Budget Travel Tips

Budget Travel

Tips for cheap travel

Traveling costs can be broken down into a few basic categories; primarily transportation, lodging and meals. As a neo-nomad, you probably prefer to travel independently. You don’t want or need to see and do the same things everyone else is doing, but without the convenience of buying all-inclusive packages, how do you budget for your travel and how can you save money yet not compromise your level of comfort?

Budgeting really does boil down to comfort levels. The greater the skeeviness you are willing to put up with, the less money you will spend. For this article, we will assume you wish to minimize your exposure to bodily fluids excreted by others while saving as much money as possible. We’ll try to give tips for the budget-conscious and the ultra-budget traveler.

The first consideration is where to travel. If you’re traveling within the U.S. for example, generally speaking, Florida will have many more bargain opportunities than California. East tends to be less expensive than west. On a global scale, Southeast Asia is much less expensive to travel in than Western Europe. And within North America the obvious budget destination is Mexico (but don’t forget Belize, Costa Rica, Panama and other Central American destinations).

One of the most rewarding and eye-opening travel experiences I have had was to India (destination report coming soon….visit us often). It’s definitely inexpensive and really encompasses what travel is all about.

• tip: check here for the best fares from the U.S. to India Visit India at lowest price !!

Now is a good time to mention that saving money should never be a compromise to your personal safety. For instance, in certain places in South America, Colombia for example, lodging is so inexpensive that one shouldn’t take a chance sleeping outside just to save a few bucks and exposing oneself to potential danger.

Once you have a destination in mind, you can concentrate on how to get the most for your dollar whilst there. Here are some of our favorite tips in the three travel budget categories that we see as non-discretionary.

Transportation:

Forget the rental car. Use public transport. Public transport in the country you are visiting will likely be the least expensive way to get from point a to point b in a timely fashion. Also, you will be able to really experience the culture of the place you are visiting by talking to and interacting with the local laypeople. The bus or train can be a wonderful place to do this. My girlfriend and I, not speaking the local language, had a wonderful interaction with a mother and her young child on a 15 hour nerve-shattering bus ride from hell. Also, there was the time in India when a young boy befriended me on the train ride to the Taj Mahal. My experience was much the richer for having met this boy and his family. They volunteered some great tips for seeing the Taj Mahal that I would have otherwise been oblivious to.

Ultra-budget tip:
Don’t want to spend the money on the bus or train? If you have time to spend, but not the money, consider bicycling or hitchhiking. Think hitchhiking is dangerous? You may be right, but Ben Bachelder, my friend and featured hitchhiker over at digihitch would like to convince you otherwise.

Lodging:

Lodging will typically comprise 50% of your expenses while traveling, thus it is the category which has the most potential for savings. There are many options for budget lodging. This is where you really need to know yourself and know what you will put up with to save a buck.

Hostels are the mainstay of the budget traveler, and they’re not just for kids anymore. Increasingly we’re seeing more and more people in their 40’s staying in hostels. Hostels are also catering more and more to couples – offering private rooms – at a premium price, however (look for our upcoming article on traveling as a couple). Joining a hostelling association can come in handy, as members often get first priority on reservations and lower rates than non-members. Also, if you stay within one network, the quality seems to be relatively stable across each network. One of my favorite features of hostels is the community kitchen. If you will be in one place for more than a couple of days, you can often save big on your food bill by buying groceries and cooking in the kitchen at the hostel. A silk sleeping bag liner is an excellent item to have if you are planning on staying in hostels. It packs small, is light and provides a layer of separation between you and the bed that has been slept in by….who knows?

Couch surfing is a wonderful way to meet people local to the area you are visiting and save money. Visit http://www.couchsurfing.com or http://www.hospitalityclub.org/ to get an idea for how it works – but basically, you contact hosts in the place you are traveling to and ask ‘em if you can crash on their couch. I have used this method a few times myself, and must say, from the viewpoint of saving money and staying in a nice warm place, couch surfing can’t be beat. You should know that there are trade offs to everything though. You never know when your host might turn out to be the crazy cat lady, and you will be obligated to listen to her stories of lunacy until the wee hours of the morning.

Ultra budget tip:
A place to sleep can be found pretty much anywhere you want, but here again, I would point you to Ben Bachelder. He has told tales of sleeping in fire stations, churches and other unlikely places. Also, check out one of my favorites sleeping in airports

Don’t forget camping. This is an especially good low budget option in most of North America and Western Europe but not recommended in Central and South America.

Food:

Where and what to eat involve budgeting of both time and money. As mentioned before, one of the better ways to save money on food is to cook for yourself in the kitchen at a hostel – but at the expense of your time and effort. A compromise is street food. Many people will shy away from street food, thinking they may get sick. I’ve had fairly good luck at avoiding whatever the local name is for “diarrhea” by following a few simple rules. First, never eat raw vegetables. You never know what they were fertilized with. Even if they have been washed, is the water that they are washed in safe? The same goes for fruits. If it’s something you peel ‘n’ eat, then go for it, but fruits that are eaten with the peel on (or they don’t have a peel) cook ‘em first. I always go for the deep-fried option whenever available from street food vendors. I really don’t think many nasties can live through that process. Another indicator of safety when buying food on the street is to look for the vendor which is frequented by the locals; especially if mothers take their children there.

Ultra-budget tip:
The same things that are cheap at home are cheap abroad. Stock up on ramen when you can. It’s light and easy to prepare. You can pick up various items to jazz it up a bit at most local markets just about anywhere in the world.

Have budget tips to share? Leave a comment. Got a question or want to engage in conversations with other budget-conscious travelers? Visit our forum

Will @ May 25, 2008