Tips for Cheap RTW Travel

1. Couchsurfing.com! Couchsurfing’s much more than a way to travel cheap, but that is one of its attractive by-products. We absolutely love this beautiful concept/ site, and we rave about it to everyone we meet along the way. We owe many of our close friends and our RTW inspiration to couchsurfing! Spread the word!
2. Spiritair.com. Check out the rates on this site if you want to travel to Central/ South America and the Caribbean on the cheap! We flew back from Lima, into Florida for $85/ person!
3. Use Ryan Air, or Easy Jet, to fly very cheaply within Europe. Skip the Eurorail pass, and fly these airlines between major European cities. These airlines have very good specials, and are even cheaper than taking the bus!
4. Postcards, fridge magnets, and dirt (yes, dirt!) make great souvenirs! They are easy to find anywhere you go, cheap (dirt’s free), easy to carry, and make an impressive collection, when displayed together at home. We put our dirt in little glass bottles, label them with the place and date, and display them on an antique shelf; they are all different shades and look stunning together. We recently became even bigger fans of dirt after watching the documentary, Dirt! Enjoy!
5. We give Texas postcards as gifts to our couchsurfing hosts, and other friends we meet along the way. We tend to overlook postcards in the US now, but they were a huge part of how Americans communicated in the late 19th & early 20th centuries. Also, people in third world countries really treasure postcards, and proudly display them on their walls!
6. ALWAYS bargain for EVERYTHING in third world countries! Remember locals pay less for the same purchases. What can it hurt? At the very worst you pay full price, which you would’ve paid anyways.
7. NEVER pay for volunteering! We’ve done some type of volunteering work in every country we’ve been and haven’t paid a cent for the privilege, which is how it should be! We feel there should be no middleman for goodwill, so by-pass the placement agencies. If you speak English, you can walk into any school in any third world country, and teach conversational English to their teachers. We’ve given English clinics to elementary through university students in South America. We’ve also showed up on the doorstops of community centers offering our talents. Just show up, tell them a bit about yourself, and how you wish to help out, and ALWAYS FOLLOW THROUGH with your volunteering duties. There is so much heart-breaking poverty around the world, and even we, vagabonding budget backpackers, are so blessed by comparison, that we must give back to the communities we are inspired by.
8. Bypass the restaurants on the main square (Plaza de Armes), and go to the small crowded cafes, or market stalls where the locals eat. They are considerably cheaper and more authentic. Always look for ‘lunch specials’ when dining out, where ever you go. In South America, they go by different names (almuerzo, desayuno, cena, etc.) often consist of three or four courses (soup, salad, and dessert), includes a drink, and are very cheap. Eating these fixed meals are also a great way to sample the local flavor, or the culinary specialities of the region. Most restaurants have them, but not all advertise, especially to tourists. Look around at what the locals are eating, and enquire!
9. If you are going to spend a handful of days in a city, find out tour times from travel agents in the area, and come back about an hour before to take advantage of last minute deals!
10. If you are planning on spending a month or more in a city, rent an apartment. A nice apartment off the town square will cost you less then the shabbiest hostel room. You will also have a kitchen to prepare your own meals.
11. Volunteer on organic farms in exchange for room and board. Check out WWOOF.org for more info. We’ve personally never tried this before but have met several RTW travelers that have; we’ve heard good things, but also a few horror stories, so check the references of your chosen organization carefully.
12. Some hostels will allow you to work off all or a portion off the cost of your room.
13. Sleep in airports! They are often the safest places in third world countries, with lockers for your luggage and valuables, restaurants, relatively clean bathrooms, and many now have wi-fi.
14. Make a fake student id, with an expiration date, and get half price off admission, for tourist destinations. Yeh, it’s a bit dishonest, but when you are going around the world on a budget, you need to be scrappy and bypass the surcharges meant for wealthy first-worlders. Besides, we consider ourselves perpetual students, always absorbing everything in sight!

***This is a growing list! When we learn more, we’ll post more, so check back from time to time! Feel free to add some of your experiences and suggestions to our list, in the comment box below. ***