Tips on How to Travel on Budget

The most common comment i heard from my pals and friends around me when i told them i travelled to this and that countries last holiday is, "you're so rich to travel around, i wish i have that much of money to do that". Dafuq? Why locked your mindset that travel always requires bunch lots of $$ ? 

In this post, i will share some tips to travel with budget, even in relative high expenditure country such as Taiwan which i travelled recently. 

Tips 1: Save Your Money On Accommodation

Couchsurfing.org

One of the best ways to get free accommodation is by staying with someone who lives where you're going. There is good website such as Couchsurfing that connect travelers with people in various cities that offer a free place to stay. It can be a bed, of a couch. It greatly reduce travelers' burden of accommodation. In addition, it also help stay and interact with a local.

I joined this community not long ago but i can say it's one of the greatest things to happen in travel. While i love the fact that i can save my budget on accommodation, what draws me to the site over and over again is that i get to see the local side of a city, not a touristy city. I got invited to gathering, events, and sites that aren't in any of my Lonely Planet guidebook!

However at some time, many people are scared to couch surf because they do not feel secure. Sometime it can be a challenge as well, Imagine you're now in a foreign city, with your backpack - in someone house for the first time. You do not know what will happen when you go asleep! What will happen to your valuable stuff in your backpack?

However, things aren't that bad. A day before i reach Taiwan, i received an invitation from a host in Hsinchu, his name is Pranay, from Delhi, India.

Pranay is the guy in very left, beside Liyi. A really nice guy to befriend with.

He welcome us to stay in his apartment because he wanted to meet people from Kota Kinabalu, which he went there not long ago. I really enjoy the warm Hospitality and great conversation with him personally. He provide a room, a clean toilet, and extra quilts for winter (Pillows/ Blankets). I stayed at his apartment for 3 nights before i depart to another district. This way i can save up the accommodation expenses and buy something for him, to appreciate his kindness to share us a place to sleep for nights. 

Q&TaiYu from Taiwan and us visited Leofoo Theme Park.

There are certain criteria i will look into before Surf a couch:

1. They MUST have picture of themselves, not cartoon or Anime character.
2. They MUST have complete profile that explain themselves clear enough to avoid vague and doubtful thoughts. Rules and regulation in the house, is utmost important so that you will not disturb the host.
3. They NEED to have References from travelers that stayed with them. If many travelers can get along well with this host, chances that something will goes wrong will be rather tiny. The more positive references, the better.

In sum, it is always better to talking to the host through email or private message to understand them in depth. It allow me to feel them and knowing what they expect. If things doesn't turn out right, withdraw the request. You will feel the uniqueness of staying with local in a new city, trust me, it worth a try! At the end of the day, you end up saving hundreds and hundreds of dollars on accommodation and making friends globally.

Very simple bed with mosquito net @ Siem Reap Garden Village Guest House

Hostels/Dormitory

Hostels can be an alternatives for budget travelers, like me. In hostels, rooms are dormitory-style, which mean you will have to share some of the facilities like toilet and bathroom with other members in the room. Nowadays many hostels offer single room and double room for solo and couple travelers. Many might think that hostels are dirty, unsecured, they might need to think again now. Most of the hostels i been to offer more value than before. People nowadays have higher expectation toward comfort and cleanliness, so do the hostels standard. They are different from what you see in oldskool movie.

Budget Hostel @ Siem Reap Garden Village Guest House for $1/night

Despite thinking sharing your room with strangers, why not take it as a chance to meet new friends, and share your travel experiences?

From my own personal experiences in Japan, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Penang,  Hostels are safe, secure, and affordable. 

To be continue...

PS: I only share my personal experiences and i do not share methods that i have yet to try.

If you have any useful tips on how to reduce travel expenses, do not hesitate to share at comment box below, thank you!