We can all get over Acoustic Guitar Guy playing Jack Johnson in the corner.

We intrinsically know that the older dude from Montreal is going to fart in his sleep. And we accept that the front desk lady is going to lie about not having quarters, even though she has seven left in the drawer.

However, there are things that can be done to make a hostel more tolerable.

Photo by 733.

Your Peppercorn Is Not Wanted Here

I’ve nearly fainted while standing in an overheated kitchen, waiting for a place to cook Ramen Surprise. One man’s opinion: There’s just no need to make Coq Au Vin on a Bunsen Burner.

If you’re a backpacking gourmet, plan ahead and do whatever you can to make it speedier than Rachel Ray on trucker speed.

And please, stop scoffing at my meal while you’re braising your venison. Those bedbug’s track marks are inches from your spatula, just like the rest of ours.

Don’t Be A Ziplock Mary

Let’s get this straight: No matter how hard you try, a year’s supply of socks cannot be repackaged into a cubic centimeter.

Especially at the crack of dawn, when everyone is trying to catch some shuteye. Accept it: Your peas are going to touch your mashed potatoes. It’s 4am and we’re trying to sleep. Just cut the crap.

Photo by stuhaigh.

Gateway’s Drug

Sure the lobby computer is a gigantic piece of shit but it’s OUR gigantic piece of shit, filled with viruses, spyware and a cookie history that’s often criminal. This is not the time to install Worlds Of Warcraft or write an essay about Bungy Jump At Nevis.

Get on the computer, do your thing and get off. And please people, remember – Facebook is not the internet. It’s Facebook.

TV Room Hogs

Straight Up. You could just as easily take your lazy ass to a hammock and listen to Ben Harper there. This room is sacred – be cognizant of the fact that not everyone wants to marathon the Lethal Weapon films while you drink tallboys and intermittently fall asleep.

Surely there’s a Friends marathon going on at a nearby cafe, where you can wrap yourself in your sarong and order Pad Thai without shrimp.

Photo by nest hostels valencia.

That Isn’t Shampoo On The Floor

There’s a finite amount of soaping that one man can do in fifty minutes. We know what’s going on in there.

While we appreciate you not having seizures on the bunk above us, we also have to step into the shower after you and would appreciate some tidying up first. Use your brains, man.

Recognize Your Stank

It happens to everyone – laundry piles up. Employing The Pepsi Challenge on your socks is a good sign that you’re skunking the room.

Just because you Fabreeze your bra doesn’t meant that it will not smell like the jungle trek you’ve just left. A simple “hey does anyone else need to do laundry?” will usually find at least one other partner to help with funds and suds. Look at that – you’ve made another smelly friend.

Photo by denmar.

A Letter To The Guy Who Never Leaves The Room

Dear Sir. Why did you leave home? Don’t you get bored looking at the walls and repeatedly telling the story of your night dive on the Great Barrier Reef? How many times can you unpack and pack?

May I just have one moment alone here to collect my thoughts? You’ve been sitting indianstyle on your bunk for two days, reading The Davinci Code. There’s a whole other world out there, sir. Please?

Best Regards, Tom

Cushion Pushin

Oh, you two. We saw your snog session at the bar next door go from PG13 to NC17 in about four beers and two shots. We all know that you’re going to sneak into each other’s bunks in fifteen minutes.

As suggested in a recent article here, why to take it to a dark corner instead? There is no Invisibility Cloak for sex. You’re going to make The Noise and we’re all going to mock that noise for the rest of the week.

Photo by paper or plastic?.

Flip Employees A Brewski

They’re hostel workers, one click up the food chain from the guy who slits a cow’s throat before it is butchered.

We all know that they are going to spend their salary on weed and never make that trip to Nepal.

But still, they pick up our Twix wrappers and, well, worse. Even a pity bagel can make this person’s week. Pay it forward.

Any tips we missed? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Desperate times / Photo Fanboy30

You reach into you wallet to pay for your hostel bed for the night, and come up empty. You dig deeper, finding only receipts and pocket lint.

You realize you’re out of money.

Nervous, you excuse yourself from the hostel clerk and rip open your backpack, in search of a secret stash of cash. Nothing. Not even a few coins.

All you have left are some smelly socks, an overdrawn bank account and an unquenchable thirst for adventure.

What do you do? Pack up your gear, hang your head in shame as you call your friends/parents to send the money for a ticket home? Or do you consider these innovative options for funding a life on the road:

1. Travel Writer

Considered by many as the ultimate travel job, writing for online publications can help you buy your next mug of beer. Work your way to becoming the next Hunter S. Thomson by learning about the craft and querying your next inspired idea.

2. Wield that camera

National Geographic may not be knocking your door down, but that doesn’t mean that your photos don’t deserve an audience. Try selling your landscape and portrait shots to travel publications or submit it to a stock photography company such as Shutterpoint.com, Andes Press Agency and Getty Images.

3. Video journalism

With the advent of Youtube amateur videos are in great demand. Become a backpack film maker, set up your own vblog or simply sell it to tourism sites.

4. Busking

If you’re talented (or even if you aren’t), this is a great way to earn money. Just make sure you’re not taking someone else’s “spot” and check the legalities of performing in a certain area. Or if the police come, you could just run away really fast.

5. Work an a Bookstore

It’s a great way to show-off your “intellectual” side whilst devouring the latest books. Keep in mind that most may require a work permit before they hire you. A great alternative is to bunk in Paris’ famed Shakespeare and Company where the owner offers free beds and work in exchange that you promise to read at least one book a day.

6. Online Poker

This is the perfect money-making means for risk takers. Many travelers who have funded their trips from their winnings on Online Poker. Make sure to weigh the risks of wiping out your bank account and developing a gambling problem.

7. Massage

Have you been known to make your dates swoon with your suave massage moves? Maybe it’s time you put your seduction skills to good use by working as a freelance masseuse. Find willing clients on the beach or a location where people are looking to relaaaaxxxx. Invest in some scented oil, clean nails and your most disarming smile and you’ll have enough funds for your own spa treatment.

WWoofing it for cash / Photo strickeal

8. Farm Work

Fruit picking and farm work is one of the favorite possibilities for hippies, idealists and masochists. Though it is literally hard labor, it’s a paying job with invaluable perks, like meeting new people, enjoying the outdoors and having a unique experience.

One of the best resources is Transitions Abroad, Matador’s Guide to WWOOFING and Finding Paying Work in Europe.

9. Construction

If you’d like to fatten your wallet whilst trimming your waistline, then take on some short-term construction work. Who knows, with your newly sculpted abs and beefy biceps, you may find other uses for that tool belt.

10. Work in a hostel

Many hostels hire part-time workers in exchange for cheaper rates on rooms. Cleaning up after travelers may seem pretty disgusting, but it’s an opportunity for quick cash, a free bed and some new friends.

11. Painting

You don’t have to cut off your ear to get a painting gig, but you can put your artistic abilities to good use by offering your services for home, office or building refurbishments.

12. Dishwasher or Kitchen Staff

Grab some leftovers without having to resort to dumpster diving. Experience the stress, camaraderie and craziness of working in a restaurant’s kitchen. It may even open your eyes to a new career path like it did for bad-ass chef extraordinaire, Anthony Bourdain.

13. For the love of science…or some cash

If you were the type of kid that purposely ignores the expiration date on milk cartons just to “see what would happen,” then this is the job for you. Get prodded and poked by nervous science students in the UK, US and in Europe with Get Paid to Guinea Pig.

