This is my list of The Seven Traveling Commandments:
Always travel as light as possible!
Don't bring shit you won't need in the first place. Have a good reason for everything you bring, a very good reason.
Exchange in advance!
Preferably, exchange your money before you go to the next country and monetary zone. The risk of getting ripped off is smaller and you'll have the money right from the start.
Preferably, find a place to sleep before you leave.
I probably won't need to explain this further. However, sometimes it's just not possible.
Get a map before you leave.
I can't recall all the times I've searched the streets for kiosks that sell maps. Get it in advance. If you can't find one for sale, go to an Internet café and print it out.
Never carry a lot of cash.
I hope this too won't need to be explained. Another piece of advice is to hide a small sum of money somewhere in your packing, maybe in your shoes or in your belt. This way you can still get home despite losing all your stuff or being robbed.
Never blindly trust anyone who'll profit from you.
You can still listen to them. Just don't trust them blindly. They might have good intentions, but they also want to make profit out of you. I'm not saying that you should be paranoid, just precautious.
Show respect.
I just had to include this one. Show respect to everyone, and you will be respected too.
It might be common sense, but people seem to forget it very often.
How To Bargain Like A Master
Maybe you found a cool hat somewhere, but it wasn't as cheap as you'd like it to be. The salesman tells you the price is 50 dollars, but you don't want to spend more than 20 bucks. How do you do? You can't just ask him, can you? Not exactly, but it's not too far from the truth. Here are some steps you can use to lower the price wherever you go.
Scenario: You want to buy a hat that's worth 50 dollars.
# Step 1: Tell him you don't agree with the price.
Suggest 40 dollars. Don't be rude but don't be a sissy. Be firm.
# Step 2: Bring a friend.
This is the most powerful tool. If the two of you speak a language besides English that the salesman doesn't speak, it's perfect. Ask your friend if it's a reasonable price, or just jibberish, like if he likes the weather (the salesman won't know what you're talking about anyway). Make him respond negatively. Tell the salesman that your friend thinks it's too expensive. Appear to be ready to leave, and make him lower the price. (Repeatable a few times)
# Step 3: Tell him you can't spend more than 25 dollars.
This might or might not work. Just tell him and see the reaction. Always appear ready to leave.
# Step 4: Bring up the wallet.
Show the salesman that you've only got 20 dollars in the wallet. Tell him that you're going back to the hotel for more money. Preferably he lets you buy the hat for 20 dollars, but if he actually lets you go, "borrow" money from you friend and buy it for 25 dollars.
Don't take my numbers literally, just the principle. Plus you can always complain about the quality of the product, take up the fact that others are selling it cheaper. Always make it appear as if you're ready to leave and head for another shop, that's the basic principle.
This has always worked for me. My personal best is a megaphone I bought from a guy selling roses. He wanted 50 euros but I got it for roughly 3 euros.
Good luck bargaining!
Scenario: You want to buy a hat that's worth 50 dollars.
# Step 1: Tell him you don't agree with the price.
Suggest 40 dollars. Don't be rude but don't be a sissy. Be firm.
# Step 2: Bring a friend.
This is the most powerful tool. If the two of you speak a language besides English that the salesman doesn't speak, it's perfect. Ask your friend if it's a reasonable price, or just jibberish, like if he likes the weather (the salesman won't know what you're talking about anyway). Make him respond negatively. Tell the salesman that your friend thinks it's too expensive. Appear to be ready to leave, and make him lower the price. (Repeatable a few times)
# Step 3: Tell him you can't spend more than 25 dollars.
This might or might not work. Just tell him and see the reaction. Always appear ready to leave.
# Step 4: Bring up the wallet.
Show the salesman that you've only got 20 dollars in the wallet. Tell him that you're going back to the hotel for more money. Preferably he lets you buy the hat for 20 dollars, but if he actually lets you go, "borrow" money from you friend and buy it for 25 dollars.
Don't take my numbers literally, just the principle. Plus you can always complain about the quality of the product, take up the fact that others are selling it cheaper. Always make it appear as if you're ready to leave and head for another shop, that's the basic principle.
