Semana Santa in Antigua, Guatemala
This video Q&A is a part of a series:
Question: How Do You Find Cheap Ways to Travel?
Answer: Watch the video below.
There's a big difference between a tourist and a traveler, or between vacation and travel.
Vacations are expensive. Tourists usually spend a lot of money.
Travel is simply living (often temporarily) in another country.
If you can learn how to live inexpensively, then you can travel for cheap.
Here are some ideas for cheap travel:
- Getting somewhere will often be your biggest expense. Consider alternative forms of transportation - earn free flight miles; drive; walk; public transportation; ride a bike; buy a boat and sail.
- Don't make pre-arrangements for accommodations, if possible. The best deals will be found 'on the ground', and won't be advertised on the internet.
- Stay where you can cook your own meals. Buy local food. Imported foods are expensive. Eat at local cafes or roadside stands (where the locals eat). Shop where the locals shop. They know how to live inexpensively.
- Don't be afraid of the local areas - they are where you'll find the best deals, and the nicest people 🙂
Real travel is cultural immersion - you learn to live like the local people live. In many places in the world, people live on significantly less than the average American. If you can model what they're doing, you can 'travel for cheap.' (And this doesn't mean you have to live in a shack without running water.)
[message type="custom" width="100%" start_color="#FFFFFF" end_color="#FBF8FF" border ="non" color=""]If you're interested in more on this topic, check out our interview series: How to Fund Travel[/message]
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LOVE it. You guys are so funny makes me smile. So hilarious about not planning. I had a woman (in her 60s) tell me, “when you have children, then you will plan ahead of time.” Nope. I’ve never found a good deal on a place to stay on the internet, and spontaneous, local buses are always cheaper.
You’re so right. Glad we can make you smile 🙂
The tip about meals is so true – food is such a huge expense when you eat out at restaurants.
Definitely.
These are fantastic tips. Often just learning how to get around and eat like the locals (which can be as simple as buying a metro card and asking someone their favorite eatery) is enough to turn travel from a touristy expense into a more affordable proposition.
I also thought these were awesome resources:
For even cheaper flights (they mention free flight miles, but this helps too): http://anyonecantravel.com/
And for an awesome community of people you can trade houses with for free, there are social communities like: http://ineedtotravel.org/
Jeff Smithson Thanks for the tips.