14. Donate Blood

So what if you feel a bit woozy? A train to Russia is not cheap. Sissy. Plus, you’re helping save lives.

15. Modeling

Do you enjoy staring at your reflection on train windows and hostel mirrors? Then throw down that backpack for a few hours and head off to the glamorous world of commercial and print modeling. Often found in the gigs section of craigslist ads and city job sites, these opportunities require little more than a few cheesy poses.

16. Movie Extra

Run through the streets of Berlin with Jason Bourne or flee Godzilla’s rampage in Tokyo by working as a movie extra. You can check out casting agencies, local job posts or even the local couchsurfing group where independent film makers often post openings. It’s a great way to rub elbows with international celebrities (or at least tell your friends you did), earn some fast cash and possibly get discovered.

17. Recycle

Yes, saving the environment does pay. In most European cities, you can get cash back for the bottles you collect. Scour the hostel lounge and trash cans for some empty containers which you can take to the local supermarket where you’ll be given enough change to finally buy that banana you’ve been eyeing.

Play the streets as a busker / Photo Kafka4prez

18. Sports events

Run after wayward golf balls or mop up the latest spillage from the Tae Kwon Do championships. For sports enthusiasts, it’s a great way to earn some money whilst gaining insight on the local games.

19. Trim some bushes

No, not those, pervert. Knock on a few doors and ask if they need any cleaning, yard work or repairs done. Though you may be chased off by Rover (or Ganesh if you’re in India), with a rumbling stomach, anything is worth a try.

20. Expositions

If you consider yourself a master of setting up tents, then challenge yourself by working at an exposition. Find these jobs on the city classified pages and help put up the displays, tarps and booths for a quick and easy buck.

21. Write Content

If you’ve been annoying your friends and family back home with your lengthy emails, then maybe its time to get paid by writing about other things than yourself. Work for a site that pays per hits such as blogit.com, helium.com and Associatedcontent.com.

22. Resell stuff

Don’t quite know what to do with that weird doll you got in Romania? Then sell it in your next location. From convincing your bunkmate to buy your lucky charms to auctioning fleamarket finds on ebay, reselling unusual travel goods can turn into quite the lucrative on-the-road business.

23. Handicrafts

If you’ve got a knack for crochet or can weave a basket at hyper speed, then selling some of your crafts can be used towards funding your next bus ticket. At the very least, you could make yourself something warm for those homeless evenings.

24. Festival Stalking

One of the best ways to combine a crazy cultural adventure, lots of drinking and enough dough for your next hangover spot is to work the festival circuit. You could either apply for a gig in one of the stands or push your own agenda by selling homemade space cakes, jell-o shots or setting up a kissing booth.

25. Sail Away

Sail off towards the sunset by working on a yacht or a cruise ship. You can find work by perusing crew job sites or simply asking people by the harbor if they have any leads. It provides a sense of freedom, a means to sustain to yourself and a way to get to your next stop.

Being on the road with very little or no cash may seem daunting at first, but the challenge of using your imagination to provide for yourself will make the experience all the more exciting and valuable.

Face the fear! There are always opportunities for the resourceful and intrepid traveler.

Any money-making ideas we missed? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Photo by Betssssy

One sunny spring afternoon in Dublin, a female friend and I stood waiting next to the massive “spike” on O’Connell Street.

The air of anticipation suggested that she was waiting for a blind date, with me there for moral support in case she changed her mind and decided to leave.

With several people milling about, it didn’t seem like the best place to locate a stranger for the first time. Yet, in the midst of the hubbub, a long-haired, sunglasses-clad man emerged and approached us.

Handshakes were exchanged, and my friend went off, duffel bag in hand, to spend the weekend with him.

This shady-seeming encounter represents just one of hundreds of meet-ups being played out around the world each day, arranged via “couch-sharing” websites such as Couchsurfing and Hospitality Club.

The premise of these sites, which began in 2002 and 2003, respectively, is to connect travelers with hosts who volunteer to act as free tour guides or even accommodation providers, offering up lodging in their own homes.

The Kindness of Strangers

I felt a bit nervous as my friend walked away with the lanky, long-haired Irishman. She, too, must have had slight misgivings: after all, she hadn’t told her family that she’d be sleeping in a stranger’s living room for two nights.

Yet, when Monday arrived, my friend had lived to tell the tale – and, as her pictures of new friends and music jam sessions revealed, she had a great time in the process. She’s since “couchsurfed” with two other people.

By its very nature, staying with a stranger from the Internet seems fraught with risks for guest and host alike. Sure, the allure of a free place to crash is appealing, but then again, the peace of mind afforded by a youth hostel could be worth its weight in gold.

Therefore the allure of “couch-sharing” sites must be about more than purely financial concerns. In fact, the sites’ mission statements underline this basic premise.

Couchsurfing.com states that it “is not about the furniture, not just about finding free accommodations around the world; it’s about making connections worldwide.”

Monetary considerations are just one element of Hospitality Club’s assertion that it offers a “fun, ecological, economical and socially beneficial way of traveling.”

Both of these sites do take measures to encourage safety, including the possibility of “vouching” for people and encouraging public feedback after a meet-up occurs.

The Couchsurfing website statistics mention that in a given week, there were 12,962 real-life introductions, of which 81% were reported as “positive,” and less than 1% as “negative” (the other rating option was “neutral”).

While it’s unlikely that every encounter is without trouble, successful exchanges seem to be the rule rather than the exception.

A Local Connection

Photo by PhilipC

Hosts aren’t obliged to offer lodging (some may just be available to meet up for a drink). Jana’s host in Alicante took her out to “an original Spanish outdoor party I would have never found myself,” and her Portuguese host “showed us very nice local places in Funchal and drove us in his car over the whole island.”

Similarly, Jessica’s hostess in Bucharest shared her local knowledge of the capital, driving her around to cover the most sights in the limited time available.

Motivations for Couchsurfers are often based around wanting to experience a place from the point of view of a local; to avoid the traps and well-trodden paths forged by guidebook-worshipping backpackers.

Couchsurfing, in a way, enables a person to gain a different experience; to become a traveler rather than a tourist.

This sentiment is echoed by Mehdi, another surfer who says: “Traveling in CS way will involve you in people’s culture, so it’s more than seeing different places…All these things can help us to make a wonderful paradise out of this damn multimedia robotic world!”

The World On Your Doorstep

Motivations for hosts are often less clear, although a tendency towards altruism tends to prevail. Some people enjoy the feeling of being an “expert” and in sharing special places with others.

Another commonality among hosts is a desire for inter-cultural exchange, with the added benefit of being able to meet people from other countries without having to go anywhere.

As a host, George explains, “I love how the culture comes to me when I am not able to travel myself.”

The possibility of making new friends from around the world (who might be able to return the favor of hosting one day) is another major draw for the people upon whose generosity the couch-sharing sites must rely.

The Internet has enabled people from around the world to communicate with each other, and hospitality sites take this to the next level by facilitating real-life cultural exchange and sharing. While there are bound to be a minority of unscrupulous people who abuse the system, overall, the success of these sites tend to speak for the power of trust and good will.

The couch-sharing trend seems to provide an alternative travel paradigm that many people find fulfilling and return to support in the future.

Have you ever couch surfed, or hosted a Couchsurfer? Share your experiences in the comments!

