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Off The Beaten Path: Tips & Tricks for Extended Travel
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Are you fed up with the rat race and need an escape? Has the recent turn in the economy provided you with a severance package and unexpected free time? Has the thought of travelling been tickling at the back of your head? If so, what’s stopping you from taking off? Oh, that’s right…in this time of economic doom and gloom it’s hard to justify spending a couple grand on a week long holiday in the Caribbean. What if you knew the same amount of money could allow you to explore another, more exotic part of the world - not just for a week but for a month or longer? Believe it or not, extended travel is not as expensive as you may think. Get off of the beaten-down, touristy path. Part of the trick is to incorporate a budget traveller’s mentality. Scrap the idea of suitcases with wheels, hotels, and pre-booked tours and replace it with a backpack, hostels and flexibility. Get the stigma and preconceptions of budget travelling out of your head. It doesn’t involve sleeping on the floor and eating slop. There are countless places on this planet where you can admire a million-dollar view from a five-dollar per night bungalow. Take advantage of our currency. Travelling through the States and in many parts of Europe will deplete your funds in a hurry. Rather, pick a destination where our dollar is strong. In countries like Malawi and Laos, the loonie goes a long way. The flight will be your only large expense. Yes, these types of destinations are often on the other side of the world and a flight from Canada will be costly. Remember though, once you’re on the ground you’ll be saving tons. The longer you stay, the more you take advantage of the inexpensive living costs, the cheaper your time away will ultimately become. (Think about what you spend on bills in one month.) There may be small, insignificant sacrifices. Things like high-speed internet, ice cubes and electricity may not always be available. Don’t stress! These countries will offer the most rewarding and extraordinary experiences and will make the best stories when (and if) you decide to return home. Eat where the locals eat. You can be fairly certain the food is cheap, won’t make you sick and is probably pretty tasty, although it still might be wise to become a vegetarian for a while. The menu may not have what you’re used to - but that is the best part. Experiment. Try something different. Hamburgers and chicken nuggets will still be here when you get back. Take advantage of local transportation. Buses may be uncomfortable and take eight hours to cover 200 kilometres but they will inevitably get you to your destination. Furthermore, the observations, situations and interaction with the locals will never be forgotten and may possibly be the highlight of your trip. I’ve been squashed, stranded and puked on and wouldn’t trade the experiences for any in-flight movie or bag of peanuts. Best of all, what you would spend on a flight to save a few hours, you’ll be able to convert into a few extra days of travel. Take your time. It’s impossible to see everything that a country has to offer so there is no sense in wasting your money rushing from place to place. When you squander a part of your budget on transportation every second day, your finances vanish in no time; rather keep your itinerary flexible (if you have one at all) and when you find a spot that intrigues you, unpack and enjoy the scenery. When you settle into a place, you’ve created a fantastic opportunity to really learn about the country you’re visiting. You start looking at more than just the view. You delve deeper into topics of discussion and interest. Genuine friendships are established. You gather local insight and visit places in the area that probably aren’t listed in guidebooks. In other words, you take in all of the stuff that would be impossible to absorb in a day. Besides, do you really want to spend as much of your holiday sitting on a bus as on the beach? Okay, you’ve got an idea of how you can travel cheap. The next question is where should you go? There are incredible, inexpensive hidden gems scattered all over this planet. One of the perks (and addictions) of travelling is the more you travel, the more you discover destinations you never knew existed.
Matt Hamilton began his global travels in 1998 with a one-way ticket to Glasgow. Ten years later, he is still exploring, getting lost, and loving every minute of it. His first book, “Through Travel and Error: Confessions of an Asylum-Seeking Canadian” chronicles his backpacking adventures. 
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