well ive never done the filtered water bit. mcdonalds and burger king(aka hungry jacks) work great for free water. ive never been refused a polite request to fill up my water bottle.

another great trick to try out at any fast food joint is to go in just before close(or at any time for that matter) and ask if you can have any food they would otherwise throw out. ive goten quite a few meals this way, and found someone to talk to.

one thing that i hear so many hitchhiking websites talk about is what bus or train to take "ouf of the city" to start hitching... why do all that? i hitched out of every australian capital city with ease. just start walking down even the biggest city street with your thumb out, and you will get picked up. this also applies to airports. just find the car exit and a good spot, and youll get a ride into the city without a worry. i even had luck one time asking a taxi for a free ride. the guy was bored and wanted someone to talk to, so we both enjoyed that ride. when hitching from downtown chch i drew a picture of an airplane on a piece of cardboard i found. i suppose that may have influenced my rides decision to pick me up...

this next piece of advice should be taken carefully. asking a ride if you can stay with them. i did the math, and i end up staying with someone that has picked me up just about 1/3 of the nights i am on the road. you have to be tactful, and make sure that you ask in the right way, as to not sound like a murderer or desperate. almost always when im in a car with someone and it gets dark, they ask what im doing that night. i simply explain how i usually find a place to sleep. if youve got this far, youve practically got a nice place to sleep that night.

about the showers...yes ive taken a few scrubs in rivers, streams, and waterfalls, but many road houses offer free showers, as well as showering at anyones house i stay it(of course only if offered) (as a general rule its more polite to be offered, i try not to ask people for things, rather be offered them) also. its not a big deal to not shower for a few weeks. really. you can stay pretty clean with a bathroom sink to rinse your armpits and face. yeah, so you get a little bit of a traveller stink, but if anything that can possibly make you seem more genuine. of course, being clean is something thats always important, especially when meeting total strangers. quite a few times ive been picked up people remark to me that they picked me up because i looked clean(i dont shave during my trips, and i always think its interesting how different people pick me up at the beginning when im clean shaven as opposed to bearded at the end)

always hitch into national parks, and ask the driver before you get in if its ok if you dont chip in. of course, feel free to offer a few bucks to help em out. also, it never hurts to ASK a park guide or tour operator if you can go on or do whatever for free. tell them your situation, and see what they can do. again, youd be surprised how friendly and helpful people can be.

two times in oz truck drivers offered me money for helping them load or unload something. its so much fun to make money for something that you are happy to do in the first place!

heres an easy money saving tip: dont use internet cafes, use public libraries instead.

for phone, i bought an international student ID card and used it to leave messages from payphones for my folks to download on the computer. it was like 15 bucks and i could leave up to i think a half hour of messages before they had to delete some to get some more. i did call home every other week, using a phone card that was only a few cents a minute from aus to the states.

before using an ATM machine, its good practice to ask the bank how much they charge in conversion fees. in australa, national bank charged 4 dollars plus 1.4% on all withdrawls from my american account....so i used (oh man im having trouble thinking of the name of the bank, but their colors are yellow and black)..but they didnt charge anything! what a goofey system, eh? this kind of stuff adds up.

i got a free buzzcut from a nice girl in a christchurch barbershop. i noticed she was sitting there with nothing to do, and decided to give it a shot. remember, asking to get things for free is not evil. stuff like this involves a bit of luck, but a friendly smile goes a long way too.

i was in fiji for 7 days and spent all of about 10 dollars. i stayed with a fijian family whose newphew had tried to sell me a tour to "the islands" when i arrived in the airport. little did he suspect that id be spending the night with him, and the next week with his relatives on the coral cost of viti levu.

im sure i could think of some more, but the main ideas are to think about alternative ways of getting what you want, as well as reconsidering what you want. becuase when you throw out the ideas about hostelling a trip the whole way, youll find maori homes, aboriginal communities, and fijian families to stay with...how can a hostel beat that kind of stuff!?

it takes work to not spend money. but if you really try to stick to 5 dollars a day, with regard to your safety of course, its easier than you may think. always ask yourself, "is there a way i could do/get this for free?"

and smile. everyone feels good when you are smiling, including you.

quote:

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always hitch into national parks, and ask the driver before you get in if its ok if you dont chip in. of course, feel free to offer a few bucks to help em out.