Here are some practical, budget-minded tips about where to book planes, trains, boats, buses and automobiles when visiting the Old Continent.

Take to the Skies

You’ve probably heard of them by now; budget friendly flights are all the rage in Europe and offer some of the best deals when it comes to country-hopping.

If you book ahead or hit a sale, some flights can be down-right cheap. Even when paying full-price, most tickets on budget airlines are comparable to a slower seat on a long-distance train.

Taking a plane saves time, as Easyjet will get you from London to Lisbon in two and a half hours for about €100.00.

Vueling Airlines is a hip and innovative newcomer that flies mostly to Mediterranean destinations and to Paris. There are no boring in-flight magazines on Vueling – all passengers get a copy of Rolling Stone.

Ryan Air takes the cake for rock-bottom ticket prices, but their out-of-the-way terminals make flying with them a bit of a hassle.

Got Time? Take A Bus!

While seen as somewhat less prestigious than air or train travel, there are buses motoring to and from all European points of interest.

Slow? Yep. Budget friendly? Very. Comfortable? Well, more or less.

Most buses, like industry leader Eurolines, have large cushy seats and make frequent pit-stops. If it’s a long trip the bus will pull over for lunch and dinner.

One drawback to bus travel is that it’s a very slow ride. At one point on a bus trip I took to Toulouse, I recall looking out the window and watching a bicyclist pass us and ride off, disappearing over the horizon.

When on the bus, take it easy and make sure to pack a couple good books.

Rent Your Own Set of Wheels

In some cases it’s necessary to have an International Driver’s License to rent a car in Europe. You can get an IDL easily enough in your home country before departing.

To rent a car, you must be at least 25 years old and have a credit card. If you can tick all the boxes, then you’re ready to explore the back roads of the European countryside.

For the confident traveler, renting a car can be one of the best ways to see parts of Europe that you’d never get a chance to experience otherwise. Some regional companies such as Pepe Cars (Spain and Italy) only allow travel within the pick-up country, but in turn offer great deals.

Other larger international names such as Avis or Europcar, give you the freedom to pick up in one country and drop off in another for a slightly higher price.

Take To The Sea

If traveling around the Mediterranean is in your travel itinerary, going by boat is an option.

From Barcelona to the infamous islands of Ibiza and Mallorca, board Barcos Balearia for a nine and a half hour boat ride to the Spanish Islands. It’s not quick, but it offers a different sort if scenery and is fairly inexpensive. For jumping the Med. from Spain to Italy, try Girmaldi Ferries .

From Italy to Greece and around, try Minoan Lines.

EuroRail: The Old Standby

Of course, there’s always the train. While there are many options for travel around Europe these days, the train remains a favorite among many travelers and locals.

There’s something luxurious about having a glass of red in the dinner car and watching the world go by at 120 miles per hour. Plus, many parts of Europe have a fast train service that makes any trip quick and easy.

In the end, why not try a bit of everything if your schedule and wallet allow?

Start in London and grab the Eurostar to Paris, then hop on a Vueling flight from Paris to Barcelona. Board a Minoan Line vessel and set sail to Greece and Italy. All this can be done with a bit of planning and a sense of adventure.

With so many options, travel in Europe is easier than ever before.

Regina WB was born with a severe case of wanderlust. She studied English and photography in her native Portland, Oregon and later began her career in Guatemala; which she continues today in Barcelona, Spain as a freelancer for several publications. Visit her website Regwb.com

Do you have any of your own transportation tips? Share in the comments!

Unfortunately for the budget traveler, Britain is also one of the world’s most expensive destinations.

The cost of living is considered unreasonably high by many of the British themselves, and when you factor in the exchange rate as well – sterling easily outweighs most other currencies – things can get pricey.

But don’t give up and head for South East Asia just yet. I spent last year studying in a tiny corner of England’s north east, and on weekends and holidays I made it to more than 40 cities, villages, and national parks – all on a student’s budget.

Here are a few pence-pinching tips I picked up along the way.

Location, Location, Location

Of course there are ways to save money in London.

But an even easier way to save money is to minimize your time there: prices drop substantially in other major cities like Newcastle, Glasgow, and Liverpool, and they plunge again if you leave the cities behind entirely.

Too many travelers zip from London to Manchester to Edinburgh before flying home. Try passing some time in a smaller town or village – you’ll not only save money, but you’ll experience Britain’s amazing diversity of accents, architecture, scenery, and local brews.

Narrowing your focus can also reduce costs. Pick a region or county that interests you, and stay for a week or more: base yourself in the main city and make day trips into the country, or just move slowly from town to town.

Either way, you’re saving on long-range transit costs, and if you make a home base for yourself you’ll also have more flexibility in your grocery shopping.

Trains, Planes, and Automobiles (er, Buses)

Think carefully before you buy the most expansive (and expensive) Britrail pass you can find.

Are you really going to be taking long-distance train rides every day of your trip? Divide the cost of your pass by the number of days it covers, then check out the National Rail fares for single tickets between the places you’re interested in.

How many of them are worth less than a day of your rail pass?

Rule of thumb: a ride of more than an hour is likely to be worth a day on your rail pass. Less than that, and you’re losing money.

Try one of the more flexible passes, with fewer travel days over a longer period of time, and use it strictly for long-haul trips. For day trips, always ask about a “Cheap Day Return” fare – these are discount tickets that must be bought and used on the day of travel.

If you’re under twenty-six and you’re in the country for awhile, a Young Person’s Railcard may also be a good investment: twenty pounds buys a year’s worth of discounts on most fares.

The train is the classic way to travel Britain, but these days budget airlines like RyanAir, Easy Jet, or BMI Baby are often cheaper for long distances.

Remember to check airplane schedules carefully, to see if secondary airports or early-morning departures are going to add pricey taxi rides to your costs. For shorter distances – if you’re sticking to one or two counties – local bus companies cover a surprising amount of ground, including stops in flyspeck villages, and are almost always cheaper than the main bus carrier, National Express.

Room and Board

Britain has an incredible hostel network, including plenty in small towns and even some entirely away from civilization, at various points along the country’s many long-distance walking trails.

Independent hostels will tend to be cheaper than the YHA/HI options, as well as being friendlier, cozier, and far more likely to have self-catering kitchen facilities.

There are also more than 16,000 registered Couchsurfers in Britain, and tracking one down who’s willing to host you is a great way to save some money and meet a local.

The cheapest grocery chain for self-catering is Tesco, and if you’re not big on cooking Iceland has a huge selection of dirt-cheap frozen meals – think a large cheese pizza for £1.50.

For breakfast or lunch on the go, try one of the ubiquitous “bakeries” – shops selling muffins, donuts, and traditional fare like sausage rolls or cheese pasties.

The most common chains are Gregg’s, Peter’s Bakery, or Baker’s Oven. These places all sell sandwiches to go as well, as do all major grocery chains, and unlike bland packaged sandwiches in North America the British variety tend to be fresh and tasty.

Pharmacy chain Boots has one of the best deals going: a sandwich, drink, and snack for just over three pounds.

You’re in town, fed, and housed – now what?

Many museums and galleries are free, especially in London, and most smaller churches (and a few remaining large cathedrals) are entirely open to the public, although donations are encouraged.

Even the larger, big-name cathedrals, like Canterbury or Westminster Abbey, are still free during services – but if you choose this option, do be respectful and don’t leave your seat to wander around taking pictures.

