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Is the only way to travel for more than a month or two to be a rich kid?
Is it doable, in any way, if you're poor af?
I'm sick and tired of hearing and reading stories about people that woke up some day and decided they were going to spend their next year travelling wherever and imagining all of them being wealthy enough. There must be a way.
>>1106587
Define 'poor af'
>>1106592
Less than 5 thousand dollars saved in a year.
>>1106595
it's not impossible. You'll have to allocate your funds and really commit to it, but it's not impossible.
>>1106600
As long as I don't starve, I don't care how little I spend desu. I don't want to buy any souvenirs, pay for any fancy dinners or places, whatever. I just want to walk a little of the world and meet people, mostly.
>>1106602
I travelled around europe for 6 months on 1800 euro so it's not that hard.
>>1106607
What kind of activities/shelter/food quality?
Sorry if I'm being such a bother, I'm a total newbie at this and I really want to know how it can be done. That's a lot of time for such a little amount of money.
>>1106595
You can easily travel for a while on 5k. I spent about that for 2 and a half months in India and I wasn't even going as cheap as I can go, I was being kind of luxurious about it, actually. If I was REALLY worried about my money then I could bring that down to $500/month and still live a pretty nice life. So for what you have, you could probably spend 6 months in India, the full term of the multiple entry visa, including plane ticket prices if you left now with your $5k.
I assume that you're aiming for 6 months or so. Money lasts longer in places where it's worth more, but those also might not be the places that you want to go.
You need to stack different kinds of savings. Save on travel (bicycle, hitchhike), save on sleeping (camp, couchsurf), save on food (knowing some language will help you shop at the grocery, which will save money).
Some people do very well with the camping + bicycle method. It requires a bit of initial investment in your gear, but it pays for itself. It's just not great in cities, where you have to protect your belongings. If you want to be in cities, you're looking at the hitchhiking + couchsurfing method, but couchsurfing is very unreliable. You could try an urban backpacking/camping setup, but that's a lot of shit to carry.
>>1106626
Also, to clarify, i'm not saying that the bicycle method is inappropriate for cities, but if it's big cities you want most of the time, then a bike heavily loaded can be a pain.
There's also the matter of what you are doing in your life at that very moment. It becomes more difficult to take a month off to travel when you are working in a career that might be jeopardized if you took a month off work. For me specifically that is what it is holding me back along with medical issues. I really should have taken full advantage of that student loan grace period when i had 5k$ in the bank and no loans to worry about. Once you start getting settled into a typical adult lifestyle saving the kind of money along with finding the time for a month or hell, 6 months to backpack around the globe becomes more and more difficult. Take advantage of it before you try and settle yourself down is what I'm trying to say. Or find a career where you have large gaps of time off to do such things.
>>1106645
desu I'm just saving my money till June or July and then taking off without notice with like 15k saved. Don't even give a fuck about what will happen after I run out of $$ or eventually am forced back home, but I'm young and stupid and will figure it out as it goes
>be Yuropoor
>enroll at free university
>receive 500€ study monies from state each month
>never attend a single class
>travel Asia and South America instead
What a time to be alive
>>1106587
Every year get over $5K Pell grant for FAFSA do college. In-state tuition is cheap as fuck. Especially community college. Pocket all of the FAFSA money, plus work during the school year. Travel in summer.
>>1106691
This is the USA btw
Just keep saving money OP. Save up for at least a year.
I work in retail, as a casual (3-4 days a week), and managed to save up ~7k AUD. Still trying to sort out and plan to make that last for 2.5 months in Eastern Europe.
With a $1000 a month you don't even have to go hobo-tier. A hostel will cost you $10 a night in most of the world, snipe cheap flights and you can live quite decently on that amount of money. I wouldn't go Western Europe/Aus/NZ if I were you, just to make the money go even further, but it is by no means impossible.
If you're American, consider travelling the US itself. It is absurd, as an European, how diverse the States can be, and you're going to save on transportation (though the hostel situation is pretty much the worst in the world and it can be pricey, depending on the places you visit).
5000$ in savings is a great budget for one person for a few months on the move.
