You too can travel cheaply, cheaper than you thought you could. The secrets are thinking locally and living like the locals. Not only will you experience a cultural shift, you will also save money. Based on the response I got to last week’s post https://wordpress.com/post/travelsketches.info/3640, let me share with you my adventures of traveling more cheaply.
I left the United States at the end of September, 2021. I wanted to make a change in my life and had grown dissatisfied with the politics and cost of living in the US. I took two tours to look for a new location. I traveled Panamá from east to west and later the colonial mountain towns of Mexico. Based on those two tours, I chose to migrate to Boquete, Panama.
Boquete, Panamá
Boquete is a town in the mountains, not to far from the Costa Rica border. Its population is made up of approximately 20% expats. Housing was very tight, so I rented a yurt further up in the mountains. This has proven to be my most expensive rent to date: $500/month. Living in a yurt was a wonderful experience and one I shall never forget https://wordpress.com/post/travelsketches.info/261.
I did incur transportation costs living in the mountains. I had to rely on small, local buses two or three times a week to take me grocery shopping in Boquete https://wordpress.com/post/travelsketches.info/323. With a senior discount, this cost me around 55¢ a trip. I took bigger busses to the next large town for $2.00. I think I went only twice: once to shop and once for a hospital procedure. Otherwise, as I’ve always done, I walk everywhere else.
Because the property was put on the market for sale, I moved down into the town and rented a small studio for $450 including utilities, Wi-Fi, trash collection, and washer and dryer. I shopped locally to keep food costs down. This means I avoided foods imported from outside the country and purchased products made in Panamá which cost less. I shopped the local farmers’ markets for the best buys. Other than some toiletries, I think I purchased only a T-shirt and floppy hat to keep the sun off me.
I remained in Boquete 9-1/2 months, long enough to obtain a permanent visa. This came with discounts, but the only one I used was 25% off my next airfare. I flew on to Ecuador, as it had the next shortest time period to obtain a permanent visa. Unfortunately, I didn’t last long enough to obtain that visa, in part because the rules changed, making it more difficult to secure it.
Cuenca, Ecuador
I spent 13 months in Cuenca, Ecuador, another expat community. Cuenca was a great experience. It was the largest city I had lived in for some time. I secured a 2-bedroom apartment for $450, a rental figure that would stay with me to date.
This price included the same utilities and enhancements as above. Cuenca has about a dozen large mercados (indoor famers’ markets) and these are even cheaper than those in Panamá. There was also a series of American-style grocery stores, so most anything I wanted was available. However, I again chose the less expensive local products.
Since Cuenca is a larger town, I was able to shop in thrift stores. I bought a couple of shirts ($1.00 each) and a new pair of jeans (a couple of dollars). I never took the local busses or tram. I did take taxis a couple of times arriving and leaving the city and for some longer distances within the city (never more than a $3.00 fare). Having gotten the temporary visa did allow me discounts. Sometimes, restaurants automatically gave a discount to we older people without our asking. The only significant discount was 50% off all airfares.
House-sitting in Germany
I took that discount and flew to Germany to begin house-sitting. Despite this discount, crossing the pond has been my biggest expense to date. My expenses in Germany were negligible, as I had a three-month sit with no major expenses. House-sitting allows for free rent in exchange for taking care of a house and pet. My German hosts took their pet with them, so I had few requirements beyond maintaining their home.
House-sitting in England
From Germany, I flew to England with a $100 flight. I arrived at London’s Heathrow Airport and did what few people would likely do. I chose to sit there for 11 hours in order to take a night bus to Manchester, my next house sit. That way I didn’t have to deal with the London Underground (subway system) and I wouldn’t need a hotel for the night. The cost savings was worth it. I would take night travel again if I had the opportunity.
After house-sitting for a week, I had time off before I had another sit lined up. Remaining in Manchester for two nights, I experimented with my first stay in a hostel. It turned out to be a fine, cost-saving venture. I then took a train to the Cotswolds, a picturesque series of small, sandstone villages set among rolling hills. I was to pick up a bus to my lodging, but no bus was available. I ended up having to take a £60 taxi ride. European transportation may be plentiful but not always as scheduled.
I managed to get a ride back to the train to venture onto Oxford, my favorite city in England. I stayed in less-expensive housing for a couple of days while trapsing around and bumping into scenes from Inspector Morse and Lewis TV mystery series. I visited only the free-entry museums, such as the Bodleian Library and the Ashmolean Museum. There are many free opportunities in Oxford and elsewhere in England. Take advantage of these.
Next, I began a long series of house sits, traveling by train to each of them. The homeowner of the first of these introduced me to Trainline, the British rail discount app for older people. This gave me a discount of 1/3 off all my future train travels. Everything in the UK is expensive, so this was a great savings for me.
I left England after 3-1/2 months as the exchange rate between the dollar and the pound was not favorable for me. I was losing 30¢ on every dollar I spent. I would advise checking out the exchange rates for any country you might want to visit before finalizing your plans.
Ways to Travel Cheaply
I hope I might have provided you with some examples of how you can travel and do so more cheaply. Look for cheap flights and train or bus discounts; know your geography and travel short distances when you can; shop and live locally. Other considerations might be to avoid costly tours and entrance fees; use debit cards with no fees at ATMs; select reasonable phone plans. These, and any other discounts you may find, can make your travels a reality. You might like to take a look at this document: https://www.geekyexplorer.com/how-to-travel-without-money/.
Bon voyage.
Fact: You do not need to be rich to travel
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