How to best travel for cheap?

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
halfnine
Posts: 2405
Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2010 12:48 pm

Re: How to best travel for cheap?

Post by halfnine »

rocket354 wrote: Tue Oct 12, 2021 6:01 pm Since I'd likely need to carry everything of mine in a backpack, is there a recommended brand? size? weight recommendations? (I imagine anything that feels light for a while might be torturous after a few weeks or months).
No, it is all personal preference. And somewhat dependent on how you travel. Someone who spends a few months at a time before moving on to the next place can bring along a wheeled suitcase or two and lots of amenities and be just fine. On the other hand, someone who is overlanding by whatever vehicle rolls down the road across a continent is going to need something durable. Something that can be sat on for hours, pecked on by chickens, strapped to a camel, tossed off the top of a bus, etc. As far as features go, backpack carrying comfort is really not all that important. The reality is you are not going to be carrying it all that long (15 min bursts) or all that far (half a mile) unless you are heading off onto some sort of trek. And most of the known treks that typically appeal to the average person (Inca Trail, Torres del Paine, Kilimanjaro, anything in in Nepal) porters either carry all your stuff or rental equipment is available.

The more important features of a backpack are likely to be how it opens and its overall shape. Backpacks that open in more typical fashion to that of a suitcase are just simpler, quicker and easy to organize, pack and unpack. Not being able to quickly and easily pack/unpack gets a lot older a lot quicker than rather you have a backpack that can be carried for hours at a time because you are just not going to be carrying a backpack for hours at a time. The overall shape of the backpack matters as well if you want it as a carryon. And I am not talking about as a carryon for a plane. It is whether you want to have it as a carryon for the bus, or for the train, because those are the places your backpack is more likely to go for a walk or to be pilfered with. Or simply having luggage that is small enough so that you can bring it inside with you on a taxi ride (so it can’t be held hostage in the trunk by a taxi driver…twice :oops: ).
rocket354 wrote: Tue Oct 12, 2021 6:01 pm What specific items should I make sure I bring? What items might be tempting for me to bring, but I'd soon realize I don't really need?
If you have large feet and at if some point along your journey you are going to a place where people have small feet, it is good to make sure your shoes are still up to the task or that you also have a pair or sandals or tevas.

Wherever I end up I tend to spend a few nights outside one way or another so I do have a sleeping bag that is incredibly small and light that can still fit within my carryon sized bag. It would be difficult or expensive to source this in most of the world.

Traveling in overnight buses is quite an efficient way to travel around South America or India. And overnight trains (sans private berths) are also quite common across India as well as the rest of Asia. So, I bring a silk sleeping liner which makes overnight travel slightly more comfortable but more importantly I can put items of value inside with me making them less likely to walk away. In fairness, though, in some places of the world (lots of Asia) it would be easy and quite cheap to have a liner custom made although the quality of the silk does matter as you could quite easily wake up in the morning the same colour as your liner. :oops:

I do also carry a good quality small travel size umbrella because I am a civilized person. Nothing yells foreign tourist louder than a TNF jacket and soaking trousers. One might argue that this could be purchased abroad but good quality ones are surprisingly hard to find.

That’s it for me. Most everything else can be sourced elsewhere.
rocket354 wrote: Tue Oct 12, 2021 6:01 pm What are easy/safe things to do with my belongings at times I don't want to lug them? Or do I just prance into any restaurant, museum, theater, cathedral, etc, with a big bag on my back?
This isn’t really much of an issue. It will either end up at your hotel/hostel, in a storage locker, or since these are largely touristy areas you are mentioning above there will be appropriate facilities for luggage.
rocket354 wrote: Tue Oct 12, 2021 6:01 pm I know for a while there (again, 15-year-old information from the last time I did much travelling or thought too seriously about it), it was popular to claim to be from Canada rather than the US. Watching those videos upthread of the guys in Nigeria repeatedly getting shaken down by local officials makes me wonder if claiming to be another nationality might make me less likely to be seen as a target or a "rich guy."
Unless you have a flag on your backpack no one is going to believe you are Canadian anyway. :mrgreen:
I’ve been to most regions on this planet. The simple reality is that people are going to figure it out. It’s not that hard. Now, there is one type of circumstance where I might hide my American roots and that is when negotiating the price. That’s because once the seller knows you’re an American the price goes up. Americans, overall, don’t like to negotiate and aren’t particularly good at so it’s generally easier for the seller to make a better profit. And the sellers know this. Once they know your nationality they have a pretty good idea of the range you are willing to pay.

