How Not to Go Shit Broke
A free view from the Plaza de España in Seville
By popular demand, I’ve compiled a list of all the ways I managed to backpack across eleven European countries for two months on a budget of two thousand dollars. It is by no means a complete list of resources, but rather the tip of the iceberg of a vast and densely-connected network of niche companies, Facebook groups, philanthropists, bloggers, and likeminded nomads who make the travel community worth all the fuss.
The Discount Sites
Remember to always use incognito browsing when searching for flights. Using regular mode will teach websites to start showing you higher prices, plus you’ll be bombarded by advertisements for high-end tours and travel to that region.
And no, I’m not getting paid to review any of these companies. I wish.
Sign up for an email newsletter sent 1-2x per week with alerts on the best flight deals around the world, found by real humans scouring the web each week. All flights are round-trip and to/from major US cities. For example, I flew nonstop from NYC to Reykjavík, Iceland for $142 in September 2018, and San Francisco to Paris in September 2017 for $186, with a return flight from Madrid for $170. (Even though I ended up missing the return flight to stay in Europe a few more weeks, I managed to find a last-minute deal from Paris to NYC for $184 thanks to the next site on this list.)
This airfare website is the the #1 reason I’ve been able to travel on such a small budget. It asks you to pick a starting point (or points), a date (or date range, if you’re flexible), and offers the “Anywhere” destination option, so you can find the cheapest deals on flights all around the world which work with your schedule. On my 11-countries-in-2-months trip, my itinerary was based entirely on what I found through this site, and my average flight cost between European countries was $30.
All flights pictured left out of NYC in spring 2019
Because my priorities have changed in the time since I took this trip, I now travel by ground transportation as much as possible in an attempt to reduce my carbon footprint AND because of the general stress of flying (especially with budget airlines). Many of the destinations I visited on this trip could have been accessed by train or bus from each previous one, had I just started on one end of the continent and worked my way to the other. But you live you learn.
Momondo and Skyscanner
Once I got the hang of Kiwi, I started branching out and doing my own research for particular countries and airlines. While Kiwi.com is a great starting point, I noticed I often saved even more money if I booked the flight from the airline’s website directly. Momondo and Skyscanner are similar tools to let you see which dates have the cheapest travel to your selected destination, but sometimes show even better deals than Kiwi or GTFO Flights with links to additionally-discounted third-party booking agencies. Just make sure you do your homework on those companies’ reputations before completing your booking, because I’ve heard some travel horror stories about canceled flights/baggage issues. Not to say budget airlines are much better with that stuff, but that’s why travel insurance is always a GREAT idea.
A useful visual tool with SkyScanner. This search shows one-way flights from San Francisco to London.
A typical sample of deals posted daily by Secret Flying
I recently found Secret Flying through an ad on Instagram, so I haven’t yet used their services. Similar to GTFO Flights, Secret Flying curates incredible deals from all over the world every day—usually for international flights but occasionally for discount accommodations as well. The deals they post are usually incredible, and include round-trip airfare starting points from all over the world, listed in that country’s currency. My favorite is when they post mistaken flight and hotel fares, like a four-star hotel in Turkey for 7 € per night.
Ground Transportation
I use the Omio (formerly GoEuro) app/website for almost all train and bus travel between countries and major cities in Europe. Even though booking in advance is usually the cheapest option, I’ve still found shockingly low prices at the last minute, and this app streamlines comparison between different travel companies. I use Omio exclusively over other websites like Trainline, because they show all forms of transportation and—when busses are available—they are usually much cheaper and often not significantly longer than the train alternatives. The only downside is that Omio operates solely in Europe, so you’ll have to use other websites to plan travel elsewhere. Which leads me to another one of my favorites…
While you can’t actually book your travel on their platform, Rome2rio is a great starting point for gauging your budget, plus your search results will often link you to other sites which can complete your booking. You simply type in your start and end points, and it shows you all the possible modes of transportation between the two locations, with general price ranges for each. The reason I use Rome2rio is because it can be so difficult to find this information online before you land in certain countries, so knowing these options are available upon arrival gets rid of one small piece of travel anxiety.
