Don't get stuck! Ten ways you *can* travel on your budget!

Don’t get stuck! Ten ways you can travel on your budget!

Every time I meet someone new or get back in touch with old friends they learn about my love for traveling. It’s not necessarily the amount of places that I have been, but just the simple fact that I manage to leave the country at least once a year for my own personal and business reasons.

The top question they ask me is, “How do you afford that?”

Or they’ll snidely remark when I ask them about their own travel endeavors, “Yeah right, I’m not rich!”

Wow, really? And I’m not even being sarcastic…but…really? People still think one must have a lot of money in order to travel internationally?

Now in no way am I scoffing at airfare prices because believe me, I’m pretty darn frugal. Although I do believe in the value of traveling, I do cringe when even a simple $200 ticket anywhere hits my bank account. I never fly first class and the only time I’ve ever really upgraded by choice was only because there were no aisle seats left and I *have* to have an aisle seat due to my poor, disgrace of a bladder. Usually, I try to book flights I can pick a seat on.

I don’t have all the money in the world to throw around so I can travel. But I do have to get very creative when I do.

So here are some ways I save money when I am traveling:

I travel off season. I have gone to Europe in the Winter when it’s super cold and Mexico right before hurricane season. Those tickets are the cheapest! One way to Dublin in December is a little over $300 with taxes.
If I’m feeling really broke, I’ll opt to go somewhere a little bit closer like Mexico. I usually like to hit up the Mayan Riviera. The food served in their local eateries are inexpensive too! Don’t believe the myth about how all these eateries will make you sick due to the water. I’ve eaten at plenty of these in Playa del Carmen and the people were lovely and the food was great. No toilet trips for me.
If I’m in a big city, I will crash at friends’ houses or opt for cheap lodging as it’s not as if I plan on staying in that much anyway. The cool thing about crashing at friends’ houses is that you actually get more of that authentic, homey feeling.
In Europe, I opt to take flights instead of the rail. Rail tickets are way more expensive than flying (and take up more time although the idea is romantic haha). The downside to this though is that baggage weight requirements are pretty strict. So don’t pack your whole wardrobe! The only airline I’ve ever flown with is RyanAir…lots of turbulence but they take you to where you want to go for as little as $5 USD. Yes. Five dollars. Also..a flight between Bangkok and Manila is only a few hundred bucks!
I eat a lot of street food and at food “bars”. In Asia, I loved eating street food. In Italy I just get slices of pizza for a few dollars and stand there eating with everyone else.
I do not pay for tours unless it’d ridiculously inexpensive. If I’m outdoors, I do my own walking. I usually go on the internet and research the place I’m going to anyway. It makes me feel like I’m more part of the scene. At museums I can do free tours or take advantage of free audio tours they have. I did this at Mori Art Museum in Roppongi Hills in Tokyo.
I befriend locals.There’s nothing more great than conversation with an actual person who lives in the area you’re visiting. I tend to get GREAT tips that I’d never get in guidebooks or even the internet! However, I am very careful with who I trust and I don’t take ALL the advice. I try my best to use good judgment.
I get meaningful, nonbullshit souvenirs. Aside from sending out postcards (which I think are awesome due to the postage stamp), I try to bring back stuff that I’ve gotten for free. Obviously, my budget is one of the reasons but another reason is that a lot of the free stuff actually depict how the place is today. My favorite things to bring back are subway maps, brochures written in foreign languages, photos, etc. One great thing to bring back are COINS. I always have coins I bring back!
I try not to get sh*t drunk at bars. If I ever go out to a bar, I’ll maybe get one strong, local drink and I will pay for it myself because I don’t want to owe anyone anything. This is important as I am not a mooch. Also, I do not want to risk being the one responsible for anyone else’s drinks. So this is another example in which I have to really use good judgment.
I only take subways or buses and walk the rest of the way! This is pretty self-explanatory! Cabs are expensive! But I don’t hesitate to use them in emergency situations!

So there! Hopefully that helps debunk a lot of budget (or lack thereof) travel myths! Now apply for a passport ($100 plus maybe $6 for passport photos) and book yourself a ticket somewhere once you get it! If I can do it, you can do it! Good luck!