There is one thing, though, that can be worth hiding. If you are an atheist or agnostic. There are lot of cultures out there that are much more open to those that have a different religion but cannot comprehend those who have no religion at all. I’ll leave it at that because otherwise it will veer outside of what is allowable on the forum.
rocket354 wrote: Tue Oct 12, 2021 6:01 pm Another old piece of advice I remember is having a "dummy" set of money/cards. So if I get robbed or held up I can hand over a few dollars and a (canceled) credit card or two and the guy can run off, and I haven't actually lost anything important. Is that still recommended, or are either thieves more sophisticated, or are there more sophisticated safety protocols?
Just carry what you need for the day in your pocket. You don’t want to be digging through your pack, money belt, neck wallet, secret compartments to access cash/cards throughout the day as it has its own risks. A pickpocket is simply going to get whatever they get. A mugger is going to get everything anyway. They know all the tricks.
rocket354 wrote: Tue Oct 12, 2021 6:01 pmI think one of the worst things that could happen is I lose my passport or my credit card(s) in some backwater area of some developing country (or, really, anywhere).
Yes, it would be. But people who worry about it aren’t the same people who are likely to be going to some remote place anyway, at least not independently. As much as a pain in the arse it would be with the internet and electronic banking available these days it wouldn’t be the end of the world. Just memorizing a credit card number that you don’t bring along the trip could get you out of many jams.
rocket354 wrote: Tue Oct 12, 2021 6:01 pmAnd, health insurance. Since I'd quit my job, I'd have to go to the ACA marketplace. Are there any complications I might not know about with insurance vis a vis traveling for a few months overseas?
The main thing I always recommend is a medical emergency evacuation policy. While there are plenty of places in the world that do have quality, cheap medical treatment there are obviously many countries that do not. I’ve typically used Medjet when this type of cover is needed.
caffeperfavore
Posts: 541
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2015 11:45 am

Re: How to best travel for cheap?

Post by caffeperfavore »

We've maximized our dollars on trips by cashing in frequent flyer miles/travel hacking; picking a base location and renting places by the week or selecting small family run hotels over chains; traveling in off or shoulder seasons; and eating where the locals eat (e.g., the neighborhood cafe with the plat du jour in France, the noodle or okinomiyaki or katsudon joints in Japan, etc.).

For backpacks, we also use the Osprey Farpoint packs.
vasaver
Posts: 358
Joined: Fri Oct 19, 2012 2:15 pm
Location: Virginia

Re: How to best travel for cheap?

Post by vasaver »

This is probably not what you are thinking - but renting timeshares can give you great bang for buck. Very comfortable (most have a kitchen and living room). Entire weeks start at around $300 and can be 1-4 star accommodations.

https://www.redweek.com/featured/last-m ... ight_price

I quit playing the points games for the most part. Just mix and match by finding great vacation week(s) at an amazing timeshare rentals - surround it with points stays / hostels....just see what you can get for $40-$100/night. skyauction and ebay are other useful sites.

https://www.ebay.com/b/Travel-Lodging-V ... n_18947656
http://www.skyauction.com/vacation/vacation-rentals

Also try to travel when kids are in school for the best deals. Sept -> May skipping major breaks like Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Spring Break....
WhiteMaxima
Posts: 3323
Joined: Thu May 19, 2016 5:04 pm

Re: How to best travel for cheap?

Post by WhiteMaxima »

slow travel. stay in one place for a year to qualified one year lease. experience the place.
KarenPDX
Posts: 18
Joined: Sat Oct 02, 2021 3:20 pm

Re: How to best travel for cheap?

