Traveling for less than one hundred dollars per month is an absurd budget. If you think about it from a western point of view, that’s not even enough money to pay rent for a week, so how is someone suppose to live on that for a month abroad? I don’t know, it’s almost incomprehensible, but I met a few people doing just that. They weren’t dirty, grimy, or shifty westerners though. They were usually travelers from countries with a lower income level than in the West. They of course want to travel too, so they had to get creative with their budget and work as they go.

Those that have tried to meet this budget tell me that they never want to travel any other way. When you must earn money and cut corners to get by, you get to know the locals and the culture at a more intimate level and experience things in a whole new way. Learning to travel for less than rent may be the new way of traveling.

If you’re not looking to be this budget crazy, read over my post about general budgeting and saving (coming soon…)

5 Tips to Travel for Less than $100 a month budget:

• Hitch hike. Use caution and know your area, but bus and air travel are one of the biggest expenses while traveling. If you can avoid it, don’t pay it. Hitch hiking is also a great way to meet locals and sometimes earn a free meal.

• Couchsurfing. A great website that allows you to sleep at local houses in exchange for a little work or nothing at all. It’s a great way to meet locals and learn about the city more deeply.

• Work Exchange and Volunteering. There are a lot of dumb pay-to-volunteer opportunities out there. Avoid these. Sites like HelpX.net and WorkAway.info are great ways to find real volunteer and work opportunities that allow you to exchange your time for a room and board or maybe a paycheck. You’ll be teaching English, rebuilding communities, working in hospitality, doing labor, etc, and you’ll be getting to know the area, the people, and the volunteers for longer periods of time and making longer lasting connections. This is a must on a tight budget, covering hostel costs and food is covering 90% of a tight budget.

• Negotiate and Haggle. It’s so obvious, but haggle for everything. The price is almost always negotiable, and you’ll be surprised how much you can save by simply asking. Pennies turn into dollars and dollars turn into serious savings.

• Don’t Drink. Alcohol is the biggest waste of money on a tight budget. A local meal in Thailand costs less than a dollar, but the national beer costs $2. Go out at night and drink some tea instead, and you’ll rally to the break of dawn.

Finding an actual job is worth noting but may be too obvious. There are jobs all over southeast Asia for travelers and expats, especially in cities. Many travelers find work teaching English or working at a hostel, but other professional jobs exist as well if you’re not picky about location. With the small earnings you make, you’ll be able to easily travel on weekend and vacations without dipping into the original budget. Australia also offers one year working visas to many countries, and this is a very popular way to travel and work simultaneously.

For more budget tips, see LINK TO COME SOON

Find more advice on budgeting and saving money, see these sites.

• Reddit – /r/showstring
• Rick Steves – Thrifty 50 Travel Tips
• NOMADasaurus – 10 Tips For Sticking to Your Travel Budget
• BeMyTravelMuse – What 6 Month Traveling in SE Asia Cost Me

The post Travel Budgeting 103 — 5 Tips to Travel for Less Than $100 a Month appeared first on Quarter Life Excursion.

Even though we don’t want to have a data and phone plan abroad, that doesn’t mean we should ditch the phone entirely. This is the 21st century and a thousand little convenient tools can all be used with the smart phone. With a proper tool kit of apps on your phone, you’ll find yourself surprisingly prepared for travel anywhere.

Below are the best apps to make traveling easier and better.

Maps.ME: [Offline Maps]  #1 Must have backpackers app. This off-line map/GPS app was a godsend in every country we visited. Not only were we navigating busy cities like a local, we were following trails, finding lesser known attractions, and spotting emergency toilets like a pro. All the locations on the app are crowd-sourced, you can add locations of your own or simply add and share personal locations with their simple interface and tools.

Google Translate: [Universal Translator] There are no good offline translate apps. Google Translate at least allows you to save a list of your favorite translations for offline reference. Do the research on Wi-Fi in the hostel and you’ll be butchering the language to the local’s amusement in no time. If you want an offline app, consider a basic English to Other dictionary app.

XE Currency Exchange: [Updated exchange rates] Don’t get screwed, reference this app. Of course this app does not work offline, since rates change everyday, but it’ll keep the old data saved for reference till you do fond Wi-Fi. Set up your preferences to view the currencies you’ll be using and refresh. Easy.

Hostelworld: [Hostel and hotel booking] Comparable to Agoda, AirBnb, Hotels.com and Booking.com, but I found that Hostelworld had the best rates, the easiest interface, the most reasonable options for a backpacker, and the best and most honest rating system. Hostel with 8.0 rating and less than $10/night? Sold.

Bank and Credit Card apps: Get them, use them, love them. It’s easier and faster than the web for checking on your finances. Read our post on credit cards and banks for useful travel tips (coming soon).

Hangouts Dialer: [Free Wi-Fi dialer] Call anywhere in the United States or Canada for FREE using Wi-Fi. No mutual friendship required. I couldn’t believe it either when I heard it. This app saved me when I needed to call my banks and possible employers who didn’t have WhatsApp

WhatsApp: [$0.99 to call or text any contacts] Texting and Calling between mutual friends on WhatsApp. Super convenient and super easy.

Dropbox: [Photos and file sharing] A must have for backing up photos and videos on the go. It’s also a great way to share high res photos with friends all at once by simply sending them a link. (I’ve recently heard that Google Photos is making this even easier, more organized, and more accessible.) Dropbox is also great for sharing media files like movies and music.

AirAsia App: [Flights] It is the worst app to work with but if you’re flying around SE Asia on a dime, you’re most likely gonna be flying AirAisa. Fortunately, the app works better than the mobile site, so be glad about that. Also, always check AirAsia’s direct rates before booking through any third party for the same flight.

Kayak and Skyscanner: [Budget flight finder] Besides AirAsia itself, these are the two apps with the best deals on airfare consistently.

Google Keeps: [Notes and bucket lists] Write down names, emails, and notes in a second. Our memory is crap, but if it’s written down, it’s forever. Google keeps isn’t the best notes app in many categorizes, but its simple, online, offline, and sharable.

Facebook: [Friends and relationships] Maybe you’re trying to get away from social media, but 98% of travelers have one and it’s the easiest way to keep in touch with travel friends.

Spotify: [Music] If you can afford it, you can have all the music you need saved offline for listening on the go.

Podcast Addict: [Podcasts and music] Podcast are a great way to spend a long bus ride. Try listening to RadioLab, Hardcore History, Serial, or Dirtbag Diaries. There’s a podcast for every taste if you Google it.

Play Books: [Paperless Books] Googles basic eReader app is perfect for reading .epub or .pdf files on the go. It even includes a great internal offline dictionary. Books are heavy and phones use battery, so it’s good to have a book in both categories. Nothing is sadder than ten hours on a bus without a book.

If anyone wants to suggest more apps, post them in the comments. It’s a great feeling when you find a good app to make life so much easier.

Other sites for travel apps:

• 10 Best iPhone Apps for the Outdoors
• 20 Travel Apps You Should Never Be Without
• 21 Best Damn Travel Apps for Backpacking
• 15 Best Free Travel Apps for Backpackers

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