Hundreds of years ago a booming civilization fought its way to become a major empire with massive architectural achievements, sprawling cities, and a stunning system of roadways hacked through the lush jungle underbrush. Each one of these accomplishments would be impressive, even by today’s technological standards and yet all of them combined and carried out over a thousand years ago? Truly spectacular!
Like any good adventure, my exploration of Tikal started curled up in my top bunk bed at Los Amigos Hostel in Flores, Guatemala. While the more hardy (morning people) had opted for the 5 O’clock bus to Tikal, I’d debated it…considered the rainy weather we’d been having and instead opted for the 6:45 bus. While not terribly early, for a late riser like myself it presented a small challenge: The two items I’d completely forgotten to pack were a watch and an alarm clock. The good news was that about half way through the trip I realized that if I set my camera time correctly, that I could use the internal clock on my camera as a watch – I’m not sure why/how but this seemed like a better option than locating a cheap $10 watch somewhere. While somewhat awkward this solved one of my two problems – but still left me relying on my internal clock in place of an automatic alarm. Whoops!
Driven in part by anxiety I was up and ready to go by 6:15, which left me with plenty of time to wander around the hostel before finding my way down to the lake shore. The view that awaited was delightful. Though a bit after sunrise the water was smooth, the light soft and the clouds misty. I quickly tracked down the spot where I’d been informed my tourist colectivo (not to be confused with the authentic styled colectivo I wrote about previously) would pick me up and take me the 45 minute drive to Tikal. The drive itself was enjoyable despite a light rain.
By the time we arrived at the main complex and began to exit the bus, the rain had stopped – which given my lack of an umbrella was probably a lucky stroke. While most of the others wandered off to find coffee or breakfast, I set off straight for the park. After purchasing a surprisingly expensive ticket (I believe it was about 150 GTQ or $20 USD) I began my extensive exploration of the park. The park itself is massive and could easily take an entire day to explore. The distances between major ruins is surprising, the winding paths through the jungles confusing, and the lush underbrush exciting.
Tikal’s history is fascinating. The earliest parts of the city are said to be more than 4,000 years old, while the majority of the city was built and occupied within the last 3,000 years – predominantly between 600BC and 900AD. Despite evidence that Tikal was conquered by Teotihuacan (located in modern day Mexico), the city served as a major military, economic and governmental power for the majority of its existence. It is believed that at its peak, the city and surrounding area may have been home to at least 120,000 people, with potentially as many as 400,000+ in the surrounding 20 mile area.
My first stop was at the initial fork in the road. There I was greeted by three paths – one to the left, right and one straight ahead. Located directly to the left of the central path was a large map of the entire complex (click it to enlarge). Eager to save a few dollars – I’d opted out of buying a map. Instead I took a digital photo of the map, which I would later refer back to as I wandered through the complex.
As a quick aside: The more I travel the more heavily I rely on my camera as a note taking device. My main uses include photos of maps and photos of pages in guide books, but as mentioned earlier, I’ve even used it as a watch. The potential is nearly limitless. It’s a great way to store information and keep it readily (and easily) accessible.
Eager to stay as far away from the crowds as possible, I opted to go left and work my way clockwise around the ruin complex. This path took me through a long stretch of mostly untouched jungle where I was kept company by the natural sounds of the jungle, odd looking wild plants and a number of bored spider monkeys.
Luckily, I’d arrived early enough that I’d beat most of the crowds. As a result I didn’t run into another human being until some 50 minutes in. The opportunity to walk in the footsteps of the ancient Mayans, isolated in the jungle was an energizing and slightly mystical experience.
Eventually, just as I’d begun to wonder if I had taken a wrong turn I came upon Temple VI. A medium sized pyramid, heavily covered in moss and light vegetation. It was the first real Mayan pyramid I’d seen since my exploration of Tulum in Mexico two weeks earlier. My limited frame of reference allowed me to appreciate its size, scope and beauty – all of which was impressive, but would later seem modest in comparison to the ruin’s other structures.
