Traveling on the cheap

Get a Lonely Planet or other travel book for the best bets wherever you're going. They list everything!

Where do you plan to go? What are your goals? (As in, do you want to cram in as many locations, or really get to know one place? Do you want to go to museums, or do ecotourism? Etc.)

Do you live someplace interesting now? (Do you HAVE a place now?) If so (or even if it's not interesting, as long as you have someplace to offer), you can maybe arrange for a housing swap.

Do you mind working on the way?

Are you a good writer?

I suggest booking through a travel site to save a truck load of money! Take it for me as I work in a hotel and they are outragously expensive especially for someone travling on a low budget. Sites like Expedia, Hotwire, or Priceline are great. You can stay a room that would normally be 60 for cheaper. But the hotels will be the most expensive. Also look into rooms that come equip with some sort of cooking amenities that way you can go by the nearset market place for groceries and save money that way.

As Sozobe has already pointed out, you don't indicate where, specifically, you'd like to travel to or what your interests are. If we knew that it would be much easier to respond to your question.

Some thoughts - you can get either a student ID or young adult ID depending on your age. You gets lots of discounts with either. I am not sure if these are still around (if you are in the US), but I used Student Council Travel - they have all sorts of info for discount travel.

One thing on hostels (if you are not aware) most have curfews and some make you do some sort of small amount of work - like sweeping - to be honest I only had to do this once (the work stuff). You can get cheap airfare through priceline and some other sources.

The Let's Go series of books also is geared toward student cheap travel - to be really cheap - check it out of the library instead of buying it. It is full of places to stay, sites to see, modes of travel, places to eat - all on the cheap and it gives good info on it.

How thrilling, the very thought of parsimony makes my wallet bulge with excitement. Of course you could save more by staying at home and studying for next semester, however, ...

- ask at your local hostel if anyone is going to your first stop then scrounge a lift or find out how they are getting there; repeat ad nauseum at all stops

- on the second night in each place stay with the new friend you picked up in the bar

- get a day's work here and there

- ask the hostel manager ( et al ) where to eat cheap, especially the homeless kitchens

- consider sleeping rough, showering at least monthly at local swimming pools, riding the rails and hitch-hiking if you a martial arts exponent.

You are an inspiration

Enjoy the trip

I think it would be very helpful to know (as suggested by a couple of people) "what and/or where" your interests are.

It's a big world out there, and depending on what you enjoy doing, and where you'd like to enjoy those interests would be a very good start.

Some general recommends that holds true in most cases are:
a) combination travel deals that includes the transportation and accommodation are usually much cheaper than booking them separately.
b) hostels, b&bs, and private homes are available and usually cheaper than hotels. You also get to know the owner, and the potential to meet other people your age.
c) look for student deals.
d) try to find a travel companion to share expenses
e) a2k is a good place to start, but there are other web sites that also can be helpful in your quest to find the "cheapies."
f) good luck.

If possible, do your longer transportation (bus rides, train rides, flights) at night. It saves you a night at a hotel or hostel.

Check out bootsnall.com and couchsurfing.com

I've referenced both many times. Oh, and don't forget tripadvisor.com

First of all, welcome to a2k, WanderGuy... from a well known a2k nut about Italy, which I didn't get to until I was almost fifty. Travelled in Mexico in my twenties, though.

I, like many others, would enjoy knowing where you are thinking of going.

Second - please come back to a2k and tell us about your trip, when you get back, or even on the trip if you feel like it.

Third -
advice, if any, from me.
Well, I used to eat best for lunch and just go into an alimentaria (corner store type place - except way better than, say, 7-11s) for bread and cheese or salami or roman artichokes, maybe an orange, and one piece of candy, for dinner. I found wine pretty inexpensive in italy, compared to the US, but that was a while ago.

I didn't stay at hostels, being an older cranky female, but now that some hostels have mixed ages I might if I were going there again. What I did do was hit the tourist info office in town upon arrival - and look at their One Star accommodations.. They would have lists of pensiones and alberghi, and I liked virtually all of the places I grabbed from their lists.

Well, that was on one trip. Another I made reservations beforehand, but that was a much tighter schedule.

Fourth - take really really comfortable shoes, because walking and looking is a lot of the fun.

Fifth - go light. I'd take the let's go guide or lonely planet, but torn up so it wasn't heavy, just the pages you could really use.

6th - the time I just took a duffle for 29 days, I bought a travel smith suit with a second pair of pants, and a few tee shirts/blouses - and that was about all.
I wanted to burn the suit when I got home, but it had been washable (showers - consider bringing a couple of hangers) and I'd had almost as much sentiment about it as desire to burn and bury it. Being older (etc), a black suit worked for me. Could be anything, but figure you'll learn to hate your clothes.