Who doesn’t love to travel? Thanks to budget airlines, journeying to another island in the Philippine archipelago—even another country—is getting easier all the time for the average traveler.
I began traveling more frequently after getting my first job last year—here’s to financial semi-independence—and while I’m in no way a high roller, there are a few tricks budget travelers like myself can use to get the most travel out of our budget.
Most of my examples come from my recent trip to South Korea, but I'll be giving a few from the Philippines and other countries in Asia, too.
1) Choose your hostel wisely.
My top priority here is location, not price. The money you save booking at an ultra-cheap hostel in an isolated neighborhood gets canceled out when you have to commute to the center of the action.
In South Korea, my friend and I booked a room at Zaza Backpackers, a P2000-a-night hostel in Namsan-dong, which is a 10-minute walk from the shopping district of Myeongdong and, in the opposite direction, a 15-minute walk from the cable cars to the mountain of Namsan and the N Seoul Tower.
We found a cheaper home-stay in the district of Gangnam, but that area is a 45-minute subway ride away from the main points on our itinerary. And as anyone who’s seen PSY’s ‘Gangnam Style’ music video will know, everything there is pricey!
Some considerations when choosing a hostel: does the staff speak English? Is there free wi-fi? What about hot water? Do we have private bathrooms?
Booking sites like Agoda.com will give you a list of hostels in an area of your choice, as well as their contact details and listed amenities.
2) Travel light.
Exploring the great outdoors? Dri-fit shirts are your best friend! The thin, lightweight shirts fit easily into any bag. Once worn, they wick away sweat from your body; if they get wet, they dry easily, too. Instead of bringing several sets of shirts and sweaters, pack a bundle of these babies and layer them according to the temperature outdoors.
3) Look for region-specific discounts.
Traveling on a budget doesn't mean you can't shop—it means timing your trip and maximizing coupons to get the best deals for your cash.
In Hong Kong, the sales heat up from December to February (approaching the Chinese New Year) and July to September. The Great Singapore Sale, also known as “GSS,” is held during June. Bangkok’s Grand Sale is also held from June to August; last December 5, the King’s birthday was celebrated with free train rides for fathers with their children.
Going to Seoul? The South Korean government offers downloadable discount coupons valid until December 31, 2013. Pick up the free InSeoul magazine as you exit Incheon Airport—it contains detailed maps to each district.
4) Plan your commute.
While airfare tends to be the biggest transportation cost, knowing which subway line to take (or whether it’s better to just take the bus) saves time and money.
While there are some people who relish the feeling of being adrift in a foreign country, I like the safety of knowing I’m never entirely lost; it became a habit to write down my plans for the day along with directions to each location.
Before your trip, look for subway maps online. Once there, you can usually find free maps at airports and train stations.
5) Never buy at the first shop.
We’ve all been there—you find something cool on your first day of travel and buy it only to see it later at a cheaper price, or find a better product entirely. Unless you’re buying unique, artisan goods in an area you won’t drop by again, hold off the shopping until the second day.
While traveling in Marinduque earlier this year, I made the mistake of blowing my money on more arrowroot cookies than I actually needed; on our last day, I spotted an intricate, hand-woven table runner but didn’t have enough to take it home.
6) Dine at hole-in-the-wall joints.
My favorite thing about traveling to a different country is that you don’t need visit a fancy restaurant to taste authentic local food. Hole-in-the-wall joints aren’t just cheaper—the surprise of new discoveries makes dining more fun, too!
One of our favorite meals in Seoul was a rabokki dinner at Meokshidonna, located in one of Samcheong-dong’s side streets. The tiny eatery was packed with diners digging chopsticks into bubbling cauldrons of spicy rice cake, noodles, meatballs, and mussels.
At the end of our meal, the waitress mixed rice, seaweed, and corn into the dregs of the stew, creating toasted fried rice that stuck to the bottom of the metal pot. At W4,000 (P140) for each kind of topping, a group of friends can eat well without breaking the bank.
7) Bonus round: speak a bit of the local language.
Learning simple phrases goes a long way.
At night markets, shopkeepers are more likely to give you a good price if you greet them in the local tongue; if you seem less like a clueless tourist, people are less likely to take advantage of you as well.
How to say ‘thank you’ in different languages:
But beyond the shopping, speaking the local language—even through bits and pieces of it—sends the message that you care about the culture, about the people whose country you’re visiting. Who knows, you may even make new friends you can travel with next time. — VC, GMA News
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/315020/lifestyle/travel/backpacking-101-seven-tips-for-budget-travelers
I began traveling more frequently after getting my first job last year—here’s to financial semi-independence—and while I’m in no way a high roller, there are a few tricks budget travelers like myself can use to get the most travel out of our budget.
