Here are more tips of mine that have helped me see dozens of countries on a shoestring budget! If you don't mind a little discomfort and adventure, you can make your money last two, three, or five times longer than other travelers who are visiting the same destinations...
Use skyscanner.com or google flights. The lowest prices always reflect the basic fare before luggage, and if you’ve been traveling lately you probably noticed that even carry-on sized luggage is being charged these days. So if we’re talking about a travel with a layover and a change of airline, having luggage bigger than a “personal item” is gonna probably put you back another $60. That might even be more expensive than the cost of the flight originally. On that note, if you are just doing a short trip, challenge yourself to fit it all within a normal sized backpack, or personal item. I’ve only done this a couple of times, and only for a max of two weeks, but it really makes you get creative with what you got! If you are gonna travel with a backpacking-backpack, look at routes where all layovers are on the same airline and ideally you can just check your bag through.
Overnight buses = your best friend
If all luggage factors make it too costly to fly between locations, consider an overnight bus. For less than $20 I took the nicest overnight bus from Trujillo, Peru up to the Ecuador border and had a wonderful night’s sleep. These seats recline almost 180º, you have a private curtain, and you will probably get more sleep than waking up early to get to an airport anyway. The bigger the country (Peru is MASSIVE), the better the overnight buses, and it is definitely worth it to pay the few extra dollars for the nicest seats on the route so you can sleep comfortably. In general, I like to keep my flying to a minimum for climate reasons, and besides, an overnight on a bus is still more comfortable than an overnight layover in an airport with fluorescent lighting and blaring announcements.
*When I did my super quick travel stint around Europe a few years ago, I would spend about half my nights on overnight buses and it really wore on me! It’s a great thing to do every once in a while or when you’re short on time but know that your body won’t quite get the same rest as a nice cozy (hostel) bed. *
Slowww travel
If you are maximizing time between work commitments, then go as hard as you can and aprovechar, take advantage of your limited time. But, if you have the wonderful blessing of having an extended period of time, I would not book yourself out for several months with different excursions and destinations.
When I decided on traveling South America, I had intended to visit Ecuador onto Colombia, Bolivia, and Chile in a span of about 5 months. But because I would only plan out my future destinations a few days in advance, I ended up taking my time in Ecuador, and even getting *stuck* in Montañita. For the first time I found the value in sticking around a while, getting to know a place and people, and getting tips for how you can eventually travel onward as cheap as possible. The two flights I booked out in advance I ended up ditching because I had the urge to stay longer. All of this is to say that travel experiences come in many forms: one of them might be checking off mountains and monuments, but another comes from meeting people and saving money by staying in one place!
Working in hostels
Not an original idea, but working the reception or cleaning rooms can often get you a free room, and in some cases even free room and board. Look for a place that is asking for no more than 3-4 hours of your time because the cost of your labor is already far exceeding the cost of the bed. The one experience I did have working in a Nicaragua hostel was a bit more chaotic than I had hoped for, but in another situation would have been more ideal. I recommend that you arrive to a travel destination, spend a few days as a guest in different hostels, then ask in-person to see which places need an extra hand. Many of my fellow travelers find their hostel volunteer jobs from a paid account on workaway.com but I’m too cheap for that and I have found a bunch of opportunities just by reaching out over WhatsApp, Instagram, or word of mouth. Remember, they’re not paying you, so if it’s unsafe or gross, get outta there!
What can a basic budget travel look like? In Europe, I think it would be reasonable to say about $40-50 a day, on average, between food, accommodation, attractions, and transportation. In Latin America I look to spend more like $25 dollars a day between it all. Of course, this is trying to limit my attractions or do free attractions whenever possible. I think it's really cool to challenge yourself to be on a budget, but of course the limit is when you are not being healthy, safe, and comfortable.
What amount of money do you consider a budget?