This has always worked for me. My personal best is a megaphone I bought from a guy selling roses. He wanted 50 euros but I got it for roughly 3 euros.
Good luck bargaining!
Making Calls From Abroad
Calling home, to your travel buddies or to a local number when you're abroad could be very expensive. However, there are some things you can do to save a few bucks.
# Tip No. 1: Don't leave your phone at home
Well, this isn't really going to make it cheaper. But even though it might be more expensive to use your phone while traveling, it's still perfect in case of emergency. Plus, you could always...
# Tip No. 2: ...buy temporary phone cards in a local shop
It's a lot cheaper to use a local phone card if you're going to call someone in the same country. However, if you're going to call home, it's probably a better idea to use your normal SIM-card, despite the roaming fee.
# Tip No. 3 Get Skype credits and go to an Internet café
This is the cheapest way to call your friends and family. It's ideal if they too have Skype, in order to call for free. You can call ordinary phone numbers from Skype, too. Just remember one important detail: This is (usually) only cheaper if you want to make longer calls, because of the fee of the Internet café.
If your phone supports wireless internet and Skype, you should be very happy. In bigger cities and towns there are a lot of open networks, which you can use in order to call home completely free.
That's all I've got, happy calling!
# Tip No. 1: Don't leave your phone at home
Well, this isn't really going to make it cheaper. But even though it might be more expensive to use your phone while traveling, it's still perfect in case of emergency. Plus, you could always...
# Tip No. 2: ...buy temporary phone cards in a local shop
It's a lot cheaper to use a local phone card if you're going to call someone in the same country. However, if you're going to call home, it's probably a better idea to use your normal SIM-card, despite the roaming fee.
# Tip No. 3 Get Skype credits and go to an Internet café
This is the cheapest way to call your friends and family. It's ideal if they too have Skype, in order to call for free. You can call ordinary phone numbers from Skype, too. Just remember one important detail: This is (usually) only cheaper if you want to make longer calls, because of the fee of the Internet café.
If your phone supports wireless internet and Skype, you should be very happy. In bigger cities and towns there are a lot of open networks, which you can use in order to call home completely free.
That's all I've got, happy calling!
How To Get To Your Destination The Cheapest Way
Choosing the way of transportation to the destination of yours might not be difficult, but getting there the cheapest way possible might be harder. However, there are dozens of ways to get where you want. So let's get down to it.
By Plane
In today's world, this is the most common means of transportation when it comes to travel. There are, however, a few things you should think about.
Forget first class! I hope there's no need to explain this.
Don't check in any luggage. Try to get all your stuff in your carry-on. This shouldn't be a problem if you packed right.
Buy fruits and food before you board. Food and drinks are expensive mid-air. That's the way companies like RyanAir make money, by robbing passengers with their ridiculous pricing of food.
By Boat
Even though the importance of boats has declined the last century, they are still an option. Tickets are fairly cheap, but remember: Cabins are expensive. By default, a cabin will be included in your ticket, but often it's optional. Forget about the cabin and choose to sleep in the resting room, or a couch. Sometimes, however, cabins are fairly cheap, and you'll sleep a lot better in one of these. Just remember to check the price.
You could also try to go to the dock office and see if you get a temporary job on a boat that's heading in your direction.
By Bus
This is one of the cheapest ways of traveling, but also one of the slowest. There are lots of companies out there that offer really cheap bus tickets and buses are available everywhere, even in the poorest of the countries of the world.
Hitchhiking
Absolutely the cheapest way to get somewhere is hitchhiking. Search Google for people who have hitchhiked in the country where you're in. Often it's perfectly safe to hitchhike, if you're not dressed like you're begging to be robbed and offer a little money in return for the ride. In many countries picking up hitchhikers is illegal so don't always expect cars to stop when you give them the sign.
Also, try to figure out the right way to signal cars that you wanted to be picked up - in some countries the signal you're used to might be a rude gesture!
In Europe, it's almost perfectly safe to hitchhike and often encouraged by the local governments.
