So, you’re interested in travel, I hear? You’re in the right place.
Dear Readers,
If you’ve just stumbled upon my content—welcome. If you’ve been here before, welcome back!
This is a longer post that offers many details and very specific ways to get started traveling on a very small budget. So, read on if you want to get in on the how-to! I suggest pulling out a paper and pencil for some notes.
(It’s also great if you just are curious as to how it’s done!)
As you continue reading, keep in mind that traveling on the cheap can mean a lot of hard work, acceptance of help, unknown events, tapping into intuition, and figuring things out as you go. It’s not always easy.
After traveling across the United States last year with almost no money, I had no idea that I would be so excited to share the how-to tips with others. Before you take a trip, people ask a lot of questions. Many of them that I got went a little like this…
“Why?!”
“Where are you going?
“How will you get around?”
“What will you do for food?”
“Where will you stay at night?”
“Won’t you get lonely?”
“What will you do in emergency situations??”
“When are you coming back?”
And sometimes, your answer looks a little bit like this:
“I don’t know.”
And that’s fine. People like to poke and prod before, during, and after. Why? Because travel is exciting. People like to hear about adventure. We meet new people, tread new tracks, and learn things that we didn’t quite know that we needed to learn. These are the questions that we’re about to answer!
My goal in this post is to share with you some ways that you can begin traveling on a small budget or using less cash currency than you do now.
To start off, let’s tackle some of those hard questions we face when traveling with lighter pockets.
1. Why?
I can’t really answer this question for you—and you may not even be able to answer it for yourself. We all travel for different reasons; to learn, explore, run away, find adventure, connect with nature, learn different languages, make new friends… you get the point.
Sometime we don’t know why we’re heading out but we do anyway. And that is a perfectly fair response. You don’t have to know why you’re deciding to travel—the first step is to just decide that you are going to travel!
2. Where are you going?
Many of us live in a very certain world. We know what time we need to get up for work, how long traffic will take to get there, when we get off, the roads and routes that we’re going to take. We at least have the framework of a plan, most days.
Travel can be the same. You can have a plan: a route, idea or destination.
You can also plan to have no plan.
You can plan to ditch the plan at a certain point.
You can not plan at all.
Yes, so many plans!
Basically, you can do whatever you want. While you’re dreaming up your travel plans ask yourself why you are going before where. It may give you some insight as to what type of spaces you’re looking for and what physical place may be best suited to meet your needs. Once you have that sorted (or don’t), focus on the where.
When I traveled from Virginia to Hawaii, my plan was to follow the TransAmerica Trail and finish in California. I quickly ditched that plan, loosely following the trail when I needed an anchor. I then declared that my plan was the “no plan” option. It was the best decision that I let myself make!
With that being said, we’ll jump right into our third question.
3. How will you get around?
Once you do or don’t know where you’re going, how will you get there?
Well, considering that you’re doing this with a small budget there are only a few options.
Ha, just kidding! Let’s think outside of the box for a moment. Here are some of the most immediate ways of travel to consider if you feel safe choosing them:
a) Walking
I haven’t done this one yet but I met a woman who walked across the country with her partner. Check out their story here. I’ve also spoken with a lot of more-seasoned wanderers who walked across states, cities and countries back in the day just because. They tell me that things have changed and that it’s not as safe these days—but it’s an option.
Here is a link to a blogger that started walking across the country (more than once) barefoot to raise awareness for climate change. Below is my interview with the one and only Taylor Lancaster, my dear friend who also walked across all of the U.S.!
b) Biking
I can speak from experience for this category. I traveled from Virginia to California—biking 500 miles and crossing 12 states—with/on my bike. Like I said, I ditched my plan to bike it all and let the wind take me on different adventures. But, it was handy to have a form of transportation that I could use at any time, self-powered, for free.
Biking can be scary, dangerous, fun, hard and rewarding. It takes some preparation (or not much, but then you could run into difficult situations) like anything else in life.
So, what are the other options?
c) Traveling via Train
d) Driving
e) Flying
f) Bussing
g) Sailing
When you set out and realize that you want to travel via one of these options you’ll most likely have to pay for it. Confused on how you’ll do that? No worries. Keep reading for an explanation.
h) Hitchhiking
I personally have only done this a couple times with friends and it wasn’t to cover long distances. There is a heck-of-a-lot of information on this subject on the web, so feel free to check it out by googling “how to hitchhike”. This is generally thought of as a more dangerous option so please do your research, follow your intuition and weigh your options well.
As soon as I have more experience to speak from—I’ll get back to ya!
i) Driving for Others
If you head over to craigslist.com and find the area that you’re in/traveling too, you can usually find people sharing rides, or people that need others to drive vehicles from point A to point B for them.
