Is it cheaper to travel than to stay home?

Cost of living in places like Europe or USA may be too high that it may actually come out cheaper to travel around places like Asia or South America. True? Like I read some of you budgeting US$1,000 or less a month while traveling around Asia. I think such a budget won't last if you were living in a place like London or Paris. Reply to this

Probably, yes - you can spend less being away than at home, if you choose well and are careful.

But - you usually forfeit the ability to earn an income when you are away, so the bank balance normally diminishes as you're away.
And what about the cost of the flights/transport to get you to the cheap destination?
Plus, knowing your home area can make a huge difference. London is regulary said to be unbelievably expensive, but i know places to buy excellent coffee for less than a pound, to eat well for five pounds and i know how to enjoy the free and best things in this city - which i dont know when i visit foreign cities. And being on a travel trail, the prices are inflated from the local prices.

The trick is to find a way of earning an income, even a small one, while having the freedom to roam the world. When you find it, please PM me! Reply to this

You're totally right, liliram. Of course London is more expensive than Manilla, but there are ways and means of spending less. A lot of people survive on 600dollars a month in London.

Do people always go to somewhere cheaper than home for a holiday? Some people's penny-pinching sometimes feels like poverty tourism sometimes - they only think about the price of things and want move on to the next, even cheaper place.
So good on you for saving and visiting the places that fascinate you, rather than being obsessed with money. i'll buy you a coffee if you come to London! Reply to this

London is regulary said to be unbelievably expensive, but i know places to buy excellent coffee for less than a pound, to eat well for five pounds and i know how to enjoy the free and best things in this city -

Yeah, that was my experience of living in London too. There are plenty of students and backpackers living there, so there is housing and services to cater for them. Living there wasnt at all expensive for me. As well as that, my job was like being a tourist with plenty of time to explore the city. I worked for a travel agent, and delivered plane tickets to business people in hotels and offices around the city. I spent all day every day discovering every nook and cranny of London while I was working. I knew every cool alley cafe and every market etc etc. And I could shop while I was working, so picked up all kinds of bargains to cook and wear while getting around. And there was the bus and tube pass and telephone card that I got free with work that covered all areas of London, for the weekends as well as work time. Did I score with that job, or is that London life. Reply to this

i have traveled around Europe and always had to remind myself to stop thinking in pesos (our Philippine currency) lest i stop spending for good meals and other treats. In Europe, a 10 euro meal means as much as 700 pesos back home. Now, I can have a decent meal here in Manila for as little as 250 pesos. If I scrimp, I can even bring it down to 100 pesos or less. A Mcdonald's burger here costs 50-70 pesos, and that comes with a drink. Coffee in London, even at 1 pound a cup, costs more than a McDonald's burger and a cup of coffee here.

Thing about living here, is that we can have a coffee in our garden, or on our balcony and it doesnt cost much at all. Same with meals. We can cook things at home, most of the time. That certainly makes it a lot cheaper to have treats. It can cost as little as drinks and food in cafes in inexpensive countries.
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I learned a lot from this thread.

There is a lot of free stuff to enjoy in London, and i find the USA more expensive

I have always enjoyed London, but I guess I did not know where to get the good and free stuff (British Museum, I love! and it is free, right?). I never realized that USA can be more expensive than London. That is news to me, perhaps because I knew lots of people in America than in London, and I have been "guided" where to go and not spend too much. What it tells me now, is that it pays to know someone in your destination for some wonderful tips like you guys just gave.

i'd rather try to travel europe on a shoestring than do the same in the states

I have only been to the big cities in USA, and have yet to discover the off-the-beaten paths. My only problem there is the train system all across the country is not as good as it is in Europe. Perhaps the small towns and cities can offer lots of surprises . Come to think of it, I have yet to read blogs about the small towns and cities in America!

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It's not all about saving. We share the same mantra about reading more than just a page, and savoring every minute traveling. I was just curious how others can travel and still manage to spend less than if they were to stay home. Part of the answer of course lies in the strength of one's country's currency and careful planning 😉 Reply to this

I have always enjoyed London, but I guess I did not know where to get the good and free stuff ....

What I discovered about London is that it is easy to walk around all the central parts of it to save money and get some exercise in at the same time. The distances seem so big, when you take the underground all the time, but they are not. Sometimes, when I was working, I used to walk rather than go to the trouble of getting in to the Underground station and waiting for a train. And you get to see so much more if you walk. You would need a good set of maps though, which would probably cost as much as a week pass for public transport, so if you are only in London for a week or 2 maybe not worth it. I recommend the A-Z guide for maps(another freebee I got with work), for those who want to try walking around London. But maybe the maps in guide books are good enough, if you stick to the main routes to get around, since you wouldnt need to find some office tucked away in a basement in some side street or minor square in London like I did. You can cycle too, but the traffic is too maniac for that in my opinion.

Same with Dublin, where I lived for several years. Dont go on any of those bus tours. Dont even bother with public transport, a lot of the time. You can walk around the central and near central parts. Reply to this

I think even if I had plenty to spend, I would still choose to spend it in Europe or just about anyplace except the US.

I have to say I am always highly disappointed when people make unfair generalizations...of course it is natural and only human to make some generalizations, but to let them make you close-minded is sad.

How many countries in Europe can you buy a $800 car or van and drive for 10,000km on $15-20 per day for fuel? Yes, it has a different culture than Europe, or Asia, or anywhere else. But the population of the US is huge and that means lots of diversity. And the scenery and open spaces are fantastic. The United States is a beautiful country and it saddens me that one lets stereotypes get in the way of discovering its beauty and charm.

We cannot afford to travel around Europe on a budget of $50 per day; not even Canada is that cheap. The US is easy to travel around once you invest in a car, which is cheaper than many other countries. Canada and Australia, are similar in the car-culture mentality, but once you accept that, go on a ROAD TRIP! That is our traveling style. Sure the US is expensive compared to traveling in Asia, but everything is relative, eh?

Like many have said, it's knowing how to score bargains and how to travel cheaply. If you have the ability to buy and cook your own food (we did with our camping stove), you will save heaps, which applies to many travel destinations. Reply to this

With certain countries (such as parts of Asia, India, Africa and the Middle East) I would spend about the same amount of money per week on living expenses in Australia (after taking out the fixed costs of rent, telephone and the like) as I would travelling (including accommodation, food and sightseeing). Thus, my weekly spending allocation on such things as food, movies, small shopping excursions and incidentals back home would equate to my weekly expenses when travelling.

This allows me to travel to longer periods to these countries, and hence the reason I will usually travel for 6-8 weeks at a time instead of 3-4. The only extra expense is the airfare to get to my destination, and the longer I'm away, the lower the cost of my flight when factored into my weekly expenses. Thus a $1000 flight for a four-week holiday costs $250 per week, but the same flight for a eight-week holiday costs $125 per week.

I remember staying in Luxor for 7 days back in 2002 and the total cost for the week's accommodation was the grand total of 10 Australian dollars! It was a very, very basic place - but it was quiet and safe. In this case, it was cheaper for me to stay in Egypt than to live in Australia - even when I factored in that I was still paying rent on my Australian apartment when travelling! Reply to this