How to Travel on $50 a Day
Can you travel the world on $50 a day or less? It's not that easy to see new destinations when you travel on a tight budget. Here, we share the frugal tips we use ourselves while on the road so you can learn to travel for cheap to see the world.
Traveling is not as cheap as it used to be, but you can still travel the world on 50 dollars per day. How are we sure that it's doable? Because this is the amount of money, we usually budget for our long-term trips.
Being said that, that's the total amount of money we are willing to spend a day on the road. In reality, we usually aim to spend less. So more than often, we can travel even for less than $40 or even $30 per day, depending on the country.
Honestly, quite often, we budget $50 not per person but both of us.
But that's only possible if we travel long term and we choose the right destinations. In comparison, we might look into the topic of traveling on $25 someday in the future, which is even more challenging, but today, we will focus on the magical amount of 50 dollars a day.
While it might seem at first glance it is not a lot of money; it's actually not that bad if you plan your trip right.
One thing is sure, traveling for fifty bucks per day is not luxury travel, and if you want to enjoy your two-week vacation in a more relaxed manner, you should budget a bit more.
Making smart decisions will save you a lot of money in the long run, and we want to show you a few tips that helped us travel for less.
WHY TRAVEL UNDER $50 A DAY
Traveling under $50 a day is still considered by backpackers as a reasonable amount of money to spend on the road. If you include all your travel expenses (see the text below), $50 per day allows you to travel the world in a frugal travel style.
A budget of $50 per day will allow you to travel in the true sense of the term. So no need for hitchhiking, free camping, couchsurfing, house sitting, volunteering, or wwoofing.
You often can read that it is possible to travel the world on a ridiculously low amount of money. But if you are an ordinary traveler who wants to see the top places anywhere in the world, then house sitting for a month at one place won't give you that much in terms of exploring. Although you'll surely save a lot of money.
It's just a different travel style, and we believe that majority of our readers want to stay in motion constantly.
So you might be wondering what will your travel style look like if you aim to travel the world for less than $50 a day. It highly depends on the destination.
Being said that, you can usually get for 50 dollars a dorm room or private room with a shared bathroom, a meal or two in a local eatery, ingredients to prepare your own meal, bus or train tickets, and some entrance tickets
On top of it, you can often save up enough money to enjoy some tours once in a while.
INCLUDE ALL YOUR TRAVEL EXPENSES
Before we dive into this blog post any further, we need to clarify one thing. Every time you read some sensational topic about someone traveling for a super low amount of money, it's imperative to read between the lines whether they include ALL their travel expenses in the equation.
It might seem like an obvious thing, but believe us, it's far less common than you would have expected. How can you tell? Well, the stories are very similar.
So I just spent two weeks in Iceland on $25 per day. Awesome, how did you manage that?
Well, it was quite easy. I know how to travel on a budget. Oh, and I'm not counting the $500 flight tickets in the total expenses.
Okay, buddy. If you divide 500 dollars by 14 days, you end up with 33 dollars per day. So you didn't really spend only $25, but $58 per day. And that's quite a significant difference.
So make sure that you include all your expenses in your final budget (even travel insurance, rental fees, visas, etc.).
Even the small details count in the bigger picture. Take travel insurance, for example. The cost of travel insurance is normally two to five dollars a day, depending on your plan type. So let's say you can get the regular one that's $3 a day.
Well, now your daily travel budget for the entire period is not $50 but $47 a day.
Additionally, you want to travel the world for a year to make it really worth it. You could find a one-way flight ticket for $730. So 730 divided by 365 is exactly $2.
So basically, now your updated budget is $45 a day, and you didn't even step outside of your home. Frugal traveling is not for everyone.
You need to give up on many things and live your life in a more simple way.
In reality, it will be even less, as you might want to buy a new backpack, boots, get a visa, etc.
However, if you are interested in this topic, here is everything you need to know about traveling for $50 per day.
SAVE UP ENOUGH MONEY
The first thing you need to do before you want to travel the world is to save enough money for your journey. We've been in this position ourselves a few times already, and truth to be told, it can be a bit demotivating.
