HOW TO TRAVEL WELL, AFFORDABLY

With the following tips, I backpacked Mexico for 1.5 years and only spent $2000!

1. SLEEP AFFORDABLY: Use cheap/free places to stay:  Couchsurfing, WWOOF, Airbnb & house sitting. I used couchsurfing for most of my journey through Mexico and then only paid $5/night at a hostel for 2 nights!
2. EAT AWESOME FOOD Street food in Mexico is delicious and cheap. You can buy delicious tacos, freshly cut fruit and veggies on the street. Tip: Carry an avocado with you so you can add it to your street food! I never had a problem getting sick from the food in Mexico, and it’s delicious.
3. BRING A BAG OF SPICES I carried a little ziploc bag of pre-mixed spices with me everywhere so I didn’t have to buy whole bottles of them while traveling. I had a ziploc bag of mixed garlic and onion powder, oregano, and salt and pepper to season my veggies!
4. FLY WITH CC POINTS. Accumulate miles and points for free flights! Apply for credit cards with high bonus points. My recommendation is to shoot for 40,000-50,000 points *that can be used on any airline* (ask which airlines they can be used on). Others like Southwest are good for domestic cheap flights. My favorite credit cards for this are: British Airways, Capital OneVenture, Barclaycard, Southwest & Chase sapphire.
5. CULTURAL EXCURSION. Go see museums, archaeological sites, national parks, national treasures & famous landmarks. I never spent money on clubbing, alcohol or anything ‘lavish’ and I had an amazing time!
6. CARPOOL WITH APPS Apps like Blablacar are great for carpool. This app was half the cost of the buses that traveled between cities in Mexico.
7. BE TRAVEL FRIENDLY – Use debit and credit cards that do not charge foreign transaction fees and which reimburse ATM fees, like Schwab!

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