I wrote this for my website last year when i was still into hardcore cheap ass traveling.
The 3 major cost components:
1 - Accommodation
Accommodation is the number one cost of traveling, the more special or remote the city or place you’re staying is, the more you pay. The language barrier is also a problem finding a cheap place. Conning touts or taxi drivers will always take you to the place where they receive the most commission. The Lonely planet is a reasonable guidebook but as soon as those recommended guesthouses are in there, they start charging a lot more. Booking a hostel online is not bad either; most have pictures, prices and route descriptions on there. Costs will average between at least 3 to 12 dollar is poor countries to 12 tot 30 dollars in the more developed countries or special places.
Solutions
- When staying in place of minor importance (transport hub, or place where there will be no girl chasing) Swallow your pride and stay in the cheapest place possible. Nothing wrong with cold showers and squatter toilets, Man up !
- Try couchsurfing, free places to stay and most people will show you around and treat you as their guest, never turn away from free food and drinks.
- Stay in cheap dorms and guesthouses, also a place to pick up chicks. Banging in the dorm rooms is not uncommon but it doesn't happen as much as people say, just hang some sheets around your bed and keep it quiet.
- Find a girl who will accommodate you, spend money on her as long as it cheaper than getting your own place. Of course the girl herself is a bonus too.
- Share a double room with somebody, possibly a girl so you can have some nightly action too. It’s a great way to get in her pants, Ask her if she wants to share a room for the costs, work your magic and end up using the other bed to put your bag on. Yes, this works!!!
- Bargain for a room, it’s possible with most guesthouses and hotels. No guts, no glory.
- Build up a great network of Facebook friends, when in the neighborhood, they can accommodate you for free (and provide food and/or drinks) or find a cheap place to stay for you.
- Book a place for the night and start walking and asking around for better and cheaper places, check out next day and relocate
2 – Food and drinks
Food and drinks is the second most expensive part of traveling, especially drinking alcohol can certainly ruin your budget. In a lot of countries going out means spending more on drinks than on food and accommodation all together. In some places food will be costly also because there is just no cheap grub around or you sick of eating the same cheap food over and over. For example: rice and noodles.
Solutions :
Food :
- Eat lots of street food, you’re stomach will get used to it eventually; going to more expensive places is no guarantee for not spending a day or two on the toilet. Stop washing your hands every 10 minutes, build up some tolerance.
- Get breakfast included in your guesthouse, it will be a shit breakfast, but hey, it’s free right! Personally I can’t stand those toast with jam breakfasts and will eat out.
- Cook yourself if you are in more expensive countries, again I almost never cook and will go to a fast food place or street market to get my belly filled. I’m lazy and don't know how to except for pasta.
- Never refuse when people you meet offer you food, its rude and bad for your wallet.
- When dating girls is poor countries you will be the one paying for everything (exceptions apply), bite the bullet on this one, you can’t expect them to pay for their one food and drinks when they make 3 dollars a day. Its shows no respect if you ask them to split the bill, you will make a fool of yourself. Don’t go overboard with it either, when a girl eats rice 7 days a week and wants to go to a 5 star restaurant when with you, dump that gold-digger. She has to like you, not your bank account.
- Find places with cheap food, Chinese restaurants are a good option. Buffets and places where you get free food are another option.
- Take a girl out to Mac Donalds, just say you haven’t had a Big Mac in months and you’re craving for it. If the girl really likes you, she won’t mind. In some countries Mac Donalds is a high end place and girls love to eat there.
- Go eat at a cheap local place and say to the girl your with that you love her country and their tasty food, don’t mention you’re eating rice in every possible form for the last year. Look excited when reading the menu.
Drinks :
- As said before, drinking can kill your budget faster than a speeding bullet. Best solution by far is to stop drinking alcohol. This is also the most boring and unsociable solution.
- Drink water instead of coca cola during the day, its much cheaper, healthier and better for your teeth also. Stay away from fresh made juices also, they’re full of sugar and always pricy. And why drink coffee at a Starbucks when Mac Donalds sells it for a quarter of the price.
- When going out , drink in if you’re the heavy drinking type, if you want to pick up girls, drink moderate. Nobody likes a slurring ape-man. Stay fresh and focused.
- Don’t buy drinks for other (girl)backpackers, In fact never buy drinks for girls before you kissed them. Don’t get fooled by girls trying to get free drinks. Turn it around.