It takes a lot of time and a lot of effort. It won't happen overnight. Keep that in mind, and everything will be easier.
And yes, traveling can be expensive. Luckily, there are many ways to save money for travel that actually work in real life, so make sure to read that blog post to find inspiration.
So how much money are you going to need? Well, that's fifth-grade math. Assume you will travel for a year.
One year has 365 days, and you can only spend 50 dollars per day. 365x50 is 18250. That's the total amount of money you need to save up if you want to travel for a year alone.
If you are a couple, then you need twice the amount. If you want to solo travel for six months, then you will need 9125 dollars. And so on.
Once again, those numbers might seem too high for some. Stay motivated, set goals, correct them if necessary. Start tracking your expenses, as it helps you locate in which categories you can do better.
Before you start traveling, make sure that you have some spare cash for emergencies. There are tons of things that can go wrong when you travel, and you should never spend all your money on traveling.
Keep some fixed amount of money aside. Spend it only in emergencies. Never ignore this travel tip.
To show you some light at the end of the tunnel, we never exceeded the total travel budget we set before our long term trips. And the hard work was always worth it.
PICK THE BUDGET DESTINATION
You can be as frugal as you want, but choosing the right travel destination will be a deciding factor whether your goal to spend less than $50 a day on the road will be successful or not.
Unfortunately, not all travel destinations are equal, and you can't visit just any place you want, given you want to maintain a similar travel style.
To get an idea, google how strong your currency is in the destination you are about to visit. For us, the Czechs, the difference is often quite staggering, and even a short trip to countries such as Iceland or Switzerland can make a hole in our wallet.
In general, traveling Europe on $50 a day is not very feasible, and you need to choose only certain countries in order to do so.
While we were able to visit Iceland on a budget, it was one of the most expensive countries in the world we've ever been to. And just the campervan rental fee absorbed around two-thirds of those $50 person's daily budget mentioned earlier.
That's without flight tickets, food, accommodation, travel insurance, etc. Simply put, some destinations require higher daily budgets. Or lower travel style standards.
On the other side of the list, countries such as Nepal or Peru are perfect for budget traveling. Cheaper countries are equally beautiful as the expensive ones and offer plenty of things to do so you won't get bored.
Southeast Asia, South America, or Central America are often considered top budget destinations globally, allowing you to travel for longer periods and visit multiple countries on your journey.
But even some countries in these destinations can be more expensive than the rest, so do your research before leaving.
Go on Booking.com or Hostelworld and thoroughly check the prices of hotel rooms in the towns you want to visit.
You will get a rough idea of how much money the accommodation cost in a given destination, which you can compare with your allocated sum of accommodation money.
Also, check how much transportation costs, tours, etc.
Then, read some budget guides that will give you an insight into how much things cost and how much people spent during their travels.
Simply put, be prepared.
AVOID FLYING
Undoubtedly, airfare is one of the biggest travel expenses. Sure, you need to get to your starting destination somehow, so you can't probably avoid flying entirely.
And if you ever visit countries such as the Philippines, you will soon realize that flying is often your only option to travel between the islands.
Nevertheless, you should avoid expensive long-haul flights whenever you can. Traveling by land is not only cheaper, but you will be able to visit more places and see more.
Also, your travel experience will be more diverse. Consequently, you will be able to avoid crowds traveling off the beaten path.
Flying is a great way to have a better vacation if you are short on time, but it's not good when you want to save money on the road.
If there is no way around it, make sure to fly with the budget airlines with carry-on luggage only.
FRUGAL TRAVEL STYLE
The definition of frugal style is very loose, and every person has a bit different point of view on what it means. One thing is sure, though. It's not the easiest and most comfortable way to see the world.
We are not here to sugarcoat you this travel style. And we want to let you know that you might need to adjust your travel preferences if you aim to lower your travel expenses.
Luckily, there is a way to prepare for it. Living a frugal life at home will tremendously help you when you travel.
If you are used to preparing your own meals, taking public transport, walking everywhere, or sharing a flat with a roommate, then your transition into budget travel life will be much smoother.
