Spending Breakdown with Charts

My girlfriend and I spent 834 days traveling to over 60 countries over the course of 3 calendar years (2022, 2023, 2024). 

We tracked every penny we spent and tried to stick to a budget of $37.50 per day, per person ($75 per day combined). Ultimately, we went over that by almost $10 per day. We tried to do as much as we could on a budget and prioritized meeting new people (especially locals) and seeing obscure places over comfort. 

The photos and numbers include every $ spent (yes including flights). EVERY $ SPENT! 

THIS IS JUST ONE PERSONS SPEND. 

MY PARTNER HAS HER OWN DATA THAT LOOKS SIMILAR! 

2022 was spent primarily in Eastern Europe and the Balkans.

Countries Visited in order:

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Romania, Moldova, Transnistria, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Ireland, Czechia, Austria, Slovenia, Albania, Greece, Cyprus, France.

2023:traveled across asia from Japan to the Caucasus Mountains

Countries visited in order:

Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei, Malaysia, China, Mongolia, South Korea, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia.

2024: South America through Central America and Mexico

Countries visited in order:

Chile(Santiago and Patagonia), Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Chile (Atacama Desert), Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, Mexico. 

We found that we needed a “Quest” ,something that would pull us away from touristy areas and in turn guide us towards seeing the more “real” parts of a country. This ended up being a lofty goal of trying to visit every UNESCO World Heritage Site. This quest ended up giving us some of our most memorable travel experiences, not because of the UNESCO sites themselves, but because of the places we traveled through to reach the sites. We met locals who never see tourists and in turn we had some amazing interactions and made wonderful friends along the way. 

I am happy to answer questions about the budget, destinations, travel tips or strategy. Cheers and see you on the road!

We all love travel. Everybody here is some kind of a wanderer, and I think it's fair to say we all "get" the allure of seeing the world, particularly when flights are growing increasingly cheap.

But for now, taking non-essential trips around the world is irresponsible. We don't have enough resources to treat the sick if we can't effectively flatten the curve worldwide; if we fail to do this, our beloved destinations will meet the same fate (or worse) than what is occurring in Italy or Iran: helpless doctors being forced to choose who will be treated, and who will be left to die.

This is no longer alarmist, or paranoid. For f*ck's sake, people's lives are at risk... unless you absolutely have to be somewhere, take the hit on the trip you booked, or wait a while until you travel. The world will still be there when this is over.

What cities in the US could I fly into, then to get around only use public transportation or walk? I recently have done this in vegas, which surprised me with their efficient bus system. What other US cities is this viable?

I (25F) just found out my now ex-boyfriend (27M) cheated on me, literally days before we were supposed to leave for a 10-day trip to Paris.

I had already paid for all the hotels and flights (about $5k total), while he was supposed to cover activities and food during the trip. Now I'm stuck with a non-refundable vacation

But you know what? I've decided I'm still going to Paris. Solo trip, here I come! The thing is, my budget is pretty much shot after covering all the accommodations. So I'm turning to you lovely people for some advice:

What are some amazing free (or very cheap) things to do in Paris over the next 10 days? I'm talking hidden gems, local favorites, anything to help me make the most of this trip without breaking the bank even more.

Any tips on how to enjoy Paris on a shoestring budget would be amazing. I'm determined to have a great time and not let this jerk ruin my vacation.

I have a hobby of aviation and finding cheap airfare. I thought rather than just looking at random flights I could do something fun and pay something forward. Give me your flights in something like this format the more specific the better. NOTE I'm a college student so response times may vary. :)

* Origin: ex. NYC (JFK, EWR, LGA)

* DEST: ex. Miami/FLL

* Departure Dates: ex. 7/1 or 7/1->7/20

* Return Dates: ex. 7/1 or 7/1->7/20. IF One-way just say NA

* LENGTH: ex. 4 days (If you say 1 week please say 7 days or 7-8 days ect.)

* Other: ex No Layovers over 4 hours.

* Expected Budget: ~$120 (Just want to see if I can get below this goal)

* Bags: Carry-On (Goes in the overhead bin)? Personal Item (fits under the seat in front of you)? Checked Bag? This actually matters in the difference in price alot. EX. 1 carry-on, no checked bags.

