.

When taking public transportation to the airpor always be careful! Once I got on a metro going the direction of the station and the voice (in whatever language it was) kept saying "West station" but I couldn't understand anything. Well, turns out it was saying that people going to the west station should get off and change trains! I didn't get it, I got off 2 stops later, had to wait 15 minutes for the next metro, and then change again. Good thing I had plenty of time!

Offline maps.

Nowadays with maps.me, google maps and many online maps you should always trace your route. Many times the distance bus might stop closer to the hostel than the bus station so if you are looking at the map you can get off and save time, and money.

Also,offline maps is great for when you first get to a city and need walking directions to your hostel. On the first day I allow myself to be guided by my phone!

... Prepare for your travels...

Hostels

Book directly... did you hear that?

That way the hostel doesn't pay a fee and you get a discount!

Use hostelworld and booking.com to find a good place, read the reviews, and then google them and book through their website, email them, or send them a Facebook message!

Those sites take 10-18% fee either from you or the hostel and when you are on a budget saving a buck here or there helps a lot! (In the balkans most hostels are at least €10, saving 10% per month means €30 in your pocket and not the CEO of hostelworld!)

But... also be smart, sometimes those sites give you special discounts so just check prices and chose the cheapest for you!

Money, money, money!

Get a credit card that gives you MILES!!!

I can't even believe this is still a tip, this is just a no brainer!

Be smart... get the ones that give double points for travel related items. Check out monthly promotions and see when they give double points and use that credit card (also, pay the FULL AMOUNT you owe at the end of the month! Otherwise your miles are not worth the fees! And... if you don't have the money in the bank account then don't buy whatever you want to put in the card!)

Back to miles... they come in handy! Save them like they are gold, because they kind of are!

I flew business SFO-Melbourne for $19, and Sydney to Tokyo business for $78.50! For less than $100 I flew more than 30 hours in the comfort of business and sipping champagne!

Bank accounts

So you want to travel and not carry too much cash?!?

I don't know about other people but I hate bank fees!!! For 2 years I have had a Charles Schwab checking account and I absolutely love it! No ATM fees ever!!!! Yes, heard me right!

You can get money from any ATM around the world (even those ATMs at dive bars that charge you a $5 because they know you don't have cash and have to pay your tab) and they reimburse you the fees at the end of the month! AMAZING!

Also, there is no minimum you have to maintain, you can do check deposits from your phone, and easily transfer money from your other accounts!

Oh... did I mention that the account is totally free?!?!?

Related to Money... Don't buy crap!

Before I left I sold and gave away pretty much everything (except a couple of boxes in case I go back to SF I don't have to buy absolutely everything) and let go of stuff!
I started this trip with a rolling backpack, a regular size backpack, and my long champ full of stuff. After a year all I have left is a 12kg backpack and a cross body purse with my camera a MacBook air.

The journey of letting go is hard, it was especially hard for me because living by myself my stuff is all I had, or so I thought.
I remember once when I was a live-in nanny and came back from the weekend off to find my room destroyed, my t-shirts ripped and written with sharpie, one of my bras on the street, stuffed animals wearing my underwear! I felt crushed, I couldn't believe how those kids destroyed all my stuff and the parents didn't do anything! As I sobbed in the middle of the night the mom came in and said "Oh, are you upset?" Of course I was, I was mad at a mother who wasn't a mother, at her for letting her kids destroy my property and still have the guts to ask me if I was upset.
Now, probably I wouldn't sob, maybe I wouldn't even care, I would ask for my money and get out of there.
This journey has taught me how little I need to live. I have worn the same 5 pants and 6 shirts for a year! I have replaced my hiking shoes because they had holes, I bought new flip flops because the old ones were nasty, I got 2 dresses because the heat was unbearable... I have learned to buy when I actually need and not when I want, or because its on sale.

I have grown, I have myself, and I no longer need stuff to fill me up inside and to make me believe that where my stuff are is where I belong. I have learned that I belong wherever I am comfortable in my own skin.

