How to Travel the World on $50 a Day
Research what airline has the most flights out of your home airport., Sign up for a mileage credit card with this airline., Sign up for airline mileage programs., Aim to collect a free ticket once per year., Fly to a major airport and then hop...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Research what airline has the most flights out of your home airport.
Also, choose a major airline, like Delta or United, that partners with international airlines to go all over the world.
If you need to go to a hub to get flights, survey the cheapest connecting flights. -
Step 2: Sign up for a mileage credit card with this airline.
Ensure your credit is good and that you can handle a revolving credit account.
Since you need a credit card to travel anyway, pick one based on the most miles earned for your purchases and the lowest (or non-existent) foreign transaction fees., Also, sign up for their e-newsletters.
Take advantage of opportunities to earn extra miles, fly for double miles and even buy miles to make up the remainder of miles required for a free ticket. , If you make all your purchases on your airline credit card and pay off the balance each month, you can rack up two domestic tickets or perhaps an international ticket. , Purchase a ticket to Thailand, England/France, Barbados or South America.
Island or country-hopping flights and ferry rides are often available for $10 to $50. , If you are comfortable leaving your trip to the last minute, book a tour or package deal that the operator is trying to fill up.
They don’t lose money and you might get all your services at half price. , You should aim to keep accommodation, local transportation, food and sightseeing expenses less than $50 per day. , The website hosts thousands of free and low-cost couch surfing opportunities.
It is especially suited for single backpackers on an extreme budget.
Stay4Free.com and GlobalFreeloaders.com are other sites that encourage free sharing of couches and homes to people traveling the world. , If you are going to travel to a single place at a time and you own or rent a house, try to swap houses with someone who is traveling as well.
You will need to arrange this well in advance with a service like homeexchange.com, IHEN.com or homeforexchange.com, but you may be able to eliminate almost all lodging costs. , Homeaway.com, VRBO.com and airBnB.com provide listings of furnished houses.
By staying a week or more, you may be able to lower your lodging costs to $25 per day.
Beware that some cities outlaw rentals for less than 30 days.
Paris and New York have had previous laws that have made subletting to tourists impossible.
Apartments have the added bonus of a kitchen.
You can cook meals yourself and save $10 to $25 per day on food. , You will get a bare room in a beautiful old building.
Availability varies, but Europe and Asia are excellent places to look for a monastery stay. , If you can’t find a deal before you go, wait until 6 PM on the day you want to stay.
Prices can drop once hotels realize what vacancies they have.
Don’t use this method if you are going to a large event.
Hotels can book up completely and won’t have any vacancies. , Both groups and individuals can save $15 to $100 per night by staying in a hostel where you share bathrooms and bedrooms.
You can relive your college dorm days by sharing with other travelers or you can pay a little bit more to stay in a private room.
Go to sites like hostels.com and hostelworld.com to find listings and ratings of hostels around the world.
Hostels are very common in Asia, America, Europe, Australia and other large countries. , The best places to rent cars during a trip are the USA, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Costa Rica, South Africa, Peru, Malta and Dubai.
Choose other transportation methods in Eastern Europe, Africa, Japan and Singapore.The more people you have traveling with you and cost sharing, the more economical car rentals will be. , Most countries, especially those in Europe, raise the fares for last-minute travel, especially during commuter times.
In England, cross-country fares can go from £12 to £200. , Focus on buying passes that allow you to cover a large distance.
If you are flexible, you can further reduce costs by limiting the number of days you are allowed to travel on your pass., Make everyday a picnic if you don’t have access to a kitchen.
Split grocery bills with other people you are staying with or traveling with. , You will experience a cultural treat and you can eat fresh food and produce to stay healthy.
Some markets, like those in Hong Kong, have street food for $1 per meal. , If you are in France, eat baguettes and cheese.
In New York, eat pizza and hot dogs.
Although they may not be glamorous or healthy, these fast eats will save you money. , A New York or Paris Museum Pass may be well worth the money, as long as you go beach bumming or walking around other cities to see the sights.
Any trip is a give-and-take, since you should splurge to see things that are important to you and avoid costs when attractions aren’t as important. , A commuter ferry in Seattle costs only $7, but takes you to adjoining islands.
Many countries across the world sell cheap ferry tickets at non-commuter times, while gouging tourists on fancy boat tours. , Many major cities and smaller towns have a courtesy walking tour available.
Stop by the tourism office to ask about good ways to see the town on a budget. , If the technology is Wi-Fi enabled, book local transportation, lodging and sightseeing after you arrive.
Download a free Wi-Fi tracker so that you can be ready before you arrive. , This handy iPhone app tracks your travel expenses so that you can constantly view how much you are spending per day.
If your daily budget goes well above $50, cut costs and do walking tours or free events for the next few days.This app uses charts to identify what expenses are costing the most.
If you want to try it out, enter all the expenses for a previous trip and see where you were spending the most money.
You can target your weakest areas before your next trip. , Remember that most museums are closed on Mondays, but some places, like the Louvre, have free entry on Sundays or Tuesdays. , You will need to print them out and bring them to the location.
City passes, boat tours and other travel experiences are popular on this site.
Pay attention to when these coupons can be redeemed. -
Step 3: Sign up for airline mileage programs.
-
Step 4: Aim to collect a free ticket once per year.
-
Step 5: Fly to a major airport and then hop around the region.
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Step 6: Search for last minute package deals or Groupons.
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Step 7: Understand that the $50 per day goal will probably be after your plane ticket is purchased if you can’t find airfare for less than $500.
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Step 8: Create an account on www.couchsurfing.org.
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Step 9: Arrange for a home exchange.
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Step 10: Search for an apartment if you are going to stay in a place more than two days.
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Step 11: Look for monastery housing.
