I’m back! I apologize for the 10 day hiatus from posting, but unfortunately had some urgent business to take care regarding my work here in Ecuador.

In the past I have written a number of articles outlining all the possibilities available to the budget traveler. How to see the world, and spend just pennies along the way! To be honest, I actually get some kind of strange masochistic satisfaction from a true $5 dollar/day budget travel escapade. For the past two and a half years, I have lived on just $300/month, and at times as little as $150/month, traveling and working in the Andes Region of South America.

I consistently recommend this kind of frugality and fiscal creativity to any prospective travelers who are concerned about the financial side of travel. It is quite possible to travel much of the world on as little as $10/day. However, I do understand that extreme budget travel is not for everyone, and that we need to be realistic when talking about it as an option.

Therefore, what does extreme budget travel actually mean? What is actually possible at the bottom end of the travel budget spectrum? What will you have to live without?

What you can afford:

• Dorm Rooms:You will have to forget about private rooms and private baths. The goal should be accommodation for around $5/night. In most regions of the world, this will mean shared dormitory style rooms in quaint hostels. Don’t forget your earplugs and a couple sleeping pills (on occasion) as someone in your room is guaranteed to snore or talk in their sleep!
• BASIC Meals: Forget about your favorite foods back home. Unless they are rice, bananas, or potatoes, they are likely too expensive to eat during your extreme budget travels. You can still eat balanced meals, but the majority of your calories will likely come from cheap local foods rich in carbohydrates. The meals will be repetitive, but they’ll fill you up without emptying your wallet.
• Cultural Integration: While living on a budget, you will find yourself living in the same style as local populations. Your interactions with them are free but rewarding. Well worth taking advantage of.
• Nature: In the “developed” world, it is often hard to find true nature without renting a private vehicle and paying high entrance fees. However, in the rest of the world, nature is still free, and can be found right outside your hostel door. Hiking, trekking, and camping are great ways to see the world, almost for free!

What to forget:

• Alcohol: This is a disappointing one for me… Unfortunately nightly binge drinking sessions can really burn a hole in your pocket. When traveling on an extreme budget, it is better to limit the purchase of alcohol to less frequent occasions.
• Comfortable Transportation: Travel in comfort? Haha, forget about it!? Travel in cramped quarters on rickety buses and trains, is more like it. I always get a chuckle from people’s complaints about flying “coach”. Try traveling 15 hours over African back-roads, in the back of a pickup truck with 20 other people and an assortment of chickens, pigs, and goats!
• Europe / North America: In most cases these areas are just too expensive for the extreme budget traveler. However, the options throughout Asia, Latin America, and even Africa are vast.

Let’s face it, when traveling on a budget, it is key that you meet new people who can help you out. Whether their help be through site-specific tips, reduced rates, cultural insight, or simply companionship, you can’t do it all alone. I think most would agree that the majority of budget travelers are extremely friendly, sociable, and easy to get along with, which is great for getting to know new people. However, one advantage that I rarely see budget travelers take advantage of is:

You know it back home, that exotic girl or guy from Brazil, Thailand, or the South Pacific. There’s just something about those striking features, mysterious eyes, and tanned skin that makes them extremely attractive.

Well, believe it or not, the same principal works reverse. When traveling through South Asia, Africa, or Latin America, our pale skin, rosy cheeks, and freckles are actually attractive! Crazy I know, but true!

This is something that I see many budget travelers have a hard time realizing. And usually once they realize it, they simply think of it as an annoyance. The hoots and hollers walking down the street, unwanted attention, etc… However, as the world’s super models, actors, and actresses can tell you, beauty can be an incredible asset, if you know how to use it.

The following are three tips to help you get what you want while on the road, by using your looks:

• Be confident: Even if you don’t think you are especially attractive, I guarantee the Argentine across the table does. Accept it, and use it to your advantage. Act like you are Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie, and people will treat you that way.
• Use it: I usually just hear travelers complain about being perceived as attractive in foreign cultures. You can get frustrated about the extra attention, but you’ll never change an entire society on your own. Why not use it to your advantage? Ask people of the opposite sex to do things for you, and they will usually comply! Looking for a discount? Ask and you shall receive!
• Accept it: The last problem I see budget travelers have in using their looks to their advantage, is they often feel like they are taking advantage of others. I understand this sentiment, and sometimes feel this way myself, but like it or not, that’s simply how the world works. You might as well use it to your advantage when you can, or get started planning a revolution against attractive people…

Photo: www.scienceandsupermodels.com