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Pick a Place

It’s sounds obvious, but you may find that it’s one of the toughest questions to answer.

Pick up that travel book you just finished, or the jacket of the travel documentary/movie you’ve just watched and take a look at the places described. Was the character helping villagers in Africa build a new school? Was he backpacking solo in Latin America? What places described in the book made you want to leave and explore?

Start reading message boards on websites like www.lonelyplanet.com, www.travellerspoint.com or www.craigslist.org. Many first-time and seasoned travelers share fears, feedback and practical information on specific destinations or activities. These messages will get you thinking about what it is you’re really looking for in this trip.

Once you’ve found the destination of your dreams, you’ve already made a lot of progress. In case you really don’t know, send me an e-mail, I have too many places on my list anyways.

What Do You Want to Do?

Think about the posts you read, the travel books you’ve checked out at the library and the articles you’ve been reading in magazines. Why do you want to go on this trip?

I asked Omar what interests him about budget traveling. He said, “the excitement—it’s an adventure, a challenge to survive on minimal resources in a foreign land. And the sense of accomplishment you will get after the trip will be worth the sacrifices you would have made, let alone the fact that you have saved money for your next trip.”

What are some things “you” want to accomplish?

Whether it’s getting your PADI certification, skiing in the Alps or laying on the beach in the Caribbean, it’s important to have an idea of what you want out of your upcoming trip.

Thinking about what you like and what you don’t like will also help you choose what time of year you should head out. If skiing in the Alps is on your agenda for instance, you may want to rethink your June departure.

This also brings us to another question—do you want to travel alone or with a boyfriend/girlfriend/relative? Although traveling alone may sound scary especially if it’s your first backpacking trip, if you and your traveling partner are not interested in doing similar things, you may be better off by yourself. Ayun Halliday wrote an entire book about that—isn’t that enough proof that traveling with someone can be tough?

Practical Stuff

So now you know where you want to go or at least where your first stop will be and some of the things you want to do. You now need to think about some of the practicalities, such as the kind of clothing you’ll need.

If you’re planning on doing a lot of hiking, you may want to start looking into buying a pair of hiking boots. Depending on where you go, it may be cheaper to wait until you get there but keep in mind that once you’re traveling, you may prefer to put on the boots you brought in the morning and go explore the countryside instead of getting stuck in the city shoe shopping.

If you’re planning on traveling to cold areas, it’s a good idea to read up on protection for your face, eyes and feet. Same goes if you’re heading to warm spots, although I find these a lot easier to prepare for—all you need is a pair of sunglasses, a hat, a bathing suit, sunscreen and a sarong that you can use a towel/skirt/bag.

Do you wear contacts or glasses? If you do, bring a spare or a prescription with you when you travel in case you need to get a replacement.

Are you on any type of medication/taking birth control/need allergy medicine every spring? As you may not be able to find the brand you’re used to, I would recommend taking all this stuff with you or having friends or relatives mail it to you as you travel. Also keep in mind that you may need show prescriptions at customs.

Talking about health, will you need vaccinations prior to departure? Although you don’t need to get all the recommended shots, some basic ones may be good to have. Check www.mdtravelhealth.com for more information.

Omar added “this list can be different for different people. For example—for someone like me, who loves to read, it would be important to pack a few good books whereas someone like my friend Helena who can't go 10 minutes without a cigarette, a few cartons of cigarettes would help unless she knows that she will be able to buy cigarettes at a similar price at her destination, if not, it will be harder for her to manage a limited budget.”

Difficulties

One of the things I love the most about budget travel is the contact you have with locals—getting to know people, learning about cultures and traditions and being exposed to things you would never see at home on your way to work. In my opinion, this is also one the hardest things about budget travel. As a budget traveler, you are in closer contact with local reality which sometimes means facing poverty, war victims and prostitution.

Although I haven’t found a solution to all situations, I think that reading about these topics beforehand helped me. My first instinct was to want to give to the person directly. However, reading about it, I found that it doesn’t always help as much as I’d thought. Giving money to children in Vietnam, for example, may encourage parents to make their children beg instead of putting them in school. Most guidebooks have a section on this, so read it.

Money, and Lack Of

When asked what worries him about traveling on a budget, Omar said “the fear that the budget is too low and I will run out of money at the worst possible time.”

I’m cheap when I travel. That means, I don’t stay at the Four Seasons and I don’t care if my backpack is the North Face or a bright orange one I got ten years ago. On the other hand, I like clean sheets and no leftover smells from the guy who stayed in the room the day before. So, if that means spending two more dollars on the room, I’ll probably give in and spend less on dinner that day.

Some may agree with me, and others may think I’m a needy princess rather than a real budget traveler. In short, budget travel means something different to everyone. So, depending on your traveling standards, you may spend more or less money.

Look at some of the activities you had in mind and consider the costs as you calculate the funds you’ll need. You also need to look at the cost of living in the country you’re visiting. You may need $1,000 a month to travel around Europe but $500 to backpack in Southeast Asia.

Since you probably have more time than money you can choose how slowly or fast you want to burn through your budget. However, if you find yourself in a desperate financial situation, there are three things you can do right away: Take out the spare credit card, although I don’t recommend going into debt for a trip; Call the family and ask them to wire some money; Get yourself a temporary job.

Ticket to Ride

So, you’ve now saved up enough money to go job-free on your travels, or you’ve decided to extend your trip and pick up a job in different countries to continue. No matter what the case is, you now need to get your ticket.

Get on the Internet, check out bargains on websites like www.travelocity.com, www.bestfares.com, www.skyauction.com, www.airtreks.com, www.travelcuts.com and www.airbrokers.com.

Don’t get the ticket right away though—ask other travelers for advice and do some research. Once you’ve done that, you’ll probably find yourself with a few other stops planned and a great price.

Now, Go Back and Erase Everything

I’m kidding… well only a little. Remember when Dad would plan the entire road trip before the family left and then get mad because the first day, we were already three days behind according to the itinerary?

Do yourself a favor and throw the itinerary away now. If you’ve planned everything to a T, you’re going to find yourself running everywhere to make sure you’re doing everything on the list and while you’re doing that, you probably won’t have time to enjoy any of it.

Traveling on a budget means that you’ll have more time than money. So, start your trip, then decide what you want to do as you go. Let things happen. It’s much more fun when the fun isn’t planned.

As you start traveling also keep in mind that tickets can be changed and this is only your first trip, which means you have plenty of other ones ahead of you. So, if there are places you don’t have time to see this time, remember them next time you get ready to hit the road.

If you have questions or travel tips, send an e-mail to editor@insideoutmag.com.

Helene Goupil is the editor of InsideOut Travel Magazine.

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Travel to the Caribbean... There lies a chain of sixty islands called the British Virgin Islands. See www.bviinfo.com.

 

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