If castles and ruins are your thing, then look into an English Heritage pass: they have passes for short-term visits and longer memberships that will get you free admission for designated English Heritage properties, as well as half-price on Welsh and Scottish sites.

I paid off my twenty-pound, one-year student membership just by visiting Dover Castle, Stonehenge, and Edinburgh Castle – and made it to several more sites as well.

English Heritage properties and the Scottish and Welsh equivalents are worth checking out even if you don’t want a pass.

Many of their smaller sites are free, and often found in rural, low-tourism areas; in other words, exactly places you should be checking out if you want to get the most bang for your British buck.

Eva Holland is a historical researcher and freelance writer based in Ottawa, Canada. She is a blogger for World Hum and for Rolf Potts’ Vagablogging, and her travel writing has appeared in The Ottawa Citizen, The Edmonton Journal, and Matador Travel.

Any budget travel tips for Britain that we missed? Share in the comments!

“Vacation” is for people who find their vocation unpleasant, and desire to “escape” as often as possible.

For these folks, sitting on a beach is probably the most appropriate option, because the idea of working while on “vacation” would seem repugnant.

I would ask these good people why they despise their jobs and need to escape. I would also ask who and what are enslaving them and why they keep showing up to a job they dislike every Monday AM.

But that, perhaps, is the topic for a different essay.

Instead, I will explain why working on a farm beats sitting on a beach; or why slow travel is more rewarding than tourism of the conventional sort.

1. You can stay longer

If you’re working on a farm, you typically stick around one place longer than the conventional tourist.

You’re able to attain a deeper understanding of the environment and culture. You will come to appreciate a genuine and meaningful sense of place.

You will also have time to truly relax, and because you aren’t flying frantically around a country or region, you will not be responsible for unleashing tons of carbon into the atmosphere.

Experiencing the natural rhythms of place is a great joy of slow travel and farm work.

It’s something most conventional tourists never notice, because they turn up and leave during the “tourist season,” which is when the weather is most conducive to the particular activities for which the area is marketed (e.g. skiing, golf).

2. You can travel cheap

Conventional tourists pay a huge premium for food, accommodations and entertainment, which are located in the tourist zones.

Sometimes, in places like Laos and Bhutan, the tourist zones are only 3 or 4 streets in the whole country – and it’s commonplace for tourists to spend more money in one week than most local farmers will see in one year.

If you avoid the tourist zones by living and working with a farming community, you will get room and board for next to no money, regardless of whether you’re in an industrialized or “developing” country.

Often you can arrange some kind of work-trade in exchange for a place to stay. This makes it feasible to travel for months at a time.

3. You can experience reality

Even though slow travelers are still tourists in a foreign land (and don’t be tempted to forget this), we get a deeper glimpse into what “real life” is like for the locals.

Mostly, conventional tourists experience the “show” that locals and foreign corporations put on to attract tourists. In tourist zones, food, lodging and entertainment are very much akin to what we’re accustomed to in the West.

In tourist zones like Bangkok’s Khao San, there are Irish Pubs and Internet cafés, sushi restaurants and hamburger joints, air-conditioned rooms and bookstores that only sell guidebooks. Khao San is in Thailand, but it could be anywhere.

Tourist guidebooks like Lonely Planet, while useful, aren’t helpful in avoiding these areas, since many tourists have the same book.

To find a more “authentic” experience, you have to make the effort to do what the conventional tourists aren’t doing, and go to places where entrepreneurs have not yet recognized the potential for snaring tourist dollars.

At least to-date, rural agrarian communities are one such haven from shallow commercial development.

When you get off the tourist trail, you MUST take great care to respect the cultural values of the local community. Flaunting material wealth or otherwise disturbing the peace is not cool.

4. You can enjoy a deeper, meaningful experience

When you work on a farm, you and the locals are working together.

You share a common purpose, whether it’s building or repairing a home, planting or harvesting a crop, foraging for edible plants and fungi in the forest or tending the animals.

You are participating in the ecological cycles of that particular place, and helping sustain livelihoods – your own as well as those of the community.

Slow travel promotes a sense of place and interdependence within the community and local ecosystem. When you share this experience with the locals, you come to know what is valuable to them, and what is valuable to that place.

You may directly witness changes that have taken place in the community and in the local environment due to the actions of far-away governments or corporations.

You will understand what “globalization” actually means, and what the DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE actually measures.

Through your work and participation with the community, this knowledge will mean something to you, since you will bear witness and feel sympathy for the victims.

5. You can get an education

Slow travel promotes a deep, insightful kind of learning that you can’t get in school, a true education that is also denied to the conventional tourist.

Insights such as those gained from slow travel are what make for the “life changing experiences” that many people seek when they go abroad.

You will return home transformed, a new person with fresh insights into the world and a broader, deeper context and meaning for your life.

Resources

I have found the following resources helpful for engaging in productive and educational slow travel:

• The International Society for Ecology and Culture (ISEC)

  ISEC conducts homestays with villagers in the remote Himalayan mountains of Ladakh in northernmost India. The villagers still practice ancient traditions of subsistence agriculture and enjoy a very high quality of life, although “development” and “modernization” over the past few decades have brought on some unfortunate changes. “Learning From Ladakh Farm Project” participants also benefit from thorough and interesting discussions on economic globalization and the effects of globalization on traditional cultures.

• The Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, West Bengal, India

  The Center, run by ecologist and critic Debal Deb, maintains an agricultural biodiversity research station in rural West Bengal. The farm and attached seed bank strive to reestablish genetic diversity in rice and promote organic farming throughout the area. Working with the Center offers opportunities in farming, plant breeding and genetics research, as well as political activism to resist the malignant influence of corporate biotech operations in India.

• Pun Pun Organic Farm and Panya Sustainable Living Project, Chiang Mai province, Thailand

  Pun Pun offers 10 – 12 week internships during winter months in organic farming, seed saving, natural building and appropriate technologies. Panya hosts courses in permaculture throughout the year in addition to gardening and building internships.

  (Editors Note: Read about my experience at Pun Pun and Panya here.)

• Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF)

  An online database of organic farms around the world that offer internships and work exchange accommodation.

• Global Ecovillage Network (GEN), International Permaculture Directory

  Two more useful directories.

• MatadorTravel.com

  Connect with like-minded travelers and grassroots organizations.

Thanks for reading. Your comments are very welcome.

Josh Kearns is a bona fide hill-billy who currently lives in Oakland, CA. He’s been a researcher in environmental chemistry and ecological economics. Currently he’s into techniques for high quality self-reliant living like organic farming, natural building, permaculture and bluegrass music.

Hunger is a necessary experience of travel (and life). When blessed with a budget, there is very little fear of hunger.

It is commonplace in a strange land, on a strange form of transportation that might last for days, to wonder when you’ll stop for your next meal.

True, the local markets do provide wonderfully, as with the vendors along the streets and the friendly strangers who invite you in to quench your thirst, and hopefully (cross your fingers), feed you.

Yet there is never a guarantee, and to eat is a necessity. So whip out your wallet of traveler’s checks and foreign currencies and start paying. Or… put it away and enjoy the feast.

Let me tell you something: food comes free in many more ways than one.

Taking The Dive

Olympic diving is a sport. Like swimming.

The type of diving I speak of however, does not require water. And its’ only purpose is food: to satiate that shrinking belly of yours while the traveling road surges forward.

So you dive, and dive deep, often you come up with more than one meal. In fact, it’s possible the smart diver can feed a whole family for several days.