Most of my examples come from my recent trip to South Korea, but I'll be giving a few from the Philippines and other countries in Asia, too.
1) Choose your hostel wisely.
My top priority here is location, not price. The money you save booking at an ultra-cheap hostel in an isolated neighborhood gets canceled out when you have to commute to the center of the action.
In South Korea, my friend and I booked a room at Zaza Backpackers, a P2000-a-night hostel in Namsan-dong, which is a 10-minute walk from the shopping district of Myeongdong and, in the opposite direction, a 15-minute walk from the cable cars to the mountain of Namsan and the N Seoul Tower.
We found a cheaper home-stay in the district of Gangnam, but that area is a 45-minute subway ride away from the main points on our itinerary. And as anyone who’s seen PSY’s ‘Gangnam Style’ music video will know, everything there is pricey!
Some considerations when choosing a hostel: does the staff speak English? Is there free wi-fi? What about hot water? Do we have private bathrooms?
Booking sites like Agoda.com will give you a list of hostels in an area of your choice, as well as their contact details and listed amenities.
2) Travel light.
Exploring the great outdoors? Dri-fit shirts are your best friend! The thin, lightweight shirts fit easily into any bag. Once worn, they wick away sweat from your body; if they get wet, they dry easily, too. Instead of bringing several sets of shirts and sweaters, pack a bundle of these babies and layer them according to the temperature outdoors.
3) Look for region-specific discounts.
Traveling on a budget doesn't mean you can't shop—it means timing your trip and maximizing coupons to get the best deals for your cash.
In Hong Kong, the sales heat up from December to February (approaching the Chinese New Year) and July to September. The Great Singapore Sale, also known as “GSS,” is held during June. Bangkok’s Grand Sale is also held from June to August; last December 5, the King’s birthday was celebrated with free train rides for fathers with their children.
Going to Seoul? The South Korean government offers downloadable discount coupons valid until December 31, 2013. Pick up the free InSeoul magazine as you exit Incheon Airport—it contains detailed maps to each district.
4) Plan your commute.
While airfare tends to be the biggest transportation cost, knowing which subway line to take (or whether it’s better to just take the bus) saves time and money.
While there are some people who relish the feeling of being adrift in a foreign country, I like the safety of knowing I’m never entirely lost; it became a habit to write down my plans for the day along with directions to each location.
Before your trip, look for subway maps online. Once there, you can usually find free maps at airports and train stations.
5) Never buy at the first shop.
We’ve all been there—you find something cool on your first day of travel and buy it only to see it later at a cheaper price, or find a better product entirely. Unless you’re buying unique, artisan goods in an area you won’t drop by again, hold off the shopping until the second day.
While traveling in Marinduque earlier this year, I made the mistake of blowing my money on more arrowroot cookies than I actually needed; on our last day, I spotted an intricate, hand-woven table runner but didn’t have enough to take it home.
6) Dine at hole-in-the-wall joints.
My favorite thing about traveling to a different country is that you don’t need visit a fancy restaurant to taste authentic local food. Hole-in-the-wall joints aren’t just cheaper—the surprise of new discoveries makes dining more fun, too!
One of our favorite meals in Seoul was a rabokki dinner at Meokshidonna, located in one of Samcheong-dong’s side streets. The tiny eatery was packed with diners digging chopsticks into bubbling cauldrons of spicy rice cake, noodles, meatballs, and mussels.
At the end of our meal, the waitress mixed rice, seaweed, and corn into the dregs of the stew, creating toasted fried rice that stuck to the bottom of the metal pot. At W4,000 (P140) for each kind of topping, a group of friends can eat well without breaking the bank.
7) Bonus round: speak a bit of the local language.
Learning simple phrases goes a long way.
At night markets, shopkeepers are more likely to give you a good price if you greet them in the local tongue; if you seem less like a clueless tourist, people are less likely to take advantage of you as well.
How to say ‘thank you’ in different languages:
- Japanese: Arigatou gozaimasu
- Korean: Kamsahamnida
- Chinese: Xie xie
- Thai: Men say “Kob khun krap”; women say “Kob khun ka”
But beyond the shopping, speaking the local language—even through bits and pieces of it—sends the message that you care about the culture, about the people whose country you’re visiting. Who knows, you may even make new friends you can travel with next time. — VC, GMA News
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/315020/lifestyle/travel/backpacking-101-seven-tips-for-budget-travelers