>>1106696
Okay, so a return flight is probably going to be the worst of your problems, with something like 1500 AUSD to go to Warsaw. That still leaves you with 6000 AUSD, which is around 4000 pounds which is plenty for three months in Poland/Baltics/Czech Republic, and even doable in some other parts of Europe.
It is actually simpler (though definitely not cheaper) to plan a cheap trip in the Central/Southern Europe, because of Interrail/Eurorail passes, you can calculate pretty much down to the dollar how much money you'll be spending on travel and accomodation before you leave, and that lets you know exactly what you can spend per day on other shit.
In North/Central Eastern Europe you sleep in hostels (seriously, the hostels in Riga are better than the hotels until like four stars), travel by bus or hitching between cities and by public transport inside the cities.
4000 pounds for three months in Eastern Europe can be downright comfortable if you budget right.
>>1106691
>Have the taxpayers help under the guise of education.
>>1106587
Where do you want to go, is my question.
Rich kid here. Been traveling 16 months. I spend less than 1k/month, sometimes as low as $300. Just keep 5k aside to come back home and have ample time to get a new job. You don't want to come back broke and be forced to take the first low-paying and shitty job you find. It's also important to have safety money for emergencies. Say you get fined big time, or you need surgery, or you get all your stuff stolen.
>tfw I save 10 times what OP saves in a year
> tfw no face
Poor grad student year.
I get $25K/yr and can put about $3k away in saving a year and I still travel a bit in the meantime.
That means I can go for about 1-2 months abroad every 2-3 years.
The problem as you get older is finding time, not money. Sometimes you need to have the confidence to quit your job. If you are a good worker they will undoubtedly hire you back when you get home, if not then no new employer is going to give a shit that you took off a couple of months to travel
Been to central america for 3 month.
Without flights (long flights from southern europe), I spent less than 4K usd.
Sharing a room with my girlfriend always in hostels and never cooking.
Im guessing that by sleeping in dorms and cooking you can get even lower than that.
How much money would be enough to travel Western Europe for around a month or a little more, as cheaply as possible? Not counting flight tickets.
>>1106773
If you're staying in hostels and such, I'd say it's in the ballpark of €50 per day if you're visiting big, expensive cities. You probably won't spend that much every day, but it's best to have more money than you think you'll need. So, €1500, more or less?
>>1106776
Yes, my idea is visiting the major capitals, walk around a bit, and be a degenerate with grills in the hostels/locals.
What's the best way to travel between places?
So basically the way to travel long term is to only go to shit tier third world country? No way to travel Western Europe or the USA cheaply for months? How about Japan?
>>1106780
couch surfing and cooking for the hosts is about as cheap as you can get
>>1106780
More like it's easier to live comfortably on less money in cheaper countries than in expensive countries
You CAN do it, but you'll be staying in shitholes. Go to China, Burma, India etc and you'll live decently while not spending much. Plus, those are interesting as fuck places to visit in general
I've been on the road for 6 months now, planning another 6ish. I've met lots of long term travelers but only a few of them that did it with money from their parents. Most are mid-late 20s and worked for several years to save the money necessary.
>>1106784
Those all seem dirty to me. Like I'll get SARs or bird flu walking down the street. I am not enamored with Asia, I'd like to explore Europe. For most Americans Europe is the "thing". I reckon for Asians, too, if Hong Kong girl can be believed.
>>1106790
Yeah I've noticed that Burgers tend to find Europe pretty exotic
For Europeans, its Asia
Anyway, bottom line is that expensive places are gonna be expensive no matter what. If you want somewhere cheap, go to Asia
>>1106830
I think you are overrating Europeans views of Asian countries. With the exception of Thailand, I rarely see my friends travelling in Asian.
I have never seen anyone posting photos or talking about Taiwan or Korea. But you see many going to North America, Mexico, Caribbean, Australia, South Africa etc etc
Op is sick and tired of being a failure at life
>>1106780
Japan is as expensive as Switzerland, budget about $100 per day just to cover the basics.
>>1106786
>mid 20s
>just now decided that I want to save and travel
fugg
>>1106587
Transportation will be your biggest expense I suppose but you can spend so little for food and accomodation and enjoy your adventure imo.