Because that's what you will need to do exactly when traveling the world on a budget.
But even though we want to save as much money on the road as possible, that doesn't mean that you should resort to unhealthy travel habits. Eating the cheapest instant noodles every day might save you a lot of money, but it's not healthy.
Obviously, staying fit and healthy while traveling is super important, same as in your everyday life. That brings us to another topic.
SPLIT THE COST OF TRAVEL
Traveling on your own has many benefits, but one of the downsides is that it can be a bit more expensive (or less comfortable).
So if you are a solo traveler, it's time to find a new travel buddy.
For starters, you can try to find some person who shares the same passion in your wider circle of friends. Those people who have sufficient social skills can find travel friends on the road.
Fortunately, there are plenty of people in the hostels along the way waiting to meet same-minded travelers.
Either way, traveling in a group is cheaper and easier.
Couples have a bit easier life from the start as they don't need to find other fellow travelers, given that both partners share the same travel style. While they need to save up to twice the amount of money, they can easily share the cost of travel.
As your travel budget will be less flexible than usual, it's important to get on the same page with your other travel companions before you leave.
Let them know that you have only a limited budget, so there won't be any disagreements over what you can afford and what is out of your budget.
TRACK YOUR EXPENSES
Unless you have tremendous self-discipline and memory, you need to track all your travel expenses on a daily basis.
We already talked briefly about this topic a bit earlier in this article, so here we present a few more convincing arguments to make the point.
We know that recording your finances doesn't sound like too much fun, but believe us, it's worth it. At least at the beginning, before you learn to handle your finances on the road better.
Fortunately, many apps will help you to do so. Alternatively, you can create just a basic spreadsheet in Excel or use your regular travel notebook.
Either way, tracking your expenses will allow you to maintain control over your travel finances.
Create the categories that will define your travels. Create the main categories such as accommodation, tours, transportation, food, entrance fees, rentals, etc.
To make tracking of your expenses more accurate, categories such as food can be split into more subcategories such as grocery, eating out, or drinks.
As a result, you will see how much money you spend on each item.
Tracking your expenses will allow you to stay on the course and help you to avoid any unpleasant surprises.
GET A GOOD TRAVEL INSURANCE
In life, investing a bit more quite often pays off. Travel insurance can cover anything from medical expenses to trip cancellations or stolen items.
While you might think that you don't need it, you can't be further from the truth. Travel insurance is not expensive in the long run, and we believe that every person who wants to explore the world should never leave home without having one.
The best travel insurance is the one that will make your vacation stress-free.
We never leave home without travel insurance that was designed to cover our expenses if something goes wrong during the trip.
World Nomads provides travel insurance for travelers to cover their trip essentials, including sports and adventure activities.
SafetyWing is affordable travel insurance for backpackers, long-term travelers, and digital nomads.
Travel smarter and safer!
MAKE REALISTIC BUDGET
There are three expenses that you need to cover every day you are on the road - food, accommodation, and transportation.
Every single day for the entire length of your trip, you need to pay for a place with a roof and something to eat. You don't need to take a bus or train on certain days, but you will spend the money on public transport or taxi anyway.
If you are good at creating budgets, then good for you. If not, check out this helpful blog post on how to create a travel budget.
We mentioned earlier that you actually have only $45 that you can spend in one day. But if you know from your research that you will spend on average $15 for accommodation, $10 for food, and $10 for transport each day, then you are basically left with $10 on a day.
So you started with an idea of $50 per day, but the reality is that you have only $10 left for the rest of your travel expenses, such as entrance fees, tips, tours, etc.
When we put it that way, it doesn't sound as much, does it?
But don't worry, on some days, you will be able to save more money, which will allow you to fund your more expensive days.
That's the way long term trips work.
Also, at some destinations, you will be able to stay under your budget, while at some, this goal is almost impossible to reach. You can average it out, so your travel budget remains in balance.
Also, make sure to read our guides on how to find cheap accommodation and how to pick a good hostel.
TRAVEL LONG TERM
As ridiculous as it might sound, traveling long term is the cheapest way to travel. The more time you spend on the road, the more traveling can be affordable.