Again, PLEASE be as specific and as unambiguous as possible. ie 7/15->7/30 is better than "Late July"

Also if want to do it yourself. ITA, theflightdeal, Hopper, Momondo, Google Flights and Kayak, KIWI ( typically great for more IDK where to go moments) are great sites.

Hey r/Shoestring, I wish I found this sub before I'd left but all's well that ends well. I saved a great amount, and figured out ways to extend my backpacking trip pretty much forever. This thread is for the best bits of a blog I wrote here, the full blog is long and needs to have the contents page so I've left it there if you want to check it. Otherwise, these are my absolute best tips, and I'm sure others have more experience so please put your tips down in the comments! Enjoy!

• Ditch the check-in luggage and go carry-on only. 7kg (15.4lbs) of clothes and accessories in a 40L bag is all you need. Seriously, the ladies like to say its because I'm a guy, but I've seen plenty of female backpackers do this too.Hot Tip: Packing cubes are life savers, and this Osprey Bag is by far the best investment I made for this trip. It has the perfect dimensions for airlines to not tear me a new one. I saved $500+ on baggage fees.

• Get a travel card that re-reimburses ATM fees. For Australia, ING Bank has a card that will re-reimburse all foreign ATM fees, I’ve heard of similar ones for the UK and US. In fact there was a thread on one for the UK on this sub a few days ago. Because I didn’t do this, I had a nice “$I don’t want to even calculate” total fee at the end.

• Use Skyscanner’s price chart to compare flights, use Rome2Rio for land travel comparisons. You can compare prices by day/month, get cheap flights to gems you didn't even know about. Don’t use travel agents if you like money.

• Work in guesthouses/hostels and teach English for free accommodation and travel money. These are some of the easiest ways to practically travel forever, all you have to do is ask. And if you speak English and are social, you’ve got the job. This is one of the ways you can chill in a city/town/area you like for slightly longer term. It won't make you rich but man does it offset life for the cost of 2-3 hours a day.

• Teach English/German/French on your terms - There's high demand, especially in Asia for English teachers, and you can set up a job for yourself so you can work remotely usually teaching Chinese students, but you've got plenty of access to other opportunities. And no you don't need to know the other language. Job listing are here.
  I go into more tips and advice on this in this section.

• Sign up to Trusted House Sitters or Mind My House - These services let you get free accommodation by house sitting for other people. You can get to see some pretty cool places, just by sitting for people. Couchsurfing is also good for free accommodation.

I'm sure a lot of you are well versed in all of this, but these are discoveries I made for myself and thought I'd share in case it'd help with anyone's upcoming trips! Feel free to ask any questions too! Not an expert but I've learned quite a bit :)

Thanks,

Sah

First, If you are planning to travel in the next couple of months please travel safely and hopefully it is only VFR.

I don't care who you vote for. For US citizens check your voter registration status at vote.org

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I have a hobby of aviation and finding cheap airfare. I thought rather than just looking at random flights I could do something fun and pay something forward.

Give me your flights in something like this format the more specific the better. Please COPY and EDIT the below format :)

* Origin: ex. NYC (JFK, EWR, LGA)

* DEST: ex. Miami/FLL

* Departure Dates: ex. 7/1 or 7/1->7/20

* Return Dates: ex. 7/1 or 7/1->7/20. IF One-way just say NA

* LENGTH: ex. 4 days (If you say 1 week please say 7 days or 7-8 days ect.)

* Other: ex No Layovers over 4 hours.

* Expected Budget: ~$120 (optional, Just want to see if I can get below this goal)

* Bags: Carry-On (Goes in the overhead bin)? Personal Item (fits under the seat in front of you)? Checked Bag? This actually matters in the difference in price alot. EX. 1 carry-on, no checked bags.

Again, PLEASE be as specific and as unambiguous as possible. ie 7/15->7/30 or +/- 1 day is better than "Late July" or "flexible".

Also, I did not get to everyone last time, so feel free to repost requests.

