How do I travel the world for pennies? 10 life hacks

Did you win a million in the lottery?

Did you inherit from your grandmother?

Did you rob a bank?

Friends bombarded me with such messages as soon as I started posting photos from Norway.

Norwegian fjords. The place is called "Pulpit"

Yes, I flew to one of the most expensive countries in the world for 25 thousand. This includes flights and accommodation. For 4 days. I flew to Mexico for 45 thousand. For a week with a transatlantic flight and a hotel on the Caribbean coast.

How can I save on travel?

1✅ I travel out of season. Looking for last-minute tours - there are plenty of them on the Internet. Sometimes it's cheaper to fly by charter, leave your suitcase at the hotel, and explore the country with a backpack. So it was with Mexico. I bought the tour a few days before departure. In December, before the New Year holidays. A week in a hotel on the Caribbean Sea all inclusive cost 45 thousand rubles. In fact, I didn't show up at the hotel.

2✅ I fly with low-cost airlines (Riga-Norway 8 euros). I fly with transfers (Moscow-Naples with a transfer in Rome is 2 times cheaper than a direct flight). I set Skyscanner to notify you when prices drop. I compare prices on Skyscanner, Aviasails and airline websites. I issue bonus cards in each airline, accumulate miles and then spend them on new trips. By the way, I flew from Naples for free!

3✅ I make a route around the country in advance, choosing the most affordable transport. If the journey is long, I guess so that I can spend the night on the train / bus and not pay rent. So, in Norway, I slept one night on a train, on the way to the Crimea I slept in a car.

4✅ I use couchsurfing. This is not only profitable, but also cool - now I have friends around the world. For those who still don't know, there is a Couchsurfing site where people offer to stay with them for free. So I lived with couchsurfers in three different cities in Argentina, in Italy, in Turkey. Locals will also tell you where it is cheaper to have lunch and which non-tourist places to go to.

5✅ I can live in hostels (camon, hostels are not always cockroaches🪳 and terrible conditions, you need to read reviews on booking). Or I rent cheap accommodation on Airbnb (I found a cheap hotel even in Sorrento😜). Sorrento is one of the most expensive resorts in Italy. I stayed there for two days

6✅ I travel light if I fly with a low-cost airline. To avoid paying for baggage🧳. ⠀

7✅ You can not go to expensive restaurants🍹for tourists. Locals will always suggest a place where it will be cheaper and tastier, and most importantly - for real. ⠀

8✅ I go sightseeing with a press card - according to it, almost all museums in the world are free. Ok, this one is not for everyone, but you can look for discounts for online shopping or free visits on certain days/hours. For example, I was in Greece twice - in September and on New Year's holidays. And twice I got a free visit to the Acropolis and many museums. Anafiotika is a picturesque quarter at the foot of the Acropolis. Greece, Athens

9✅ I read city websites, forums and talk a lot with locals on Couchsurfing before the trip. Almost everywhere there are cards like Moscow-pass, which include transport, museums and sightseeing buses hop on - hop off.

The Colosseum is free for journalists. And tickets to Rome cost a penny, as I flew there immediately after the November holidays

10✅ I learn languages ​​and communicate with the locals. They advise alternative places and routes that are not written in guidebooks.

And you know, I like my way of traveling (=life) not only for the opportunity to spend less, but for the excitement and the chance to see the country not through the eyes of a tourist. ⠀