Been to Malta for 35 days, spent 1000 Euros total including the plane ticket and accomodation and food and alcohol etc etc. I can say that one can cut the food expenses by half, not drink or buy a bottle from the mall, drink at home and go out etc and make the trip much more cheaper.
>>1106880
>Op is sick and tired of being a failure at life
This.
OP, no matter your walk of life, you should live like the thriftiest people of that class. Ever read the book "The Millionaire Next Door?" My sibling always had roommates, when his takehome pay was executive level. He lived FOR FREE. As the homeowner, his roommates paid all of his mortgage, and taxes and paid down the capital. After 5 years, moved out, left the renters, bought the next house, and so on. Gambling, but it's one way of savings to be a renter. Buy smart and treat yourself well because you "deserve it" lol, or sacrifice and think about your future. Ever wonder why new immigrant and old immigrant mexicans both live 15 people in a little 3bedroom house? Money. See a mercedes out front? How? Someone has no living costs and a double amount of car payment is their reward. The guy with the beat up piece of crap might be rich. I know other people that have never touched every penny they ever saved that way. Nearly every frequent traveler I know has a second job. They teach 1 summer class at the community college or a second language at the high school nights, or have some kind of business, from web developing to some kind of occasionally kitchen install, even yard work at their neighbors from time to time....you name it. I know one guy who sells tourists shirts 2 weeks out of the year in Nantucket, and nothing else. Funds his whole year. Find your little fund-raiser idea and do it occasionally.
Stop idolizing people who have riches you think you can't obtain. Size down your expenses, and get better education/better job so you can save better, or you live as cheap as you can and work with that.
Anyone here ever got a job while travelling? Like working at a hostel to pay for the stay or shit like that.
>>1106985
I haven't. I'm too lazy for that shit, especially in vacation.
I'm kinda what >>1106786 said, 29 this year, been saving up for the past 5 years for a major trip while also traveling every year. I'm not a typical example however, my parents have a big house and I still live with them as they don't charge me rent. I save most of the money I make, live my life pretty frugally for the most part. I've never owned a car, just took public transport my whole life. I do own a motorcycle as I find that to be more economical (2 weeks of gas to get me to work costs $8). I don't buy things I don't need, only things I will fully use, I hate shopping, I cook for my entire family which comes out to be much cheaper than eating out. So while my pay is just average I'm able to save up a lot each month.
This year I'm hoping to set out on a trip that will be around 4 years long. The thing is, I plan on working abroad where I can. First stop will be doing a work-holiday in Australia. Then I plan on going to Asia to teach English for a while. If I can do it I'm hoping to spend just a fraction of my saved up money to cover my travels, I think I can do it all on what I earn while actually traveling.
>>1106911
Don't worry m8. I wish I could have traveled earlier in life too but now that I think about it I will enjoy it more. If you set off before you're 30 you can still have a lot of opportunities like work-holiday visas available to you. And at my age I think I'm at a good balance where I can still hang out with younger people while also not being out of place with those a bit older.
>>1106607
must have been mostly eastern europe. 1800 eur is only 10 € per day. how can you eat drink sleep and maybe sometimes eat a icecream with 10 € a day? also transportation? you must have lived like u bum...
>>1106595
mate I was 15 days in Japan and all my expenses including flight were less than 2500 dollars...
>>1106587
Of course. Most of the long-term travelers I've met were self-made or actual working adults on long or floating between jobs.
I've traveled for months on end with money that I earned from working over forty hours per week as a sandwich delivery driver.
>>1106648
>be from South yuropoor
>pay for attending to clases
>graduate
>work hard for earning money
>don't want to spend the money it was so hard to get
Maybe it's time to open a pension plan
I travel for extended periods and am far from rich. I just save money.
E.g. spend a year working saving all my money, so I can travel for 6-9months. Rinse, repeat.
