Backpacking on a Shoestring Budget
I’m always being told how lucky I am for being able to go on these backpacking adventures and experience the world. However, I don’t see it as luck and it kind of grinds my gears when people look past all of the hard work, dedication, research, and guts it takes to go backpacking whether you’re alone or with someone else. It is scary, it is stressful, and it’s not always relaxation and fun times. But you have to realize that going into it, things always work out best for those who make the best out of the way things work out. Now in saying that, I do consider myself lucky in regards to my good health, my education, the love and support of my family, and being born in such a free country like Canada where we have these opportunities.
People always assume I have a large savings, or some kind of secret money tree, but I don’t… backpacking is just my number one priority. I haven’t gone shopping for clothes (other than just running to Target or something for a necessity) in honestly over two years, and that’s because a full closet isn’t a top priority for me. I used to spend all my money on new clothes, and I’ve realized that they’re just things that take up space. I think most people’s savings are probably much greater than mine. It’s the fact that every dollar in my savings is a dollar that’s going to be used on my travels. I can see a purpose for that dollar. That dollar could be used to buy a meal in some countries. It’s really important to change your outlook on even the smallest amounts of money because it all adds up! And traveling really isn’t that expensive. I’m not afraid for my bank account to say $0.00, but that is something I just don’t stress myself out about. I know jobs will always come, there’s always work. I always just have faith that things will work out, even when I’m totally out of money and having a hard time finding work, I don’t stress myself out. I see it as part of the journey, a time to re-gather and reorganize what I want/where I’m going/what I need to do etc. You gotta have faith, trust the journey!!!! Most trips I go on I end up coming home with not a whole lot, but absolutely priceless experiences, amazing new friendships, and a little bit more wisdom and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
“Traveling is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.”
Setting a Budget
Setting a budget can be pretty tricky because it’s going to differ for everyone, every place, and every situation. So there are a quite a few things I keep in mind when it comes to managing my budget.
First I’ll talk about how to set a budget. It’s always going to depend on where you’re intending on traveling, obviously, as some countries are much more expensive than others. For example a budget for three weeks in Argentina is going to be greater than a budget for three weeks, probably even six weeks in Thailand. So do your own research online (Lonely Planet is great for this) for each destination you’ll be traveling through so you have an idea of what you should set your daily budget for in each place. There are so many forums and posts online about other people’s experiences with budgeting in different countries all over the world. So get a few different opinions and average out what they’ve budgeted as some people are likely to spend more or spend less than you will. When you’re reading other people’s advice on budgeting, take into consideration what kind of backpacker they are. Some people will do whatever is possible to just scrape by, others don’t mind spending a little extra here and there for little luxuries.
So that is the first step, research online, even just by literally googling, “budgeting tips for 3 weeks in Thailand” for example. Read a few and average them out for your own needs. If you’re going to be crossing through multiple counties, you may find that even if they’re close to each other some are still much more expensive than others. So make sure you prepare yourself for increases in your daily budget when you’re on the move. What you’re really looking for in this research is average prices to base your trip on. So look for articles that talk specifically about cost of food daily, cost of groceries, cost of transportation, cost of accommodation, cost of entertainment/activities etc.
What I do to simplify budgeting for myself is to think about it day-to-day. So I know I need a coffee in the morning, I consider that in my budget. Next I know I’ll need breakfast, so I’ll google average costs of meals out. It’s honestly going to be much much cheaper to buy all your own groceries and make your own food rather than eating out, but you might prefer the convenience of eating out. So give yourself an idea of a daily budget on either option. Try to break it down to what your daily expenses are. See table as an example;
Hostels with kitchens are YOUR BEST FRIEND. People always leave behind food that they don’t want to bring along with them, maybe they’re heading home or perhaps it’s just too much to fit in their backpack. But there is always free food in hostel kitchens… I’ve found half a cake one time that was only a couple of days old. What a win when cake and other luxuries don’t make their way into your budget!! Take advantage of this but never take other people’s food without their consent. I have made full meals out of other people’s left overs. Sometimes you have to be creative. Again this comes into what kind of backpacker you are. I’m a sharer and I’m comfortable with scrounging. I always just give myself a rough idea, and will usually give myself some room in my budget for mishaps or a well deserved beer.
General Staying-Within-Budget Tips
Use local transportation!!! Seriously you will save so much money. It can be a little bit more challenging if you’re in a country where they speak a different language. But try your best to learn the language, even just basics, because you might not run into as many English-speaking people or bus drivers on local transportation. The price differences between local transportation and more touristy transportation will shock you! Plus it’s an added adventure and a taste at how the locals live; which I think is just a better way to experience a county. 