By Taxi
In most non-western countries taxi is really cheap. Although taking a taxi is more secure than hitchhiking, it might also be dangerous. Negotiate the price in forehand and tell the driver to stop if you notice that he's going in the wrong direction.
The bottomline is: Don't dress like you're begging to be robbed and try to fit in - Most people are willing to help if you just show them respect.
Have you tried other ways? Please leave a comment and tell me about it.
By Plane
In today's world, this is the most common means of transportation when it comes to travel. There are, however, a few things you should think about.
Forget first class! I hope there's no need to explain this.
Don't check in any luggage. Try to get all your stuff in your carry-on. This shouldn't be a problem if you packed right.
Buy fruits and food before you board. Food and drinks are expensive mid-air. That's the way companies like RyanAir make money, by robbing passengers with their ridiculous pricing of food.
By Boat
Even though the importance of boats has declined the last century, they are still an option. Tickets are fairly cheap, but remember: Cabins are expensive. By default, a cabin will be included in your ticket, but often it's optional. Forget about the cabin and choose to sleep in the resting room, or a couch. Sometimes, however, cabins are fairly cheap, and you'll sleep a lot better in one of these. Just remember to check the price.
You could also try to go to the dock office and see if you get a temporary job on a boat that's heading in your direction.
By Bus
This is one of the cheapest ways of traveling, but also one of the slowest. There are lots of companies out there that offer really cheap bus tickets and buses are available everywhere, even in the poorest of the countries of the world.
Hitchhiking
Absolutely the cheapest way to get somewhere is hitchhiking. Search Google for people who have hitchhiked in the country where you're in. Often it's perfectly safe to hitchhike, if you're not dressed like you're begging to be robbed and offer a little money in return for the ride. In many countries picking up hitchhikers is illegal so don't always expect cars to stop when you give them the sign.
Also, try to figure out the right way to signal cars that you wanted to be picked up - in some countries the signal you're used to might be a rude gesture!
In Europe, it's almost perfectly safe to hitchhike and often encouraged by the local governments.
By Taxi
In most non-western countries taxi is really cheap. Although taking a taxi is more secure than hitchhiking, it might also be dangerous. Negotiate the price in forehand and tell the driver to stop if you notice that he's going in the wrong direction.
The bottomline is: Don't dress like you're begging to be robbed and try to fit in - Most people are willing to help if you just show them respect.
Have you tried other ways? Please leave a comment and tell me about it.
Finding Somewhere To Sleep
Finding a place to spend the night is one of the most important things besides finding a way to get to your next destination.
First, you should look at all the hostels in the area. This is a very simple task to do if you browse the listings on sites such as HostelWorld.com and HostelBookers.com. They list thousands of hostels all around the globe and at least in the bigger cities you're sure to find a place to sleep for a price between 10$ to 40$ a night. Hostels often have no curfew and offer a lot of convenient services for people staying there.
In smaller towns, however, it's a little bit tricky to find a hostel and you might have to find a hotel. Sites such as Expedia, PriceLine, Hotels.com, Booking.com and PriceRunner list up to hundreds of thousands hotels worldwide and are easy to use. Use them all to find the cheapest hotel in the area.
Sometimes there are no hotels or hostels around, and you might have to sleep outside or somewhere public. It might not be the most comfortable place to sleep but it's way more fun. Places such as bus stations, train stations, parks, pay toilets and the like is ideal. Be sure not to sleep too public though, security guards may not like that you're sleeping there and it might even be illegal. Just sleep in the shadows, keep your money well hidden in your clothes and use your bag as a pillow. A Buff is very practical when it comes to sleeping outdoors and if you want to keep really warm, a union suit is perfect.
What is your strategy when trying to find a place to stay? Leave a comment!
First, you should look at all the hostels in the area. This is a very simple task to do if you browse the listings on sites such as HostelWorld.com and HostelBookers.com. They list thousands of hostels all around the globe and at least in the bigger cities you're sure to find a place to sleep for a price between 10$ to 40$ a night. Hostels often have no curfew and offer a lot of convenient services for people staying there.
