How I travel the world on less than 3k per month
What prevents you from doing the same isn't what you think it is.
It's 11pm and my upstairs neighbors are blasting a Spanish romantic musical soundtrack.
It's appalling.
My ears hear every word, but only understand a few.
This Spanish serenade is radiating because I am currently in a coastal town, south of Barcelona, Spain.
I wouldn't change this experience for anything.
I have been traveling & living outside the USA (my home) for 5 months out of the last 12.
"Trust fund baby!"
Hardly.
Traveling isn't for the rich only.
My income has been <3k a month for the entire time, most of the time less than 2k/m.
Your lifestyle is the only limitation to what you can experience.
I have learned a few things about how to make traveling cheaper than renting an apartment and living the normal life.
This one is a little dense. Strap in.
Here is my guide to ...
Traveling the world on less than 3k per month
Location Location Location
One of the most important aspects to traveling on a budget is location choice.
This is all about leverage. I lived in Mexico for over 3 months and never paid more than 1k PER MONTH during it.
How? Mexico's currency is just not as strong as the dollar. Things are just cheaper than the US.
1k per month gets you decent food, an inexpensive apartment, and somewhat reliable internet.
Mexico isn't the only place where you can do this.
NomadList is a great resource for finding cheap places to travel to.
Here are some of my general recommendations for inexpensive locations:
Super cheap:
South East Asia (Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, etc.)
Most parts of Latin America (Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, etc.)
Mid-cheap:
Eastern Europe (Croatia, Poland, Hungary, etc.)
There are more places, but you can find them yourself!
When choosing a place, find something that excites you and is within your budget. Do research, look at forums, newsletters, heck, even look at Airbnb! There are so many resources out there to find gems that others have already dug up for you! You just have to look.
But... sometimes you want to visit someplace that isn't super cheap.
Say Spain, for instance... Like the majority of Europe, it isn't THAT cheap.
That leads me into my next point, how sometimes staying for longer will be significantly cheaper.
Slow travel: stay for longer for significantly less.
This is my bread and butter. It is often overlooked, but many platforms offers longer term stay discounts for accommodations.
For example: I am currently staying in an Airbnb that would normally cost ~$1500usd per month. But since they offer it at a heavily discounted rate for a monthly stay, I paid $660.34 USD for 29 days.
This happens EVERYWHERE.
The long term discounts are everywhere on Airbnb. The key to finding the discount is using Airbnb's search filters, and being relatively flexible with your dates.
I believe that one shitty night of sleep in a hostel is a worthy sacrifice to secure a 55% off a nice Airbnb for a month when your dates don't perfectly align.
Another way you can do this is by booking in advance.
If you can guarantee your dates far in advance, this is MUCH easier. You can often find some incredible deals. The only thing is that you must commit to those.
I have been "risking it" for the last few months, and have secured longer term discounts on rentals only a few weeks in advance, but the pickings get limited fast.
You have to be willing to jump on a good deal.
This leads me to...
Travel credit cards: save money by spending it.
A travel credit card is a MUST if you plan on spending more than a few weeks out of a year traveling.
I have earned over $1.5k worth of credit card points that can be converted into free airfare or just straight up cash.
The amount I accrued is made up of about 50% entry offer and 50% normal spending.
I am a little bit of a travel credit card newbie, so I rock a Chase Sapphire Preferred. At an annual fee of 95usd, the benefits have CLEARLY covered the annual fee. (the other benefits covered it alone, i.e. $50 hotel credit, complimentary DashPass, 6 months of Instacart+, etc.)
I recommend this card to all of those who don't want to jump into the deep end with a nearly $500 annual fee travel card, but still want to get some pretty sizable benefits.
Here is my referral link so you can get the same one (or its big brother, the Sapphire Reserve!) and start on your travel journey.
If you don't have one yet, I recommend leveraging a big purchase like your flights, laptop, or something expensive to get a big jump start on the entry offer!
There are MANY travel credit cards out there, and many of them are AWESOME.
Capital One, American Express, Chase, Citi, etc.
Check out this list for more inspiration.
But, spending money on a credit card doesn't help if you can't afford to pay it off.
Well... It sounds like you might need to adjust your lifestyle.
Lifestyle change: the colossal factor.
The only way that I have been able to live outside the country for 5 months on less than 3k/m is because I have adjusted my lifestyle.
Here is what I have done:
Rejected consumerism.
I buy ONE souvenir from each country, and it has to be very special.
Pack light.
Throughout my entire time in Mexico, I lived out of a 30L personal-sized backpack. This saved me significantly on checked bag fees, and increased my mobility.
I eat two big meals a day.
While in Mexico and Barcelona, I lived off of $30 PER DAY.
My accommodations were ~$15 per day, and I had to make the other $15 stretch enough to feed me and transport me. Find the gems that feed you well, for cheap. (Tacos and Turkish food serve copiously)
Partner/group travel
Splitting costs is HUGE. It allows you to split likely the largest expense: accommodations.
I have been fortunate enough to travel this entire time with my girlfriend, and it allows us to both be more frugal.
Free experiences
Free things have been some of the most rewarding experiences I have had on my travels. From the most immense sunsets, to brown waterfalls.
Most of what you see on TripAdvisor is monetized in some way, aka costs YOU, the consumer, money. Look for the free stuff. You can find stuff online in forums and budget travel blogs. I found most of my gems by just walking around and talking to the locals.
Spending the extra money on experiences
A fancy tote bag will break down over time, memories are forever. I spend the cash I save from the above on cool things like hanging out with baby big cats, boat rides down crazy canyons, and surf lessons.
It is much better than sleeping in an Airbnb that is 15% nicer for double the cost.
Being okay with being uncomfortable
Some of the places that I stayed in during my trip to Mexico didn't have AC in June/July/August (fyi - it's fucking HOT in Mexico). Some of them didn't have hot water.
Why did I make such sacrifices?
Because I wanted to travel. And those little comforts I learned weren't needed, but only something I wanted.
I chose travel over comfort. (It was then I realized how important fans are…)
That's what I got.
My current life IS traveling.
I want to experience the world, learn more about myself, and other cultures.
My methods might be weird and not-so-pretty. But they work.
Don't let your lifestyle limit you from experiencing the coolest things in the world.
Choose life over comfort.
KEEP GOING
B.S.
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