How to Travel Under $25 a Day in Any City

Yes, you read that right. I know that it sounds too good to be true, but trust me, it's completely true. Travelling under $25 a day is possible, as long as you're willing to do it.

Before I move on to explaining the exact way that this is possible, I'm going to talk about the first and the very important thing you need: the ability to compromise. There's a very famous saying: "to gain something, you have to lose something else." Before I move on to the logistics of travelling on a budget of $25, you have to be mentally prepared to leave your comfort zone and venture into the locality of the place that you're visiting.

So now, as I've talked about the very first condition, let's break down our main expenses and how we can reduce our spending on each of the following mentioned section.

The three main things that I'll be talking about are as follows:

1. Accomodation
2. Food
3. Transportation

1. Accommodation

Accommodation is basically a fancy word for housing. This includes what you'll be paying for to stay in a particular place. Now, what if I tell you that this can be done for free? Couchsurfing allows you to stay with locals for completely free, and it also offers you an opportunity to host other travelers in your own home. This is a great way to stay in a particular place for free, and also experience the culture in the best way possible.

If you aren't willing to stay in other people's homes, then you can also try other options out such as staying in hostels (check out Hostel World for the best hostels here) and Airbnb. Hostels are typically the other best options for solo travelers, but you will have to stretch your budget a little bit more. But again, hostels are a great way to meet travelers from other countries and share quality time together. Airbnb, on the other hand, is the most expensive of the cheap accommodation options. You might find a cheap Airbnb in a major city, but it probably won't be in the city center and you'll have to pay more in transportation to get where to you want go, which makes couchsurfing the go-to for budget travel.

2. Food

Food is another expense that everyone needs on a daily basis. It's also an expense that you might end up spending tons of money on if you aren't cautious. The best way to save money on food is to make your own. If you're willing to survive on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, that could be a huge money saver. If not, then you can also make ready-to-go sandwiches for lunch on your own, which might have some veggies and a slice of cheese perhaps. Coffee at a local shop in the morning and dinner at a cheap local restaurant will help you save.

I would also recommend not to drink except when you're in cheaper countries such as countries in South East Asia, where a pint of beer can cost about $2. But again, it's good to avoid drinking as much as possible and spend that money on something more useful.

Totaling all the costs up might get you about $5 for a nice coffee/milkshake at a local shop, about $5 for lunch if you buy groceries and make ready-to-go sandwiches, and about $10 for a nice, cheap local pizza or any fast food restaurant. All the food expenses total up to about $20 per day. This can cost half as much in countries such as Thailand or Indonesia, but averaging $20/day will keep you on the safe side no matter where you travel.

3. Transportation

Transportation expenses can range from free to hundreds of dollars depending on how you choose to do it. Now, it you're wondering how would you get it for free, the answer is hitch-hiking! I know it can be unsafe at times, but if you're taking the risk of travelling at such a low budget, then you might as well do whatever is in your power to stick to that budget. Another free thing that you can do is walk! This will do two things for you: help you stay in shape and allow you to transport for completely free!

If you aren't willing to hitch-hike, there are several other options that will allow you to get from point A to point B for cheap, such as ride sharing or car pooling. For example, if you are couch-surfing at some local's place, then you can ask them if they can drop you off to your point of interest if it's on their way to work or something similar to that. If you're living relatively close to your destination, then public transportation is also a fantastic option. If you're going to be staying at a particular destination for at least a couple days, then buying a couple days' pass is the most feasible option. It might cost around $10-$15, which adds up to a max of $4-$5 a day. I would recommend you all absolutely AVOID taking cabs or renting cars as they will very easily go over your budget.

Now, as you know the tips and tricks to travel anywhere for cheap, I hope that you don't find money-related excuses to stall that vacation that you've always been day dreaming about.

Always remember one thing: "where there's a will, there's always a way."

You can make anything happen as long as you're completely determined to make that dream come true.

So, what are you waiting for? Buy that plane ticket already! ;)