In smaller towns, however, it's a little bit tricky to find a hostel and you might have to find a hotel. Sites such as Expedia, PriceLine, Hotels.com, Booking.com and PriceRunner list up to hundreds of thousands hotels worldwide and are easy to use. Use them all to find the cheapest hotel in the area.
Sometimes there are no hotels or hostels around, and you might have to sleep outside or somewhere public. It might not be the most comfortable place to sleep but it's way more fun. Places such as bus stations, train stations, parks, pay toilets and the like is ideal. Be sure not to sleep too public though, security guards may not like that you're sleeping there and it might even be illegal. Just sleep in the shadows, keep your money well hidden in your clothes and use your bag as a pillow. A Buff is very practical when it comes to sleeping outdoors and if you want to keep really warm, a union suit is perfect.
What is your strategy when trying to find a place to stay? Leave a comment!
What Should I Pack? - The Perfect Packing List (a.k.a. Please Leave Your Shit At Home)
The hardest thing to do before going somewhere is to make up a list of things to bring and pack them in an undersized bag. I had the same problem every time I was going somewhere until I realized something: I don't need all this shit. I made up a list of things I usually pack, and thought about how often I use all those things, and why. The list came down to this:
- Two pairs of socks
- Two pairs of underwear
- One shirt
- One t-shirt
- Toothbrush
- ~20ml of Toothpaste
- Other hygiene equipment (e.g. perfume, deodorant, hair wax, electric/disposable/straight razor + foam)
- Passport
- Credit/Debit card + money
+ The clothes you're wearing when you leave.
This all fits in a very small bag and is perfect for both shorter and longer trips. For the longer ones, bring some washing powder or, if possible, rent a washing machine. Really, nothing more is needed and you'll feel relieved. Remember, this packing list is for those trips where you don't hike and spend a lot of time in the woods or in the mountains (well, you know). For trips like that you're going to need a whole different mindset when packing your bag. Read more about that over here.
- Two pairs of socks
- Two pairs of underwear
- One shirt
- One t-shirt
- Toothbrush
- ~20ml of Toothpaste
- Other hygiene equipment (e.g. perfume, deodorant, hair wax, electric/disposable/straight razor + foam)
- Passport
- Credit/Debit card + money
+ The clothes you're wearing when you leave.
This all fits in a very small bag and is perfect for both shorter and longer trips. For the longer ones, bring some washing powder or, if possible, rent a washing machine. Really, nothing more is needed and you'll feel relieved. Remember, this packing list is for those trips where you don't hike and spend a lot of time in the woods or in the mountains (well, you know). For trips like that you're going to need a whole different mindset when packing your bag. Read more about that over here.
Traveling Light – The Only Way To Travel
Most people love traveling, interestingly very few people seems to really know how to travel. They book and plan everything in advance, including flight tickets, bus tickets, train tickets, hotel tickets, what they're going to do tightly scheduled so that not even a minute goes to waste and a 30 kilo bag of stuff they won't use anyway . They usually end up stressed, don't enjoy the trip and get angry at each other. That's not how to travel.
I'm not saying that planning is bad. I'm saying that excessive planning is terribly bad. Book your tickets, preferably open ones, and book your hotel, hostel or camping spot, but don't make a to-do plan for your coming trip. That's a big no-no. You could make a wishlist of things you want to do while traveling – but don't feel obliged to stick to it. It's your trip, so do what you want to do, not what you thought you wanted to do.
The best trips are the ones that are open for spontaneous activities, not the ones that are written in stone.
My point is; keep it simple. Like Albert Einstein once said: ”Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” That applies to traveling too.
Read about my thoughts here about the perfect packing list.
I'm not saying that planning is bad. I'm saying that excessive planning is terribly bad. Book your tickets, preferably open ones, and book your hotel, hostel or camping spot, but don't make a to-do plan for your coming trip. That's a big no-no. You could make a wishlist of things you want to do while traveling – but don't feel obliged to stick to it. It's your trip, so do what you want to do, not what you thought you wanted to do.
The best trips are the ones that are open for spontaneous activities, not the ones that are written in stone.
My point is; keep it simple. Like Albert Einstein once said: ”Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” That applies to traveling too.
Read about my thoughts here about the perfect packing list.
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