If there’s one major misconception people have about long-term travel, it’s that it must be expensive. That’s simply not the case. There are endless ways to extend your travel dollar on the road, and if you want to keep your adventures going for a long time, it pays to be thrifty.
One of the most expensive elements of any trip is feeding yourself. Restaurants are expensive, and eating out every meal will deplete your travel funds very quickly. By sticking to local markets and restaurants that don’t cater to tourist dollars, you’ll be surprised how much further your money goes. In the picture above Davy and I are munching on some baguette and mystery meat sandwiches, which made up about 90% of our diet on our biking trip. Throw in fruit, and you’ve got 100%. We rarely ate at restaurants or slept in hostels; choosing instead to look for places to pitch our tent. Being frugal allowed us to stay in Europe for much longer than anticipated.
Living in Argentina now I’ve quickly discovered the difference between needs and wants. I have barely any of the creature comforts I took for granted back in the US, but I also quickly learned to do without. Simple living has been the key that has stretched my money down here, and I’ve seen friends leave after only a couple of months because they don’t budget or plan where their money should go.
Living abroad long-term on little money has been challenging, but these thrifty lessons will be invaluable whenever I return home. I’ve come to value experiences over things, and this thriftiness that has allowed me to thrive down here will definitely carry over to my lifestyle in the US.
See parts 1 and 2 of this series here:
- What Can Long-Term Travel Teach You? Pt. 1: Self-Sufficiency
- What Can Long-Term Travel Teach You? Pt. 2: Patience
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