Post by KarenPDX »

You don't need to carry your backpack everywhere. You can leave everything in your hostel locker or hotel room. For accommodations, I prefer hostels, especially when traveling alone, because there's always someone to eat with, or to see a museum, etc. Right now with covid, there are a lot of travel restrictions, so I would try to pick one country, and start researching that. There will definitely be testing and vaccination requirements, but may also have quarantine requirements. If you really want very low cost, you should consider doing a home exchange. You post your apartment or house, and then browse other people's places, and see if you can come up with an agreement. I did a home exchange in the Netherlands for 3 weeks. It was nice to have a home base, and a car to use, then you can travel daily from your home base. You just might end up in a small town though, like I did. If you have an idea of what country you're interested in, you should post that, then people can have more advice about trains, hostels, cities, etc. But you should definitely do it! Travel is my #1 favorite thing to do, and I've been to around 40 countries so far. Still have tons of places I still want to visit.
neilpilot
Posts: 5003
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2015 12:46 pm
Location: Memphis area

Re: How to best travel for cheap?

Post by neilpilot »

WhiteMaxima wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 11:26 am slow travel. stay in one place for a year to qualified one year lease. experience the place.
The majority of foreign destinations will not permit anywhere near that long a continuous stay without a special visa.
User avatar
Topic Author
rocket354
Posts: 678
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2015 11:31 am

Re: How to best travel for cheap?

Post by rocket354 »

Again, thanks to everyone for all the very useful responses.
KarenPDX wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 1:42 pm You don't need to carry your backpack everywhere. You can leave everything in your hostel locker or hotel room. For accommodations, I prefer hostels, especially when traveling alone, because there's always someone to eat with, or to see a museum, etc. Right now with covid, there are a lot of travel restrictions, so I would try to pick one country, and start researching that. There will definitely be testing and vaccination requirements, but may also have quarantine requirements. If you really want very low cost, you should consider doing a home exchange. You post your apartment or house, and then browse other people's places, and see if you can come up with an agreement. I did a home exchange in the Netherlands for 3 weeks. It was nice to have a home base, and a car to use, then you can travel daily from your home base. You just might end up in a small town though, like I did. If you have an idea of what country you're interested in, you should post that, then people can have more advice about trains, hostels, cities, etc. But you should definitely do it! Travel is my #1 favorite thing to do, and I've been to around 40 countries so far. Still have tons of places I still want to visit.
I would like to see many places, with the only caveat being that any country that might put me in inordinate danger (North Korea? Afghanistan? No thanks.) is not an option. I'd like to see many places in Europe. I've been to Dublin, London, Paris, Munich, and Venice so while I wouldn't be against returning (I enjoyed them all) I would like to focus on areas I haven't been, and on areas that aren't as urban. Southeast Asia is another place I'd like to go, particularly the Philippines. Oceania is another priority item, as well. While I'd love to visit Russia, it sounds like that might be more difficult right now. Other points of interest are the Galapagos Islands, and Easter Island.
Slackergirl
Posts: 26
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2020 2:40 pm

Re: How to best travel for cheap?

Post by Slackergirl »

Consider housesitting/petsitting. I have a family member that does this full time and has done it both internationally and in the US.
https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/
WhiteMaxima
Posts: 3323
Joined: Thu May 19, 2016 5:04 pm

Re: How to best travel for cheap?

Post by WhiteMaxima »

neilpilot wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 2:23 pm
WhiteMaxima wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 11:26 am slow travel. stay in one place for a year to qualified one year lease. experience the place.
The majority of foreign destinations will not permit anywhere near that long a continuous stay without a special visa.
even six month lease is better than ABNB. Also a region usually have 6 months good weather you could enjoy and move on before hot summer and fridge winter come. Usually a country will have six months visa, Stay 6 month less a couple of days to avoid tax resident status.
neilpilot
Posts: 5003
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2015 12:46 pm
Location: Memphis area

Re: How to best travel for cheap?

Post by neilpilot »

WhiteMaxima wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 10:18 pm
neilpilot wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 2:23 pm
WhiteMaxima wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 11:26 am slow travel. stay in one place for a year to qualified one year lease. experience the place.
The majority of foreign destinations will not permit anywhere near that long a continuous stay without a special visa.
even six month lease is better than ABNB. Also a region usually have 6 months good weather you could enjoy and move on before hot summer and fridge winter come. Usually a country will have six months visa, Stay 6 month less a couple of days to avoid tax resident status.
Have you actually done this, or is your suggestion theoretical?

