Travelling the world costs a lot of money.
Unfortunately, I don’t have as much money as you do.
How can you afford all this?
You must have won the lottery.
I could never afford it.
Do you have a rich family?
Yes, travelling is expensive and costs money, but living in Germany, being able to afford something and going on holiday does too.
As we had wanted to take a low-budget trip like this for some time, we had been saving a little for several years. Shortly before Corona, we decided to start after I finished my apprenticeship and Joshua graduated from university.
Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic put a spanner in the works. So we had to keep working and wait until the right moment came. This came in the summer of 2023, when we put our decision into action to fulfil our dream. So we threw ourselves into our travel preparations and got ever closer to our start date in March 2024.
To ensure we can travel for as long as possible and make the most of our savings, we’ve found many ways to have great adventures on a budget over the last 5 months of travelling the world. Here are our tried and tested tips and tricks to save money when travelling without sacrificing fun and unique experiences.
Low Budget Food
Cooking for ourselves: Whenever possible, we cook for ourselves. This not only saves money, but also gives us the opportunity to try out local ingredients.
Street stalls and warungs: Instead of eating in expensive restaurants, we prefer to eat at street stalls or in small local restaurants known as warungs (in South East Asia). Here you can get authentic dishes at a fraction of the price.
Excursions
Ask and bargain: In hostels we often ask for recommendations for cheap excursions or if there are any discounts. On the street, we bargain down the price of tours and activities.
Klook*, Get your Guide*, Trusted Housesitters* and Workaway*: Through our workaway in the Philippines, we got discounts from our host for diving and snorkelling tours. Platforms like Klook and Get your Guide also offer cheap tickets for various activities. TrustedHousesitters makes it possible to stay in places, look after animals and houses and make us feel like we are really living there.
Sightseeing and tours
Organise it yourself: We research what we want to see in a city ourselves and create our own walking route using Google Maps. For example, we organised our own visit to the Semenggoh Sanctuary in Borneo and only paid €4, whereas tour providers charge upwards of €40. A big factor here is the time: the free bus took about 1.5 hours instead of a taxi for about €6.
Accommodation
Booking.com*: We almost always book our accommodation via Booking.com. Thanks to our Genius Level 3 status, we get discounts and often free breakfast. Only in some cities like Hanoi was it cheaper to sleep in hostels. We usually had our own room with a shared bathroom.
Special deals: In Bako National Park, we were given a tent by our hostel and only paid one euro per person for the night instead of €10 in a shared room.
Workaway: In return for a maximum of 5 hours of volunteer work, you can do a workaway in many places and often immerse yourself in the local culture. Sometimes there are even several meals a day!
TrustedHousesitters: Through TrustedHousesitters we had the opportunity to get a wonderful place to stay for free in both Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. In return, we loved looking after cute cats and taking care of the flat while the owners were travelling. This meant we were able to save on accommodation costs completely.
Transport
Local buses: We use the local buses and avoid taxis whenever possible. In the Philippines, we only paid a few cents for a jeepney ride to the Tarsier Sanctuary or took the local bus to the Chocolate Hills. Not only was it cheap, but it was also a sightseeing tour of places we wouldn’t have seen otherwise.
Walking: We also try to walk a lot, it keeps you fit, doesn’t cost any money and you often discover things that you would otherwise have just driven past.
Compare flights
Book early and be flexible: We book flights 4 weeks in advance if possible, as this is when the prices are cheapest. We are flexible and take the cheapest offers, even if this sometimes means being at the airport at unusual times. Booking flights on Tuesdays has proven to be particularly good value. We usually search for our flights via Google Flights, but then usually book directly with the airline. With travel agencies, there can often be bad experiences with rebookings or baggage.
The fun must not be missing
Even though we like to save money, we don’t miss out on everything. Some places we may never visit again, so we treat ourselves to something from time to time. Our Advanced Open Water diving license wasn’t necessary, but the experiences and adventures we had and will have were definitely worth it.
Despite everything, travelling should be fun. It is important to find a balance between saving and enjoying yourself to make the trip unforgettable.
If you would like more travel tips, take a look at our blog posts under the heading Travel tips.