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Step 12: Book on Hotwire or another travel site.
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Step 13: Choose hostels over hotels.
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Step 14: Rent a car if the country you are visiting has low-cost gas.
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Step 15: Don’t book trains for same-day travel.
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Step 16: Purchase “saver” rail passes if you want to travel across countries.
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Step 17: Cook your own meals.
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Step 18: Shop at local markets.
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Step 19: Eat the local delicacies.
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Step 20: Buy a museum pass in the right cities.
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Step 21: Take a ferry.
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Step 22: Research free tours and walking tours.
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Step 23: Bring a tablet or smartphone with you.
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Step 24: Download and use the Trail Wallet app.
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Step 25: Use Wi-Fi on your device to search for free entrances.
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Step 26: Buy Groupons to see the sights.
Detailed Guide
Also, choose a major airline, like Delta or United, that partners with international airlines to go all over the world.
If you need to go to a hub to get flights, survey the cheapest connecting flights.
Ensure your credit is good and that you can handle a revolving credit account.
Since you need a credit card to travel anyway, pick one based on the most miles earned for your purchases and the lowest (or non-existent) foreign transaction fees., Also, sign up for their e-newsletters.
Take advantage of opportunities to earn extra miles, fly for double miles and even buy miles to make up the remainder of miles required for a free ticket. , If you make all your purchases on your airline credit card and pay off the balance each month, you can rack up two domestic tickets or perhaps an international ticket. , Purchase a ticket to Thailand, England/France, Barbados or South America.
Island or country-hopping flights and ferry rides are often available for $10 to $50. , If you are comfortable leaving your trip to the last minute, book a tour or package deal that the operator is trying to fill up.
They don’t lose money and you might get all your services at half price. , You should aim to keep accommodation, local transportation, food and sightseeing expenses less than $50 per day. , The website hosts thousands of free and low-cost couch surfing opportunities.
It is especially suited for single backpackers on an extreme budget.
Stay4Free.com and GlobalFreeloaders.com are other sites that encourage free sharing of couches and homes to people traveling the world. , If you are going to travel to a single place at a time and you own or rent a house, try to swap houses with someone who is traveling as well.
You will need to arrange this well in advance with a service like homeexchange.com, IHEN.com or homeforexchange.com, but you may be able to eliminate almost all lodging costs. , Homeaway.com, VRBO.com and airBnB.com provide listings of furnished houses.
By staying a week or more, you may be able to lower your lodging costs to $25 per day.
Beware that some cities outlaw rentals for less than 30 days.
Paris and New York have had previous laws that have made subletting to tourists impossible.
Apartments have the added bonus of a kitchen.
You can cook meals yourself and save $10 to $25 per day on food. , You will get a bare room in a beautiful old building.
Availability varies, but Europe and Asia are excellent places to look for a monastery stay. , If you can’t find a deal before you go, wait until 6 PM on the day you want to stay.
Prices can drop once hotels realize what vacancies they have.
Don’t use this method if you are going to a large event.
Hotels can book up completely and won’t have any vacancies. , Both groups and individuals can save $15 to $100 per night by staying in a hostel where you share bathrooms and bedrooms.
You can relive your college dorm days by sharing with other travelers or you can pay a little bit more to stay in a private room.
Go to sites like hostels.com and hostelworld.com to find listings and ratings of hostels around the world.
Hostels are very common in Asia, America, Europe, Australia and other large countries. , The best places to rent cars during a trip are the USA, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Costa Rica, South Africa, Peru, Malta and Dubai.
Choose other transportation methods in Eastern Europe, Africa, Japan and Singapore.The more people you have traveling with you and cost sharing, the more economical car rentals will be. , Most countries, especially those in Europe, raise the fares for last-minute travel, especially during commuter times.
In England, cross-country fares can go from £12 to £200. , Focus on buying passes that allow you to cover a large distance.
If you are flexible, you can further reduce costs by limiting the number of days you are allowed to travel on your pass., Make everyday a picnic if you don’t have access to a kitchen.
Split grocery bills with other people you are staying with or traveling with. , You will experience a cultural treat and you can eat fresh food and produce to stay healthy.
Some markets, like those in Hong Kong, have street food for $1 per meal. , If you are in France, eat baguettes and cheese.
In New York, eat pizza and hot dogs.
Although they may not be glamorous or healthy, these fast eats will save you money. , A New York or Paris Museum Pass may be well worth the money, as long as you go beach bumming or walking around other cities to see the sights.
Any trip is a give-and-take, since you should splurge to see things that are important to you and avoid costs when attractions aren’t as important. , A commuter ferry in Seattle costs only $7, but takes you to adjoining islands.
Many countries across the world sell cheap ferry tickets at non-commuter times, while gouging tourists on fancy boat tours. , Many major cities and smaller towns have a courtesy walking tour available.
Stop by the tourism office to ask about good ways to see the town on a budget. , If the technology is Wi-Fi enabled, book local transportation, lodging and sightseeing after you arrive.
Download a free Wi-Fi tracker so that you can be ready before you arrive. , This handy iPhone app tracks your travel expenses so that you can constantly view how much you are spending per day.
If your daily budget goes well above $50, cut costs and do walking tours or free events for the next few days.This app uses charts to identify what expenses are costing the most.
If you want to try it out, enter all the expenses for a previous trip and see where you were spending the most money.
You can target your weakest areas before your next trip. , Remember that most museums are closed on Mondays, but some places, like the Louvre, have free entry on Sundays or Tuesdays. , You will need to print them out and bring them to the location.
City passes, boat tours and other travel experiences are popular on this site.
Pay attention to when these coupons can be redeemed.
About the Author
Michael Lee
Enthusiastic about teaching hobbies techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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