>>1106587
i'll be your hero OP
google Wooffing
buy your ticket to SEA
and enjoy life
bye
>>1106587
I saved 6k working wagekek jobs in hs and went backpacking when i graduated and i come from poverty. It can be done if you work hard, save and manage your time
>>1106830
Well this is a weeb website
>>1106865
Thailand is the new spot for chad holidays
Just depends on your group of friends, I know plenty who go/have gone around China, SEA, India etc.
>>1108980
From what country? If the USA, what part?
>>1106728
>i'm on the level of yuronigger
Great job I guess?
>>1108898
This. WOOFing lets you live at a farm for free and you usually get free meals in exchange for like 6 hours of work during the weekdays. All you need money for is transportation and you can see the entire fucking world through WOOFing and you can travel for potential years
>>1106691
You can't pocket fafsa money. It goes straight to the school.
>>1110220
And the school refunds you the difference. For instance, this summer I get 4887 for school in grants ( 2887 from FAFSA, and an additional 2k grant from the school), plus I have additional funding that will cover the tuition of 3 of my 4 summer classes already. The school refunds me the difference, which will be about 4K.
>>1110288
If you're planning to transfer to a four-year institution, I would strongly recommend against using the difference in your Pell Grant like that. Check and double-check the cost of tuition from now until your graduation - you're only eligible for Pell Grants for a certain amount of time, and you want to ensure that you get them for as long as possible.
>>1110370
This summer session is actually my first term at my 4 year.
>>1106587
I went and worked in a shitty fish factory in Alaska for 5 months and used that money to travel. if you prioritize it, it's not hard.
>>1110378
Make sure you're going to be graduating on time and will have enough grant money to last. Having excess money from refunds is nice, but don't treat it like it's inexhaustible. Remember that just because it's free doesn't mean you shouldn't think over what you're doing with it.
When I transferred to a four-year institution from community college, I found that I could skate by only having to pay $500 out of pocket between my university's grants and those offered by the federal government. Since I've had my screw-ups and taken time off here and there to travel, I'll be lucky if I graduate before my Pell Grant legibility runs out.
I won't have to borrow much and it's not a huge mistake in the grand scheme of things. I guess I'm just trying to steer you away from the same financial mistakes I made, on the off chance that you're tempted into irresponsibility by what seems like free money.
>>1106607
And I traveled to the moon for three quid.
>>1106587
Ryanair has ticket from other European cities to another going for as low as €24 at times. You spend four day to a week in a hostel in large cities for the next two months, you should be fine.
>>1106587
bruv, I worked all year, saved 15k. Didn't go out much, just worked all the time. Would pick up extra shifts whenever. Boss gave me a raise because he saw my dedication. I make 13 bucks an hour. I don't have some golden ticket. You just have to commit to saving. I also realized I didn't miss going out with my friends getting drunk on the weekends. In fact I started thinking in terms of the money I was losing by not working. You can do it senpai.
I'm not rich by any means but I've managed to save money to travel every summer except while still in college. It's been a shitload of work and I've scrimped and saved during the school years, with the payoff being the best experiences of my life in the summer
>Worked hard in high school, earned a lot of money at my job and got a scholarship to a state school
>Got a job, work around 20 hours a week during the year for just over min wage
>Burned through most of HS savings in Western Europe after freshman year because I didn't know how to budget
>Started co-oping summer after sophomore year
>Had money leftover after traveling Southeast Asia summer after junior year
>Graduating on Saturday with plans to spend most of what's left in Eastern Europe
The most important things that I did were work when I didn't need money, and live frugally when I had it. I eat cheaply (almost never at restaurants), I rent a cheap but not total shithole apartment, I own a bike instead of a car, and I prefer to stay in with friends instead of going out. Assuming you're not going in to debt for college (admittedly a big assumption), then it's absolutely possible to save enough to see the world before you graduate. Not to mention the student discounts I've been able to get at a lot of places.
Being rich would have made it a lot easier, but if you prioritize travel most people can accomplish it.
>>1110594
except ONE while still in college*
>>1110594
Wow. I was very confused, for a moment, as to how I had made this post so recently without being able to remember ever having written it. Then I realized, after reading a couple of sentences, that it's brand new and I've never seen it.