Most of my international travels have been to Europe, where even 6 months is often not allowed. For example, a U.S. passport holder can only stay in the EU for a max of 90 days TOTAL in any 3 month period without an appropriate visa, such as work or student. You can go thru the trouble of getting a short stay visa, but even that’s typically limited to a max of 3 months.

I personally don’t ABNB. My last 2 trips to the EU were each 3-4 weeks, and I enjoyed free stays in both France and the UK thru dog/house sits vis www.TrustedHousesitters.com.
halfnine
Posts: 2405
Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2010 12:48 pm

Re: How to best travel for cheap?

Post by halfnine »

One other thing that is worth mentioning. If you do head out on a long trip save Europe until towards the end. You will meet and likely befriend many Europeans on your travels. When you eventually get to Europe you will likely have people to meet up with, locals to show you around, and possibly places to stay.
WhiteMaxima
Posts: 3323
Joined: Thu May 19, 2016 5:04 pm

Re: How to best travel for cheap?

Post by WhiteMaxima »

neilpilot wrote: Thu Oct 14, 2021 5:24 am
WhiteMaxima wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 10:18 pm
neilpilot wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 2:23 pm
WhiteMaxima wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 11:26 am slow travel. stay in one place for a year to qualified one year lease. experience the place.
The majority of foreign destinations will not permit anywhere near that long a continuous stay without a special visa.
even six month lease is better than ABNB. Also a region usually have 6 months good weather you could enjoy and move on before hot summer and fridge winter come. Usually a country will have six months visa, Stay 6 month less a couple of days to avoid tax resident status.
Have you actually done this, or is your suggestion theoretical?

Most of my international travels have been to Europe, where even 6 months is often not allowed. For example, a U.S. passport holder can only stay in the EU for a max of 90 days TOTAL in any 3 month period without an appropriate visa, such as work or student. You can go thru the trouble of getting a short stay visa, but even that’s typically limited to a max of 3 months.

I personally don’t ABNB. My last 2 trips to the EU were each 3-4 weeks, and I enjoyed free stays in both France and the UK thru dog/house sits vis www.TrustedHousesitters.com.
With a US passport you can stay in EU for 90 out of 180 days so 180 days out of 365 days. You need a visa run to non EU countries like Albania or Turkey for a couple of days. many county will alow you long term stay with a visa as long as you can prove income and health insurance.
halfnine
Posts: 2405
Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2010 12:48 pm

Re: How to best travel for cheap?

Post by halfnine »

WhiteMaxima wrote: Fri Oct 15, 2021 3:46 pm
neilpilot wrote: Thu Oct 14, 2021 5:24 am
WhiteMaxima wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 10:18 pm
neilpilot wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 2:23 pm
WhiteMaxima wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 11:26 am slow travel. stay in one place for a year to qualified one year lease. experience the place.
The majority of foreign destinations will not permit anywhere near that long a continuous stay without a special visa.
even six month lease is better than ABNB. Also a region usually have 6 months good weather you could enjoy and move on before hot summer and fridge winter come. Usually a country will have six months visa, Stay 6 month less a couple of days to avoid tax resident status.
Have you actually done this, or is your suggestion theoretical?

Most of my international travels have been to Europe, where even 6 months is often not allowed. For example, a U.S. passport holder can only stay in the EU for a max of 90 days TOTAL in any 3 month period without an appropriate visa, such as work or student. You can go thru the trouble of getting a short stay visa, but even that’s typically limited to a max of 3 months.

I personally don’t ABNB. My last 2 trips to the EU were each 3-4 weeks, and I enjoyed free stays in both France and the UK thru dog/house sits vis www.TrustedHousesitters.com.
With a US passport you can stay in EU for 90 out of 180 days so 180 days out of 365 days. You need a visa run to non EU countries like Albania or Turkey for a couple of days. many county will alow you long term stay with a visa as long as you can prove income and health insurance.
I am just going to make a couple of points here:

- There is certainly no point of getting a one year lease if you are only looking about being in a country half of a year.
- It isn't necessarily easy to get a lease in many countries without proof of residency anyway.
- One can not make a visa run to reset one's stay in the Schengen Area. It is 90 days out of 180. That is it. One could certainly do this multiple times but one can only spend half of any 180 day period in the Schengen area.
- Getting a visa for longer than 90 days isn't inherently easy. Some countries are obviously easier than others.
- Not becoming a tax resident isn't as simple as not staying more than 6 months in a country. OTOH, in France if you spend more time in France than any other country during the year you could be deemed a tax resident. In the UK, if you return year after year I believe 90 days a year is enough to be deemed a tax resident. I cite these as examples not as a claimed fact because these rules frequently change. The point is one can not simply blindly believe if they are in a country less than 183 days per year they are not tax residents.
Yellowjacket1
Posts: 72
Joined: Sat Jul 28, 2018 2:54 pm

Re: How to best travel for cheap?