And by far, it is cheaper than making several short-term trips.
Traveling long term has many benefits, and the distribution of travel expenses is one of the biggest ones. Extending your trip allows you to see more, and as you are not pressed by time, you can save more money as a result of it.
There are many ways; you can walk instead of taking a taxi, use public transport instead of tours, prepare your own meals, etc.
Most importantly, you save a lot of money when you don't need to buy flight tickets which usually consume a pretty significant amount of your entire travel budget (or any other one-time purchases).
MAKE SMART DECISIONS
Whenever you travel long term, you will be facing hard decisions on which tours and activities to take and which one you might want to skip. Or what places are worth visiting, and what places you can miss.
The rule of thumb is that you can't see it all, which helps you to avoid many travel mistakes.
We are fond of examples, so here's a good one. It's about sloths, as everyone wants to see those cute animals in their natural habitat.
So when we went to Central America, we visited the beautiful islands of Bocas del Toro in Panama. There we saw some sloths in the wild, among other wildlife.
When we traveled to Costa Rica a few weeks later, we saw even more sloths in Manuel Antonio National Park (and many other places). So when we arrived in La Fortuna, we found out that we could take a tour to see the sloths.
While they are super cute, and it's always fun to see them, there was no way we would be willing to pay for the sloth tour, as we saw them pretty much everywhere we went in this region.
We have another example to illustrate this topic.
Similarly, we ended our Bolivian adventure through Salar Uyuni a few months earlier in San Pedro de Atacama.
Here, there are two main activities to do. Your trip wouldn't be complete without exploring the Atacama Desert and seeing the volcanoes, Lagunas, and flamingos on the Chilean - Bolivian borders.
Since we just arrived from there, we didn't have to revisit these places, even though it's among the two main things to do while in the town.
We planned the trip the way that allowed us to see some of the most beautiful places on earth in one go, resulting in significant savings.
It seems very obvious, and these examples can't be more simple. But we chose them on purpose as they serve to illustrate the idea that's behind it.
The dilemma you will face on the road won't be so easily solved, so you need to learn to plan your travel itineraries smart.
TREAT YOURSELF
Traveling on a budget is not a race nor competition, and you won't receive any medals at the end of your journey for being the best budget traveler in the world.
No one will ever ask you whether you traveled for a year on $40, $39 or even $37. It just doesn't matter if you stay within the range of your set goal.
If this is your year-long break from work, make sure it's worth it. We always wanted to visit the Galapagos Islands. So when we traveled in South America for a year, we grabbed the opportunity to visit the archipelago even though it's not the most budget-friendly destination in the world.
Week-long Galapagos Islands cruises usually start at $3000 (or $8 a day if you distribute the total amount of money into the whole year).
It's a lot of money, but it's one of those experiences that might never happen in the future when you have a mortgage, family, etc. So we worked twice as harder to make that dream happen.
If you are a foodie, you can find some of the finest restaurants in Lima during your journey that are worth visiting. It would be a shame not to try some splendid meals, at least at a couple of them.
If you are an avid hiker or love history and always wanted to follow the steps of the Incas, you can reserve the Inca Trail. Or any other hike on the continent that's on your bucket list, such as Lost City.
If this is your dream, let it happen. You can include these extra expenses in your final budget or make a separate category just for these special occasions. That's up to you.
But once in a while, treat yourself. It will make your travels much more enjoyable.
Travel Resources
Here you can find links to all the travel resources we use and which you might find helpful when planning your next holiday.
Accommodation: When looking for accommodation, we usually search hotels via Booking.com or Hostelworld.
Tours: Although we love to travel independently, some places are better to visit with a guided tour.
We prefer GetYourGuide for its easy-to-use interface and solid reputation. Another great alternative is Viator.
Rental Cars: When going on a road trip, we always use Rentalcars.com, a reliable site for booking a rental car in advance.
Flight Tickets: When looking for flight tickets, you can search Skyscanner to find the best price.
Travel Insurance: World Nomads and SafetyWing cover against risks of travel.