I posted earlier in this thread and agree with everything this guy has said. If you aren't burdened down by debt or familial obligations, saving money to travel is purely a matter of making sacrifices and prioritizing your passion over other entertainments. I grew up close enough to my university that I could live with my parents. I rarely buy clothes or electronics, except for when I need them, although I am relaxing as I've begun earning more closer to graduation.
I've been working at least part-time since before my freshman year. I took on multiple jobs when I was a sophomore and saving for my first big trip, and had so much fun that I was happy to give up partying and booze kegs forever.
I have zero regrets.
>>1106595
I save less than that and I'm about to leave for a 2 1/2 month trip. I saved 7k in 2 years and I definitely could travel for even less than that. I know people who just get a plane ticket and that's it, they couch surf and do odd jobs on the way and live like that.
If you're born in the first world without any major disabilities, you can probably travel for a long period if you make it a priority.
A coffee costs $4.
Let's say you drink one every work day.
That's $20 a week.
That's $1040 a year.
That's a return airfare.
You play WoW or Runescape?
That's $10 a month.
That's $120 a year.
That's a brand new jacket.
You eat takeout?
That's $20 a week.
That's $1040 a year.
That's accomodation at a hostel.
You on a post-paid phone plan?
That's $100 a month.
That's $1200 a year.
There's your meals.
>>1110613
This is the best way to look at it. I was spending as much on mediocre delivery food as I would to smoke a pack of cigarettes a day, completely cut that out 6 months ago and I've already put around $500 in to my travel fund with no other lifestyle changes
>>1106587
Britfag here, saved £4000 and going around western europe in two weeks as my first solo travel thing
I'm going to be eating the bare necessities and travelling by bike/bus/train. can i expect to return with any of it after a two month period?
are you a retarded 12 year old where you think you have to be rich to spend money?
>>1111069
If you know basic maths, it's simple.
How much to you want to have left when you come back?
Say £500.
So you know have a £3500 budget.
3500 divided by 61 days = £57 per day.
Try to stay under that every day and you'll come back with £500 in your pockets.
Don't expect shit. Make it happen.
(It shouldn't be too hard in your case, £50+ a day easily covers hostel, food, and transportation.)
>>1106587
you don't have to be a rich kid but you have to work for it. it's not just about saving you have to cut a lot of unnecessary spending.
>>1106763
wut
>be rich, talking about working jobs
>>1110594
Owning a car can be such a huge money pit. My cars over the years have killed my travel budget due to costly repairs or the car completely shitting the bed in general. All of your advice is essential not only for travel saving but saving in general.
>>1111125
Anon comes from a responsible rich family that wants their kids to be rich long after they're dead so they make them get jobs and work for their money instead of being lazy shits who party all day and night and waste their parents fortunes on bullshit.
That anon is from a smart rich family.
>>1110611
I saved $5.5k for a trip that was Turkey-Greece-Turkey-Iraq-Turkey-Georgia-Armenia-UAE-Bahrain-India-Kazakhstan-Turkey and was very comfortable. Was out for three and a half or four months. I started wearing out near to the end in India, so far as finances go, and came home with $50 in the bank, but I was comfortable the whole time.
>>1106587
>Is the only way to travel for more than a month or two to be a rich kid?
No.
I am an undergraduate student, earning £14k a year. By not going out, and only paying rent + electricity + gas + internet + food, I managed to save half of that.
I also expect a bonus at the end of my placement next month. With that + bursary from university + some side private pc fixing jobs, I saved enough to go this summer to Asia for 2 months and come back not completely broken.
>>1107895
>>work hard for earning money
>>don't want to spend the money it was so hard to get
Buy a house somewhere and spend your money on the mortgage. You definitely won't regret owning a home when you're older.
If you're earning money and not wasting it, you may as well make sure the money is being productive.
>>1106587
>Less than 5 thousand dollars saved in a year.
That is not poor.
Poverty means not being able to save money period or ending up further in debt just by living. Saving $5k means that you're actually kinda comfy.
Anyway, like everyone else said, $5k is plenty to travel for a month or two, especially if you go somewhere like India or SEA. Africa too probably.