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Also, about national parks, at least in the US there's a US$50 National Parks Pass card that can get everyone in the car you're in into a national park for free, and the card is valid for one year. It pays for itself after a few visits to some of the pricier parks (e.g. Yosemite, Grand Canyon).

When hitching, the person who picks you up may not have a National Parks Pass, and may appreciate a free entry into a National Park that you could give him by being present in his car. Great trade-off!

Hey, great tips guys. I especially like the one about public librarys for internet. This is something I had always known, but had forgotten. Does anyone know if it is common for public librarys in rural Europe to have Internet capabilities?
MB

Greves, it's really only accommodation in Moscow that's very expensive (I got a room for 1000 rubel, and it didn't even have hot water!).

Please keep in mind that most people in Russia are very poor, so it's not really fair to get rides and free housing from people (which I'm sure you will) and not give anything in return. And learn some Russian before you go, it will get you a long way!

Greeves,
I forgot to mention that I too have toured Scandanavia (and St. Petersburg Russia). I can remember in Oslo purchasing three postcards and a Sprite for almost $15 US. Norway is extremely beautiful and should be camper friendly in the summer.
MB

quote:

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Originally posted by mboyd:
Hey, great tips guys. I especially like the one about public librarys for internet. This is something I had always known, but had forgotten. Does anyone know if it is common for public librarys in rural Europe to have Internet capabilities?
MB

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Of course, just like in America, pretty much all libraries (city or country) now have internet capabilities. However, I know that here in the USA the "free public library" is quickly disappearing. My local "free" library now requires you to buy a $7 library card- even for internet use.

As far as Moscow goes, Seraphim is correct about the lodging being really expensive, although I'd have loved to have gotten the deal she did! I spent 6 weeks there in '99 and I was only allowed (by the San Francisco Russian Consulate where I arranged my Visa) to stay in one of two hotels: both of them 4 star Marriotts! I chose the *cheaper* one which cost me US$350/nite! I shit you not! (This was back in the good old days when I was making mucho dinero though, so it was no biggie!) Moscow is now the World's 3rd Most Expensive City to live in! (according to another poster in another BNA board who posted a link to the stats.)

I spent many, many extremely happy days & nites in Oslo a few years back and I never remember spending anything like you did for a soda! OUCH! Yes, Norway can be very expensive, but I think even beers were MAYBE $6 or $7 when I used to frequent that fine city from '97 to '00. But yeah, camping is free & legal on ANY public land in all of Norway- so even if you do get ripped off on softdrinks you'll more than make up for it in lodging expenses!

mboyd,

man 15 buck for that? craazy.

seraphim, you said:
"Please keep in mind that most people in Russia are very poor, so it's not really fair to get rides and free housing from people (which I'm sure you will) and not give anything in return."

not giving money or material things in return for material things is not unfair. so long as you make it clear that you do not wish to pay for your ride, what is the problem if the person accepts taking you along? people only act if there is a percieved self-benefit. the percieved self-benefit for the driver in this situation may be that they are getting someone to talk to, that they felt bad you were standing on the side of the road and didnt want to feel guilty for not picking you up, that they wanted to feel good for doing something nice for somebody else, or a range of other reasons.

i prefer to be picked up by people who do not want anything from me. not only will someone picking me up who wants nothing material from me be less likely to rob me, they may be a nicer person to meet in general.

i am a member of hospitalityclub, so i think ill be good for people to stay with all over the place. what a great club that is! anyone who posts on here might want to consider becoming a member if you are not already one.

also, many people feel that it is impolite to refuse a gift, even when the gift is offered by someone who has virtually nothing. (normally, people who pick up hitchhkers have some things, or at least the car theyre driving)

just because someone is poor doesnt mean they should to expect more value in return for the same effort that a rich person may put forth.

effort =/= value


-andrew

Very interestingt thread, although I can't say I've ever travelled on such a budget it is interesting reading. The only thing is I now feel guilty for spending quite a bit more than $5/day and I'm in India!