Here is a link to a previous post about extra tips:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Shoestring/comments/ctqu22/i_will_help_you_find_you_cheap_flights_for_free/exnct29/?context=3

I don't care who you vote for. For US citizens check your voter registration status at vote.org

Wear a mask when you fly and travel safely.

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I have a hobby of aviation and finding cheap airfare. I thought rather than just looking at random flights I could do something fun and pay something forward.

Give me your flights in something like this format the more specific the better. Please COPY and EDIT the below format :)

* Origin: ex. NYC (JFK, EWR, LGA)

* DEST: ex. Miami/FLL

* Departure Dates: ex. 7/1 or 7/1->7/20

* Return Dates: ex. 7/1 or 7/1->7/20. IF One-way just say NA

* LENGTH: ex. 4 days (If you say 1 week please say 7 days or 7-8 days ect.)

* Other: ex No Layovers over 4 hours.

* Expected Budget: ~$120 (optional, Just want to see if I can get below this goal)

* Bags: Carry-On (Goes in the overhead bin)? Personal Item (fits under the seat in front of you)? Checked Bag? This actually matters in the difference in price alot. EX. 1 carry-on, no checked bags.

Again, PLEASE be as specific and as unambiguous as possible. ie 7/15->7/30 or +/- 1 day is better than "Late July" or "flexible".

Also, I did not get to everyone last time, so feel free to repost requests.

Here is a link to a previous post about extra tips:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Shoestring/comments/ctqu22/i_will_help_you_find_you_cheap_flights_for_free/exnct29/?context=3

I’m on a quest to finding cheap flights. Have normally always used google flights to finding the cheapest. Is there someone else you guys use to find cheap flights?

Let's say that you book a flight for $200. If the price goes down to $100, you will get a $100 in travel funds if you "change" your flights to the same flight since they have no change fees. Also works if change to a different flight and the flight is cheaper.

The points guy has a good article on how to do this.

How to get fare difference

Maybe I’m a total noob, but I just recently learned you can negotiate rates with AirBnB hosts prior to booking!AirBnB allows you to contact the host prior to booking, and if you’re booking last minute or during a non-peak time, hosts will often offer you a better rate if you just ask. They have the ability to offer you a “special rate” if they approve it.

Just tried this for the first time for a trip I’m taking with my family to San Diego this month and was able to get an 18% discount applied to our 4 day stay. Pretty rad, and didn’t see any other posts about doing this in this sub so I thought I’d share the tip!

If you already booked and your flight is now cheaper you can 'change' your flight to the same flight and get flight credit for another future Southwest flight.

I work in restaurants and am very average. Is there a nice country that would allow me to work in a restaurant and live in their country. I can save up money for flight and a couple months rent. Also I’m 32.

I have a hobby of aviation and finding cheap airfare. I thought rather than just looking at random flights I could do something fun and pay something forward. Give me your flights in something like this format the more specific the better.

* Origin: ex. NYC (JFK, EWR, LGA)

* DEST: ex. Miami/FLL

* Departure Dates: ex. 7/1 or 7/1->7/20

* Return Dates: ex. 7/1 or 7/1->7/20. IF One-way just say NA

* LENGTH: ex. 4 days (If you say 1 week please say 7 days or 7-8 days ect.)

* Other: ex No Layovers over 4 hours.

* Expected Budget: ~$120 (Just want to see if I can get below this goal)

* Bags: Carry-On (Goes in the overhead bin)? Personal Item (fits under the seat in front of you)? Checked Bag? This actually matters in the difference in price alot. EX. 1 carry-on, no checked bags.

Again, PLEASE be as specific and as unambiguous as possible. ie 7/15->7/30 is better than "Late July"

Also if want to do it yourself. ITA, theflightdeal, Hopper, Momondo, Google Flights and Kayak, KIWI ( typically great for more IDK where to go moments) are great sites.

I have compiled a list of how to travel for cheap/free using tips I've picked up in my 8 years of travel and tips from fellow broke travelers. Please comment your own tips! Excuse my weak English. Most of these are for Europe travel but can apply to anywhere.

