A lot of people have been asking how we've been able to financially afford travelling the world for 14+ months. So I thought I would share some tips and maybe help demonstrate that we are not in fact rich just savvy travellers ;)
Choose your destinations wisely
Spend time in countries where your money goes further. The biggest secret to why we were able to travel so long is because we spent 9 months in Southeast Asia where you get great value for your money (less than $20 for a hotel rooms, $1-2 per a meal, etc.).
Based on my traveling experience if you want to stretch your budget then Asia and Latin America are the ways to go.
Having someone to share the cost of accommodations, taxis and tuk tuk rides helps cut everything in half.
Time and flexibility
Having no time limits gave us the flexibility to take 8 hour buses instead of expensive flights (plus you don't spend much money when you're stuck on a bus all day). It also meant whenever we did see cheap flights we could book accordingly. With no time constraints it also allowed us to just settle down whenever we found a cheap place that we liked (you can save a lot when you decide to spend a week in a $5/night beach bungalow).
Prioritize big ticket excursions
As much as we wanted to do everything we can't afford to and had to be selective. For example we limited our scuba diving to special locations and treated ourselves to only a few high cost excursions.
Save up!
Despite how well you save during your trip it's important to remember that the trip is only half the equation. Equally (if not more) important is saving up beforehand. We spent over a year steadily putting our money away so we would be able to enjoy all the big ticket items we prioritized on our trip, such as visiting the Mountain Gorillas in Uganda.
To help put it in prospective we have actually spent less money travelling the world than we would have spent living in Toronto for a year! If you're planning your first trip, a year is probably longer than you're going to be comfortable travelling abroad. My suggestion would be to save a couple thousand (around $5k) and spend a few months in Southeast Asia. It's a wonderful introduction to travel due to it's safety, ease of transportation, and price / value ratio. I will warn you however, once you catch a case of wanderlust you will never stop planning your next trip!
Happy travels :)
Choose your destinations wisely
Spend time in countries where your money goes further. The biggest secret to why we were able to travel so long is because we spent 9 months in Southeast Asia where you get great value for your money (less than $20 for a hotel rooms, $1-2 per a meal, etc.).
Based on my traveling experience if you want to stretch your budget then Asia and Latin America are the ways to go.
- Southeast Asia - Cheap accommodations, food, transportation and excursions for the most part
- South/Central America - Cheap accommodations, food, transportation and excursions for the most part
- Africa - To do it on a budget, volunteer with an inexpensive charity and stay in a home-stay. Land travel is cheap but if you try independent backpacking, accommodations and food can get expensive. Excursions in Africa tend to be pricey.
- Europe - Work while travelling or really save up, otherwise you will watch your money disappear before your eyes. Your money will go further in Eastern Europe.
Having someone to share the cost of accommodations, taxis and tuk tuk rides helps cut everything in half.
Time and flexibility
Having no time limits gave us the flexibility to take 8 hour buses instead of expensive flights (plus you don't spend much money when you're stuck on a bus all day). It also meant whenever we did see cheap flights we could book accordingly. With no time constraints it also allowed us to just settle down whenever we found a cheap place that we liked (you can save a lot when you decide to spend a week in a $5/night beach bungalow).
Prioritize big ticket excursions
As much as we wanted to do everything we can't afford to and had to be selective. For example we limited our scuba diving to special locations and treated ourselves to only a few high cost excursions.
Save up!
Despite how well you save during your trip it's important to remember that the trip is only half the equation. Equally (if not more) important is saving up beforehand. We spent over a year steadily putting our money away so we would be able to enjoy all the big ticket items we prioritized on our trip, such as visiting the Mountain Gorillas in Uganda.
To help put it in prospective we have actually spent less money travelling the world than we would have spent living in Toronto for a year! If you're planning your first trip, a year is probably longer than you're going to be comfortable travelling abroad. My suggestion would be to save a couple thousand (around $5k) and spend a few months in Southeast Asia. It's a wonderful introduction to travel due to it's safety, ease of transportation, and price / value ratio. I will warn you however, once you catch a case of wanderlust you will never stop planning your next trip!
Happy travels :)
