Traveling on a Budget | Pros and cons

Like everything in life, even traveling on a budget has upsides and downsides. But then again, things that have the potential to be considered as a downside, might not be so. It’s mostly about your perspective and the mood at the time. The things that you are okay with right now, might not be so on an empty stomach.

You might usually enjoy having tea at a corner tea stall sitting on metal barrels. But, there might be days when all you want to do is to have breakfast in bed. Which is very much understandable.

Read more: How to travel on a budget

Budgeting while traveling on a budget

Obviously, you need to know where your money is being spent, and that you are not crossing your budget for the trip.

Although nobody wants to keep counting, totaling and keeping track of every penny that is being spent, it’s just part of the deal. To me personally, it does get really annoying. So I count it as a downside. So many times it has happened that I would open my wallet and not know where my money went. I would try to retrace everything I paid for, but 1out of 10 times it just doesn’t add up.

Over time I have learned to manage these situations is why it is down to 1 to 10 but originally it was 10 of 10. I wouldn’t know anything about where my money went. It’s a part of growing up as a backpacker. After a while, budgeting becomes an involuntary habit. So just keep at it. You’ll get there.

Traveling Minimal

Definitely an upside. After traveling on a budget a couple of times, going backpacking or even camping. You just learn to separate the necessary from the not necessary. And the next time you go, you only pack what you KNOW you will need.

The application of the art of elimination does not just stay limited to your travels. But you’ll be surprised to see how it affects your lifestyle altogether. I now only buy what I need. No longer do I worry about what people might think. My surroundings are clean and organized. I know exactly what I own and where it is kept.

It’s not just while traveling that I follow minimalism, but follow it on a regular basis. With no extra efforts.

Read more: How to prepare for backpacking trips

Prioritizing while traveling on a budget

Traveling on a budget means not spending on any unnecessary things. Organizing your needs to the very basics – food, accommodation, and transport can help you prioritize your resources. Everything other than this is a luxury.

Sooner or later, everyone figures it out. It’s important to prioritize your needs so you can allocate your resources accordingly. Initially, everybody struggles with it, but if you go backpacking enough times, you can learn to do it even in your sleep. Backpacking I would say is an acquired skill by regular practice.

Hence, prioritizing is an upside. An important life skill taught in the field.

Conversations to Remember

This is my favorite part of traveling. And, this is exactly why I like backpacking and staying at hostels. You get to meet so many people, hit up random conversations, exchange ideas, learn about different parts of the world, just by listening.

Sometimes you become friends for a couple of days, sometimes for longer. You build up memories with so many people that are there in your life for such a short while. People we never knew existed and people that we will probably never meet again. It’s kind of a joke. But it’s interesting to have met these people at all. In my experience, travelers are the best people to spend time with.

Not the wannabes but true travelers. Who don’t do what they do for Instagram, rather for the feel of it. Because traveling is their flow. So yes, conversations are definitely an upside.

Private Time

It can get extremely difficult to get any private time or personal space while you are traveling on a budget. So this goes with the other downsides.

You are always sharing rooms, sitting at cafes, common rooms, or public spaces. There is no absolute peace and quiet. You either need to carry your headphones where ever you go or wake up before everyone else. Well, staying up after everyone else has gone to bed is also an option.

For me, personally, I prefer to follow my circadian cycle where I eat dinner before the sunset. Go to bed after 4 hours of having dinner. And sleep for 7 hours a night on average. So I am usually up with everyone else and off to bed before everyone else.

Not backpacking but having a joint family pushed me to learn to focus even in the loudest of scenarios. It’s not always easy but I can do it successfully 70% of the time. And, so finding peace and quiet while I am traveling has become a piece of cake.

Sharing Rooms and Bathrooms

For people who are scared to sleep alone at night, it’s good to know that there are people around you. But people who have always had a room for themselves and are comfortable in their own company might find it frustrating.

Sometimes, the roommates that you get might be loud sleepers. Some might want to switch the light on at odd hours, their phones might buzz, or alarms might go off continuously for 5-6 times. Basically not everybody has a social sense of responsibility. But in my experience, it only happens like 15% of the times that you get such roommates. Most of the times you are in the clear.

When it comes to bathrooms, some people forget to flush, some people forget to leave it clean, some don’t realize that they need to wrap before they throw their sanitary waste. Which by the way gets very annoying.

If I have to categorize it, I will put sharing rooms and bathrooms under downsides. Even though it reduces your accommodation expense by a lot!

Hitchhiking while traveling on a budget

The only item on the list that I consider as neutral. It is both an upside and a downside.

The time involved in waiting for somebody to stop and give you a ride is definitely a downside but getting a ride for free, is an upside. And, if the person driving you offers a meal and a place to stay the night, that’s a cherry on the top.

Hitchhiking is an important experience for every backpacker. So no, there is no escape. I insist that every single one of you, who wants to go backpacking, keeps their fear of being mugged or kidnapped aside and gives hitchhiking a chance. Just be smart to not do it during night time, or in places that are famed for their pickpocketers or burglars. Use some logic and you’ll be fine.

Read more: Do’s and Don’ts of Backapack Traveling

Have you ever been backpacking? Do add to the list in the comments below. What do you find to be cool about going on budget travel, other than saving money? And, what do you find not so cool about it?

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