Many people think full-time travel is not possible unless you are a millionaire. This is most definitely not the case and we are living proof.
However, you will need a plan and some small adjustments in your life to be able to follow your dream of full-time travel. The good news is that you will find out, it’s quite easy when you travel smart!
Let’s take a closer look at what this term – Travel Smart – looks like.
1. Eat Smart
In order to save money, you need to eat smart. What does this mean? Put simply, you are not on holidays where you will go out for a meal 3 times per day, so where will you get your daily food?
Your first adjustment – you must eat like a local. When walking down the street in a new city, walk on passed the fancy restaurants, McDonald’s, and Starbucks, and instead, go straight to where the local people of that country are eating.
Here is where you will get the best value at a fraction of the cost and probably the most delicious food too. Trust the locals, if there are many people having food there, it’s for a good reason!
Street Food is delicious and very affordable. In many countries we have visited, especially in South East Asia, the street food has been some of the nicest food we ever tasted, and very cheap!
When possible book accommodation that has breakfast included, even better book accommodation with cooking facilities or apartments with your own kitchen.
When purchasing your food simply go to a local market, bakery, or supermarket. African countries such as Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Namibia, and South Africa have many supermarkets that serve hot food for very affordable prices.
Two of our favorite countries in the world are Thailand and Indonesia, here you’ll find some of the world’s best food available at incredibly affordable prices, whether dining in restaurants or sampling street food delights.
Of course, you should still go out for meals on your full-time travel adventure. But be smart about it, the costs of going out for 3 meals a day will add up very fast.
By eating like a local you will save so much money that can then be used on expensive attractions like a safari or boat cruise.
2. Travel Smart
Full-time travel involves a lot of …..TRAVEL!
By taking public transport you will save a fortune. So just like eating smart, to travel smart means you need to travel like a local.
No more expensive private drivers and taxis. Instead, head straight over to the bus/train station or just brave the hordes of tuk tuks/matatus lined up eager to win your custom!
After a bit of time and experience, your confidence in haggling prices with corrupt taxi drivers will grow strong. Now you will be laughing and joking with them!
Mastering the art of Google Maps is also important, as you will need this skill to navigate to a hotel you booked nearby anyway to avoid all the haggling and taxis!
The majority of the time when traveling in foreign countries you will be looked after by the locals traveling with you. Through this way of traveling, you will also make friends and have lots more laughs and experiences.
Lastly, make sure to check out all prices. Sometimes in this mad world of travel, the prices just don’t make sense.
We have had experiences where a private driver offered the same price as a local bus and comfortable train journeys that were cheaper than a local bus.
Don’t just assume that they are always the cheapest option!
3. Is it Worth Visiting?
This may seem like an odd question but a question we probably don’t ask ourselves enough when traveling. People simply visit what first comes up on the “Top Things to See” Google list.
But do you put enough thought into if it is truly something you are interested in, if it is worth the price, the time, and/or the effort?
Would you believe that it is ok if you choose not to go see a supposed “must-see attraction”?
When traveling full-time, it is essential to pick and choose your priorities. Accept that sometimes you just can’t do it all!
To give you an example, many people have Abu Simbel as a must-see when visiting Egypt. However, this is not an easy feat. There are two options for this visit.
First, is staying in the nearest town, which is Aswan. You will have to get a bus at 3.30 am to travel 4 hours and another 4 hours back again on the same day. It only takes an hour to walk around the temple…..
The second option is to stay in the town of Abu Simbel and pay crazy prices for accommodation.
Given the fact that we had seen so many similar temples over the last few days/weeks whilst in Egypt, we decided that this just WASN’T WORTH the effort and cost – Travel smart!
4. Shop Around For Different Prices
Don’t always accept the first price offered to you.
Developing your haggling skills is essential for saving money while traveling full-time, and you’ll most definitely find yourself practicing them along the way.
Sometimes you are not in the best form to do this as it can be annoying, so we would advise unless you need the item or tour urgently save it for another day.
But the majority of the time it can be a fun and pleasant experience. Just be kind and if you are not interested, a simple “no thank you” will do, and walk away.
We have many examples of this, but one, in particular, stands out for us. While (again!) in Egypt, we got quoted $90 EACH for a tour to see the Dahshur Pyramid Complex.
Seeing as this was way over our budget we decided to shop around and ended up getting a tour, which was basically a private driver from 9-5 pm, for $25 IN TOTAL!
Read about this in greater detail by clicking here along with the best ways to prevent any other scams and always make sure to check if there are any good tour deals in your area on GetYourGuide.
5. Drive Yourself
If possible try to explore yourself without going on a tour.
