Dear World,
Recently, you have become expensive to live in. I feel like I have to spend a lot to get a lot while I'm trying to see the world, which goes against everything my momma taught me. I have decided to undermine your control over me with certain tricks so I can travel cheaply. Please don't take it personally.
Much love,
Baby Bum
Baby Bum's Tips and Tricks for Travel:1. Beer is cheaper than water in many countries.
2. Two is better than one, in so many ways. Often bus tickets will be less expensive when bought in pairs, splitting a room will be cheaper, the good cop/ bad cop routine works better with two of you (schizophrenia just doesn't fly with the merchant, apparently), two means double the connections to utilize, two is someone you can share experiences with in the moment and reminisce with afterwards.
3. Public transportation will be cheaper than a taxi and will always be an adventure in a foreign country where you don't speak or read the language. This makes for a good story later. It also provides an excellent opportunity for people watching, and the amount/ type of public transportation will give you a great deal of insight into the culture of the place.
4. Research as much as possible beforehand. This may seem obvious, but it becomes painfully so when you forget to do this and spend your precious time in a foreign place bent over a computer screen trying to figure out where in the world is the museum that your great aunt said you would absolutely love. Also, this research can save your precious funds from depletion when you don't have to go back and forth to get to the place you thought you were going.
5. Get the same thing from each country or place you visit for a cheap and awesome collection. There is nothing like looking back on a life's worth of travel and comparing the Coca Cola bottles that you have from Algiers and from Iceland. And yes, Coca Cola does exist everywhere.
6. Go vegetarian! Or eat meat sparingly. Meatless dishes will generally cheaper than the meat kind, and, if you're of my camp, just as tasty. It's also a fun game to play: how easy is it to find vegetarian food in this place? This one kept the children engaged for minutes.
7. Buy local. Not just more culturally satisfying, buying locally produced items will generally be cheaper as there won't be tariffs/ as high transportation costs fixed in to the price of the item. Also, going farther away from the city center/ tourist area will be your best bet for cheaper and more authentic food.
8. Couchsurf! Free bed. Need I say more?
9. Let the city be your museum. I love museums, but sometimes the prices don't love me. Don't be shy in letting the city show case its wonders for your walking, unpaying feet. The best way to get a feel for a city is to walk through it and absorb it through your five senses. No museum can compare to that.
10. Give yourself the time to make mistakes. No trip will run entirely as planned. Rolling with new information and occurences is part of the adventure; you travel to expand your methods of dealing with life as well as experiencing the world. This particular lesson is really learned through experience, and planning your trip with enough time that if you screw up a little bit here or there, you won't be breaking anyone's heart will relax you more than if you were the groomsman who forgot about the wedding until an hour before.
Dear world community,
Recently, you have become expensive to live with. I feel like I have to spend a lot to get a lot, which goes against everything my momma taught me. I have decided to undermine your control over me with certain tricks. Please don't take it personally.
Much love,
Baby Bum
1. Beer is cheaper than water (in certain countries)
2. Two is better than one, in so many ways.
Often bus tickets will be less expensive when bought in pairs, splitting a room will be less, the good cop/ bad cop routine works better with two of you (schizophrenia just doesn't fly with the merchant, apparently), two means double the connections to utilize, two is someone you can share experiences with in the moment and reminisce with afterwards.
3. Public transportation will be cheaper than a taxi
and will always be an adventure in a foreign country where you don't speak or read the language. This makes for a good story later. It also provides an excellent opportunity for people watching, and the amount/ type of public transportation will give you a great deal of insight into the culture of the place.
4. Research as much as possible beforehand
This may seem obvious, but it becomes painfully so when you forget to do this and spend your precious time in a foreign place bent over a computer screen trying to figure out where in the world the museum that your great aunt said you would absolutely love exists. Also, many times this research can save your precious funds from depletion when you don't have to go back and forth to get to the place you thought you were going.
5. Get the same thing from each country or place you go to.
There is nothing like looking back on a life's worth of travel and comparing the Coca Cola bottles that you have from Algiers and from Iceland. And yes, Coca Cola does exist everywhere.
6. Go vegetarian!
Or eat meat sparingly. Meatless dishes will generally cheaper than the meat kind, and, if you're of my camp, just as tasty. It's also a fun game to play: how easy is it to find vegetarian food in this place? This one kept the children engaged for minutes.
7. Buy local
Not just more culturally satisfying, buying local will generally be cheaper, as there won't be tariffs/ as high transportation costs fixed in to the price of the item. Also, going farther away from the city center/ tourist area will be your best bet for cheaper food.
8. Couchsurf!
Free bed. Need I say more?
9. Let the city be your museum
I love museums, but sometimes the prices don't love me. Don't be shy in letting the city show case its wonders for your walking, unpaying feet. The best way to get a feel for a city is to walk through it and absorb it through your five senses. No museum can compare to that.
10. Give yourself the time to make mistakes
No trip will run entirely as planned. Rolling with new information and occurences is part of the adventure; you travel to expand your methods of dealing with life as well as experiencing the world. This particular lesson is really learned through experience, and planning your trip with enough time that if you screw up a little bit here or there, you won't be breaking anyone's heart will relax you more than if you were the groomsman who forgot about the wedding until an hour before.