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Kris and I are deep in preparation for our upcoming trip to England and Ireland. We’ve spent the past two months researching frugal travel options, including digital cameras, walking shoes, and — I kid you not — travel underwear. We meet with our housesitter tonight.
A close friend, amused by our packing, pointed me to a series of articles by Matt Gross, the New York Times “frugal traveler”. Last summer, Gross toured the world, chronicling his adventures in a weekly column, describing how he traveled on the cheap.
[It was] a summer in which I felt I was everywhere all at once. On May 11, I’d left my home in New York City to circle the globe as the Frugal Traveler, seeking high adventure on a low budget. Over the course of 96 days, I covered more than 21,000 miles, sprinting through 12 countries and some 36 cities, where I encountered 17 languages, dozens of new friends and around 900 varieties of dumplings.
Gross spent just $4,000 for three months of travel. That may seem like a fortune until you realize it’s probably less than it costs most of us to live where we do. (My expenses certainly run more than $1,333 per month!) New York Times readers provided additional travel tips as Gross made his way across Europe and Asia. Here’s an index of his weekly articles.
photo by Matt Gross, the Frugal Traveler
This year, the Frugal Traveler is on an American road trip. The page tracking his journey includes an interactive Google Map, links to current stories, and a collection of videos. So far, Gross has posted four episodes:
- Finally, exit from New York (video: The frugal traveler hits the road and Maryland and North Carolina)
- Georgia, Alabama, and a bit of gold fever (video: Armuchee, Georgia bluegrass festival)
- On Kentucky’s bourbon trail (video: Nashville, Tennessee)
- Great architecture finds a home in Indiana (video: Columbus, Indiana)
Gross is driving a 1989 Volvo, staying off the major interstates, “eating cheaply and sleeping cheaply, but doing it in style”. He uses advice from readers and sites like couchsurfing.com to save money. The latest update should be posted in the next day or two.
I’ve always wanted to do a road trip across the United States, so this series is great vicarious fun. But now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go shop for travel underwear.
[The New York Times: Frugal Traveler: American road trip]
This article is about Frugality, Money Hacks, Travel Tuesday, 19th June 2007 (by J.D. Roth)
June 19th, 2007 at 2:44 pm
Don’t forget a money belt. Really. We just got back from Italy. Europe is safe BUT there is always that little straggler who wants to pick your pocket.
http://www.ricksteve.com has silk ones for $19.
June 19th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
Interesting links to the NYT articles, thanks.
Although… Travel Briefs *Dries Overnight* - ew!
June 19th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
*Dries Overnight* - ew!
That’s their great appeal!
My goal is to pack as little as possible. I want to take one small suitcase. Also, while I originally had a giant list of stuff to buy, I’ve decided that’s ridiculous. I may buy some stuff that serves multiple purposes (incl. travel briefs), but things like “smaller ipod” and “better walking shoes” are off the list. Frugality! That’s what I’m after.
June 19th, 2007 at 4:24 pm
Smaller ipod? =) I think cutting that was a good call.
I’m very jealous, i live for traveling but can’t afford the time/money for an overseas trip for awhile now.
June 19th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
I’m sure your research has already told you this, but Ireland is astronomically expensive. I am from Ireland, and just came back from Italy. Despite the common currency, the difference in costs of “tourist stuff” - restaurants, beer, coffee, train travel, taxis, etc was (to me and my family) quite amazing.
June 19th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
Get a *bar* of yellow laundry soap. Works wonders for your clothes. Laundry in Europe is $10 a load!
June 19th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
Forget the “quick drying” travel clothing. If you want to pack light and wash your own clothes, use a hotel towel to dry them. Lay the clothing out flat in a towel, roll it up tight, and then stomp on the rolled up towel for a minute or so. Unroll and hang up your clothes; in the morning they will be dry. Synthetic fabrics will dry faster.
June 19th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
There’s a fun road trip story in Barbara Kingsolver’s new book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, which I just finished last night - from their farm in Virginia, up through New England and Montreal, and back through Ohio and the lower Midwest. It doesn’t focus on frugality per se, but it touches on a lot of what’s cheap and wonderful about road trips - nifty independent restaurants, spending time with friends and family, exploring non-touristy districts of unfamiliar cities, learning stuff you can’t learn at home.
I’d be really interested to hear your review of the book from a frugality perspective, particularly as a counterpoint to your The Farmer’s Wife review.
June 19th, 2007 at 7:10 pm
15.30$ + shipping for specialty underwear seems a big extravagant for *this* frugal traveler.
I too insist on packing lightly. For me a medium sized duffel will suffice for weeks long trips, especially in warm climates. Underwear takes up a negligible amount of space - even if you pack a weeks worth.
