Ten ways to see the world on a budget
Today's guest author, travel blogger Taylor Fields of聽, is a recent college graduate on a solo, year-long聽trip around the world. She shares a few frugal travel tricks she's learned in her first seven months of adventures.聽
When I graduated from the University of Michigan in 2013, I set out to find a job that was stimulating, creative, high paying and聽rewarding. What I found were a lot of jobs that felt like compromises: they paid well, but didn鈥檛 interest me in the slightest, or were exciting but paid nothing. Finally, I realized the traditional post-graduate trajectory wasn鈥檛 for me; if I didn鈥檛 want to spend my life behind a desk, why should I start my life there?
In August 2014, I left everything I knew behind:聽my family, my friends, my clothes, and all the comforts and indulgences of home. I knew if I wanted something different, I was going to have to be the one to make that happen. So I set off on a year-long, solo聽trip around the world: an adventure spanning聽six continents, dozens of countries and countless cities. After seven months on the road, I think it's safe to say I've picked up a few frugal travel hacks that can benefit聽anyone looking to see the world. Here are 10 of my favorites:
1. Swap Hotels/Hostels for Workaways
A workaway is an exchange program between volunteers and hosts where individuals, couples, and even families can work for small businesses, organizations, or other families in exchange for free food and housing.
As anyone who has traveled knows, apart from the plane ticket, food and lodging聽are by far the biggest travel expenses, so to be able to exclude them from your budget is like attending a One Direction concert: a blessing. Oh, and you meet really incredible people and get to do really amazing things, like work at a vineyard in Australia, run a bed and breakfast聽in the French countryside, help publish cook books聽and so much more!
To learn more about聽workaways, check out聽
2. Buy a Round the World聽ticket through an Airline Alliance
A Round the World Ticket is an airline ticket purchased through an Airline Alliance (,听, or聽) that, as the name suggests, makes it easier to travel around the world. Rather than buying an individual ticket for every leg of your journey, the RTW ticket lets you bunch聽your itineraries together and, if done right, saves you a boatload of money in the process. I used Star Alliance, but all three are great options for travelers looking to hit multiple continents and countries in one go.
My RTW ticket聽(from Paris to Vienna to Istanbul to Bangkok to Sydney to Auckland to L.A. to Lima to Buenos Aires to Paris) cost $4,200.聽I know that鈥檚 still a lot of money, but when you consider that a flight from the U.S. to Australia is say, $2500, it鈥檚 an incredible deal. Think about it: I am going around the world, literally, for about $4,000. That鈥檚 amazing, and would be IMPOSSIBLE to do if I bought each flight individually.
There are a lot of logistical details that go into聽booking a RTW flight, so if you'd like a step-by-step breakdown,听.
3. Pack the Right Clothing
First, know that packing is the most daunting and emotionally draining task any long-term traveler will face. It鈥檚 a process best accompanied by Cheetos, and Sherlock reruns, and it will make you question your sanity and will to聽live. When it comes to choosing what to pack, I have two major tips:
- Regardless of what items you settle on, don鈥檛 settle for the cheapest. I know, I know: as a full-time traveler I鈥檓 supposed to be frugal and un-materialistic, but the truth is that if you pack $10 sneakers from聽聽and a handful聽t-shirts, you鈥檙e going to end up spending so much more (not聽budgeted) money during聽your trip than if you just聽invest聽in a few quality pieces you know will last. Suck it up and splurge before you go, so you don鈥檛 find yourself having to choose between replacing your pants with holes in the crotch or day tripping to,听I don't know, ANYWHERE.
- Do your research. If you are visiting South America in July and decide to pack nothing but booty shorts and crop tops, you will freeze because it is winter. Research the weather in the places you're going so you don鈥檛 have to spend any money replacing your suitcase of off-season clothing.
4. Eat Street Food
Causal meat selection at the Barcelona Farmer's Market.
Eating street food has three distinct advantages:
- It is the best way to sample the local cuisine, meet locals, and learn about local customs and traditions.
- It is typically really, really, really good.
- It is exponentially cheaper than dining in a restaurant. Even in Europe you can stuff yourself for about $10 鈥� the cost of a tall coffee after the exchange rate kicks聽in.
5. Curb Your聽Coffee Addiction
Speaking of coffee, don鈥檛 drink coffee. Coffee adds up. It may only be $2-5 dollars a day, but over a year, that聽adds up to聽$730-$1,825. That is so many dollars.
6. Give Up Your Phone Plan
Ditch your data plan and experience the world without a screen!
To SIM聽card or not to SIM聽card is a much debated and timeless question for travelers, and I am adamantly in favor of the later:聽ditch聽the SIM.
It is 2015, people. Thanks to the wonder/horror that is modern technology, you are never more than a hotspot away from being connected to the rest of the world. Seriously, WiFi is literally everywhere; there鈥檚 WiFi in hotels, restaurants, cafes, malls, airports, train stations, bathrooms, arenas--EVERYWHERE.
And in the rare and infrequent instance when there isn鈥檛 any internet, embrace it. Believe it or not, there is a world聽beyond the neo-glow of your iPhone,听and it's actually pretty beautiful.
7. Keep Track of your Expenses with an App
Budgeting apps are聽extremely helpful when you're on an around-the-world trip and need to keep track of your every expense. While traveling, the little things add up quickly鈥攕ubway tickets, museum fares, souvenirs, street food鈥攁nd though you may not be spending a lot on the big things聽(flights, hotels, etc)聽you shouldn't let the little purchases sabotage your monthly statement.
Need help finding a good app? Check out聽.
8. Walk Everywhere
Taking a walk through Bratislava, Slovakia
Walking is a win on every front: you burn off your inevitable breakfast binges, you save money on public transportation, and you really, truly, get to know a city. Walking is my very favorite and the absolute best way to get around because聽every city in the world聽is sweetest in its unsuspecting moments, is most beautiful in its surprises, and will always reward those who remember to look at the quiet and forgotten.
9. Use a credit card
There are lots of great credit card options out there for travelers that will both save you money in a multitude of ways. They help cutback on ATM withdrawals, they typically eliminate foreign transaction fees, and they usually offer ridiculous point-earning opportunities on travel. For example, my聽聽card gives me two points for every dollar I spend on travel, so every hotel, hostel, flight, bus, train, etc. earns me double the rewards.
10. Plan ahead to use public transport
When in Paris, take the M茅tro!
If you want to seriously save money on your travels, try to eliminate taxis from your itinerary. A typical cab ride聽from the airport to city center can range anywhere from $30 to $100, while the bus that drops you off a block away usually costs聽around聽$1.40. Before you arrive in any city, use Google Maps and plan your route using public transportation. It could be a train, a tram, a bus鈥攂ut regardless of the medium, it can聽save you cumulative hundreds over time.
Want to learn more about Taylor and her adventures abroad? Check out聽her blog,听,听where she posts frequent updates on her travels and TONS of gorgeous pictures.聽