Eager to see more I struck back east towards the Palacio de las Acanaladuras. A low, sprawling structure – perhaps some two stories in height, it had winding hallways that cut through the tick walls, small three sides rooms, a central common area in the middle, and what appeared to be an amphitheater like area carved into the side of the hill. The Mayan architecture itself is somewhat difficult to describe. There are parts of it that have a natural elegance, but the general feeling I got from it was one of….solidity. The buildings, due to the way they’ve been built both look and generate a feeling of density and permanence. Not all that unlike the feeling one might get when looking at a mountain. It’s there, it’s been there and heaven help the person or natural elements that try to move it.
My next stop was at Temple V. Hands down the most impressive of the Pyramids and Ruins in the Tikal Complex. Temple V is a stunning 187 feet and stands as the second tallest in the complex behind only Temple IV at 230 feet. Unfortunately, due to the weather I didn’t make it to Temple IV – though I was able to see it in its complete splendor from the top of Temple V.
Though they’ve blocked the use of the stone stairway on Temple V, they’ve installed an incredibly steep – nearly vertical – 150+ foot staircase to the viewing platform near the top of Temple V. For those intrepid souls willing to trust their luck on the wet wood and narrow steps, it’s a heart pounding, leg burning climb to the top. Once there, however, the views are spectacular.
The cloudy weather, accompanied by the briefest of light rains ended up being a wonderful boon. Once moving it lowered the temperature to near t-shirt weather, while the humidity in the air added a crisp freshness and the periodic light rain brought out all of the rich greens, browns and yellows in the foliage.
Blown away by the incredible beauty of the wild jungle as it swept away into the distance before fading gently into the mists, I paused on top of Tempe V to enjoy the moment, let the entirety of the experience soak into my core, and to reflect on the wonderful opportunity I was experiencing.
The platform at the top of Pyramid V is an interesting experience. The very front has been completely restored and ranges between 2ft-5ft wide. The challenge of course comes in the narrower sections when trying to pass other tourists. At 170 feet up, without any safety rails or ropes – it’s definitely a “watch your step” moment. For those feeling a little gutsy, it’s possible to wrap around to the side of the pyramid (pictured earlier). There the ledge quickly fades into crumbling rock and steep drop as it transitions from the restored half of the pyramid, to the back two sides which are still crumbling and inaccessible.
The vista itself was spectacular. Clean Air. A crisp freshness to the slight breeze. The gentle kiss of humidity. Sprawling jungle in every direction. A powerful sensation: Life.
After a long stay on top of Pyramid V I eventually gathered my thoughts and set off to see what other wonders Tikal held. The trip back down the stairs was hair raising. The age old question quickly presented itself – is it better to go forward or backward? I opted for a mixture of the two, trying to pace myself and forcing a pause at each of the platforms to stop, look out, and wait for the person below.
My path led me up past Mundo Perdido and a large series of medium sized structures to a partially restored, mid-sized, pyramid which I was able to climb before wrapping back to the south towards the central Acropolis.
The Central Acropolis is a sprawling series of ruins which are home to a large raised structure as well as two large pyramids sitting at opposite ends of a courtyard which delivers stunning acoustics. One of the two has a large ledge about halfway up which has been stabilized to serve as a viewing platform. The other remains unscalable. The scope of the Central Acropolis is spectacular and truly a tribute to what must have been an incredibly powerful, economically successful and technologically advanced civilization.
The ruins are famous for the wildlife, particularly the howler monkeys which seem to have a fondness for the ancient stone buildings and their acoustics. Unfortunately, due to weather and timing I missed both the Howler Monkeys and the Wild Toucans. I did, however, have the opportunity to see wild Spider Monkeys, Coatis (a weird type of long nosed raccoon), Leaf Cutter ants and vibrantly colored wild Turkeys.