Are you ready my fellow travelers? Are you ready to go dumpster diving?

I have found it to be an art form. There is a method to come away clean, smelling fresh and carrying a bagful of healthy, wholesome, satiating rations. But let me first lay down the definition of dumpster diving.

Dumpster diving is just that. To take the plunge into a dumpster in search of practically anything. But today we focus on foodstuffs, because we’re travelers and we’re hungry.

Everyone must eat, therefore a diver can never be letdown. And with food, there is a certain identification tag that works to benefit all: the expiration date.

Most people in society today live by this expiration date. Their ablutophobia prohibits them from eating a morsel of bread with a speck of mold or a plump pear with an inch of bruising.

This works to our advantage…if our fear is minimal.

The Art of a Full Grocer’s Bag

Dumpsters are full of provisions with passed expiration dates, everything from breads to jars of jams and sauces to fruits and vegetables and boxes of snacks. People throw their things away carelessly to make room for the new.

And the adage-one’s waste is another’s treasure-applies well in this particular circumstance. To sum up, dumpster diving is the art of claiming others’ waste, and free food is an easy source of protein.

Like I said, it is an artform, and to make it an artform there must be a few rules and techniques. The following will help one become a seasoned dumpster diver and benefit from a society obsessed with creating waste:

1. Scout out your dumpster

It is risky to immediately walk up to a dumpster’s plank and dive in. Many times there are cameras on surveillance, or hazardous wastes nearby, therefore causing the goods inside to be potentially unhealthy.

Once outside Marks & Spencer in the UK, a security guard caught a friend and me. We played dumb, told him we were making a project to reveal how much edible food is disgracefully thrown away. He smiled and told us to leave.

2. Go for large supermarkets

They stick to a strict code of tossing food that has passed its’ expiration date. Also, the bakeries inside will often deposit their day-old breads. (At a Tescos in Nottingham, England my backpack was filled with loaves of sandwich and Irish soda bread).

3. Come Around Again

Once the dumpster has been scouted, return to it at an appropriate hour when traffic is minimal.

Walk up to the dumpster with confidence; do not portray any suspicions. But quickly, forage and collect what you can. Also, carrying a grocer’s bag from the market can help conceal your actions.

4. Move Swiftly

With a full bag move out quickly. Back home, check the provisions over and wash carefully. Here is where you can discard any products you feel are not edible.

In the end, it is under your discretion of what to eat and what to toss.

Also, it is good to note whether or not any other divers are at the dumpster. For example, if a community of homeless resides near a source, be respectful and leave it to them.

These are the foundations of dumpster diving, or reaping off what other people call “waste” when, in actuality, it can be spared and used as necessary fuel.

Treat it as an art form and you will soon find yourself with a free meal, and an intriguing way of discovering how to travel, eat and live on a budget.

Put your wallets away, save your traveler’s checks and foreign currencies, and take the dive.

Cameron Karsten writes spiritual and health travel columns for Brave New Traveler. He left his formal classroom studies to indulge in dreams of travel at 19 years old, and has been wandering ever since. Visit his personal website.

Have you ever tried dumpster diving? Share you stories in the comments!

For several months I had the luxury of forgetting about the stress of traveling in Europe with a weak dollar.

A month ago however, when the European bank account had run its course, but my travel lust had not, I pulled out the American ATM Card and went to the bank.

Life was great until I checked my account several days later when the only words I could get out were, “70 euros equals how many dollars???”

My heart rate went up and I realized I would have to get back to the basics.

I wracked my brain and managed to come up with several key-pointers that helped me refresh my memory on how to keep Europe inexpensive:

1. Take advantage of public transportation

If on a budget, it is easy to assume that you will not be taking a taxi. What then are the options for public transportation?

Most cities offer various passes for their public transportation, ranging from day-long to month-long. If you’re spending a week in a city, a week-long pass may be worth the investment. The more you ride, the cheaper your ticket!

2. All-in-one city passes

If you are planning on a tourist-intense few days in a city, with visits to museums, cultural sites and a lot of bus riding, consider an all-in-one pass.

Tourist offices in many European cities offer these, which often include admission to most major attractions, a day (or week-long) public transportation pass and even reductions at participating stores and restaurants around the city.

You may even end up visiting some places that weren’t on the itinerary.

3. Picnic!

European cities are often known for their well-maintained parks and communal areas. On clear days, take advantage of them by bringing your own picnic.

When shopping for your picnic, try and buy at a local market, where regionally grown produce is often cheaper. You save some euros while supporting the local industry at the same time.

4. Bring the kids

Who said traveling as a family was expensive? From museums to movies, Europe is a wonderland of family reductions.

Family packages can range from three people with the same last name (regardless of age) to a combination of two adults plus a minimum of two children.

Across Europe, there also tends to be a wide variety of reductions for students, allowing you to travel inexpensively with teenagers.

5. Travel on weekdays

Skip the weekend crowds and protect your pocket book by traveling on weekdays. For trains and flights, tickets tend to be cheaper Monday through Thursday, meaning if you can travel on these days you may be able to score a good deal.

6. Do your research

Before embarking on your big voyage, visit the websites of some of the big attractions you plan on seeing. Many museums offer free admission one or more days a month. Plan accordingly!

7. Grab a local culture guide

The advantage of big cities, especially in the summer, is the selection of community cultural activities. Many of these are sponsored by the city or cultural organizations – meaning their free!

With everything from outdoor movies to concerts in the park, local culture guides give you a good idea of what is going on and what residents of the city spend their time doing.

Be ready however to partake in foreign language adventures; the outdoor movie with free admission may only be in French, but isn’t being immersed in the language part of traveling?

8. Stay hydrated for cheap

Certain items are necessities when visiting major sites of Europe. Water is one of them.

Don’t fall into the “3 euro per bottle of water trap” that often happens to those caught thirsty in a tourist filled square.

Instead, make a morning trip to the local grocery store and buy a liter of water at a fraction of the tourist price.

Anna Brones has a love of culture, foreign languages and good food. When she is not on an adventure she spends quality time in her native Pacific Northwest. Her writing has appeared in Transitions Abroad, A Woman’s World Again and Matador Travel. Her personal travel writing endeavors can be found at Intercrossings.

Any more tips you would add to the list? Share in the comments!

Grants are awarded for travel research, humanitarian work, airfare, lodging, education, career advancement, and to cover living expenses while you are in another country.

I have won many grants to do humanitarian work in Sri Lanka. Through grants I have helped build homes for tsunami victims, started a guava jam project, and bought books and pencils for children in low income areas.

The grant proposal is the basic document that enables applicants to get money. First off, there are three types of grant proposals:

• A Letter of Inquiry (LOI) – A letter of inquiry is a one to two page summary that outlines the project. Funders request a brief description of the project before making a decision on whether to ask for a longer and more comprehensive proposal.
• Letter Proposal – A letter proposal is a three to five page description of the project plan, the purpose for which funds are being sought, and background information on the applicant requesting funds.
• Long Proposal – The most common document that funders seek is the long proposal. The long proposal is three to ten pages long. It contains the cover letter and the proposal summary accompanying it. The common format includes a need statement, goals and objectives, methods, budget, and evaluation.

Knowing where to look for money is key. Researching funders that are likely to give money to carry out your work requires time, patience, and perseverance.

Always remember to look at the funder’s current guidelines. Grant profiles, contact information, and funding criteria change frequently. The internet is an excellent source to look for funders.