In the majority of SE Asia, you can rent a motorbike for a few dollars per day, this way you can go at your own pace and stop off anywhere you want, plus you get to see so much more!
Many a time we drove to the attraction ourselves, even to destinations that took more than 4 hours to drive one way!
Honestly, they are some of the best adventures we ever experienced!
6. Visit Free Attractions
On the days we had our own transport we discovered many free attractions that weren’t even on the itinerary.
There are many free attractions in every country, swim in a gorgeous waterfall, hike to a scenic viewpoint, or walk on a paradise beach.
In many cities, you can visit stunning churches, find a free national museum, discover a historical site, experience local life at a local market, walk past street art, and chill in a botanical garden.
On our Australia lap, we visited many places where certain animals live such as koalas, wombats, and kangaroos on a beach at sunrise.
The list is endless!!
7. Use A Budget App
Budget Apps are a fantastic way to track your spending, the app we use is TravelSpend.
We use the free version but there are options to upgrade for more benefits. Having set our daily/weekly spending prior to our travel, we can now easily set a budget for each country. Don’t forget to add in extras like flights and visas.
TravelSpend allows you to set up spending categories, for example, accommodation, shopping, restaurants, drinks, etc.
This is just one app of many similar apps available that pretty much do the same thing, so it might be good to download a few to compare which one you prefer.
We would recommend tracking how much you spend for full-time travel because things can add up a lot quicker than you may expect.
Accommodation, transport, food, and experiences are the obvious ones but ATM fees, sun creams, after sun, moisturizers, shampoo, mouthwash, deodorant, painkillers, laundry, tampons, water, parking fees, souvenirs and things that go wrong….these all add up to significant amounts over a few months.
Check out our Baltic States post where we show our spending breakdown using the app.
8. Travel Cards
Travel cards are a great way to avoid paying unnecessary fees/bank charges and also allow you the option of paying in the local currency.
To access our money, we each have multiple back cards from our home bank, travel cards, and Revolut so we won’t be stuck if a card is lost/skimmed.
9. Cash is King
Always bring extra cash with you before you start your journey.
This is emergency cash, which is only to be used in the case of an emergency! We would advise to have a minimum of 200 Euros/US Dollars.
Once at your destination, you will have to take out the local currency.
Every time you take out cash you will be given a lump sum of big notes. Try and break up some of these notes into smaller bills or coins as fast as possible.
It’s always handy to have small change for the times you have to give a tip, take local transport, and especially for haggling!
We don’t take out our ATM cards when there is no need. When we need to take out cash we do it on our way home, instead of bringing a big lump sum around for the day.
10. What Documents Do I Need?
Do you need a visa to enter this country, and if so, can I get the visa on arrival or must I apply for an E-visa in advance?
There are many companies online that will charge you around 50 USD to get your visa for you. Avoid those scams by only using the official government website.
Often the official website will have GOV. in its URL name.
There are also many countries where you do a land border crossing that requires a copy of your passport and two passport photos.
Before you leave your own country you should have all of these prepared to avoid paying extra costs once you are at the border (We have heard stories of people being charged 20 USD for two photocopies of their passports)
Yellow Fever
Many countries in Africa require a yellow fever certificate, without this document, you may be refused entry into the country.
We know people that were asked to show this documentation upon entering the country and some that were not asked. Be safe, get it done, and get into the country drama-free.
We got our Yellow Fever vaccinations in Thailand at a far cheaper cost than it would have been at home.
This was done at the Red Cross Centre in Bangkok. For you worriers, this is 100% safe!
Besides Yellow Fever, you can also get all other vaccinations you need here for non-western prices! Plus, it’s a good excuse to go to Thailand for a break!
The Red Cross Centre is located on the West side of Lumphini Park across from the Montien Hotel. For some reason, it doesn’t show up on Google Maps.
11. Top Cashback
Sign up with Top Cashback, even if you never travel but shop online.
You click on the link to the website you want to buy stuff from, shop as normal, and get some money refunded. Sounds good right?!
There are sometimes huge refunds, we often get 12% back on booking.com. Sign up with this affiliate link to start saving money!!.
12. Loyalty Schemes
If you like free money, as we do, then Loyalty Schemes are the way to go.
By showing your loyalty to certain companies you will be rewarded with discounts or upgrades.
Booking.com
Mostly, we use Booking.com and have done so for many years. Due to our loyalty, we now obtain Genius level benefits. This level offers free breakfasts, upgrades, or discounts.
It may be beneficial to do research on which hotel booking company you prefer and stick with them in order to obtain such benefits in the long run.
Different Types of Accommodation
If you have decided on the hotel you want to book, don’t accept the first price.
