How to Travel the World on $50 a Day summary

Concerns about age and danger aside, the main thing preventing people from traveling is the assumption that it’s too expensive.

This is a shame, because this is just one more myth that is needlessly holding people back from enjoying exciting new destinations.

So how exactly can you travel the world on $50 a day? Whether you’re planning on a weekend in Paris or a yearlong tour of the globe, the first step is getting some good plane tickets.

One of the best deals are what’s known as Round the World (RTW) tickets.

A suitcase on wheels is fine for casually rolling into a big city hotel during a business trip. But if you really want to travel with ease and be ready for some authentic, adventurous sightseeing, you need to have a good backpack on your shoulders.

So what are the qualities of the ideal, functional backpack?

Of course, traveling on a $50-a-day budget means you won’t be spending your time in luxury hotels and eating at expensive restaurants. So if you have any lingering dreams of decadence, it’s best to get rid of them now, or else the money you’ve saved won’t last you very long.

In order to stay on budget and make your money last, you’ll want to have a system of keeping close track of your spending. When you’re traveling to new destinations, you’ll be surrounded by any number of tempting attractions that can quickly empty your wallet if you’re not careful.

Enjoying the local cuisine is one of the great joys of traveling. But if you’re going to travel on a budget, it’s usually best to pretend that fancy restaurants don’t exist and cook at home, while saving takeout and dining out for special occasions.

Stocking up on groceries for the week ahead shouldn’t cost you more than $50 to $80. On the other hand, just one visit to a restaurant can set you back more than $20. In other words, eating at home rather than dining out will reduce your food expenses by up to 70 percent.

But what if you want to visit an expensive country, such as Australia, where a single cup of coffee costs over $4 Australian, the equivalent of three US dollars? How are you supposed to manage that on just $50 per day?

Well, by keeping a few handy tips in mind, you can still enjoy the land down under without breaking the bank.

Australia is more expensive than the average destination, but there are plenty of places where your money will go a long way. One of them is Southeast Asia. Many people throughout this area have an average salary of around $1,000, so life is cheap and you can live quite well on $50 a day.

Good accommodations are particularly cheap to come by in Southeast Asia. But, of course, not all countries are the same. People in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore are a bit wealthier, so things there are more pricey, while the least expensive countries are Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.