You are likely to find the most current information available online, simply because web sites are easier to update than print publications.

How To Research Funders

Researching the right places is a critical component of increasing your chances of winning a grant for emergency expenses. The research phase is fun but requires patience.

If you have a family member or a friend who is willing to perform a good-will hunting on your behalf, you are likely to save a lot of time, energy, and effort. The reality, however, is that you are the most likely person to do the best job of researching potential foundations that are likely to cover emergency living expenses.

Get started here: The Foundation Center

This is the first place to begin your research on private foundations, community foundations, and corporate giving in any part of the country.

The Foundation Center Online provides links to individual foundations’ websites, offers news about foundations and giving trends, links to research materials, links to foundations’ 990 tax forms, and much more.

If you want to look at private foundations go to the home page and click on “Grantmaker Websites,” then click on “Private Foundations.”

National Funders – Where To Look

Expand your funding hunt to national sources as well. Here are some excellent sources:

• The Federal Register – When it comes to finding federal grant opportunities the first step is to go to the source: the Federal Register Online. The Federal Register is the official daily record of all meetings, notices, regulations, and other functions of the federal government.
• Grants.Gov is a centralized grant site for the federal government. The home page has a link to grant opportunities released during the previous week.
• Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) – The Catalog online is searchable by a variety of categories and key words. Click on “Search for Assistance Programs” on the Home Page to get to the search page. Then click on “Find a Grant.” This brings you to a list of categories, each of which has its own subcategories. Each subcategory has a number of grant programs.

When dealing with any funder, remember to read the instructions carefully before applying. Simple as it may sound, this advice is very important. Because grant makers receive so many applications, they are often quick to discard those that do not strictly comply with their instructions.

You may have excellent grant proposal writing skills and an uncanny ability to submit award winning proposals, but if you don’t know how to read the guidelines and obey them, the likelihood of winning funding is slim.

Ten years ago hard copies of directories were the standard method of hunting for grants. They are still widely used, but the internet is gaining more popularity when it comes to researching funders. Sometimes the internet version is more up to date than hard copies, which are only published once a year.

How To Evaluate A Potential Travel Grant

Look at each individual foundation’s profile. Most foundation listings are profiled as follows:

• Eligibility: Tells if individuals or organizations can apply.
• Funding Criteria: gives an indication of how large or how small the grants are. Some give a range, such as grants between $10,000-$500,000 are awarded
• Restrictions: tells the categories of support
• Contact Address: tells you who and where to contact to receive an application form.
• Areas of Funding: tells the fields that the foundation prefers to fund.
• Submission: tells how applicants can submit their work, whether by regular mail, e-mail, fax, or hand delivery
• Deadline: tells when the applications are due.
• Purpose of the foundation: You also want to make sure they share an interest in your project. Do they target a location? Check for geographic priorities. If the foundation only makes local grants and your organization is on the other side of the state cross its name off your list. If the foundation makes national grants, your project must have national importance if it is to be considered.
• Limitations: Look at the restrictions or limitations. Statements of limitations include “grant funds are generally limited to charitable organizations already favorably known to the foundation,” and/or “grant funds are committed.” Both statements mean the same thing, that the foundation already is working with established organizations and committed money to those same organizations year after year.

Sample Guidelines for Grant Applicants

Guidelines vary from funder to funder. Some are very basic while others are more complex. Here are three sample guidelines taken from private and federal funders:

Sample Guidelines #1

To apply to the foundation, please submit a three-page application. Applications over three pages will not be considered. Electronic submissions in Microsoft word or PDF formats are also accepted.

On the first two pages include the following:

• 1. Title of the project
• 2. A brief (two sentence) description of the project
• 3. Overall objective and significance of and benefit from your project
• 4. Clearly and in detail set forth the specific goals of your project, how you will accomplish these goals, and the time frame for the project. The foundation will primarily focus on stated goals and the plan to accomplish them in reviewing all requests
• 5. On a separate single page please provide:
• a. The dollar amount requested and the specific budget for the project and its justification.
  The foundation generally does not provide funds for organization overhead, routine equipment, standard photographic equipment or personal computers. Any related funding, active or pending, including “in-kind” funds should be explicitly described including the budget.
• b. The applicant’s name, address, and phone number
• c. Any affiliations of the applicant
• d. Identify all previous requests to the foundation

Use regular mail. Do not use a mail service that requires staff signature.

Debunking Travel Grant Writing Myths

Myths about grant writing can derail even the most skilled and motivated grant seekers. Don’t fall for the traps carefully laid out by a few self-seeking individuals.

Here are some myths to watch out for. Buying into any of these myths can keep success at arm’s length for many grant writers.

Myth #1: If you Craft an Excellent Proposal, You will Always get Funded

Not exactly. Even if a grant writer submits an exceptionally persuasive grant proposal, there is always the likelihood of a funder rejecting it.

The grant proposal is not the only factor that determines whether or not a proposal is funded. Most established grant writers would agree that the success of grant proposals depends on four factors:

• 1. The quality of the nonprofit organization
• 2. The innovative nature or critical importance of the proposed project
• 3. The emerging priorities of a funding source or the competition level in a particular grantmaking cycle
• 4. The skills of the grantwriter in building a compelling case. No matter how carefully and strategically a proposal is prepared, these other factors impact the outcome

Myth #2: There is No Money Available.

This is not true. Billions of dollars are waiting to be claimed.

Furthermore, those who are entrusted with dispersing this money are just as eager to give it away as organizations and individuals are to receive it.

With philanthropists like Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and Warren Buffet giving away billions of dollars in grants, the grant writing well is flowing quite strongly.

Myth #3: The Money Only Goes to Big, Prestigious Institutions; Not to Individuals or to Small Nonprofits

Wrong again. It is true that over ninety percent of grants are given to nonprofits and that individual applicants qualify only for a meager sliver of funding.

It is also true that enormous amounts of money are given to the same institutions, year after year. However, these reasons do not mean that small institutions and individuals do not qualify for grants.

Small institutions and people who are “unknown” to the general public are getting hundreds of millions of dollars too. Knowing where to look for them is key.

Myth #4: Successful Grant Seeking Requires Connections

Connections can help but they are not required. Connections may play a role in federal grants but private foundations are open to applications from anyone who fits the guidelines.

Myth #5: The Contact Information of Funders is Usually Kept a Secret

Far from it. By law, philanthropic organizations and federal funders are required to make their charity giving public knowledge. The 990PF reports are the tax returns filed by private foundations.

Legally, nonprofits are required to disclose their tax returns to the public, interested in learning about their grant giving trends. Knowing how to research funders is important.

Preethi Burkholder is a professional grant writer and author of ten books. Learn more about grant applications at Gifted Hands Writing.

Unless you’ve been gifted an inheritance or a lucky lotto ticket, chances are that someone wanting to join the expat community in a foreign country will have to find work there. Teaching English as a Second Language classes is, by far, the job of choice.

Not because of the perks, but simply because it is the easiest type of work to obtain. In my experience, it seems that simply standing upright and speaking several relatively coherent sentences in English is sufficient to land the job.

There are one-month courses (CELTA and TEFL) that offer certification. However, in most places, especially in the developing world, a college degree is more than enough.

But while ESL teaching is the easiest job to find, but there are others paths to consider.

Hit The Water

The tourism industry is invaluable to the local economies of many countries, so it’s doubtful you’d score a job working menial tasks at a resort.