1. Travel to places when their currencies are down. For instance, the British Pound dropped by about 30% after Brexit was announced so the country was basically 30% off for foreigners. This means you get 30% more pounds when exchanging dollars to pounds while hotels, restaurants etc. have prices that remain constant. However, some businesses will raise their prices if massive inflation occurs. This is how I was able to stay in hostels for $3/night, hotels for $10/night and eat full meals for $1 in Ukraine in 2014 (right after the revolution). Currently Argentina’s economy is down - you could get 9 Argentinian pesos per dollar exchanged in 2017 and 60 today.

2. Once you make friends in a hostel, you can all get a AirBNB together which I find is often cheaper than a hostel. Keep in mind there are cleaning fees that will add on to your total price.

3. Couchsurfing. Make sure you read their reviews before staying with someone. I’ve had mostly good experiences but a few sketchy ones. As a rule of thumb, if someone exclusively has reviews from only one gender, there’s a fair chance they’re going to hit on you which can get sticky since you’re alone in their house. I put that I am engaged (which is true) in my profile so people don’t get pissy if I turn down their advances. Remember to bring a small gift for the host! A nice bar of chocolate is always a good option, bonus points if it’s a gift from a country you just came from.

4. Take advantage of public parks. In my younger years I used to stay up all night in bars and sleep either on a hammock or scarf/towel in a park. I’ve never felt unsafe or been hassled for loitering especially in huge parks like Vondelpark in Amsterdam or Englischer Gardens in Munich. Use a travel cube as a pillow and scarf/towel to lay on if you don’t have room for a hammock. Put shades and earphones in and people are less likely to bother you.

5. Trains - A lot of countries have cheap night trains. Depending on how much you want to spend, you can get a bed on a train for way less than a hostel/hotel. I remember getting a bed on a 10 hour train ride from Odessa to Lviv, I think it cost $9.

6. Eurail - Best deal ever. You can have unlimited travel 10 out of 30 days for about 200 Euros. This includes night trains so you can save on hotels. I used to take a train in the morning to one town, spend the day sightseeing, and hop on a night train to another country right before midnight and it all counted as one day of travel. Fellow travelers reported using pencils and erasable pens on their tickets to travel every day, but this is against the rules so I can’t recommend. I did the math and the trains I was taking would have cost me over $100/day while the pass was $25/day at the time. Chose 2nd class and under 27 years old for 25% off, it looks like the current price is $284 https://www.eurail.com/en/eurail-passes/global-pass

7. Avoid vendors that do not have prices listed, otherwise the seller will try to overcharge you if you look like a foreigner.

8. Eastern Europe - Generally, the further East you go the more affordable everything is. Places like Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, and Transnistria, are off the beaten path so they aren’t too touristy. As I mentioned previously, I got hostels for $3/night, hotels for $10/night and eat full meals for $1 in Ukraine in 2014. My friends were buying packs of smokes for 50 cents. Museums were like a dollar and the famous opera in Kyiv was $4. If you’re in Kyiv, make a trip to Chernobyl. My tour was $90 with student discount but lasted all day plus meals and only 6 others on my trip so well worth it.

9. Handwash your underoos in a sink with travel soap (concentrated soap tablets or strips). Handsoap is also fine.

10. Bring a small padlock and travel towel to avoid paying to rent one at a hostel. A lightweight scarf can work as a towel as well as many other things like a blanket, shawl, etc.

11. Travel sized dry shampoo works wonders on days when you don’t have an opportunity to shower, like when you’re sleeping on trains or parks. Bring a travel washcloths so you can take a hobo “shower” in bathrooms - scrub your pits and bits and put on deodorant and you will smell fine! Solid shampoo and conditioner in an Altoids tin take up way less space than liquid, Lush makes some good ones.

12. Free things to do - Always google free things in whatever city you’re in. My travel companions and I loved to go exploring abandoned places like an old Soviet mental hospital in the hills above Zagreb, Croatia. PS if you go to Zagreb stay in this hostel at the train station that is an old train! It was $10/night in 2017 and the owner is the sweetest old man. Most cities have free walking tours but you should tip a few Euros. Most museums in Great Britain are free.