Why mention wild turkeys? If you’re like me, you probably typically think of turkeys as rather unimpressive, with subdued, lack-luster coloring. Definitely not the case in Tikal. In many ways they reminded me of a Central American version of the pheasants common in many European castles and palaces. Their coloring was fantastic and even their heads and skin had an exotic blue/orange coloration. Looking back through my photos, I think I ended up with nearly as many shots of the turkeys as I did of the Central Acropolis, though as fascinating as the turkeys were – the Acropolis was far more impressive.
With stiff legs and a growling stomach I made my way back towards the entrance. Pausing briefly to take in one last view of the ancient pyramids before walking the half mile or so back to the car park, where I caught one of the noon buses back through the rain to Flores.
Tikal was easily one of the most incredible things I’ve ever experienced. The scale, the scope, the technology and the terrain all combine to create a magical experience. One I highly recommend to anyone planning on exploring Central America.
Comments or questions? Don’t hesitate to post them here! As always, thanks for reading!
This week has been a great one! Two exciting things to share with you: First and foremost – I’m in the process of putting the final touches on a new intro for VirtualWayfarer web videos. You’ll find the intro at the start of the video attached above (first 10 second).
As always, I value your feedback and would love to hear your thoughts, impressions and comments!
Second – I’m happy to announce that VirtualWayfarer was one of TravelPod’s featured travel sites of the day earlier this week on its Travel Blog Sites.com website. Via the Travel Blog Sites portal, TravelPod announces a top notch weekly snapshot of the top 100 travel blogs (by traffic) for the week. It’s also a great go-to resource for a quick list of high quality travel blogs.
The time came to say goodbye to San Ignacio and the amazing adventures it held. With slightly damp shoes, a spring in my step, and my two backpacks resting on my shoulders I made my way towards the central square.
Once there, I located a Taxi driver I’d bartered with earlier in the morning, re-confirmed the fare I’d bartered for earlier (about 10 dollars) and then piled my gear into the trunk. Before long we were lazily cruising across the Belizean country side towards the Guatemalan border. A new country and new adventure awaited.
The ride itself was fairly brief at about 10-15 minutes. The driver was amiable and shared stories and advice before pulling up to the border station and pointing me in the direction I needed to go.
A few passport stamps and about $20 later I’d paid the exit fees and was waved into the no man’s land between borders. There I looked across and into Guatemala and paused briefly a bit confused. Straight ahead there was a seething mass of currency traders and taxi drivers, a small guard house to block vehicles and….an open road? It took me a solid minute of watching before I realized that the border station was actually set to the side, giving it a somewhat optional feel.
In my general ignorance, I’d nearly (and amazingly, very well could have) walked straight into Guatemala. Chuckling at the differences between the borders back home and those in Central America, I threaded my way through the crowd, somewhat surprised and unnerved by the large number of Guatemalan security personnel on guard with large, sawed off shotguns resting casually at their waists. Eventually I identified the right line, paid my 20 GTQ (less than $3 USD) entrance fee and got my stamp. From there it was down to the Taxis where, despite what I’d read in the guide book, I opted to take a quick taxi ride to where the Colectivos (Collectivos in English) were.
The Adventure Begins
After talking briefly with a Taxi driver, and telling him where I wanted to go (less than a mile) – we agreed on a price of 10 GTQ or about $1.25. I got in, and we started rolling down the street…slowly. Before we’d gone 15 feet, he started trying to pressure me into a $40 USD Taxi ride to Flores. A situation made that much more confusing given his lack of English and my marginal (at best) Spanish. Not completely opposed to the idea but eager to try the Colectivo and not interested in spending $40 I countered that I’d give him $20 but wasn’t especially interested. As you can imagine, his response was less than enthusiastic.