BlaBlaCar is a popular ride-sharing app used in many countries throughout the world. I’ve often found their prices comparable to long bus rides between countries, but you have the added bonus of a friendlier travel space and the opportunity to spend time with locals (language skills here are a plus)! While BlaBlaCar is a great resource, the drivers can choose to cancel at the last minute, so if you need to make concrete plans use a bus or train instead. Don’t make my mistake and end up missing your flight to Morocco…
A list of locations where the ride-sharing website/app BlaBlaCar is available
Public Transportation
So, I’m just going to say it...one of the ways I saved on inter-city travel was by rarely paying to use public transportation. I’ll say I just walked everywhere, which is true (and arguably the best way to explore a new city), but I also may have, at times, ahem, hopped on and off the metro and bus without buying tickets. Typically this was because the ticket machine at the station was broken, or I didn’t have correct change, or didn’t understand how to buy the ticket in advance at a separate location. In hindsight, the fear of getting caught/karmically screwed over outweighed the few dollars I saved. And that’s the thing. In almost all the countries I visited, public transportation was dirt cheap compared to systems like BART in the SF Bay Area or even the NYC Subway.
View from the Tube
But might I reiterate: I walked EVERYWHERE. My step count was almost as high as it was the year before when walking El Camino de Santiago. So I was able to save money, get a far more enriching and nuanced experience of each city, and burn off the calories from the endless street food and desserts each new place had to offer. Kind of a win-win.
Accommodations
For solo travelers who really want to stick to a budget, the Couchsurfing*** app/website is an excellent option. It isn’t designed for people who just need a free couch to crash on, but for people looking to share their homes and hospitality with fellow travelers who have an interest in making meaningful connections with their hosts. Of course, you’re bound to find a good number of users looking for beautiful women to “host”, but you can refine your search settings to avoid that type (or seek it out specifically).
All jokes aside, I’ve heard of several occasions of women getting sexually assaulted by their Couchsurfing hosts (I’m sure this happens with men, too). If you’re going to use an app that is essentially Tinder for Cultural Exchange, don’t be fooled into a false sense of safety by certified members or good reviews. This is why I reach out to female hosts exclusively, and always ask people who have private guest rooms first. Is it possible they could still murder me and harvest my organs? Of course. But at least I can reduce my chances by being selective and thoughtful about my connections.
***COVID-19 Update: Couchsurfing is currently charging a small fee to use their site in order to offset the financial impact of the pandemic on global travel. As of August 7th 2020, the annual fee is less than $15.
This is a great app which streamlines the process of finding accommodations, from last-minute to months in advance. Search settings are easy to specify, and the blurbs about each hostel almost always have accurate and up-to-date info about hidden costs (such as extra charges for sheets, towels, or breakfast). Be sure to read all the info provided, though, as I often find the summary differs from the fine print. Hostelworld often offers discounted rates for bed & breakfasts, apartments, and hotels as well as hostels.
While there are other good discount accommodation sites out there, like Booking.com and Hotels.com, I’ve rarely found that they post better deals than Hostelworld when searching for accommodations within a backpacker’s budget. The perks to those sites, though, is that you can eventually earn free nights—a feature which isn’t available on Hostelworld.
Soul-Sucking Research
While I hate the fact that budget planning can be the death of spontaneity, I have saved so much money by mapping out my activities in advance. Knowing which museums have free days, which ATMs I can use without a foreign transaction fee, which sights I should pack together on different days so I can save money on public transport, which goods and services are more or less costly in a given location, which travel credit card to get based on my personal interests and budget…all of these things significantly add up over the course of a single backpacking trip. Many people planning trips like this often don’t have the spare time leading up to their flight to research all these details, but if you start booking way in advance you can make small, exciting dents every week until the day you finally leave for your life-changing, debtless adventure.