Post by Yellowjacket1 »

Very interesting post. I will weigh in with a few thoughts:

Be very careful with selecting health insurance. Some plans won’t cover you outside the US. You may need travel insurance. Get a good policy, one that if needed would get you to a reputable hospital or if needed fly you back to the states. We have had a few friends who while traveling abroad had severe illnesses and needed to be flown back to the US.

Before you go be sure you check to see what vaccinations you may need for the areas you’re going to.

I will agree with those who recommended Rick Steves, Camino de Santiago and all the various travel forums. One suggestion is if you can contact any local colleges that have travel abroad programs they are used to working with students traveling cheaply and can possibly give you some advice/resources.

As fun, exciting as traveling abroad may sound, spend time assessing the risks of where you plan to go. Your traditional safety nets in the US won’t be there for you while traveling and you have to adjust on the fly.
User avatar
ResearchMed
Posts: 16764
Joined: Fri Dec 26, 2008 10:25 pm

Re: How to best travel for cheap?

Post by ResearchMed »

Yellowjacket1 wrote: Sat Oct 16, 2021 10:48 am Be very careful with selecting health insurance. Some plans won’t cover you outside the US. You may need travel insurance. Get a good policy, one that if needed would get you to a reputable hospital or if needed fly you back to the states. We have had a few friends who while traveling abroad had severe illnesses and needed to be flown back to the US.
One thing to keep in mind is if you need/want to be flown back to the USA for medical care.

Some health insurance or travel insurance policies will get you to the nearest "suitable" (or "appropriate", etc.) medical facility.
However, what YOU consider "appropriate" may not be what the insurer considers adequate. Depending upon where you are when you get ill, should that happen, the "nearest appropriate" medical facility may or may not be... what you'd expect or want.

For this reason, when we travel, we get coverage from MedJetAssist.
They only deal with medevac, but they do it if you, the traveler want to be moved, and does NOT depend upon either insurer beancounters or upon local medical staff who might be put in the awkward position of declaring their facility, er, not quite capable, etc.

MJA kicks in if one is at least 150 miles from home and is admitted to a hospital as an INpatient (not ER, not Observation). At that point, as long as you are stable enough for a full medevac (air ambulance with medical staff, etc.), then YOU get to have them take you to the hospital of your choice in the USA (for USA-based travelers). It could be your "home" hospital or some specialty hospital elsewhere.
(And if one isn't stable enough for that level of medevac, who knows what will happen anyway.)

The "level of care" provided depends upon condition. If someone doesn't actually need a full medical ambulance, they might send you business class in a commercial airliner, accompanied by a medical professional such as an RN. A traveling companion can go along too, but in economy. (Keep in mind that one could be admitted to a hospital for conditions that are not immediately life-threatening, and not need an air ambulance to get to one's hospital of choice.)
Your local hospital (or other hospital of choice) must have agreed to take you upon arrival.

Note that you need to already be at a hospital and admitted. This is not one of the services that will rescue you off a mountain side where you fell, etc.
MJA has per-trip coverage, but when we were traveling, we had an annual policy. That way, we were covered for any of our one or several trips per year, plus any shorter trips (but at least 150 miles from home) for business trips or to visit friends/family.

We came close to calling them once when I was in hospital overseas. Just about the time DH and I looked at each other and started to plan to call MJA, I started to feel better. At that point, our regular travel insurance ended up paying for several extra nights at a 5* hotel (first for DH while I was in hospital, and then more when I was out of hospital but still not medically cleared to continue travels), and other travel changes.
We certainly hope we *never* need to use MJA, as that implies a pretty serious condition, but we find it extremely comforting to have.
There is NO medical underwriting required, until one reaches age 75. And then, the medical underwriting involved a routine questionnaire for the traveler, and a very short form from one's physician. The approval took less than a week, and then it's good for a year.