Preferring to try and pressure me into it, he slowly made his way down the street, going so far as to head through the intersection and begin towards Flores. Annoyed, I opted for a classic tactic, I’ve found to work particularly well with high-pressure sales people who won’t take no for an answer: I took my already low $20 offer, and dropped it $2 every time he countered. While they may be immune to “No” and happy to ignore it. They tend to be far more susceptible and give up much quicker in the face of ridiculously bad (and decreasing) offers. By the time I reached $14, he pulled over and tried to find someone who spoke English. On his second try he found someone, who translated. I re-iterated my stance and without further adieu was dropped off down the street in front of a Colectivo.
Before I’d had the chance to get out and grab both bags, the larger of the two was scooped up by the Colectivo’s driver. As he turned and began to swing it up towards the Colectivo’s roof, I stopped him with a quick, “Woah, no no no!”. He paused, allowing me the time to confirm the fare – 35 GTQ or about $4 USD and destination: Flores. That accomplished I smiled, waved, and relaxed as my bag was hoisted onto the van’s roof rack.
Now, let me preface by saying that I’ve experienced my fare share of mass transport adventures. From odd taxi cabs, Croatian Buses teetering along steep cliff faces, and rural Greek buses. None of those prepared me for Colectivos.
For the uninitiated the Colectivo as I encountered it is, in effect, a van/group taxi. The one I found had a sliding side door and had been modified to fit as many people as humanly possible. It had three rows of forward facing seats, in addition to the front bench seat and a Jerry-rigged backward facing bench immediately behind the driver. Each of the middle two seats had a small fold down extension that allowed passengers into the back seats, without losing any space.
Recall that I’m 6′4″ and that your average Maya/Mexican/Guatemalan in the region is perhaps 5′3″. Now imagine the look on their faces, as I walked up and was pointed towards what I thought was the last available seat in the Colectivo: the fold down chair in the row 2nd from the back.
I paused. Scratched my head, and then decided that the only way I’d be able to actually get to/into the chair was to back in, butt first. The locals all found both my size, and my entrance highly entertaining. As I sandwiched into the small seat, wondering if it would support my weight, my seatmate – a Mother traveling with her suckling babe – introduced herself, chuckled again softly, and offered a few words of advice.
Before long the folding seat in front of me was flipped up – catching my somewhat unawares, and smacking my knees. With a groan I realized that my knees would be supporting the chair back for the duration of the trip. The Colectivo had two operators. The driver, and then a 2nd individual who rode in the back and was in charge of ticketing and seating. His approach was simple, but creative. Cram as many bodies as humanly possible into the vehicle. Out for room? Then open the door or a window and hang out.
As I mentioned previously, I had thought that I was one of the last to board. Boy-o-boy was I wrong. As time passed our numbers grew. From 16, to 17. From 17 to 20. From 20 to 22. Wide eyed, I did my best to take up as little room as possible, trying to take in the experience and reminding myself that the ride was only 2 hours. The ticket had only cost $4 and that this was a cultural experience.
Finally the door slid closed and we began our trip. It was hot, muggy, and more than a little smelly. Luckily I was located next to one of the windows, allowing the opportunity to mingle fresh air with the smell of body sweat, perfume, cologne, and the odd assortment of food’s several of the other travelers had packed.
We’d gone some 3 blocks when we paused again. This time the door slid open, the woman next to me muttered, and 4 more people piled into the vehicle. The area around the door quickly became standing room only, and after a half hearted attempt, the ticket guy swung his torso up and out the open door, to hold onto the roof rack…and we were off again. I chuckled at the spectacle of it all as I listened to the tires ground out and rub every time we hit a small bump or pothole.
As we continued along our way we dropped people off in front of farms, or small towns and replaced them with others who we found standing along the roadside. The roads themselves were an interesting mixture. At times newly paved, other times so riddled with potholes that it felt more like we were dodging a minefield than driving on a major national highway. The majority of the road, however, was packed dirt/sand which had been recently grated and was in relatively decent shape. It’s truly a testament to the economic state of the region that the major artery connecting northern Guatemala to Belize (and Mexico in turn) is little more than a two lane dirt road in many places.
