Money & me, part II — four rules to travel on a budget
If you want to go directly to the rules scroll a little bit down, but the intro might be interesting as well, especially if you’ve read the first part of Money&me.
February 2016, I had no idea of what I was doing. I was sitting in my office and instead of answering emails I was desperately looking for something, don’t know what, while inside my head the refrain repeated: ‘what are you running away from? Look around: 9 girls in this office and you’re the only one unsatisfied. Grow up!’ That’s true, technically I had everything, and there lied the trap. The funny part is that I was spending almost all my salary in psychotherapy and in all those online courses promising sprinkles of fairy dust in your troubled brain.
Wanna be happy? Listen to the ultimate bullshit meditation 1 hour every day! The price randomly decided is 300$, but today I’m crazy and I’m selling it for 30$! Hurry up you miserable!
Internet is such a fertile ground for lies dealers. I know what you’re thinking, I should have seen that coming, but if the lie works as a placebo, so the effect is there, would you still call it a lie? That’s how I used to fool myself while clicking credit card or paypal.
Living 8 years in Venice, which is gripped by a mass of turists, travellers and tramps, I’ve heard fascinating stories about taking bold actions and unapologetically just go ahead, who knows where, but who cares. That’s where I wanted to go as well: no matter where abroad was, I just wanted to get the hell out of that fucking office and preferebly as far as possible. I was feverishly checking websites for opportunities, until they started contacting me back: suddenly I decided to volunteer in a farm/community in Germany and I’ve been selected for an EVS (European Voluntary Service) in Romania. In 2016 I was in Germany, Romania, Bulgaria, Armenia, Georgia, Greece, back in Italy and in Germany, Oregon, Washington state and Alaska, with less then 200€ pro month. The biggest expense was the health insurance for USA and Canada: I would not spare on that, health is what allows me to do what I do.
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One year ago I used to fill my journal with words of encouragement.
I believe in you.
Well, now I don’t even question that I believe in me, what a weird thing to say! This is what travelling gave me in a few words, and especially travelling on a budget: that’s when you need all your creativity and your social skills to survive, it’s boot camp training out of the comfort zone.
Here’s a list of little commandments to successfully travel on a budget.
One: getting rid of the superfluos.
You want to be flexible, in order to take the chances that show up. Therefore, travel light is a must.
Personally I was always very attracted by a rambling life with almost no possession: those people are weirdos, at least in the western world, but of such a charming kind! They‘re exhaling all around that freaky smell of freedom! When I decided to take the leap I was very lucky because there was no place to stock all my stuff: I was forced to gave away half of it, and I had to gradually ditch the other half during summer, to make my travelling easier. At the end, the process was very enjoyable, not a sacrifice but a liberation. I believe everything is replaceble, except for some letters and gifts from friends.
Travelling light and on a budget is plenty of fun, and yes, occasionally it feels like begging, but the benefit wins over that: it pushes you to embrace the unpredictable, seek for loopholes, hunt opportunities and connect to people. It broadens your mind and network of friends very fast, until life in general becomes lighter and easier.
Two: gain some money along the way.
Occasionally I found last-minute ways to gain some money— selling handmade bracelets in Bulgaria, taking pictures of supermarkets in Romania for big chains’ checks, or helping with little works in a wood barn in the USA. Just get creative and look for opportunities. Speaking to people is very useful, as long as you don’t go begging.
I also always have my laptop with me, and freelance jobs often covered my ass. I’m really grateful to WIFI, honestly: that’s the best tool to travel on a budget. About this, since I got a lot of messages, I’ll publish my magic list of websites soon, I’ll link it here when it’s ready.
Three: don’t be afraid.
Never ever allow your fear to show up: it’s ok to be careful, but people will not trust you if they notice you don’t trust them. You won’t get anything good from them. If you get stuck in a tricky situation, cold blood is mandatory! But you’ll learn fast how to manage your fear if you travel alone on a budget.
The first months I used to carry a pepper spray with me, just to feel more relaxed. I never used it on humans, but one time I was hiking alone in the transilvanian countryside and I ran into three very pissed shepard dogs… I still feel sorry but they didn’t give me many chances.
Four: the golden rule
This rule is my favourite.
The golden rule: money is not the first bargaining chip. Your favourite resources are time, contacts and a healthy dose of boldness: be creative with those!
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I hoped you enjoyed this story! You can read the first part, where I explain why my relationship with money is so fucked up, here. If you want to know what I think about the European Voluntary Service (and why I decided not to finish it) here’s the post.
About travelling on a budget, you might want to consider hitchhiking.
If you liked this post don’t forget to give me a heart! And if you want to get my magic list of websites follow me here on medium.