- Do not go to expensive clubs with hefty entrance fees and 10 dollar drinks. It’s no guarantee for anything. Clubs like that are frequently used by prostitutes or bitchy gold-digger’s who are not looking for broke backpackers. (This theory is not rock solid. I recently spoke to a guy who went to such places in poor countries, invested in entrance fees and drinks and picked up a rich local girl/woman who paid every for him and spoiled him all the time. I did the same in Indonesia only in a cheap bar. I lived in a great free 5 star hotel and free everything + Cup E boobs and mad sex , actually now that I think about it, I didn’t even buy her a drink. )
- Don’t drink out of boredom in trains, planes and busses. Find somebody to talk to and you might get some free drinks.
- Find out when the happy hours are or even get drinks for free in some places.
- And last but certainly not the least: Charm girls into buying you drinks.
3 - Transportation :
Transportation is the last major reason why your wallet is always empty, the rule is the slower you travel, the cheaper it gets. Unfortunately we cannot teleport ourselves from one place to another so we have to take a bus, train or airplane to get there. You can live as cheap as possible but if a ticket to some destination costs 50 dollar, then you just have to deal with it.
Solutions :
- Hitchhiking is the cheapest way to get from A to B; I have no experience in it so far, so I suggest you read a book on it.
- Local,local,local , local transport is always the cheapest one and most of the time the most fun also.Taking a local bus with chickens,goats and smelly yelling baby's on it is the fastest way to learn about the local culture. Ask locals where to find the bus station and how much they pay for a ticket if its not posted. Avoid travel agents. The downsite is that it may take a lot of time and sometimes inconvenience.
- Bargain hard anywhere and anytime. Especially taxi and motorbike drivers are notorious for ripping you off. Walk off by the first sign of overpricing and most of the time the prices suddenly drop 50% or more.
- Walk around; you can easily do 4 or 5 kilometers an hour, a great chance to meet people on the streets and who knows how one thing can lead to another. You will not meet girls sitting in a taxicab.
- A bus is almost always cheaper than a train and a train is almost always cheaper than a airplane. Travel slow and save money. Read the stories and see how I met some girls on busses and trains.
- Plan ahead. Book airplanes online and as far ahead as possible, this is a great money saver. Use budget airlines and look for the hidden costs. Strange advice from a guy who always travels by the day or few days. I spend way too much money on this.
Does this all mean you can never stay in a fancy room, eat a descent and tasty meal, smash 50 Dollar on drinks? The answer is no, you are traveling to enjoy and have a good time, just keep in mind the more you spend the shorter your trip will be and the sooner you will be back at a boring job.
Me eating a free 18 dollar steak sandwich in a free 5 star hotel.
[attachment=4877]
The 3 major cost components:
1 - Accommodation
Accommodation is the number one cost of traveling, the more special or remote the city or place you’re staying is, the more you pay. The language barrier is also a problem finding a cheap place. Conning touts or taxi drivers will always take you to the place where they receive the most commission. The Lonely planet is a reasonable guidebook but as soon as those recommended guesthouses are in there, they start charging a lot more. Booking a hostel online is not bad either; most have pictures, prices and route descriptions on there. Costs will average between at least 3 to 12 dollar is poor countries to 12 tot 30 dollars in the more developed countries or special places.
Solutions
- When staying in place of minor importance (transport hub, or place where there will be no girl chasing) Swallow your pride and stay in the cheapest place possible. Nothing wrong with cold showers and squatter toilets, Man up !
- Try couchsurfing, free places to stay and most people will show you around and treat you as their guest, never turn away from free food and drinks.
- Stay in cheap dorms and guesthouses, also a place to pick up chicks. Banging in the dorm rooms is not uncommon but it doesn't happen as much as people say, just hang some sheets around your bed and keep it quiet.
- Find a girl who will accommodate you, spend money on her as long as it cheaper than getting your own place. Of course the girl herself is a bonus too.
- Share a double room with somebody, possibly a girl so you can have some nightly action too. It’s a great way to get in her pants, Ask her if she wants to share a room for the costs, work your magic and end up using the other bed to put your bag on. Yes, this works!!!
- Bargain for a room, it’s possible with most guesthouses and hotels. No guts, no glory.
- Build up a great network of Facebook friends, when in the neighborhood, they can accommodate you for free (and provide food and/or drinks) or find a cheap place to stay for you.
- Book a place for the night and start walking and asking around for better and cheaper places, check out next day and relocate
2 – Food and drinks
Food and drinks is the second most expensive part of traveling, especially drinking alcohol can certainly ruin your budget. In a lot of countries going out means spending more on drinks than on food and accommodation all together. In some places food will be costly also because there is just no cheap grub around or you sick of eating the same cheap food over and over. For example: rice and noodles.
Solutions :
Food :
- Eat lots of street food, you’re stomach will get used to it eventually; going to more expensive places is no guarantee for not spending a day or two on the toilet. Stop washing your hands every 10 minutes, build up some tolerance.
- Get breakfast included in your guesthouse, it will be a shit breakfast, but hey, it’s free right! Personally I can’t stand those toast with jam breakfasts and will eat out.
