Travel Pro Tip #21: How to Long Term Budget Travel through "Pay More Get Less Countries"
Recently I published three articles defining what I call "pay more get less" and "pay less get more" countries. We are basically talking about expensive western developed countries vs everything else that isn't war torn or a disaster in some way or another. With over a decade of travel experience, I'm an expert at planning a good budget travel strategy for anywhere I go.
You should know I'm not overly wealthy nor do I have an impressive income; but I don't work and I've been traveling for about eleven years living comfortably on a small fixed income. Key is "live comfortably" not working. This is why I love my "pay less get more" countries. It's not that I don't want to work or I am against it, I just put lifestyle as a higher priority; and you can have a great lifestyle for a surprisingly small amount of money in "pay less get more" countries.
That being said, travel is about seeing the world which is made up of all sorts of countries, some expensive and some not at all! Since I've prioritized lifestyle as most important, this has kept my travels primarily to "pay less get more" countries. Now being on Steemit and wanting to see and share other places around the world. I'm happy to visit Europe for the first time.
Since my budget is around $1,000 a month including air fare, I'm now thinking about strategies to be comfortable as I travel some of the most expensive "pay more get less" countries in the world. I've never stayed in a dorm, as in many countries I can get a private room for as little as five dollars a night. So staying in a dorm in Norway for $20 a night is something I need to mentally prepare for and accept.
I'll have to be prepared to shell out more for everything in western and northern Europe. Transportation, accommodation, and food are all going to be shocking to me after spending so much time in "pay less get more" countries.
Accommodation is often your biggest expense anywhere you go. So my strategy for this will be dorm room hostels, maybe the occasional AirBnB, and house sitting may even be an option as well. I also plan on staying at some friends houses. From all my travels I have many friends in Europe who've already invited me to stay with them, and also now from Steemit.
Transportation, not much I can do other than plan a good travel rout that makes sense and isn't just hopping all over the place. However I will have to keep a close eye on airline tickets as there are some surprisingly good deals to be had flying short distances within the continent.
For food, I can see myself going into supermarkets and seeing what's a good deal and just being creative with what I find. For example in the US many go into Wal-Mart for their $4.50 whole roast chickens and other cheap hot meals. I'm sure there will be times to treat myself. But eating out three times a day for less than seven dollars total like here in Thailand is not an option.
If I eat out three meals a day in London that's probably about $50, then private room, let's say $50 more, then transportation $10, then a little entertainment $20. That's $130 a day conservatively, that's about $4,000 a month. Where here in Thailand that's roughly $800 a month.
This kind of spending without an income to replace it can put someone in a good financial position to suddenly behind the eight ball. Not a place I like to live my life. So like any responsible adult I've put a lot of thought into how I can long term travel through "pay more get less" countries without breaking the bank. However I am prepared to go over my $1,000 a month budget but not by too much.
How and where I spend my time will be very important. I plan on spending at least three months next summer in Europe. I'll probably travel quicker through the most expensive countries and slower through the less expensive ones. I'll spend more time in Eastern Europe as I know there are "pay less get more" countries there that will offer me a better living standard as well as balance out my budget from overspending in Western European countries.
I intended for the last few travel tip articles to give my reader a view into the mind and thought process of a long term "Travel Pro" budget traveler! You can't just spend your money recklessly and zig-zag around the world like you're Paris Hilton, or at least most of us can't.
My Steemit friend @heyitshaas from Holland has questioned me several times about how to make money for travel, or while traveling. Unless you've got some great income while you travel; making money is just half of the equation. The other half is how you spend it and how long you can make it last.
Traveling through "pay more get less" countries can make this a challenge and if you're new to long term travel and working with a limited budget, you should certainly think twice about traveling through "pay more get less" countries in the first place. If you found this article interesting and informative check out some of my other work and feel free to click that follow button! Until next time - Dan "World Travel Pro!"
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With over 10 years of travel experience I answer travel and international lifestyle questions. Leave a question in the comments and I may make a video just for you!
nice
Good Work!!!
Hey Dan, Any chance have (planned) a log of your expenses in different countries as point of comparison? Beer in Holland vs Thailand....Roomo in Spain vs Vietnam... etc? https://nomadlist.com/ sort of gives this, but not very first person POV in your documentarian style.
No I keep track of how much I spend each day but that's just to keep on budget. I have a good idea of approximate costs for items based on my years of travel. That is good enough for me. I've seen that list. It's simply not that accurate. As when you travel in these countries the economy changes from place to place within the countr. For example a coconut in Ko Samui Thailand is about two dollars. In bangkok about 1--1.50. In Chaing Mai it's 60 cents to 90 cents. So i just go by memory and know if you're purchasing something the country produces locally vs import it will be sometimes crazy cheap. The big expenses I focus on most. Basically cost of a hotel room. If the average citizen makes under 500 dollar a month. You can often find a room easily for 10 dollars a night and a meal for under 4. To log every little thing, seems like a big effort be left to website like the one you mention. So glad you have found interest in my blog my friend. Have a great day!