How to Travel on a Young Adult Budget (Or Just Any Budget At All)

Note to reader: This post was created and published on Buzzfeed in January of 2016. This is simply a replicated version. To see the original post, click here.

I usually write in a small journal or sometimes just take notes in my phone when I travel to new & unfamiliar countries. I never have much internet access so I like to keep a diary of my daily experiences and adventures to share with my family and friends by the time I get home. The post I typed up this past summer while teaching in a village in Africa is now going to be a published book and I am eternally grateful for that. It will be called "My Journey to Another World" and should be released within the next month or so (reminder: this post is from Jan 2016. Go get a copy of my book!). Later than planned, but it's coming, swear! Thank you to those who are standing by me throughout all of this craziness.

I hadn't been much of a traveler until this past summer. Of course I have always flown state to state considering I moved around the country when I was growing up. I have family and friends all over. But I was doing the same thing and living a routine lifestyle. I wasn't meeting new people and I wasn't exploring new territory. Now don't get me wrong, my family and friends are the world to me. But when I returned from Africa I felt some sort of craving and longing to see the world. After my trip to Botswana, my horizons were broadened, my eyes were open, and my heart was full yet empty. I felt like I wasn't living life to the fullest if I had continued without exploring new cultures. I knew that soon enough my life would be filled with financial burdens and eventually down the line children to take care of. I knew that this was the time if anything. We are so stuck in our world at home and we do the same things with the same people every single week. I try to keep life adventurous by surrounding myself with wonderful people and I try new things in my area often. But I knew I needed to see the world. I suddenly felt like I was taking life for granted if I chose to not explore the world God created for us. Every country and continent is so uniquely beautiful and different and has something to boast about. The Lord created it all just for us, and it was my duty to appreciate it to the fullest.

Spontaneously after the holidays during my winter break, I jumped on a plane to Asia. A friend from my teenage years who I recently caught up with mentioned that he was trying to plan a trip over there. We planned it last minute, I persuaded my best friend from Chicago to come with us, and then we were off. This was all in the same month that I had just gotten back from Europe, two weeks later went right on a cruise, completed my certification & graduated with a BS in Elementary Education, Michigan for the holidays, Toronto for the New Year and a road trip back to Chicago for a few days, and then I went directly to Asia. Needless to say I had to pack two bags- 1 for winter & 1 for summer.

I have had numerous & countless people text me, Instagram me or Facebook me and ask me how the heck I've made this journey possible. Instead of journaling my every day experiences, I am going to tell you how you can make this possible for yourself.

I know finances are tough now a days for everyone. I have plenty of those moments. I have always worked hard for what I have, and so I choose to spend it wisely. For example, this year I have been traveling a ton. My balayage & highlights have stopped, and I can't tell you the last time I stepped foot in a mall to shop for myself.. It must have been last May about 8 months ago. I used to love getting my nails done. I also have been eating like a poor person.

You also have to be OK with traveling like a poor person. I would rather see the world and sleep in a box than to only see America from inside an intercontinental hotel.

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1. Eat like a champ... when you get back home- Pack food.. You can bring your own food on an airplane and that's OK. Bring snack bars, cliff bars, apples, meal replacement shakes, any sort of pantry food.. My rule is that I eat super cheaply except I'm required to have at least one or two traditional meals everywhere I go (I got really lucky in Bali because everything was so stinkin' cheap).

2. Choose wisely- Go places where no one else goes. Save Paris for when you're able to splurge. Think of non-hot spots. Search Instagram travel posts & blogs. Or better yet.. GOOGLE cheapest places to travel. My favorite thing to do is to sit on Google Flights (this is my go-to, btw) & to type in random airport codes. I know I'm on a teacher schedule, so I realize I have Spring Break, Winter Break, & June available (July is wedding season). I search and search for cheap flights to cheap places. Once I find cheap flights, I quickly check the average price of hotels or hostels in the area and that will give you a general idea on how cheap or expensive the place is to visit via conversion rates etc.

3. You can't be picky or a princess- Find deals, steals, galore. Google the crap out of everything. TripAdvisor works wonders. Reviews from others who have stayed or dined will always work in your favor. I always start from least expensive to most expensive. Then I look at reviews. Every. Single. Review. Counts. DON'T BE AFRAID OF HOSTELS. I can't stress enough that some of my best experiences occurred in hostels. You will find solo travelers, duo travelers, and group travelers from all over the world. You will meet people from Europe, Asia, South America, and other parts of America and maybe even Africa. It will be great, you will make friends, & you will have a nice place to stay next time you visit your new friend in Slovakia. If you are trying to see the world you have to go in with the understanding that you are going to experience new things and you are NOT going to take a 5 star leisure vacation- It's much cheaper to do that in Florida. That will easily triple your expenses and will quickly limit your trips.

**Travel Tip- When you're researching what to do at your destination, Google a list of must-do's but save a few days in your itinerary for wandering. Some of my most favorite adventures consisted of walking around and getting myself into random adventurous things or meeting really cool people. The locals or your hotel or hostel front desk will always have the best advice on what to do- along with those other travelers you meet who have already been there for a few days or so.

4. Save- It's easier than you think. Pick up extra shifts, watch a dog, babysit, stop shopping for clothes. The reason I have been able to do so many things and squeeze them into so little time is because I don't make excuses and say, "well I can't because..." If you want to do it, do it. Figure it out. Squeeze it in there. Chances are, you can make it work. And I'm not talking about a $4,000 trip to Greece. I'm talking about being lenient on where to go just so you can see what else is out there and what other wonders God has created for us to enjoy. Right now, flights to Singapore mid June are $1,000 & about $900 mid April and May. Flights to Vancouver over my elementary school's spring break run around $370. You can find South America flights right now for around $375-$475 even during our summer months. I think all I do in my free time is look up flights. I don't even think I really have free time but when I do, I'm looking up flights. I'm addicted to say the least. You don't need to be rich to travel & you certainly don't need to take more than a week and a half to two weeks max off of work (once again I'm luckily on a teacher schedule). Did you know if you put $5 in a jar every day for a year you just saved $2,000 and all of a sudden you have a flight for two people? What do you do with your tax returns? Have you heard of the 26-week $1,000 savings plan? Week 1- Add $26 to a jar or an account. Week 2- Add $27. Week 3- Put in $28. By week 26 you will have a grand saved in six months.