I’ll stick to the 3 pack of all cotton fruit of the looms which go on sale for 7.99$
JD
June 19th, 2007 at 7:42 pm
Take a hint from an earlier post: “Buying cheap, unsatisfactory products is never thrifty.”
If you want “travel underwear” by the Exofficio underwear. You will be better off for it. Drys quickly, cleans easily, VERY COMFORTABLE.
Do it. Buying cheap, unsatisfactory products is never thrifty.
June 19th, 2007 at 7:53 pm
Rather than buying expensive travel versions of things we have, we sometimes bring lots of stuff on its last legs–that would include socks and underwear. We discard as we go and come back with less than we started with.
June 19th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
@Emily
Holy cats. That is one of the best ideas I’ve ever heard. Seriously. If you understood how threadbare my wardrobe is in places, you’d realize that this is an ideal solution. Plus discarding stuff along the way frees up room for souvenirs! Awesome suggestion. Thank you.
June 19th, 2007 at 11:33 pm
the best investments that i’ve had in my (limited) travels - mostly, as you can tell, from hostels. maybe this is how to survive a hostel shopping list?
- a combo lock
- a small small travel sized alarm clock
- a quick drying towel - i got this for a song in australia, and it is made up of this weird fabric, and folds up into anything, and will just soak up all the water around and dry out in about 10 minutes. it takes up no space - such an amazing thing.
- laundry tabs: a friend introduced me to these. they are blocks of soap, about 1″ square, that are prewrapped into 1/2 load sizes. perfect for doing laundry when on the road.
- good tupperware containers - i found these very very useful, either for storing things as i was travelling (those rascally leaky bottles), or for storing food when i was in a hostel. so much nicer to be able to store your food in something that you know where its been..!
- an extra sheet/ pillowcase set - that has always come in handy for me - sometimes i’ll throw my pillowcase over my backpack and make it double as a pillow
- a flashlight: good for hostelling, to get into the room if someone is already asleep and lights are out.
- earplugs: if someone in your room is a bit of a loud talker/ snorer
- and of course, some sort of water resistant shoes (sandals, flip-flops), for using the shower in the morning.
travel mug and own teas: heck, why not. if you can find someplace with hot water.
new skin: this great spray on product that acts like a bandage on your skin - but it also covers and protects your skin well; so if you get a hangnail, or some blister or something, you can spray this on and it will help it heal more quickly. saves on carrying around a million different sizes of bandages, and it has an antiseptic in it, so it helps kill germs.
travel sized shampoos, etc: i find those travel sized things are just a waste of time for the most part - i usually have my bottles of toiletries, and then when i run out abroad, i just buy new. it’s usually cheaper. or if i happen to be at a friend’s house, i may borrow a little of their shampoo to top-up my wee bottle.
dollar store raincoat: i’ve found those $1 rainjackets, i think you can get them at dollar stores, they aren’t pretty but usually they’ll cover you and your bag - those are great if you are stuck out in the rain someplace; and they don’t weigh anything to carry around with you.
oh and something that i learned through a wonderful computer salesperson when i bought my laptop…. you know sometimes (especially macs) want you to buy this ridiculous adapter package for your laptop for $80 some dollars? well, all you actually need is a plug adapter, because it turns out that the computer has a voltage detector, so it automatically senses and switches, so you don’t have to worry about frying your computer. i made do with one plug adapter that cost me $4 for new zealand just fine thanks - saved $80 in the process.
June 20th, 2007 at 12:40 am
Are you just visiting England and Ireland or are you also visiting the rest of the UK?
So far my travels have been restricted to warm-weather countries or been so short that packing hasn’t been an issue. Having said that I am from the UK so perhaps I can still offer some useful advice.
I would definitely recommend a cheap ‘pack-away’ waterproof jacket. Unless you plan on doing some hiking a fancy gortex jacket is going to be overkill.
I’m in two minds about money belts these days. The first major trip I ever went on I used one but since then I haven’t. If you’re comfortable wearing one then go for it. If not, I wouldn’t be concerned. There were times in Italy, walking down to the docks in Naples for example, when I didn’t feel as safe as I would at home but even then I didn’t feel a particular need to strap my valuables to my chest. As long as you’re sensible, only having what you are prepared to loose in your wallet, not storing all you important document/ travellers cheques in the same place, you shouldn’t have any problems.
Speaking of documents remember to get a few photocopies taken, keeping one copy with you and leaving one copy at home with someone you trust.
June 20th, 2007 at 5:28 am
I don’t do the money belts either. I’m always loathe to give out that advice in case someone else gets mugged - if its just me its not a problem.
June 20th, 2007 at 7:48 am
Last year my wife and I did 3 weeks in Switzerland, Ireland (Republic), Northern Ireland and Scotland. We took 2 internal frame backpacks and washed clothes twice.