Funny story about this actually, when my friend and I took a night bus to Baños de Agua Santa, Ecuador and seriously almost got off the bus multiple times through the night in the pitch black because the driver would stop and yell, “Baños!” Neither of our Spanish was very good at this point and we didn’t realize, “Baños”, also means washroom.
Make your own food!! Don’t get me wrong, I love to go out every now and then and treat myself and I love food!! But I try to always make my own with leftover food found in hostel kitchens, or buying groceries for the week or so 
(depending on if I’m staying in one hostel or moving around). You’ll save a ton of money doing it this way and likely to eat healthier. Buying the cheapest options available and avoiding name brands will help you as well (most countries will have a “no name” option). It’s fun to use local ingredients, trying fruits and veg that you’ve never seen before, learn some new local recipes and expand your taste bud horizons! Also, a lot of countries will have super cheap fruit and veg markets which are absolutely amazing! All the fruit and veg you could imagine. Peru was amazing for fresh local markets. (I have been lucky in the past and have met a few chefs on my travels from different countries that have taught me a lot about cooking different cuisines.)
- Use Hostel World to determine average costs of hostels per night in each place you’ll be staying
- Save on accommodation and take advantage of night buses/night trains/night flights!
- Use Couch Surfing when you can. A great option for FREE accommodation, just remember to always always be respectful of your host and their home, and also it’s a nice gesture to offer to cook a meal for your host. That is general couch surfing etiquette.
- Hitchhike when you can! People are always traveling and a lot of times will have an extra seat. Make sure you’re in a safe location, trust your gut; if it doesn’t feel
right to get in someones vehicle, obviously don’t. But do trust that there are good people out there, you never know who you’ll meet and the stories you’ll hear! I’ve honestly hitch hiked in a few different countries, people are generally good and want to help you. - If you’re not so keen to hitchhike but want more affordable transportation check out ride share groups on Facebook, people are always posting in backpacking groups around the world regarding ride shares etc. Simply type, “Ride share (your destination)” into Facebook or even google, you could stumble upon some pretty convenient ride shares.
Finding Cheap Flights
This is usually going to be your biggest expense, but there are some tricks! First and foremost, don’t even bother going to a travel agent! They are there to find you the most convenient option for you, not necessarily the best price. Travel agents often wont bother searching for cheaper prices, different date combinations, etc. So find your own flight, it’s so easy, and I will include links below to some of the best sites for finding great flight deals. I even go so far as to search my flight and then do an additional search after that one to find cheaper prices by splitting up the flight (once you know where possible connections will be). If you do it that way, you can also give yourself more time to explore the city the connection is in! So its like a bonus trip! (But keep that in mind in your budget!!).
Another trick I’ve heard about is to book your flight on a Friday the 13th as a lot of prices drop, and Tuesdays are also usually the cheapest departure date. So if you’re flexible, look for a Tuesday! Another thing a travel agent probably wouldn’t do. I’m not trying to bash travel agents, but for backpackers they’re not ideal. You could always go in and talk to someone to hear their opinion, but always do your own research!
People are always so shocked to hear how little money I’ve spent on long backpacking trips, round the world flights, etc. That is why I am writing this, so people know and realize that it is possible of afford travel even when you just make minimum wage!! It’s not expensive. I take a lot of time in researching flight deals, different date combinations, different departure/arrival cities, etc. Whatever you can adjust is worth a look just to see what your options are.
For example, flying into major airports is convenient, but if you split up your flight and make it so you fly internationally into a not so major city then book a domestic flight, you could save hundreds! Again this falls into how flexible you are as it will require more time. I booked a flight from Toronto, Canada -> Lima, Peru -> Sydney, Australia for $1400 after tax. Meanwhile in my initial searches for just Toronto -> Sydney I was looking at $1400 after tax, one way.
So definitely take your time in searching and booking flights! On the way back from Australia I did something similar and figured out one possible connection would be in Japan, so I then booked the flights separately to give myself a trip to Japan included in my journey back to Toronto. So from Brisbane -> Toronto I was originally looking at roughly $1300, one way. Then after splitting up the flight, and including a trip to Japan, I ended up paying $1250 after tax.
Here are some helpful links to great sites for flight deals!
So once you have an idea on a daily budget multiply that by the number of days you’ll be there, and viola, there’s the budget for your trip! Remember to then include your airfare if you haven’t purchased your flights yet.
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Meandering Megg 