How I Learned to Travel the World on Pocket Change

Let me tell you about the time I ate the best meal of my life for $2 in a Bangkok alley…

Many years ago, I was that person scrolling through Instagram travel accounts, convinced I’d never afford those picture-perfect adventures. My bank account had about as much depth as a puddle, and my travel dreams felt impossibly expensive.

Then I accidentally discovered something: the best travel experiences often cost the least.

The €50 Eurorail Pass That Changed Everything

My breakthrough moment came during a spontaneous weekend in Prague. I’d booked the cheapest hostel I could find (€9 a night – yes, really), and my dorm mate was this chatty German guy named Klaus. Over instant coffee and stale bread, he casually mentioned he’d been traveling across Europe for two months on less than what most people spend on a single hotel night.

“How?” I practically begged.

Klaus pulled out his phone and showed me his travel tracker app. €847 total. Two months. Twelve countries. That’s €14 per day. Hence the stale bread and instant coffee

I thought he was lying until he walked me through it.

The Real Secret Isn’t What You Think

Everyone talks about budget airlines and hostels, but here’s what nobody tells you: the magic happens when you start thinking like a local, not a tourist.

Take accommodation. Sure, I used Airbnb, but my best stays have been through local Facebook groups. Last summer in Rome, I found a room in a artist’s studio for €15/night through a “Digital Nomads in Rome” group. The host, of course named Mário, became my unofficial city guide and is now a genuine friend (and yes, Italians eat pizza with a knife and fork).

Or food: forget TripAdvisor’s top restaurants. I eat where construction workers eat lunch, where university students grab dinner. That €2 Bangkok meal? It was from a cart outside a hospital where the nurses bought their midnight snacks. No English menu, just pointing and hoping. It was perfect and delicious.

My Current Travel Formula

Here’s how I actually do it (with real numbers):

Getting there: I set up flight alerts six months in advance and stay flexible. My ticket to Southeast Asia cost €312 because I was willing to fly on a Tuesday and take two layovers. There are even cheaper options if you don’t mind many more stopovers and spending lots of time at all these stopover airports.

Sleeping: 40% hostels, 40% local stays, 20% splurge nights when I needed to recharge. I once stayed in the Presidential Suite of a hotel in Yogyakarta for $35.

Moving around: Overnight buses are your friend. You save on both transport and accommodation. Plus, you meet the most interesting people at 3 AM rest stops.

Eating: I shop at local markets and cook simple meals. But I always budget for one “food adventure” per day: whether that’s street food or joining locals for their regular dinner spot.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Budget Travel

Let’s be honest: travel is not always Instagram-worthy. You’ll sleep in dorm rooms that smell weird, eat things you can’t identify, and spend way too much time in bus stations. Your hair will be messy, your clothes wrinkled, and you’ll occasionally feel completely lost.

But here’s the thing: those moments create the stories you’ll tell forever.

Like when my train broke down in rural Spain and a local family invited me to their village, where a festival was going on. Or when I got food poisoning in Tanzania and my hostel roommates took turns bringing me soup and terrible jokes.

These experiences don’t happen when you’re insulated by expensive hotels and private tours.

The landscape has shifted dramatically in 2025. Remote work means I can earn dollars while spending them in countries where that money goes further. I spent three months in Lisbon last year, working mornings and exploring afternoons, spending less than I would living in Amsterdam.

Apps have made everything easier, but the best resources are still human connections. The most valuable thing I carry isn’t my passport: it’s the WhatsApp groups full of fellow travelers sharing real-time tips and occasional couches to crash on.

Start Small, Dream Big

You don’t need to quit your job and backpack across continents (though if you want to, I can help with that too). Start with a weekend trip using these principles. Take that train instead of flying, stay somewhere unexpected, eat where locals eat.

I promise you’ll come back with better stories than your friend who dropped €500 on a “luxury weekend.”

The world is waiting, and it’s more accessible than anyone wants you to believe. Your bank account might be small, but your capacity for adventure doesn’t have to be.

Ready to stop dreaming and start booking? Drop me a message. I love helping people plan their first budget adventure.