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Is Traveling Really THAT Expensive?

Traveling like the cheapskate you should be.

By Carmen PetraliaPublished 10 months ago 4 min read
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Klevcovs, Romans. “Traveling Money Spending.” Dreamstime.Com, https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photo-traveling-money-spending-abstract-composition-travel-saving-image84165301.

What’s your dream?

When asked what someone’s dream in life is, many say they would love to travel the world. Almost every time they lead that up with, “if I had enough money.” Time and time again it has been assumed that traveling is very costly. That makes being a traveler highly unattainable in the minds of many of my fellow dreamers. There’s this façade that people must have money to follow their dreams. It’s a lie. You can live your dream, and cheaply at that! This sounds like an ad, but it’s really just a passionate pep talk. Every one of you deserves to follow your heart and discover the world. All you need is ten months. Keep reading, and an open mind, and you shall find out how.

Okay, traveling cheaply.

First off, you will need money. At least a grand for most places on this planet. Save one hundred dollars a month, and you have that one grand in ten months. Boom, easy. Now, the budgeting starts at home. Cooking meals like beans and rice, pasta, eggs, etc. Shopping at low-cost grocery stores, and ignoring the shiny, yummy treats and the frozen section. It’ll save you a buck, I assure you. If you live in the United States, you probably have a hefty amount of bills, yes I understand. However, it’s always possible to skip the ten iced coffees and various takeout meals per month, and set that extra dough aside. By the way, this plan is not for everywhere, or everyone, in the world. Some places actually cost many-a-Benjamin, so if you want to go somewhere like Japan, multiply your month-age accordingly.

It’s 2023, Google it.

Next, you are going to use all the internet resources the world has to offer. We all know how overwhelming that can be, but honestly, you have Google. Look up some flight tracker apps and while you’re saving your one grand, you can see the prices fluctuating, and when exactly to buy your tickets. Then, buy those flight tickets when they are half of what your total budget is. There are also couch surfing apps where you can stay at someone’s home for free. Airbnb is always a favorite, too. Consistently checking your options for Airbnb throughout those ten months is the key to finding the sweet spot between ‘so cheap it’s dangerous now’ and ‘I cannot travel because it costs a fortune to stay anywhere’. Let us not forget about hostels. Hostelworld.com is a website to find fellow travelers and dirt cheap places to stay. It is still a hostel though, so keep your expectations low and your awareness high.

The tricky part.

During the actual travel is where the real expenses come in. How you will get around, how you will eat, what you will do for fun. First of all, PUBLIC TRANSIT. Need I say more? It’s not glamorous, but you will get the true feel for the new spot you will explore. Keeping up with the barebones grocery shopping while traveling instead of going to restaurants everyday is another great way to travel cheaply. Of course, tasting the local cuisine is a must, but jeez, not everyday. We are on a budget here! If you’d like to make your experience worth it, you must sacrifice some luxuries. Do not fret, you can still go to museums, sightseeing, and the like. There’s free museums, and if none interest you, saving money in the past will pay off now. At the least, you can check out the city center, the outside of tourist attractions, parks, and good ol’ Mother Nature.

Your unadulterated journey.

This type of trip is about getting the most raw and authentic experience of wherever you may go. I’m talking about really learning about the culture and the people. How they live their day to day lives and how that can change your own life. Hell, that’s why I’m writing this right now; I’m inspired by my travels. There’s an intimacy you will gain from a location when you reduce yourself to anything but a ‘tourist’. It sounds stupid because you are totally a tourist, but you can actually feel like you are one with the city you’re in. That’s what living the dream is, right?

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About the Creator

Carmen Petralia

A little lady from Chicago itching to rid herself of the overload of ideas stuck in her brain.

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