I don´t want to be a pessimist here, but even if you can do it, will you enjoy your entire trip?

well ive spent all up about 8 months of my life travelling this way. road life has its good times and its bad times. you have to put up with standing on the side of the road in the sun, or cold, or without eating if every store in a town is closed when you get in at night and you already finished the food you were carrying. but these inconveniences are a small price to pay for some of the experiences you have when you travel without a set plan. the freedom i feel ALL THE TIME while im travelling is really inspiring. i am inspired to make the most of my life. to really do what i want to do. of course, if what you want to do involves fine dining and nights at the club, you will not enjoy your trip if you travel this way. if you enjoy realxing and watching the shadows of the trees move across the road, or spending a few hours talking with a nice elderly person sitting on a park bench, or trying some new interesting food offered to you that you would have never even thought to buy, youll love open travelling. you do what you want, when you want. dont feel like doing anything today? just sit there! feel like touring a city? do it! feel like spending a few days walking a forest track? do it! feel like taking someone up on their offer to see some quinkan rock art sites on private property and spend a few days four wheel driving through the outback?(lol) do it!

as i said before, i have found that the less i spend, the more i enjoy my trip, because when i spend less money that generally means that more people have offered me a place to stay or a free meal. perhaps my feelings towards dealing with minor invonveniences will change as i get older and less physically able to travel as i do now, but for now, its definately the best way for me.

-andrew

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Originally posted by Duffy:
I don´t want to be a pessimist here, but even if you can do it, will you enjoy your entire trip?

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Yes, I think if I can accomplish a "low budget trip" I will enjoy it immensely. Not only will my budget help me to avoid the touristy areas, it will allow me to immerse myself in local culture.
MB

Very interesting thread. My 2 cents: I think $5/day will be impossible in Europe, unless you intend to restrict yourself to garbage food and the kindness of strangers. But that isn't really what I want to talk about....

There is an important element that I do not think has been discussed. There is a HUGE difference between asking local people for accomodations or food in France or Oz than there is in in someplace like Fiji or remote Ecuador.

And this gets back to understanding a culture before you visit. In many third world cultures, saying "no" to people simply isn't done, and telling people when to leave is even more difficult. If you ask to "camp" many cultures feel an obligation both say yes and to feed you, whether they can afford it or not. As a result, I have seen several instances of western backpackers on the cheap inadvertantly taking advantage of the hospitality of villagers.

In a remote area of the Yasawas in Fiji, for example, I found a guy who had been mooching off a village for three weeks! He was exceedingly proud of the fact that he "wasn't even spending a dollar a day" but was oblivious to the cultural situation and the fact that a poor village was underwriting his "vacation". He had taken no gift of kava roots to the chief upon entering (strike one),he offered nothing back to the village who was feeding him (strike 2), and was oblivious to cultural mores, like strutting around in a pair of swimming trunks (strike three). The chief, who I knew from a previous visit, asked me if I could make a gentle suggestion to him that it was time to move on. I have seen it happen in other island nations as well.

I think it is great that people try to go for as little as they can, but if you are headed to non-western nations on a tight budget, please realize that your values and frame of reference are often at odds with other cultures. And that (small soapbox) it is your responsibility to know before you go.

Good post, salmo. And I heartily agree. We should be aware of the difference between accepting the kindness of strangers and taking advantage of them. It should be stressed: No mooching, begging, cheating, scamming or stealing.

Know the culture. If you're hitchhiking in the West, no payment is expected for the ride, but in some parts of the world it's customary to pay a fare. If a local is hosting you in a poor country, it may be beyond their means to support you, but their cultural mores dictate that they can't refuse you - do not be a burden, and give a gift if that's the custom.

Think about the situation from the host's point of view. Do not overstay your welcome.

Yes, I agree. And thanks for posting that, salmo, I'd been meaning to post something along those lines, but I couldn't have done it quite so eloquently or provided such good examples. Perhaps you could write an article on the subject of responsable travel for bootsnall?

$5, that's 3,9 euro at the moment. The only thing you will be able to spend your money on will be food from supermarkets. And even then, it will be difficult to keep this budget. Also keep in mind that grocery's in general are more expensive in europe.