About an hour into the two hour trip – things took a turn for the interesting. The colectivo had emptied out to a reasonable and dare I say, nearly comfortable, level when we paused and picked up a group of 5 women with children. While there were fewer people numerically, the size of our average group member had increased significantly between the newly added women and several stocky farmers we’d picked up previously. As they boarded, the ticket man directed one towards the sliver thin space between my seatmate and I. The woman beside me muttered that the man must be out of his mind and I worked to squeeze myself as far towards the window/wall as possible. It wasn’t far enough, which meant that the woman ended up more or less sitting on my left leg. I let out a quite groan-laugh and couldn’t help but think to myself, “Well boy, you ain’t in Kansas anymore are ya’?”.
Somehow they managed to get the sliding door closed and we started forward once again. Unfortunately, most of the women had children with them of suckling age. As it turns out, one of those children happened to belong to the woman in my lap. Before long her daughter began to shriek, with eyes and nose running it quickly became apparent that Grandmother wouldn’t be able to quiet her. No bother! We pulled off to the side of the road and the ticket man jumped out. Scratched his head for a minute and then began a game of musical chairs. Mom was gone – back up to the front where she could hold her daughter. Unfortunately for me, the person she switched with? A small dude.
It was at about this point in time that the adventure was starting to turn from entertaining cultural experience into…well, something I was ready to be done with.
I opened the window a crack more, leaning as much of my body as I could towards it and the window. Doing my best to take up as little room as possible. Then it really took a turn for the ridiculous.
It was like a lunch bell silently had gone off somewhere. Within the course of 3 minutes – often in the middle of a conversation – three of the mother’s casually pulled down their tops and offered up their teats to their suckling babies. On the one hand, I’m all for a more relaxed, mature and natural approach to breast feeding. On the other hand – that’s just not something you run into in the U.S. or most of Europe and when you do, it’s typically done under the cover of a blanket. Needless to say, I was in culture shock.
Just what IS the appropriate protocol for riding sandwiched in a small van with 20 some odd people, breasts exposed all over the place, with a dude sitting in your lap, while having a conversation with a breastfeeding woman? Frankly, I haven’t the slightest clue. I laughed at my discomfort, looked out the window, counted the minutes and tried to remind myself – that here, this, was normal. This was healthy. This was natural.
Some two hours later we arrived in Flores. I let out a sigh of relief and light groan as I slowly extricated myself from my seat, before thanking the Colectivo team for one hell of a cultural experience and taking me the extra few blocks out onto the Island of Flores itself.
In retrospect, would I do it again? In a heart beat. Will I be using Colectivos for trips longer than 30 minutes in the future? Most definitely not.
Howdy all! Just got back from Tempe and the Xtreme Bean where I had the pleasure of kicking off the first Arizona Travel Tweetup. I’m thrilled to say that despite busy March schedules we had a better than expected turnout – offering the opportunity to lay the ground work for a better organized Arizona travel community.
We talked twitter, wordpress, travel tips and more while exchanging adventure stories and getting acquainted with the people behind the twitter handle. It was an absolute blast! You can find the details behind the meet-up here as well as a growing list of Arizona Travel blogging/twitter personalities.
Thank you all so much for coming out. I hope to set up another tweetup sometime in the next 2-3 months. If you have any suggestions/venue ideas/requests or comments please don’t hesitate to post them here or shoot me an @Alexberger on twitter. I’d love your feedback and participation!
No matter who you are one of the biggest obstacles and considerations when planning a trip is cost. Out of all of the reasons regularly given for why people “can’t” travel, cost is the one I’ve found to be the most common and frankly, it’s with good reason. Jumping on a plane, flying across the world and spending several weeks away from our normal day-to-day infrastructure has the potential to not only be stressful, but also quite expensive. Especially if you treat your travel time as a vacation “splurge” as most Americans do.