Often the price for the same room will vary depending on what website you’re on such as Booking.com, Hotels.com, or the hotel’s website.
Personally, we prefer to rent apartments or places with cooking facilities. A week’s shopping is a LOT cheaper than going out for 3 meals per day.
Airbnb always has many apartments on offer and many great deals available.
Another option is house-sitting which can save you a lot of money. You reside in someone’s house in exchange for minding their pets/home while they are away. How good does that sound?!
Alternatively, save money by getting free accommodation in exchange for work through sites like Workaway and Worldpackers.
For example, obtain free accommodation in a hostel in exchange for a few hours of work, free accommodation for volunteering at an animal shelter, and free meals/accommodation with a family for childminding/teaching English.
13. Download the Local Taxi App
Research the country you plan to visit and make sure to download the taxi app that is used there, for example – UBER, BOLT, and TIRHAL.
Not every country uses the same app. These are almost always cheaper, and safer than random taxis on the street.
Do not forget to price all transport options. We have taken a taxi that ended up being cheaper than buying two train tickets and also ended up taking a flight that was cheaper than two ferry tickets.
Sharing a Taxi as a group with other travelers can also be a cheaper option.
Don’t assume the slow/uncomfortable way is always cheaper, more than often it is though!
14. Travel With a Bus Company
12goAsia, Busbud, and Busonlineticket are all sites we have used to purchase bus tickets.
Sometimes, it is cheaper to go to the bus station in advance and buy a ticket but that can be more difficult if the bus station is further away.
Some bus companies have websites so you can book directly with them but don’t always assume this is the case. The sites are also good to show you what buses/times exist before going to the station.
15. Hire/Buy a Campervan or Go Camping
Before we left Australia we bought a campervan and drove a full lap for 6 months.
Often we were able to park in off-the-beaten-track destinations and have the entire place to ourselves. Everything we needed was with us, a bed, washing facilities, cooking facilities, and entertainment such as bikes or kayaks.
Spaceship Vans – There are great deals to rent vans on Spaceship Vans. We used it for four weeks in New Zealand and had no issues, highly recommended by us!
Most weekends in Australia we would go away camping for a few days, again everything was with us that we needed and it hardly cost us anything except for fuel and food.
Both methods are great ways to travel, explore, have fun, and save money!
Once you are finished your lap of Australia you will receive most of your money back when selling your camper van, maybe even a little more!!
16. The Cheapest Form of Transport
Finally, there is one more option which is free – walking!
All those small amounts you pay for short taxi/tuk-tuk rides will also add up. We often walk to places and love it.
Not only do you get some exercise but you also get to experience local life and have a chance to chat and make new friends.
We are called Happy Irish WANDERERS after all!
17. Airline Rewards Programmes
Sign up for Airline rewards programs to start saving airline miles/points. Also, sign up for their mailing list to get special discounts and information on sales.
A lot of airlines are members of alliances. This means they sort of work together, for example, you book a connecting flight all through one airline but actually part of the route is operated by a different airline.
The 3 main alliances are One World, Star Alliance, and Sky Team. Below are some of the main airlines associated with the airlines, but there are many more than the ones mentioned.
- One World – Aer Lingus, British Airways, Qatar Airlines, American Airlines, Qantas, Iberia,
- Star Alliance – Singapore Airlines, Thai Airlines, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, Lufthansa, Air New Zealand, Air Canada, Air China, Scandinavian Airlines.
- Sky Team – KLM, AirFrance, Korean Air, China Airlines
Budget airlines, like Ryanair and AirAsia, are usually not in alliance although may have their own rewards program (AirAsia does). Some large airlines are also not in an alliance and have independent loyalty programs such as Ethihad/Emirates.
If you earn points/miles with one airline, you can usually use them with any airline within the alliance.
Therefore, we recommend picking one airline in each alliance and focusing on their loyalty program. You can then earn points/miles when you fly with any of the alliance members.
18. Slow Travel = Cheap Travel = Full-Time Travel
Having lots of time makes it easier to travel on a budget. If you are on the go every couple of days your spending will fly up due to transportation and attractions costs.
By traveling on a slow pace you will be able to find the best deals on transport, accommodation, time to shop at the local places, and stick to your weekly budget.
Best of all you will have time to relax and experience real local life.
Enjoy The World!
So are you thinking that you can do this too, and follow your dream of full-time travel?!
Because it is possible, just follow these ultimate tips to save money and a few small yet easy changes to your lifestyle. Sometimes it takes a bit of extra effort, but worth it all in the long term!
We would love to hear your thoughts. Please feel free to leave us a message below or contact us through our socials.
Slán go fóil
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