HELLO, FELLOW ADVENTURERS! WE’RE LAURA AND DAVID, AND TODAY WE WANT TO SHARE OUR SECRETS ON HOW WE MANAGE TO LIVE CHEAPLY WHILE TRAVELING THE WORLD.
We’ve learned a lot over the years, and our journey has taken us to some incredible places—all without breaking the bank. If you’ve ever dreamed of exploring the world without draining your savings, this post is for you.
One of the biggest expenses when traveling is accommodation, but we’ve found ways to significantly reduce this cost—sometimes even eliminating it altogether. When we first started our journey, we used Airbnb extensively. The key to getting the best deals is to book long-term stays. Many hosts offer substantial discounts for stays of a month or more, and this has allowed us to stay in some amazing places at a fraction of the cost of short-term rentals. For example, during our time in Costa Rica, we found a two-bedroom cabana with a pool near the beach for just £300 a month. Not only did this cut down on our accommodation costs, but staying in one place for a longer period also helped us save on other expenses, like transportation and dining out.
Our favourite way to travel cheaply is through house and pet sitting. This allows us to stay in beautiful homes for free, often in locations we might never have discovered otherwise. We’ve spent 18 months in Spain without paying any rent by taking care of people’s homes and pets while they’re away. It’s a win-win situation: the homeowners get peace of mind knowing their home and pets are cared for, and we get to experience life in a new place without the cost of accommodation. There are platforms that connect you with homeowners around the world looking for trustworthy sitters. It’s an incredible way to immerse yourself in a new culture while keeping your costs down.
Another significant expense when traveling is food, but we’ve found that with a bit of savvy shopping, you can eat well without spending a fortune. Shop Local, Buy Fresh. Whenever we arrive in a new place, one of the first things we do is find the local markets. Buying fresh produce directly from farmers is not only cheaper, but it’s also a great way to eat healthily and support local communities. In Seville, for instance, we could buy a full bag of fresh avocados from a market stall for just a couple of euros, compared to the much higher prices in grocery stores in tourist areas.
Markets are also an excellent place to find local delicacies and try new foods. We’ve had some of our best meals made from ingredients we picked up at these markets—simple, fresh, and incredibly tasty. In Costa Rica, we were surrounded by fruit trees, so we often picked our own pineapples, mangoes, and coconuts. This not only reduced our grocery bill but also added a sense of adventure to our meals. Another tip for saving money on food is to cook your own meals whenever possible. Staying in accommodations with a kitchen allows us to prepare our own food, which is much cheaper than eating out all the time. Plus, it gives us the flexibility to eat what we want, when we want, and to cater to our kids’ preferences.
We share more tips and recipes for cooking on the road, making it easy to maintain a healthy diet while keeping costs low.
To give you a better idea of how we live cheaply while traveling, here are a couple of examples from our own adventures. As we mentioned earlier, we found an incredible deal on a cabana in Costa Rica. For just $300 a month, we had a beautiful two-bedroom home with a pool, just steps from the beach. The area was surrounded by fruit trees, so we were able to pick fresh fruit daily, reducing our food costs even further. We stayed here for three months, enjoying the laid-back lifestyle and the natural beauty of Costa Rica, all while spending far less than we would have back home. During our 18-month stay in Spain, we lived rent-free by house and pet sitting. One of our favourite spots was a house in the mountains of Murcia, where we were completely surrounded by nature. The property was on 10 acres of land, which meant our kids had plenty of space to explore and play, and we had plenty of peace and quiet. The cost? Absolutely nothing. By taking care of the property and the homeowners’ pets, we were able to live in a stunning location without paying a dime in rent. These are just a couple of examples, but they show how it’s possible to live an affordable, adventurous life with a bit of creativity and resourcefulness.
Living cheaply while traveling the world is not only possible—it’s incredibly rewarding. By finding affordable accommodation, shopping smart, and embracing the local culture, we’ve been able to explore some of the most beautiful places on earth without breaking the bank. We hope our experiences inspire you to start your own affordable adventures. For more tips, resources, and inspiration, be sure to read our book or subscribe to our weekly tips below. We’re here to help you discover the joy of living freely, without the burden of excessive costs.
Remember, the world is full of opportunities for those willing to seek them out. Happy travels!
English Author, Entrepreneur, Minimalist, and Digital Nomad.
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