Search “rideshare” after you have selected the location and you’ll find a whole new world of opportunity.
Once, when I wanted to get from Missula, Montana to Portland Oregon, I checked out rideshare and found someone my age who had a broken leg. He originally wanted someone to drive his car home for him as he flew back, but we worked it out and I ended up driving the whole way for him. He got to see his car get safely home and I got to my destination. Now that’s what we call a win-win!
PLEASE be picky, attentive and selective as to who you get into a car with or share a ride with. Follow your intuition, ask questions and don’t follow through if it doesn’t feel right. Nothing is worth the trauma of a situation like that gone wrong.
4. What will you do for food?
A person has got to eat to live, right?
Yes! One does have to get nutrition to live.
There are many ways that you can obtain food when you travel with a small budget, and they go like this:
a) Dumpster Dive
Oh yes, I can already see the scrunching-up-of-the-face and hear the “ew” sounds now. It’s ok! I understand. While dumpster diving isn’t always ideal or 100% safe, I can tell you that I have never ever gotten sick and have been vegan during every single one of my dumpster diving days. I learned about dumpster diving from Rob Greenfield and you can bask in his knowledge on his website. It’s actually has a complete guide.
(I recommend checking it out even if you don’t plan on participating!)
b) Work for Food
Do you feel comfortable enough to walk into a business and try to ask to work for a meal? Try it out if you feel safe. (I know that different levels of class, gender, race, etc will play a huge rule in our outcomes and what we feel comfortable with.)
You usually give your energy and time for money, and then give it to someone else who is giving their time and energy for money. Why not just give your time and energy for what you need?
I have asked to work for a meal multiple times and have been turned down less times than my proposal has been accepted. Some of the jobs when working for food for the day have included:
- Crushing boxes out back
- Separating/preparing food/ingredients
- Sweeping the parking lot (with the world’s tiniest broom)
- Pulling weeds
Nerves can really get to you when you do something out of the norm, but remember that you’re not asking for an unfair deal.
A sample introduction may look like this:
“Hi, my name is Calen. I have a question that is a little out of the norm for you. I’m biking across the country with very little money, basically to save time and work for what I need. I was wondering if there was some work that I could do for you today to earn a meal.”
You honestly never, ever know what is going to happen. I ended up creating some connections with amazing people who took time out of their work day to spend time with me and ask questions; bought me meals or even gave me their freebie meal for the day. Honesty and forwardness can inspire and shock the general public.
Good places to ask are restaurants and farmers markets. I’ve even asked a small coffee shop before and gotten free coffee and a place to rest and reboot. I would even venture to say that asking grocery stores is free game as well. You never know who you’ll be speaking to and how they’ll want to help you! Connections cross over and interlace to weave your trip together.
-Some perfect examples of how connections intertwine can be shown from some of my experiences.
One time I walked into a restaurant to ask to work for dinner. They called the owner forward so that I could talk to her. I explained what I was doing—and she said no. She did, however, let me know that she needed work done on her farm and that her brother really needed some cleaning done at his house.
I ended up working for her and her brother for days. They fed me, gave me a place to stay and I earned money by cleaning and fixing up a room at the farm. On top of that I got to connect with more people and drop into their lives for a short time. I got so much more than what I was asking for.
Here’s where we learn how to pay for food, transportation or any of your other needs while you’re on the road.
a) Look for work on Craigslist.
b) Use your skills to earn money. For example, maybe you do tarot readings or know how to fix bikes. Maybe you wash cars well. Maybe you’re like me are certified in something like teaching yoga. Find something that you can do well and reach out to people online or in person. Go to hot-spots for your skills (a park, downtown area, shop of that sort) and tell people that you’re looking for work now and why.
c) Get creative! You could literally strike up a conversation with a stranger and leave the conversation with the money and help that you need to continue on.
Now, let’s move on to another hot topic on the list.
5. Where will you stay at night?
a) My favorite thing to do while traveling is CouchSurfing. What is CouchSurfing, you may ask? I’ll let you in on a gem for travelers.
It’s a network of hosts and travelers like yourself. When you need a place to stay, you look up the city that you’ll be in to find a place to crash (for free). Some cities have large amounts of hosts and others have only have a few. I can only remember maybe one or two times where there were no hosts in certain cities.
So, you’ll want to download the CouchSurfing app and get familiar with it if you choose to try it. You can click on hosts’ profiles to see their pictures, reviews, bios, house photos and info. Make sure to read the reviews and ratings left by other couch surfers to get a sense of your host and what your experience may be like.