The great news is, it doesn’t have to be. Ultimately, it comes down to how you’re willing to travel. Splurge travel is terribly expensive but often reflects how we’ve been told we “need” to travel. The truth is, budget travel is all about re-framing your normal day-to-day lifestyle so it works for international travel. By doing this I was able to spend 36 days abroad in 2009 on two separate trips while holding down a normal salaried job while limited to two weeks paid vacation.
The final cost for both trips including airfare and all ancillary expenses? Less than $5500 dollars. The exciting part? If I’d truly wanted or needed to, I could have easily done the trips for $1,000 less. As is, I’ve found that Ive historically averaged about $2700 for a 16-18 day trip to Europe and about $2300 for a 20 day trip to Central America.
How To Do It
Most people will tell you that budget travel starts when you hit the road. It doesn’t. It starts at home, months before you begin a trip. The key to being able to afford to travel at all is managing your expenses and eliminating areas where you’re throwing away money. Once that’s done, it’s important to look through your daily lifestyle expenses in order to identify which expenses are flexible and which expenses are fixed. More on this in a second.
First: What you DON’T want to do is book a ticket, and put your entire trip on your credit card, planning to pay it off once you get home. What you DO want to do is eliminate all credit card debt. If you’re a 20 something reading this blog, there’s a decent chance that you’re not paying your credit card off fully every month. If you’re in this category, you’ve got a HUGE expense that you can easily eliminate. Interest costs money especially if you’re paying 15-20% APR. A lot of money – as in hundreds if not thousands of dollars extra each year. By paying off their credit card debt and adopting a policy of paying off your total in full each month – you’ll find yourself with a lot of extra money for future trips.
Second: Cut out major splurge expenses. It never ceases to amaze me how the people who constantly complain about lack of money turn around and spend ridiculous sums of money. I regularly see these people spend hundreds of dollars on tickets to see a musical performance or at sporting events. If not some sort of live, one time event, it’s usually hundreds of dollars spent on things like electronics, designer furniture, expensive hair salons or overpriced clothing. Eliminating a few of these expenses a year may be enough save up for the trip of a lifetime.
Third: Food and Bar tabs. If you’re in your 20s or 30s and live a social life style, you’re probably spending a lot of money on food and drink. As a single, 20 something male, I know that this is the area where I’m able to make the biggest cuts. Bar tabs can be insanely expensive. If you’re one of those people spending $60-$200 on bar tabs a weekend, a few basic changes will add up quickly. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying don’t go out. I’m saying drink smarter and spend less. Significantly less. Like to eat out? Consider trading fancy high end eateries for often equally delicious, albeit significantly cheaper local venues and dives.
For the average person, following the tips I’ve outlined above should save you at least $1,500 a year. For most, it’ll result in saving significantly more.
The Next Step
After re-evaluating your current expenses and identifying areas where you can make cuts, it’s important that you identify different types of expenses. Some expenses are location specific and aren’t flexible. From trips under a month in duration you’re pretty much stuck with things like your monthly rent check, cell phone bill and car insurance. However, other expenses – like food, gas, entertainment and bar tabs – are flexible. This is the exciting part, because by re-allocating those expenses during your trip, you’re actually going to be depleting your savings far less than you expect.
Tally up your average weekly expenses in this category and pay special attention to the final number. I know that I average about $12/day on lunch, $10/day on dinner, $40/week on Gas, $20/week on entertainment and $50/week on bar tabs and random meals. That alone accounts for about $264 in expenses a week and leaves out a number of similar expenses. It also means that I can spend at least $528 over a 14 day period on the road without changing my cost of living, a single penny.