Last week in Russia I met a couple, he was British and she was from Bulgaria and they asked me how I stop myself from buying because they couldn't! They even had to buy a suitcase or two to fit all their purchases, this is what I said:
1. I don't have a place to put stuff, I don't have a house, and I do not want to carry them.
2. I do not want stuff that I'll eventually toss.
3. I don't go into stores or souvenir shops!
Easy Peasy lemon squeazy!

Airfare

Once again, be smart! Do research!

Use Skyscanner, momondo, kayak and sites like those and compare! Many times these sites show you the cheapest fares but they go through a third party... be cautious!

Once I bought 3 Ryan air tickets from a search site and ended up going through eDreams and after I paid I noticed that the prices changed, they added a 60€ fee after the transaction was made. I tried to resolve the problem but kept going around in circles and never heard a response! I contacted my bank and told them what happened and said I was getting nowhere with them. At the end they reimbursed my money. When I came back from Europe guess what I found? A notice from eDreams that they were going after me for the €60, many emails with the Spanish collection agency and they stopped responding to my emails because they couldn't get an answer from eDreams!

So... check prices out and then buy straight from the airline website!

Also, do a lot of research about the airports! Sometimes a 6am flight is $50 cheaper BUT getting to the airport at 4am will cost you those $50!

Flying out of airports with budget airlines is also tricky because they many times use airports that are farther away and trickier to get to! (For example Pegasus doesn’t fly to Ataturk Airport, it flies to an airport that is farther away, no metro into the city.)

Once again, do the research and make sure the airport is easily reachable!

Avoid paying baggage fees- Most airlines let you bring a backpack with 10kg and a computer bag. Pack only 10kg or as close as you can to that! In a year my hand luggage got weighed only once (in Australia) since it was at the beginning of my trip I had A LOT of weight so I ran to the bathroom and put on as much as I could on in order to reach the maximum.

Now I am traveling lighter with a small backpack but I do have 12kg so my trick to not get weighed (which would probably never happen) is to only show up at the gate while the airplane is boarding. By then they don’t care, the whole team is busy with boarding so they do not notice.

And... although is a little shameful, I have worn all my pants and all my shirts on a flight! I even put my 3 jackets one inside the other and stuffed the pockets!
I paid for a carry on from Budapest to Sofia with Wizz air and oh surprise! when I arrived at the airport it turned out that because i had paid 30euros for a 15kg carry on I was no longer able to carry a smaller bag for free. I ran to the bathroom and put absolutely everything on and then did the check in. Never will they say anything or weight you or charge extra because you are too fat with 7 layers of clothing! Try it and save... you'r welcome!

Insurance

Be cheap on some things but no on others!

Eating street food and not in a restaurant every day, that's smart. What's not smart is traveling without insurance!

I know, I am Wonder Woman and nothing will happen but what if it does? For $1300 your butt is covered, I went with World Nomads and got their premium for $1500. That to me seems like a small price for being covered for about anything all over the world!

Also, just added six more months of premium membership for $94/ months! I hope I never get to use it but if I do.. I'm covered!

Throw your plans out of the window

With extended traveling you learn to take one day at the time! You meet travelers and change your route, or get to a place and realize you are exhausted and stay for five days. Flexibility is big. I didn't use to be flexible... I have changed, I have evolved, I like this new more relaxed Andrea!

About Post Author

Andrea

Hi! It's me... Andrea! In 2016 I decided to drop everything and take a year to enrich my life and travel around the world. It turns out the world is just too big for 12 months! Still on the road and sharing my experience as a solo female traveler around the globe!

2 comments:

UnknownAugust 12, 2017 at 10:11 AM
another fantastic article! well summarized! I would agree with all of your comments after having traveled for two years myself. I love the fact that you put all of your clothes on for that one flight! priceless! you should have taken a picture of yourself. The part about being strong as a woman traveling alone and not letting others take advantage of you, oh so true! I was harassed many times during my trip mostly in India and Muslim countries but I hung in there and never took it from anyone! thanks for the article! keep'em coming :)