RM
This signature is a placebo. You are in the control group.
Shallowpockets
Posts: 2533
Joined: Fri Nov 20, 2015 9:26 am

Re: How to best travel for cheap?

Post by Shallowpockets »

OP, you have limited travel experience. Your learning phase has begun, but you need to get yourself boots on the ground and travel. Simply for the feedback from yourself to yourself. How do you define traveling cheaply? There are a myriad of levels there from the couch surfing on up. Some may think a $200 night hotel is cheap.
You can go traveling, but what do you want to do? Do you not want to ever eat out? Do you not want to see museums and sights? Will you want to be so cheap that essentially you are only physically in a foreign land, but removed from its experiences because you don’t want to spend money?
Way back in the early times I traveled pretty cheap, mostly because I had no money. Slept in the bushes near Notre Dame, ate bread from garbage cans, slept on beaches in Spain, ate tomato and bread sandwiches from market food. Hitchhiked. Sneaked in trains to ride for free. Collected bottles to return for deposits.
Sold blood for $20, and the free orange juice.
Oh, it was cheap, but I had no museums, no art. Life was thinking how to get by. Maybe what sustained me was some sort of romantic vision of myself. It was the early 70s and we had lots of that thinking then.
Maybe forget cheap and go out there on a short journey to begin to know yourself and what it would take to achieve what you want.
User avatar
Topic Author
rocket354
Posts: 678
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2015 11:31 am

Re: How to best travel for cheap?

Post by rocket354 »

Thanks for the recent replies discussing medical insurance and care. That gives me stuff to think about and plan around.
Shallowpockets wrote: Sat Oct 16, 2021 4:06 pm OP, you have limited travel experience. Your learning phase has begun, but you need to get yourself boots on the ground and travel. Simply for the feedback from yourself to yourself. How do you define traveling cheaply? There are a myriad of levels there from the couch surfing on up. Some may think a $200 night hotel is cheap.
You can go traveling, but what do you want to do? Do you not want to ever eat out? Do you not want to see museums and sights? Will you want to be so cheap that essentially you are only physically in a foreign land, but removed from its experiences because you don’t want to spend money?
Way back in the early times I traveled pretty cheap, mostly because I had no money. Slept in the bushes near Notre Dame, ate bread from garbage cans, slept on beaches in Spain, ate tomato and bread sandwiches from market food. Hitchhiked. Sneaked in trains to ride for free. Collected bottles to return for deposits.
Sold blood for $20, and the free orange juice.
Oh, it was cheap, but I had no museums, no art. Life was thinking how to get by. Maybe what sustained me was some sort of romantic vision of myself. It was the early 70s and we had lots of that thinking then.
Maybe forget cheap and go out there on a short journey to begin to know yourself and what it would take to achieve what you want.
I agree, "cheap" is not a well-defined term. You are absolutely correct. I need to find my budget. In all honesty, I assume I'll be figuring it out on the fly--seeing how much I like each approximate price point for lodging and meals and travelling, and then moving up and down as I see fit. Since it's easier to move up in price than down, I'll probably start pretty low and then raise my standards to the minimum necessary. The goal is to see and experience cultures, meet people, and just completely forget obligations and routine for a while. As long as I'm accomplishing that, I will be happy.

Your experiences in the 70's is definitely too frugal for me. And $200/night is expensive for me, no matter what I'm doing. So I'll be between those two goalposts.

-----------------

This discussion has been very helpful. I just need to figure out:

1) What to do with my house (HomeExchange, renting it, leaving it be)
2) How to handle health insurance and plan for if an emergency happens
3) Visa/permit/documentation needs for all countries
4) Vaccination/COVID regulations and restrictions
5) Where I want to go
6) How to get there
7) How long I want to stay
8) What I want to do while there
9) A route that makes sense (I'm thinking an approximate "around the world", going West to start).

Otherwise, I'm all set. :)

I'm glad I'm planning it for 4-6 months from now. I have a lot to chew on.

I would love to keep hearing about other people's experiences and suggestions.
neilpilot
Posts: 5003
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2015 12:46 pm
Location: Memphis area

Re: How to best travel for cheap?

