I'm a frugal fellow. More than that, I believe in the value of things money can't buy. The experience of Mother Nature's beauty, the taste of a wild blackberry, the honesty of a true friend. But even I have to admit, there are some great things you can buy for just 3 bucks!
- Froyo for an awkward first date
- Coffee for a productive day
- A concert ticket in the 1950's
OR
- A trip around the world
Think of how far 3 bucks a day would go after say, a year...geez that's a grand. After three years, well that's enough to keep you going for a long while abroad. And with that treasure, you'll be happily welcomed by locals around the world who want to share in the good ol' American value of making dough.
4 months and 8 currencies into my trip, later I learned a few lessons to make that travel money stretch:
1. Ditch the capital fast.
There's plenty of culture and much better prices out of town.
2. Plane tickets are for layovers. Make the most of your trip's biggest cost. It's easy to arrange a multicity flight for the same price. You're probably going to be stick with a stopover anyways. Might as well extend it to a week or so to really see the place.
3. No taxis. At all. Make arrangements to avoid them, like finding when the transportation the locals use is available, or giving yourself more time to get somewhere.
4. For cheap options consider meeting new cityslickers (Couchsurfing.com), volunteer farming (WWOOF) or bringing a small tent. Hostels are a good backup and usually have good kitchens to help you save on food.
In the end, every penny you spend is a donation to a growing wannabeAmerican economy. Good on ya.
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| Sifting thru 8 currencies in just 4 months taught me the art of nomadic penny-pinching
P.S. If at the end of the day you find yourself in some weird scenario of having saved enough, but not having the guts to git going, make a deal with a friend to kick you in the arse if you stick around. Thanks for the help Timbo! Glad you didn't have to keep your side of the deal :)
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