You’ll also need to take into consideration your type of employment. Are you paid hourly or are you on salary? Again, this is significant because it dictates the extent of your opportunity cost. An individual on salary taking paid time off has a major advantage over someone who works hourly for tips. The unfortunate reality is that the opportunity cost for the salaried individual, who’ll have an uninterrupted revenue stream is dramatically lower, than that of the hourly worker who won’t be able to work/collect a pay check while abroad. The trade off, however, is that it’s significantly easier for the hourly employee to take off several weeks at a time. Regardless, don’t forget to take your type of employment and opportunity cost into account.
The Trip
Travel for less – How? By picking a time for the trip that is slightly off season. This is important because airfare, accommodation and even food can be much, much cheaper. Remember, the more money you save on each of these (within reason) the sooner you can take your trip and the more trips you’ll be able to budget for.
Keep it Regional – Let’s assume you’re like most Americans and you’ve budgeted for a relatively short trip (20 days or less). The temptation is to try and visit as many locations and countries as you can possibly squeeze into one trip. Honestly? Don’t. I regularly talk to friends who plan on seeing London, Paris, Berlin and Rome in a two week trip. Unfortunately, these types of schedules are a horrible idea. Traveling costs time and money – especially when you’re covering large distances and crossing international borders.
Cut your expenses dramatically by planning regional trips that avoid long leg voyages. By doing this you’ll save a lot of money, see more, and get more out of the experience. Unfortunately, capital cities are capital cities. They’re typically big, industrial and modern. Sure, each has it’s own flavor and unique draw but the real adventures and beauty lies in a country’s other cities and towns. After all – what would you think of America if all you came and saw was Los Angeles, Detroit and Philadelphia?
Be Reasonable – You don’t need to stay in a 4 star hotel to be happy and get a lot out of your experience. Remember, your goal is to minimize a-typical expenses. Besides, the truth of the matter is you’re going to enjoy yourself far more in a hostel then you would in a hotel. Book hostels, and consider couch surfing as a way to reduce accommodation expenses and increase socialization. Remember, there’s no better place to meet friends and travelers than in a hostel common area or bar. Besides, most hostel bars and restaurants have food for far cheaper than the surrounding area. Feeling the need to splurge a bit? Then splurge on a smaller room at the hostel – instead of blowing your daily budget on a private room at a hotel.
Eat and Drink Smart – Your three major expenses on the road will be food/drink, accommodation and travel. In fact, these three should/will probably make up some 2/3 of your daily expenses. Be smart about it and push your boundaries. Identify the local budget foods (Indian in the UK, Gyros in Greece, Kebabs in Europe, Beans and Rice in Belize, Tacos in Mexico etc.) and eat those regularly. Heading to the pub? Stop at the supermarket first and pre-game. Alcohol is expensive, be smart and remember – other travelers are on their own budget, so there’s no reason to be a big spender. If you’re going to buy someone a drink keep it to locals-only as a thank you for their hospitality, no reason to go off and buy round after round.
Don’t Shop – Sure, everyone asked you to pick them up something before the trip. Not to mention, the shoes sold in Paris are – I’m told – quite fantastic. But, let’s be frank. You’re there to experience the culture, meet people, see amazing things, and maximize an already stretched budget. Not buy worthless shit. If you’re going to pick up a keep sake or two – go for it when you find them on sale. If you need a shirt or jumper while on the road? Then pick one up – but don’t go off on a silly spending spree. I can’t tell you how often I see people start a trip, arrive at their first destination and blow a small fortune on crap – before they’ve even gotten up and going.
Above all – Get out there and have fun. The biggest obstacle to travel and taking a trip is excuses. If you make the decision to take the trip, stop making excuses, and prioritize – you’ll be able to enjoy the wonders of the road in no time. Stop wishing and start doing!
You’ll notice that this post doesn’t dive heavily into the finer details of budget airlines, etc. for that I’ve taken my previous Tips and Tricks list and created http://theultimatepackinglist.com – hope you find it equally as useful!
Have another piece of advice? Please share it in the comments! As always, thanks for reading!