Post by neilpilot »

rocket354 wrote: Sat Oct 16, 2021 7:35 pm 1) What to do with my house (HomeExchange, renting it, leaving it be)


I would love to keep hearing about other people's experiences and suggestions.
Be careful if you decide to leave your home vacant. Some insurers will contest a claim if your residence is left vacant for an extended period.
simpleman357357
Posts: 11
Joined: Mon May 10, 2021 4:22 am

Re: How to best travel for cheap?

Post by simpleman357357 »

Had a trip booked for Egypt for two with free breakfast and free transportation from the airport.booked as covid started for 1280 dollars across from the pyramids. You can get hotels for as little as 20 a night. Went to Paris in 2018 and went to all the museums,tower, catacombs, Palace of Versailles, churches and a moulin rouge show. Total cost for two was 2600. You got to learn how to use public transportation. Download the Rome to rio app
User avatar
celia
Posts: 16762
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2008 6:32 am
Location: SoCal

Re: How to best travel for cheap?

Post by celia »

There are websites such as WorldPackers that match you with housing in exchange for working. I once found one where families let you stay with them in their house and some of the "work" was to speak English so they and their children could learn it. Here's another site I just found: IFRE Volunteers.

I've never used these sites, but just visited them.
halfnine
Posts: 2405
Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2010 12:48 pm

Re: How to best travel for cheap?

Post by halfnine »

rocket354 wrote: Sat Oct 16, 2021 7:35 pm ...I'm glad I'm planning...
Start with how long you are going for. A lot of decisions you make will be dependent on it.
rocket354 wrote: Sat Oct 16, 2021 7:35 pm ...1) What to do with my house (HomeExchange, renting it, leaving it be)
2) How to handle health insurance and plan for if an emergency happens...
Focus on these. Plus
- Passport. Does it expire during the trip and you have enough pages remaining in it? Keep in mind that entry into a country often requires that the pasport will not expire within the next 6 months.
- Drivers License. Is it going to expire while I am gone?
- Credit Cards, Bank Cards, etc. Anything with an expiration date while I am gone?
- Mail forwarding.
- What to do with your car? Car insurance?

Basically, handle all the issues that have to be dealth with your home country so you don't have to deal with them while on the road.
rocket354 wrote: Sat Oct 16, 2021 7:35 pm 6) How to get there
7) How long I want to stay
8) What I want to do while there
These really aren't as important or time critical as you think. Not with a long trip. Covid has made this doubly so. Travel is plenty easy to arrange while on the road.
rocket354 wrote: Sat Oct 16, 2021 7:35 pm 9) A route that makes sense (I'm thinking an approximate "around the world", going West to start).
RTW trips are "cool" but largely inefficient use of one's time. It's been a few years since I last did a long trip. But if I was to head off again I'd just book my first flight and my first few nights stay.
retired recently
Posts: 579
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2009 6:09 pm

Re: How to best travel for cheap?

Post by retired recently »

whodidntante wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 9:49 pm Just want to add that unfortunately, covid has made international travel a minefield of possible risks and entry requirements. I've entered two foreign countries this year and there was a definite hassle factor, and some places you cannot realistically visit right now. Most years I would visit more foreign countries than that. You can still go some places, but you aren't going to feel as free as in normal times. And check entry restrictions carefully so you don't get hit with a quarantine upon arrival, or get denied boarding your flight because you didn't fulfill some requirement.
My wife and I have visited Croatia, Greece, Germany and Portugal this year...it has been wonderful as the numbers of tourists are way down...currently planning a trip in December to Spain for a few weeks.
User avatar
AnnetteLouisan
Posts: 7239
Joined: Sat Sep 18, 2021 10:16 pm
Location: New York, NY

Re: How to best travel for cheap?

Post by AnnetteLouisan »

I suggest an international trip of a few weeks before a major trip. There are a lot of logistical things to be familiar with to make travel go relatively smoothly. Discovering your adaptability in stressful and uncertain situations is part of the adventure, of course, but run a 10k before attempting a marathon would be my suggestion.

A great way to travel inexpensively is to get a job that requires travel (nit only cheap but you’ll be paid to do it) or is located overseas, or take a class at a foreign university where enrolled students travel at a reduced rate.
Post Reply