However, there are other opportunities. In seaside locales, many resorts and dive shops hire dive instructors. Some of these same places offer courses and tests to become a certified instructor.

There also might be openings for people with skills in other water sports. Some resorts hire instructors for activities such as surfing and para gliding, though keep in mind the stiff competition. Most surf instructors in, say, Bali, are local residents. For this reasson, SCUBA companies are the best bet for foreigners.

Wield Your Pen

Those of the literary ilk might consider a job with an English language publication. Most countries have several newspapers or periodicals aimed at an English speaking audience.

Editors are not extremely well paid, but can get by. Their jobs usually include cleaning up pieces written by local writers and perhaps writing (or ghostwriting) the occasional article.

While these jobs are not glamorous, they can provide an atmosphere conducive to writing. Editing is a good job for those who have the desire to try writing as a profession.

For a job like this, attitude is important. Working for a newspaper can be a source of great anxiety or a invaluable learning experience, depending on outlook.

It’s All Perspective

For people with certain set of skills, a job in a foreign country can turn out to be quite lucrative. Experience in construction, in the oil fields, or the security business might be enough for an individual to land a lucrative consulting job. Sometimes, simply tailoring your resume to a specific strength will do the trick.

A friend of mine who had designed a simple personal website and taken a crash course in the local language was able to land a well-paying job as a creative director at an advertising firm in Jakarta.

The key, it seems, is not as much what you can do as how you present your skills to prospective employers. It might not hurt to look deeper into your past experience to see what might become useful.

That doesn’t mean that the high school essay you wrote about indigenous cultures in Peru makes you an expert in the country. But, at the same time, try to think of all relevant experience that you have had.

If you can talk intelligently and at length about your experiences, it might be worth including in a resume.

Finding a job in your dream city might not be as hard as you think.

Josh Lew has spent the better part of the last decade abroad. He pays his way by writing about travel and teaching English. When not traveling, he lives in world’s most non-exotic place: Minnesota.

In fact, creative ways to stretch a dollar have become an art form in many backpacking circles. But if pinching pennies is the only way to fund your global adventure, it doesn’t mean you have to give up the frills.

Some travelers secretly long for a touch of luxury, like curling up in a four-star hotel instead of snoozing in a bug-ridden hostel or dining on a steak dinner instead of popping another can of tuna.

It sounds tempting, but also expensive. Can you really live the high life on a low budget?

With a little planning and a lot of savvy, the answer is yes. Here are five secrets to help you travel like royalty on a backpacker budget:

Collect Frequent Flier Miles

Once marketed exclusively to Business Travelers, frequent flier programs have evolved into a mainstream must-have…and you don’t have to spend your life in the air to reap the rewards.

Rack up points through credit card offers, website events, and everyday purchases.

You can also snag points if you book flights through the carrier’s website or fly through partner carriers. Eventually, you’ll qualify for free round-trip tickets, posh hotel rooms, or even upgraded to sipping champagne in First Class.

Find a Home Away from Home

Why splurge on a hotel room when you can have the home for free?

A growing number of travelers have discovered the beauty of home swapping, allowing fellow travelers to crash at your place while you crash at theirs.

You could wind up sleeping soundly in Tuscan villas, beachfront homes, or penthouse apartments. For more, check out 6 Convincing Reasons To Try A Home Exchange.

Discover Cheap Eats

Ask any seasoned traveler to name their best meal overseas. Chances are they won’t gush over some fancy restaurant, but an obscure hole-in-the-wall joint run by a guy named Frank.

A good rule of thumb – ask locals to point you toward the best Frank-esque restaurants. A better rule of thumb – ask a hotel concierge.

As the most informed local around, a concierge is likely to be a native to the area, well versed in the city’s offerings, and glad to share off-the-beaten-path secrets with you, even if you’re not exactly a guest. Just pick up the phone and dial a hotel. (It doesn’t hurt to ask!)

Another money saving option is turning lunch into the day’s main meal, leaving the soup-and-salad option for dinner. Lunch menus often feature delicious meals equal to a fabulous dinner…except in price.

Enjoy Free Entertainment

Being cash-strapped shouldn’t keep you from having a great time. Whether you prefer music, movies, museums or theater, you can enjoy classy entertainment without breaking the bank.

Most large cities offer cheap or free events, usually advertised in the local paper and online. New York, for example, features Shakespeare in the Park during the summer months, a free event that boasts Broadway-quality performances and celebrity headliners.

Tango the night away along the River Seine in Paris, where sundown converts the garden on Tino Rossi Square into an open-air dance floor. In London, head over to Mediatheque to browse their extensive movie collection and watch for free, just remember to BYOP (bring your own popcorn).

Cruise The World

Ok, maybe it’s not exactly the millionaire experience…but you can still cruise on the same boat!

With cruise lines experiencing a massive increase in sea-bound vacationers, the demand for employees on deck is hitting an all-time high.

Browse the job openings at www.cruiseshipjobs.net and jump onboard. Employees usually enjoy free food, entertainment, and excursions during their down time. Who doesn’t want to sail the world and get paid for it?

Budget constraints are a fact of life, unless you plan to win the lottery soon.

But with a little extra effort, you can lay your head on that premium pillow, sink your teeth into a prime rib, and give thanks that every trip can still have a touch of luxury.

Any tips you would add to the list? Share in the comments!

Angie Teater believes travel can happen anywhere, whether crossing the ocean or simply stepping out the front door. Check out her personal blog at Girl Goes Global.

But as the real world back seeps back in (a dreary nine-to-five desk-job, perhaps?) your dream can feel so very distant, perhaps even unattainable.

Intensive money saving requires some lifestyle changes. Here are some tried-and-tested ideas to save some cash.

Stop Drinking Alcohol

Or at least, cut it down drastically. A typical English Saturday night bender of a beers, a club, some shots and a taxi back can easily rob you of £50 ($99) or so.

Repeat that a few times a month, together with a few after-work drinking sessions and you’re losing hundreds of pounds a month that could be going straight in your travel fund.

A little tip to help you get through it: every time you feel like buying a pint, remind yourself that you could buy yourself a night’s accommodation in Thailand with that money instead (or, if you prefer the thought, FOUR big bottles of Singha beer!)

Give Up Cigarettes

Smoke twenty ciggies a day? That’s over £150 ($300) a month that could have gone in your travel fund, and hence another few days you’ll have to work in your dull 9-5 job. Or to put it another way, you’ve just smoked away the equivalent of a month’s fully-paid travel in Laos.

It may be difficult, but try to cut down on the cigarettes, or if possible, give up. (You can always take it up again when you’re out on the road, they’re dead cheap in Asia).

Don’t Go Shopping. Ever

If there’s anything that a year on the road teaches you, it’s that you don’t need stuff. Get into the habit right now and stop buying unnecessary things.

How many clothes/CDs/books do you need anyway? You won’t be able to fit it all into your backpack. If you really get the urge to buy something, then make sure it’s something that’ll be of use on your travels; even better if it’s something inspirational like a Lonely Planet Guidebook for the first country of your trip…

No Eating Out

Well, OK, only on special occasions, like that LAST BIG CELEBRATION JUST BEFORE YOU GO TRAVELING. Seriously, if you work, then taking the time to prepare a lunch the night before can save you around £50 ($99) a month, an amount that will easily feed you for weeks in somewhere like Laos.