I have had mostly wonderful experiences during my couch-surfing and I was a solo female traveler during those times. Hosts will often offer you a place to sleep, meals and even show you around. You can select your length of time and contact them before you decide to you’re going to stay.
I’ve made some amazing connections with hosts that are now my friends and experienced their towns and cities in a way that I never could have dreamt of doing without them. Listen to my podcast with Sam Handcock, the Couchsurfing King who has hosted 100+ people!
On the other hand, there have been two times (to be exact) that I have felt uncomfortable. The first time I experienced this was when I stayed at a place that looked and felt off to me before I got there. I had just ignored my intuition and deeply regretted it later. Luckily, I left the situation before anything escalated and found another place to stay. There is always another option. Don’t hesitate to leave.
CouchSurfing is rewarding when you are checking in with yourself and doing what feels. For more details on how to couch surf and stay safe, check out this bad boy.
So maybe you don’t feel like staying in a stranger’s home for the night or just feel like being self-sufficient. No worries, continue on!
b) Stay in a tent.
When I took my trip across the U.S., one of my most valuable possessions was my one-person tent. I could set that baby up when I needed to and had my own small space.
To be completely honest here.., I am afraid of the dark and I do NOT like camping out in tents.
But, when you decide to travel on a tighter budget, it could be a sacrifice that you’re willing to make. Make sure to start off with a tent and sleeping bag that can protect you from whatever elements you’ll be experiencing and will hold up decently. Be aware of where you are camping to avoid dealing with police.
c) Network BEFORE you go. Or during.
Many of us have Facebook or some social media account. This can be supper helpful while you’re on the road and looking for a place to stay.
Post statuses like, “Hey, I’ll be in San Francisco tonight and am looking for a place to stay. Does anyone have any connections? Thank you so much in advance!”
You never know who you will meet or where you will get to stay. Friends of friends are your friends!
d) Look for hostels.
Hostels are like community versions of hotels. You can pay more for a private room but usually you share a large room with bunkbeds with other travelers. Hostels usually have community kitchens and other hangouts. They’re super great for getting information about the area and finding other like-minded travelers like yourself!
Hostels are cheaper than hotels—usually around $20 a night. Call in advance and ask if you can work for a couple nights of stay. Explain what you’re doing and they’ll be likely to help. It’s always worth an ask—sometimes hostels are donation-based or free.
When choosing a place to stay be smart and listen to your “little voice”. You can’t travel if you’re hurt or in a dangerous situation! Use common sense.
How can you find the perfect hostel? Check out Hostel World! I always use this website and app when looking for my next hostel stay.
And now… for the less technical, long-winded answers.
6. Won’t you get lonely?
You may, and that’s ok. You may get to know yourself better. You can also create an opportunity to make new connections and friends through this type of travel, faster than you do with “normal” (and sometimes highly expensive) travel.
The juiciest part of travel for me is meeting new people and making quick and magical connects with people who I practice giving to and receiving from during my travels. I now have countless friends across the country from traveling “alone”.
7. What will you do in emergency situations?
Yes, this type of travel does involve more risk. Put in the right preparation of getting certain needed-items before you leave and you may feel ready to take on the challenge.
Get geared up! This may include the following:
- A tent
- A first aid kit
- A cell phone
- A tracker (something that knows where you are even when you don’t have service) One that has worked well for me has been the Spot.
- A back-up charger (I recommend taking a solar charger) + back up charger cords
- A water bottle or bladder
- An Emergency Contact List written down (in case your phone dies)
- A can of mace (learn how to use it before you go)
- A taser (if you feel comfortable carrying one and also learn how to use it properly before you go)
- Sunblock
- Bug Spray
- Appropriate Clothes (not necessarily what’s most expensive, but whatever fits the needs of your specific trip)
- Appropriate Shoes
- Sunglasses
- Any prescriptions or supplements that you usually take
- Maps
Have someone that you check in with each day (maybe even around a certain time) so that someone, somewhere is updated and in tune with your situation and well-being.
And most importantly: your intuition and sense of adventure.
A helpful thing to do (especially for people who identify/present as femme) before you head out on any adventure is take a self-defense course. Many universities offer them for free. Woot woot!
To put it very simply: Take the time to think about/prepare for things that concern you about your trip. They may not all happen but it is good to be prepared knowing that trouble could come up. The more you can feel through those situations before you head off the more likely you are to come out feeling strong, unharmed, and ready to truck on.
And lastly,
8. When are you coming back?
Hey, don’t look at me for this one. I’ve set you up with tips and tools that proved for a successful and fulfilling cross-country-trip-of-a-lifetime for me.
You decide when—or if— you’re coming back.
Stay Unruly!
With lots-o-love,
The Unruly Traveller
