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| Tuesday, April 22, 2008 |
I've been getting a lot of question submissions asking me how I afford to do all this travel. Am I rich? Do I travel for work? Am I a male gigolo? Sell drugs to little kids? Sadly, it is none of those. As I said in a previous post, desire is what motivates and keeps me going. I want to travel so I do! But there is the practical question of money. No matter how cheap you travel, you do need some money to do it.
SO how do I afford to travel? I work a lot. I save. I'm frugal. A lot of people have this misconception that travel is expensive, that whenever and wherever you go, you are going to spending a lot of money. In some places, that may be true. In some people's cases, that is always true. But for most of us that isn't true. Travel can be cheap and cheap doesn't mean bad.
I tell my co-workers all the time that I just travel cheap and images of awful service and rundown hotels pop into their mind. Backpacking isn't for them and they want their comfort. I want my comfort too. I eat out and do nice things while I'm away. It's not all 12 person dorms and home cooked meals. So maybe frugal is a better word to use. I don't travel cheap. I travel frugally.
As I said, I work and I save. I don't go out on big nights and am careful about what I spend. I make travel my monetary priority. That's the most important part of the puzzle. Don't waste your money. If you are always spending on something else, travel will always seem out of your reach. You need to make travel a priority too. Once it becomes important, you begin to find ways to save.
Once you do that, you have to make sure you spend your money wisely. People, especially Americans, have this image of travel and hotels, of fancy things and shopping, and luxury. All they see is dollar signs but you can have a comfortable vacation without comfortably spending your life savings. A good alternative to hotels are local guest houses and bed and breakfasts. House swap or couch share. They offer comfort, breakfast and laundry but with a more local feel and less impact on the wallet. The owners aren't big corporations but locals who are thrilled to be sharing their part of the world with you.
TRAVEL IS NOT EXPENSIVE!!
Flying might be more expensive than it was in the past but there are certainly good deals out there and those flight tickets don't have to cost a fortune. ( Check my article on how to find a cheap flight for suggestions.) I always seem to manage to find prices that don't kill my wallet and that's because I look hard and just don't jump on the first flight I find on Expedia! Find an alternative to flying if you can. Most people don't take a trip because flight costs scare them but, if you do your homework, you'll find a cheap deal. TRAVEL IS NOT EXPENSIVE!! Step out of your guidebook and find those little tiny local restaurants with great food and little tiny price tags. Eat where the locals eat not where Frommer's tells you. The locals aren't spending a fortune living in their neighborhood and you shouldn't either. You travel to see new places not new hotels. So see the place and you'll find that living locally and traveling differently will save you money and give you a richer travel experience.
This site is dedicated to keeping you motivated, telling tales, and showing you how to travel frugally. The point I'm trying to make here is that you don't need a lot of money to travel you just need to think differently. Forget packaged tours and expensive hotels and overpriced restaurants and souvenirs. You can still have a luxury vacation without a luxury price. You just need to think different and do a little work to get the deals. Booking that package on Orbitz isn't going to save you money!
That's how I do it. That's how you can do it!
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posted by Nomadic Matt @ 9:47 AM  |
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| 11 Comments: |
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Totally agree! - find the touristy center plaza and veer off 5 blocks and you'll get better food for a fraction of the money!
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Or jsut tag along with you and then you don't have to plan at all :)
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Amen! Thanks for writing this. Next time I get "the question" I'm going to politely refer them to this blog post (and the one from a few weeks ago). I just started reading your blog and I have to say, it is quite good - keep up the good work!
I'm also a 20-something (now a grad student after a few years in the working world). I was bitten by the bug after a 8-week trip around Europe in 2004. Four years, five continents, and 35 countries later and I'm still voraciously planning trips every chance I get! Best of luck with your travels, if you are ever around Boston and want to swap travel stories over a beer let me know!
Best,
Ryan...
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I am glad you mentioned home exchange. With home exchange you can travel in style on a backpacker's budget and as Matt wrote, you meet interesting new people from all over the world.
I am an avid home exchanger myself (you can tell). That's why I recently founded http://www.JewettStreet.com - worldwide home exchange network. Come and have a look at our growing home exchange community. Membership is still free, no strings attached.
Bon voyage!
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that is so true matt. travel does not need to be expensive. it should be an enjoyable experienced.
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I would add one more point - READ!
There are TONS of resources on how to do things affordably and most folks are just too lazy to look for them. And then do the backbreaking work of reading!
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Hi Matt
Thanks for spreading the word that you don't have to be rich to travel. I think some people (maybe cash strapped Americans who are feeling the pinch with the dollar so low against the euro) will be put off considering trips to countries or cities known to be expensive. And, my own adopted city, London, is right up there on that list.
However, as a Londoner, I know that there is lots to see and do in our city that's either free (most museums for example) or very cheap, including food. And, as for accommodation, you rightly mentioned home exchange and there can be fewer cities with so much choice of exchange offers (central, suburbs and surrounding counties) as London. Do check out the exchange offers in our London based club, Home Base Holidays (operating since 1985 and now also including listings from the Guardian newspaper exchange service) and our blog for more information about swapping homes.
Cheers!
Lois
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Hi Melissa here I love to travel to learn about different cultures & customs and get off the beaten track. I go to all the acient ruins & historical sites, camp or stay in B&B's, But some people don't really want to travel they just want a relaxing holiday where they can do nothing but relax, spend money, and lay in the sun. That is the difference between Travelers & holidays. Travel on my friends x x x Melissa
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Ryan,
Actually, I'm in Boston. Shoot me an e-mail.
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Glad you wrote this. People ask me this all the time and my answer is generally what you said, it's my desire to travel and see the world more than purchasing the what-have-you-nots. I think it's all about priority and willingness to do it.
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We get this question all the time too - "How can a family of four afford to ride their bikes from Alaska to Argentina?"
And I answer about the same as you - travel doesn't have to be expensive. We camp out most of the time and cook our own meals over our tiny campstove. We ride our bikes so we don't have to pay for transportation. It works - and it's not all that much money.
You can read about our adventure at www.familyonbikes.org
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Totally agree! - find the touristy center plaza and veer off 5 blocks and you'll get better food for a fraction of the money!