Move Home to Your Folks

Erk! Probably not an option to most people, but since it’s something I did when saving for my Round the World trip, I thought I’d throw it in there.

I was renting a pricey room in a house with some friends when I made the decision to go traveling. So I moved back to my parents’ house, which was only 10 miles away.

Paying a token amount to cover my keep, it meant I could put a shedload of money away each month, and enabled me to go off traveling far sooner than I expected to.

Keep A Record Of Your Savings

An important thing to do all through this is to keep a record of your lifestyle savings. So you’re saving £100 a week by giving up drinking and smoking? Write it down. If you don’t see the results of your effort, you’ll be less inclined to stick to it.

Write down every saving, and total it up every month. Ascribe the extra you’ve saved to something specific you want to do on your trip. Pretty soon you’ll realise it’s much more fun to spend £60 ($120) on a parachute jump in New Zealand or on an all-nite sake’n'karaoke bender in Osaka than down at your local pub.

The measures above might seem harsh, but if you are determined enough to go away, then you will be more than willing to make these sacrifices. The message is simply to think before you spend money.

How far could that amount of money get you around the world? Cause that’s your goal, isn’t it? To travel, not break the record for the number of pairs of jeans owned by a single person?

Steve James publishes more savings tips and advice on his brilliant website Saving For Travel. Also features a blog and budget calculator for those really serious future travelers.

Online banking makes accessing and managing your cash while traveling a breeze.

There are only a few countries left that don’t have an army of ATMs scattered across the main tourist zones, making it easy to head out the door with a few crisp emergency bills, your trusty ATM/check card, and some backup plastic.

But with such convenience comes risk every time you use your card or log into your account from a public internet terminal.

Online fraud and scams, or even the small chance of being robbed at your ATM or forced to make a large withdrawal, are all things to consider before leaving.

If you’ve got your hard-earned travel cash sitting in a lump sum in your checking or savings account, you’ve still got all your eggs in one easy to empty basket. You should protect yourself and your funds from an accidental or malicious travel disaster.

It’s time to diversify your funds, and make some sweet interest while you’re at it.

Enter the separate, linked account.

I use the emigrant direct American Dream Savings Account, but search around Bankrate.com and you can find several such accounts. You should be able to find one that’s free, easy to set up, and offers a very competitive interest rate.

The Emigrant Direct account is basically just an internet savings account that is only accessible online. Once you set it up you can transfer funds back and forth between your checking or savings account and your new travel account.

You can even set up automatic transfers in or out – great for budgeting while gone or enforcing a savings regimen before leaving.

And with interest rates of around 5%, chances are your travel nest egg will be earning more for you than it would be in that vulnerable checking account.

If you’re saving up for a big trip, this can translate into extra cash for your travels. Or if you’re in the middle of one, the returns can continue coming in well into your adventure.

The best strategy is to keep about two weeks’ budget in your checking account. The only catch is you have to plan ahead – it takes up to 3 days or so for the transfer to complete. But this way you keep your main travel funds, which can be substantial for a long trip, out of the reach of your ATM card or online bank account.

It’s impossible to be entirely wiped out by a con artist or thief, both in person and online.

Even if someone got hold of your ATM card and PIN number, they could only clean out what was in the checking account.

And if that same person somehow managed to access the linked account (because you accessed it in an internet cafe), they couldn’t get at the money; it only goes back and forth between accounts, not out of an ATM.

You simply add one more step between potential thieves and your money. And you earn enough to cover some of those pesky ATM withdrawal fees along the way.

Kevin Allgood and his girlfriend Valerie Marhsall are currently traveling around the world and blogging about it via Big Trip Blog. Their site also features some great vodcasts, travel tips and more.

Buddha saves / Photo mangu wanders

Everyday we see more and more people who dare to leave it all for a few years of backpacking throughout the earth’s vast terrain.

We hear about the adventures, the misfortunes, the soul-searching, the friends found, the friends lost, the breathtaking sights, the new sensations.

No one ever really mentions the one thing that makes it all happen. The money!

A lot of people have done well in their careers and can easily make the decision to take off. Others have investments (i.e. property) that allow them to travel for very prolonged periods of time without having to worry about working.

But the vast majority of us have to save for months, maybe even years, to start even thinking about quitting everything and flying off to Timbuktu.

And even if we do save up as much as we can, we still have to sign up for the occasional odd job here and there during the way.

Anyone who’s attempted months of serious saving is probably an expert already. But for the inexperienced (yet willing and deeply determined), here are a few Buddha inspired tips on saving money for your trip of a lifetime.

1. Reconsider your living situation

If you are renting a flat then leave it and move in with your folks for a few months, or ask a close friend or relative to house you. Cutting rent is one of the huge contributors to saving money.

I moved into my boyfriend’s parent’s place for 4 months to save up on my rent. I was cooked for, cleaned for and pampered as I’ve never been, and all the while saving hundreds of dollars a month. It’s a tough decision, but worth it. Remember the goal!

Handle your money / Photo Akuppa

2. Practice non-attachment

The Buddha says: you only lose what you cling to. Well it’s time to un-cling! Start selling all your stuff, and by stuff I mean everything. The CD collection, the TV, the DVD, the stereo, the bike, the clothes…it all goes.

What good will it all do to you while it’s sitting back home and you’re rafting down the Great Usutu River?

Get rid of junk you don’t need and turn it into the gold you will later enjoy. Once you start getting rid of stuff and you see the money pour in, you’ll be surprised how easy it is to part with your prized possessions.

3. Abstain from expensive evenings

This is what most people have a hard time with. I call them the three No-Outs: no going out, no eating out, no drinking out. It may sound harsh, but have you ever really calculated the money that you spend in one night out? Or two?

That money could fund your traveling through Central Asia for an entire month. Don’t despair though; your social life will not be over.

There are alternatives: go to house parties instead of nightclubs, rent DVD’s instead of going to the movies, cook meals at home instead of going to the new Latin-Korean fusion place down the road, buy your own cocktail ingredients and make them with friends.

However, it’s best to gradually let these party habits die as you won’t be thinking too much about cocktails or gourmet food on the road.

4. Find a transient weekend job

One or two months prior to your departure day, score a job waitressing, bartending, handing out leaflets on the streets, baby-sitting, etc.

Although the money won’t be much, the additional savings will help you acquire the last minute must-haves for your trip: vaccines, a backpack, trekking boots, sleeping bag, etc. You don’t want to go too cheap with these items as they will need to last you the entire length of the trip.

5. Embrace foreign cultures

A lot of people (like me) have trouble setting money aside. My main problem with saving was that whatever money I had, I’d spend. Keeping it in the bank wasn’t enough sometimes.

Keep it real / Photo A Schultz

I resolved this issue by changing my saved money into another currency: Euros or Pounds Sterling preferably. This way I was already stocking up on the currency I needed for my trip and it kept me from accessing it whilst saving.

Remember that if you exchange your money’s currency more than once, you’re probably losing money.

So there you have it.

There are a million more tips but these, in my humble opinion, are the main ones that will get you to where you want to be. The trick is to always look for the alternative to spending money.

Even if your monthly income is nothing to brag about, you’d be amazed at how much you can earn if you set your mind to your true goal. The sacrifices you make now will bring forth many rewards you most probably will never forget.

And if you’re weak when it comes to finances, (like I was) this will only make you stronger and teach you the value of money and earning. After all, it’s only your dream you’re after.

Do you have any more savings tips? Share in the comments!