- Cook yourself if you are in more expensive countries, again I almost never cook and will go to a fast food place or street market to get my belly filled. I’m lazy and don't know how to except for pasta.
- Never refuse when people you meet offer you food, its rude and bad for your wallet.
- When dating girls is poor countries you will be the one paying for everything (exceptions apply), bite the bullet on this one, you can’t expect them to pay for their one food and drinks when they make 3 dollars a day. Its shows no respect if you ask them to split the bill, you will make a fool of yourself. Don’t go overboard with it either, when a girl eats rice 7 days a week and wants to go to a 5 star restaurant when with you, dump that gold-digger. She has to like you, not your bank account.
- Find places with cheap food, Chinese restaurants are a good option. Buffets and places where you get free food are another option.
- Take a girl out to Mac Donalds, just say you haven’t had a Big Mac in months and you’re craving for it. If the girl really likes you, she won’t mind. In some countries Mac Donalds is a high end place and girls love to eat there.
- Go eat at a cheap local place and say to the girl your with that you love her country and their tasty food, don’t mention you’re eating rice in every possible form for the last year. Look excited when reading the menu.
Drinks :
- As said before, drinking can kill your budget faster than a speeding bullet. Best solution by far is to stop drinking alcohol. This is also the most boring and unsociable solution.
- Drink water instead of coca cola during the day, its much cheaper, healthier and better for your teeth also. Stay away from fresh made juices also, they’re full of sugar and always pricy. And why drink coffee at a Starbucks when Mac Donalds sells it for a quarter of the price.
- When going out , drink in if you’re the heavy drinking type, if you want to pick up girls, drink moderate. Nobody likes a slurring ape-man. Stay fresh and focused.
- Don’t buy drinks for other (girl)backpackers, In fact never buy drinks for girls before you kissed them. Don’t get fooled by girls trying to get free drinks. Turn it around.
- Do not go to expensive clubs with hefty entrance fees and 10 dollar drinks. It’s no guarantee for anything. Clubs like that are frequently used by prostitutes or bitchy gold-digger’s who are not looking for broke backpackers. (This theory is not rock solid. I recently spoke to a guy who went to such places in poor countries, invested in entrance fees and drinks and picked up a rich local girl/woman who paid every for him and spoiled him all the time. I did the same in Indonesia only in a cheap bar. I lived in a great free 5 star hotel and free everything + Cup E boobs and mad sex , actually now that I think about it, I didn’t even buy her a drink. )
- Don’t drink out of boredom in trains, planes and busses. Find somebody to talk to and you might get some free drinks.
- Find out when the happy hours are or even get drinks for free in some places.
- And last but certainly not the least: Charm girls into buying you drinks.
3 - Transportation :
Transportation is the last major reason why your wallet is always empty, the rule is the slower you travel, the cheaper it gets. Unfortunately we cannot teleport ourselves from one place to another so we have to take a bus, train or airplane to get there. You can live as cheap as possible but if a ticket to some destination costs 50 dollar, then you just have to deal with it.
Solutions :
- Hitchhiking is the cheapest way to get from A to B; I have no experience in it so far, so I suggest you read a book on it.
- Local,local,local , local transport is always the cheapest one and most of the time the most fun also.Taking a local bus with chickens,goats and smelly yelling baby's on it is the fastest way to learn about the local culture. Ask locals where to find the bus station and how much they pay for a ticket if its not posted. Avoid travel agents. The downsite is that it may take a lot of time and sometimes inconvenience.
- Bargain hard anywhere and anytime. Especially taxi and motorbike drivers are notorious for ripping you off. Walk off by the first sign of overpricing and most of the time the prices suddenly drop 50% or more.
- Walk around; you can easily do 4 or 5 kilometers an hour, a great chance to meet people on the streets and who knows how one thing can lead to another. You will not meet girls sitting in a taxicab.
- A bus is almost always cheaper than a train and a train is almost always cheaper than a airplane. Travel slow and save money. Read the stories and see how I met some girls on busses and trains.
- Plan ahead. Book airplanes online and as far ahead as possible, this is a great money saver. Use budget airlines and look for the hidden costs. Strange advice from a guy who always travels by the day or few days. I spend way too much money on this.
Does this all mean you can never stay in a fancy room, eat a descent and tasty meal, smash 50 Dollar on drinks? The answer is no, you are traveling to enjoy and have a good time, just keep in mind the more you spend the shorter your trip will be and the sooner you will be back at a boring job.
Me eating a free 18 dollar steak sandwich in a free 5 star hotel.
[attachment=4877]
Book - Around the World in 80 Girls - The Epic 3 Year Trip of a Backpacking Casanova
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