It just won't long in Paris, NYC or London (you could probably still manage a month with self-catering, couch-surfing and a lot of walking).
>>1111796
Everyone is not about that life, hosteler fag.
>>1111800
>OP asks for poorfag advice
DURRRRRRRRR HOSTERLFAG DAT LIFE SPEND MONEY LOOOOOOOOOL XDDDD
>>1111802
It ain't trickin' if you got it
>be poorfag college graduate
>$1,000 to my name
>get ESL teaching job
>flights and flat payed for
>save up over the year
>use all the money to travel for an extended period of time
>do it all over again when the money is finished
That's how I do it. I'll probably be a poorfag until I decide to further my education, but the lifestyle is addictive desu.
>>1111833
>That's how I do it. I'll probably be a poorfag until I decide to further my education, but the lifestyle is addictive desu.
You're not really a poorfag if you're working a job and have no debts or dependants.
>>1111753
Holy fuck man, you must have some super cheap ass rent in order to survive with that kind of welfare budget. Maybe I'm jaded because I've been living in one of the most expensive cities in the world for the last 6 years but you'd be hard pressed to find anything decent for less then 500$ a month rent.
>>1112145
£350 a month. It's quite cheap even by local standards.
>>1106587
I traveled the PCH for 2 weeks on like ~400-500 total dollars and that was with a hotel stay on the final night. I camped the entire way, and honestly, I probably could have spent a lot less. Pretty easy to save the dosh for a month long trip without any of the luxurious accessories.
My wife and I worked hard and saved enough money to visit her family in greece. Stayed with some of them and did some airbnb. All in all we spent probably 4,000 the whole trip including plane tickets and the price of accommodation, and whatever we bought.while there.
>>1112145
>One of the most expensive cities in the world
>Hard to find anything decent for.less than 500 a month
This doesn't feel like it adds up.
>>1112351
>greek
She into anal?
>>1112352
Average home price is 1.2 million right now in vancouver. 500$ for rent on some shitty room in a crap neighborhood is the best most can do.
>>1112359
>13 months last year
ok buddy
>>1112391
anon is saying that $500 is not that much. try to find something for under 1k in NYC
>>1112392
lol'd
>>1112392
Yeah yeah, I left after my exams in late-Nov 2014, got back early-Jan this year to before uni started again.
>>1106830
Nawh, for Europeans its South America. Asia is seen as trashy.
a-any of you guys have experience with airbnb? is it safe
On a related note, I've been traveling for 5+ years (nomadic lifestyle at the very least), so if anyone has questions I can try and answer them.
>>1112837
where have you been, how have you kept money going? I'm considering travelling for 2 years teaching English along the way as a means to provide for myself, like four 6-month TEFL places or something
>>1112839
I've been around Europe, South East Asia, Australia and North America. Sometimes I have paused in a place to work for a bit, like stationary type work. Other than that right now I'm doing freelancing type work like translation and content creation.
If you get a certificate you can most certainly teach English, and in South East Asia even make a comfortable living doing it. Another solid tip is to get the working holiday in Australia and just work for a while to make a big chunk. It'll probs be pretty hard and tedious work but the rewards are grand and you'll meet other like-minded people in the same situation so that makes it more bareable than most dead-end jobs on home turf, anyway.
I'm an American traveling Europe rn. I've been couchsurfing and staying with friends I've hosted via couchsurfing and I have no responsibilities back home. I got a one way to Berlin for 250 dollars and I've spent probably more or less 700 dollars otherwise. Try work away and help x as well. But fuck paying for a place to sleep every time.
>>1112497
no youll get raped
>>1111942
Thanks, you made me feel better about having no bank account and only 200 dollars to my name. Guess it's time to look for a job again hey.
>>1112850
b-but im a 6'0 guy
How do you guys plan your trips?
Like you just look up hiking or camping destinations, cities, look at busses or trains to get there, and buy a ticket to this place?
>>1112874
Create OneNote notebook, share with friend you want to go on a trip with, dump random ideas into it and put it all together at the end.
Pic related. Currently gathering ideas for this summer. Gonna start booking tickets soon.