13. Be savvy about scams. A local in a bar in Prague told us all his friends died in the Chech revolution, so we bought him beers. The next day our tour guide told us it was called the Velvet Revolution because no one died! Beers were only 25 cents in Prague so it was more funny than anything. Most beggars in Europe are actually not homeless, they just make more money begging than an actual job, don’t waste your money. If you want to donate, give them food, fake beggars will refuse the food and ask for money since they aren’t really in need. There’s a documentary on Youtube where a reporter follows some “beggars” back to their huge house, don’t get scammed.

14. The cheapest way to eat is to buy some bread, meat, and cheese from a grocery store and make your own sandwich.

15. Carpooling- In Europe there is a website called BlaBlaCar where you pay very little ride in someone's car from city to city. This is a good option if you aren't down with hitchhiking.

16. Foreign SIM cards - Monthly phone plans in Europe are super cheap. I got unlimited calls, text and 5 GBs of data in Scotland for $10/month and the plans work in the entirety of Europe (the same plan cost me $50 in USA). I find I need a wireless data plan to navigate cities, but there is an alternate way to navigate without cellular data plan or where you don't have cell service. Download this app called HereWeGo and download whatever countries you need and it works just like Google Maps but offline!

17. A good backpack makes a world of difference. If your back is killing you, you won't feel like doing anything fun. This is one item you should not cheap out on, but there are tricks to getting a nice, supportive backpack for cheap. Check your local craigslist for backpacks - I was able to get a new 40L Osprey Fairview (the woman's versions of of the Farpoint) for $45! Keep it under 40L so you it will fit under your plane seat and you can avoid baggage fees. A good rule of thumb is to keep your pack weight under 20% of your weight, so I try to keep it under 20 pounds for me. If you are a woman or have a small frame, consider getting a woman's backpack - the straps are situated closer to the middle of your chest and they won't pull back on your shoulder bones.

18. Other posters have commented about planes for traveling between European cities - I've seen budget flights like Ryanair have deals from $15 including fees! This can be cheaper than train travel as long as your backpack is small enough to avoid baggage fees.

I think most people see shoestring travel as a necessity, and if we had the money to travel a different way, we would. Personally I don't see it like that, I see shoestring travel as something that enriches my experience whilst travelling. I've made a list of reasons why I think that and I'm interested in what the rest of this subreddit thinks.

1. You Gain A Stronger Insight Into Local Life

Naturally, as a shoestring traveller, you have to go where the locals go. That means eating at local spots, travelling on local buses etc. That means that we will get a greater understanding to what live is really like for residents of that city/ country. More so than someone eating in tourist focused restaurants or travelling by private transport anyway.

2. Better Food

Of course this one depends where in the world you are. But imo, in most places the best food is to be found where the locals are. They're the ones in the know anyway. Tacos in Mexico, thali in India and spicy soups in SEA for example.

3. It's More Adventurous

Surely this is one of the main reasons most of us travel, adventure. Being forced to travel on a shoestring budget puts us in certain situations, that more luxurious travellers wouldn't be in, which forces us to leave our comfort zone and embrace adventure.

4. You Can Travel For Longer

You can either spend $1000 in 2 weeks or 2 months, it's a no brainer!

5. It's Safer

Okay, maybe some of you will disagree with this one. However the way I see it, dodgy characters are more likely to target those clearly with a bit of money than some frugal traveller. Thieves targeting tourists go to where the money is, not the cheap places where we will be.

6. It's Better For The Environment

Travelling around extensively by plane is bad for the environment, duh. As shoestring travellers we use less planes and more buses and trains. We also use less private transport like taxis.

7. Your Money Goes Straight Into Locals Pocket

A lot of more luxurious hotels and restaurants are ran by expats and don't benefit the locals very much. When eating in a little eatery or staying in a small guesthouse we can be sure that our money is going straight into the locals pocket.

8. You Get To Share The Experience

Maybe this isn't true for everyone but travelling with another person is cheaper as it allows you to split costs. That means that finding someone else to travel with you is a great idea and travelling with someone else is great. You get to share everything you experience and you have someone to relive the experience with post trip.

I'd be interested in seeing what you guys think about these reasons, which ones do you agree with, which do you disagree with? Is there any other reasons you would add?

P.S I've wrote about this in more detail, and other things, on my new blog (theshoestringbackpackers). Feedback is appreciated.