So this part is directed toward my most recent trip to Asia.

I usually don't like to talk about finances but everyone has been asking me how to do it on such a budget. Let me tell you, South East Asia is one of the cheapest places you can go. Right now, flights run around $500 cheaper than Europe.

* Initial Flight into Singapore- I got a really good deal. (Which seems like the pretty average price now that I'm researching). Singapore is absolutely beautiful, but it's a city. And you can see it in two days. It's very expensive there. Get in and get out as quick as possible.

* Smaller flights into Bali, Indonesia (which is such a dream)- $55 one way, $76 one way.

* Hostels & Hotels- Singapore we paid the most. We stayed in a hostel. In Kuta, Bali, we stayed in a very nice hotel. In Ubud, Bali, we stayed at a smaller place. It was perfect for what we needed and very accommodating. We spent on average around $10 per person per night on hotels in Bali. (Singapore was more). A total (I added it up exactly) of $140 for 10 days and 9 nights for my whole Asia trip.

In most of Asia, so much of what you can do is absolutely free. There is so much beautiful nature that is waiting to be seen. The beaches were absolutely incredible. They weren't just beaches- they were caves and cliffs. The monkeys are just hanging around waiting to play everywhere you go. The waterfalls- all natural, of course. To play with the elephants probably cost the most and it was still inexpensive.

To rent a driver was insanely cheap. Our driver Juyan was great & it only cost us around $6 a person (four of us) to rent a driver for the whole day. We rented a driver most days we were in Bali. You don't want to drive yourself here, trust me.

Dinners were so cheap as well. Rachel & I ate a whole large margarita pizza for 30,000 rupiah. Aka, that's $2.17. And we split that among two of us. A water bottle is 5,000 rupiah. Which is 36 cents. A beer runs at $1.81, which is 25,000 rupiah. We were living large.

I traveled to Asia for extremely cheap.. Two of our friends we met up with in Bali went to Thailand afterward. They said it is even cheaper there. How is that possible? South East Asia is home to some of the prettiest natural land I have ever seen in my whole life. I am so thankful for the experience & I can't wait to go back and see what else is over there. My next adventure will definitely be South America- I am dying to see Machu Picchu & Cusco as well as the Amazon in Brazil.

My bucket list is so long but for now these are my dreams:

-Peru (reminder, this original post is from Jan 2016. Happy to say I went & loved Peru!!)

-Vietnam

-Austria/Hungary (Went to Hungary. Still waiting on Austria!)

-Shanghai

-Norway

-Argentina to take a boat to Antartica (Went to Argentina. Yet to go to Antarctica!)

-Montreal, Quebec (Two layovers in Montreal, but haven't quite left the airport!)

-Iceland (this was a planned trip- we flew standby & the flight ended up full so we went to Ireland instead. I LOVED Ireland so I'm extremely thankful.) (Ending actually going to Iceland this time & LOVED it!)

Some notes about my Asia trip:

-When we flew into South Korea, we flew around North Korea which added extra time but definitely extra safety. Delta does not fly over North Korea. I was actually flying on the border of NK at the exact time they "said" to have test-launched their H Bomb.

-The South Korea airport is nuts. Absolutely insane.

-Koreans have the fastest internet in the world. Are you surprised? They are said to be the most quick & efficient culture.

-When flying into Singapore, I looked out the window and there were hundreds and hundreds of cargo ships. Singapore is the largest port in the world.

-Singapore does not allow gum into their country. They are known for being one of the cleanest countries in the world.

-Singapore has the death penalty for anyone who sells drugs.

-Singapore's architecture lives up to the hype. Coolest architecture ever. Singapore appears to be a very rich city, from my first impression.

-In Singapore, you can't buy a house unless you are married or 35.

-My flight to Bali consisted of Volcano after Volcano out the windows. You could see the smoke coming out from the top. It was so incredible to say the least.

-The traffic in Bali is absurd. The mopeds are unbelievable and they will run you over. I saw women with children hanging off the back with no shoes on.

-We knew the exchange rate was unbelievable when we paid $2 a person for a taxi from the airport and we were going about 35-40 mins away.

-Children were selling things everywhere and along the sides of the roads. It was so sad. We obviously knew their parents were putting them up to it.

-I received three massages when I was in Bali. All within 2 days. I couldn't stop when they were so cheap!

-The amount of statues is indescribable. Statue after statue after statue. The Balinese are Hindu.

-There was Christmas music playing everywhere. I keep trying to research if they celebrate Christmas at a different time than we do but I can't figure it out. They obviously don't celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday.

-The servers were fabulous. It reminded me of my cruise and how they treated us. Our servers on our cruise were mostly from South East Asia. This all makes sense.

-The natural wonders of Bali are so breathtaking. You will definitely have to go see it yourself.

There ya have it.. Where do you want to go next??

Links to some of my other older Buzzfeed posts:

What I Wish I Knew My Freshman Year of College:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jennifere45c8e540d/what-i-wish-i-knew-my-freshman-year-of-college-1hpzd

A Florida Transplant and a Michigan Native:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jennifere45c8e540d/a-florida-transplant-and-a-michigan-native-1hpzd