Inspiring post... I absolutely love travelling. Nice tips, I agree with most of them. ;) You can travel fast, but it is important to stop and realize where you are. Even if you travel rapidly through countries, make sure you stay a day or two in one place and make sure that place is in the middle of where the action happens. We always try to stay as close to the historic center of the city/town as possible. Then on the first day staying there we would walk all day, exploring without planning every step in advance. The best way to not blow your budget is to avoid eating at restaurants to much... get some food locally like you suggested or simply buy at a Supermarket... look at where the locals buy. ;)