When it comes to travel, take money away from the equasion and the possibilities are endless. Now that's not to say that money isn't good to have on any trip, as a matter of fact it is essential. However, some of my friends travelling to, say, Bali or Thailand and grab themselves some nice 5-star hotel, with drink service included and a mega pool so they never have to leave the confines of the hotel during their whole entire trip except to partake in some specifically generated tourist event like riding an elephant. I say snore to this kind of treatment and bring on the do-it-yourself style, grass roots adventure's that come with the stereotypical idea of backpacking.
I believe that while moving about on a trip overseas, that roughing it is the best way to squeeze every bit of juice from the experience. Take my road trip through the west coast of the U.S.A in 2010 for example; 5 weeks sleeping in a van every night with two other guys, a new place every night, new people, new experiences. You see, the less you rely on money the more you rely on people and secrets to get where you're going. When forced by the hand that is economics, you begin to be able to see all the weird and wonderful parts of a city and its people that you wouldn't normally see when not cornered by a budget, as you are made to hunt for popular food joints and bars that offer more reasonably priced drinks (which are usually the most popular bars and food joints anyway), forced to talk to people to get where you're going and you become more open to everything and anything.
This post is not really a tip or clue as much as it is a empathetic pat on the back to those of you about to go overseas but worried about how little money you have to spend; you'll probably end up having a better time than you would otherwise. For example, when I was in Las Vegas with two of my best mates, we had probably $20-$30 to spend for the entire night, therefore we went to the self-dubbed "People's Casino", drank our arse in $1 beers and headed over to the only nightclub with a reasonable line-up we could see. That night, it was the opening of this "King-Ink Nightclub", a nightclub slash tattoo parlour across from the main club in the Mirage Casino & Hotel where we got in for cheap and after meeting two lovely Swedish girls in the line, had them get free drinks and subsequently give them to us all night. Little did we know that because it was the grand opening of this particular club, we were in the same place as Tommy Lee, Pink, Kat Von D, and heaps of other iconically tattooed celebs. To top it off the club was packed and epic until 7am when we went home. All this would not have happened in the VIP room at PURE in Caesar's Palace.
Point being, don't stress; stay in vans, hostels or camp sites; go to hick bars and follow the cheap drinks (if Dave Mckellar ever reads this...the Stumble Inn on 73rd Street, New York? YES), live off noodles if you have to; just hurry up and go overseas. If you get to see the things you see, meet the people you meet and live the way you do, either way it's going to be the best thing you ever do and an unforgettable and unmatchable experience.
