Travelling is too expensive? I give you some tips to save money

1 - Example: my trip in Asia

You can find below the real budget of my six months trip in Asia, in duo and in winter conditions.

Category

Cost

Comment

Flight tickets 481€ Paris – Jakarta, Istanbul – Paris
Transports 130€ ferry Java – Sumatra, Sumatra – Malaysia, Black Sea and a few buses
Accommodation 15€ one hotel night in Uzbekistan
Food & water 770€ some nice restaurants, else sandwiches and street food
Equipment 657€ only 50€ of shoes definitely non-reusable
Vaccines and drugs 210€ hepatitis A/B, japanese encephalisis, typhoid, and one drug box for malaria
Visas 278€ Cambodia – Laos – China – Uzbekistan – Azerbaijan – Iran
Insurance 326€ for 8 months, 42€ per month
Miscellaneous 40€ postcards and gifts
Home expense 10€ phone subscription

Budget: 2917 €

Note*: you may have to do a vaccine for rabies (165€), and check if you are up-to-date with DTP (Diphteria, Tetanus, Polio) (20€)

Warning: plan some extra expenses in case – think about the expenses not depending on the trip: loan, subscriptions, rental in your home country – keep some money for when you are back home, the time you look for a job

With this budget there are only a few extras. If you plan many activities, guided tours, restaurants… add another expense line.

2 - The minimum budget

The same trip Jakarta – Istanbul with the lowest expenses and avoiding some countries

Category

Cost

Comment

Flight tickets 355€ going back home hitchhiking
Transports 100€ no bus at all
Accommodation 15€
Food & water 700€ with less expensive restaurants. Usually hosts cook for you, but if you stay more than 1 night try to participate somehow!
Equipment 237€ +1.8kg and more volume, less comfort
Vaccines and drugs 210€ difficult to do less
Visas 125€ avoiding Laos, Vietnam, and Iran
Insurance 252€ for 6 months, 42€ per month
Miscellaneous 40€ we keep the gifts budget
Home expenses 10€ we keep a phone subscription for safety

Budget: 2044 €

-30%

Note: for the same kind of trip, I recommed you to save at least 3000€. You are not safe from extra expenses, you may need more comfort than expected, or money when you are back home.

Advice to lower your expenses

Savings on the destination

Comment
Do it in summer -200€ without warm equipment
Without flight tickets -400€ for another continent, just leave from home
Not paying any VISA -200€
No need of vaccine -150€
Out of malaria transmission zone -80€ for medicine, depending on your prescription

Note: if you are European citizen and you travel in Europe, insurance is not as necessary. However try to get the insurance of a Visa Premier or a Gold Mastercard (-35€/month)

Savings on equipment

Comment

Tent +500g -150€ find it for 150€, you lose quality and comfort
Sleeping bag +700g -160€ find it for 70€, less compact
Backpack +600g -80€ find it for 40€, be careful with your back: test it
Windshell waterproof -40€ find it for 30€, you lose quality and comfort
Mattress -40€ find it for 10€, no insulation <5°C
Without silk sheet -30€ you dirty!

Note: the saved amount meet the prices quoted in “select your equipment“.

Savings on your travel style

Comment

Always sleep with locals savings on hotels and food – be careful not to abuse, participate to the expenses
Eat only sandwiches and street food you may miss opportunities to discover local food
Never take a bus sometimes a 2€ ticket saves a few hours or even a day
No gifts it’s really not nice
Work for locals it’s called wwoofing, usually paid in kind
Street show music, costumes, magic tricks, photos with locals…
Sales bracelets, objects of your homeland… Use your talents!

You can also:

Ask your friends or unknown people for help: collect money around you or use a platform – leetchi, tilt, shareagift, payit2, gogetfunding

Find companies to sponsor your project: they can be from your region, your country or even international. You’ll probably need a project in return.

Get a grant from an association, your city or your government.