Tips on how to travel on a budget
Many believe that in order to travel, you need to save money to be able to really see what the city has to offer. As much as I believe in having some cash in your wallet when travelling does have its advantages, “not having spare money” should never restrict you from jumping on that plane.
A city’s culture sometimes can be best experienced on the cheap.
Recently in Barcelona, a friend and I lined up outside Picasso’s Museum for two hours because they were offering free entry on the first Sunday of every month. Because we joined in on the free offerings of the city, we were involved in a percussion street parade, made friends with locals while waiting in the line and met some South American travellers who saw that same night for a boogie.
I feel like sometimes things which require money disable the accessibility of that attraction, diminishing its community centredness. All of the parks which offer free music at lunchtimes, or little bars which have no entry for gigs, seem to be the ones everyone wants to be at- and not just because they are free. Free attractions convey a sense of community and generally one of the reasons people travel is to experience new communities.
Take hostels in comparison with hotels as another example. Even the most expensive room they offer for two, with its own bathroom is around 20 Euro a night per person in comparison with the cheapest hotel room at around 50 Euro per person. Very similar product but completely dissimilar environment. A hostel has a common room, always full of a whole bunch of people wanting to learn and interact in this new city. A hostel has friendly staff who offer great advice on all the non touristy places to visit. A week in a hostel in the most expensive room is half of what it costs in a hotel and can you ask yourself what you would prefer?
So take these few small examples into mind next time you use the excuse “I cant travel because I don’t have enough money”. Sometimes you may find having a full wallet may act as a barrier between you and the potential adventures that can be had in a new city.
Hostels are certainly cheaper, but I’ve never felt particularly comfortable in them. A bit of hunting around can mean that yu can find some great bargains. I recently stayed over in Cambridge, and my hotel was about 50 Euros, which I thought was a bargain.