I think the trip cost us about $3000 all told, including plane tickets, so not nearly as good as the frugal traveler, but we did go cheap, staying at hostels and cooking our own food sometimes.
We have a chronicle of the trip up here:
http://blog.emptycrate.com/travel/europe2006
including what gear we took with us.
-Jason
June 20th, 2007 at 8:45 am
I have traveled to over 30 countries (sometimes on year-long trips) with only a backpack. You can pack lightly without purchasing special items, like fast drying underwear and other high-tech, expensive travel gear. That’s absurd!! Keep in mind that you are going to England and Ireland…not exactly developing countries! It won’t require anything outside of what you normally use in your American life. And I promise that underwear takes up almost no space. You can pack plenty of underwear and still carry a very small bag. And there must be some places that you are staying for more than 1 night, so I’m sure all of your laundry will dry just fine even if it takes slightly longer than overnight.
Also the UK is so darn expensive (and the dollar is so weak right now) that you really don’t want to be wasting your money BEFORE your trip. You’ll have plenty of reasons to spend it when you arrive in England and Ireland.
There truly is no need to plan this trip to death. Just go, chill out, and have fun.
June 20th, 2007 at 8:58 am
Matt is an old friend of mine. I believe his column runs every Wednesday. We had a nice chat about which car to get on his budget. That was an interesting chat. (Me basically whining that a $1000 more would get him a more reliable car.)
He is wise to the PF Blog crowd. He actually reads his comments for real travel advice to future locales, so drop him a line. I always find his readers are really interesting folks with cool suggestions.
June 20th, 2007 at 9:11 am
The first thing that I learned when I started traveling for business is to pack stuff that you can throw away as you go. I do that with underwear, t-shirts, and even dress shirts that have outlived their usefulness. Rather than donating used clothes to the Salvation Army, I tend to take them with me and donate them on the road (not used underwear, mind you, but you get the idea).
Realizing again that business travel is different than personal travel, I will also sometimes not pack a sweatshirt (or heaving covering) and buy one when I get to wherever I am heading at a discount store. You can still find a functional sweatshirt or light jackets in most places for about $5. I would rather save the room in the suitcase for other essentials, and then I either donate or just leave it behind when I am leaving.
June 20th, 2007 at 9:50 am
I know that traveling with the extended family will limit some of your choices, but for eating out in Ireland (I haven’t been to England, yet) I recommend grabbing breakfast from a bakery or if your hotel/B&B offers a nibble, better yet. We stayed in hostels, which gave us a bit more freedom to prepare our own food and some provided toast, cereal, juice, and coffee/tea in the morning. We ate our main meals in pubs or small cafes that were more local hangouts than tourist spots–lots of soup and bread! Although, lunch @ the cafe in the Kilkenny museum is quite nice. We quickly that the servings at most pubs are large. I recommend splitting dishes if you can find things you both like. We also did quite a few picnics. We purchased a very cheap and small cooler (more like a lunch sack), an inexpensive pairing knife, and cutting board. Bread, cheese, and fruit and nib of chocolate and you have the makings of a fine, fine meal! And, it is worth it to splurge a time or two. The trend toward “fresh and local” has really caught on in Ireland, and you can find some very nice cheese, seafood, and produce.
June 20th, 2007 at 11:03 am
Funny, last night I blogged about couchsurfing, and just saw you did, too.
I didn’t want you to think I lifted it from your post, though. Not that you’d lose sleep over it, but still. One doesn’t want to be thought a mooch!
http://moneychangesthings.blogspot.com/2007/06/couchsurfing-they-leave-light-on-for.html
Have a wonderful trip. I loved having a little digital camera to take photojournal type shots to use on my blog - it really changes the way you look at things.
June 20th, 2007 at 6:13 pm
you might want to see if your library has Lonely Planet’s Europe on a Shoestring guidebook and take a look and see if they have anything useful about your destinations. I used South East Asia on a Shoestring last summer while traveling for 3 months and it was invaluable. lots of budget accommodation and restaurant suggestions, as well as local transport options and attractions.
June 21st, 2007 at 8:10 am
I spent three months in Dublin this past spring doing research and made it on 20 euro a day, but bear in mind I stayed in Dublin the whole time (with the exception of a couple short trips when my husband came over), rented an apartment, and ate dinners in all but seven or eight nights. It is quite expensive, but you can–and should–take advantage of the great teeny little places for cheap-ish and delicious lunches, even in touristy areas.
One of my faves was the Runner Bean on Nassau Street, just up from Kildare, where you could get a cup of soup for like 2.50 euro. I don’t know why you’d be down on Aungier unless you were walking between Stephen’s Green and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, but there is a great sandwich shop called Cafe Zinho just across from the Dublin Inst. of Technology.
In general, find sandwich shops for lunches–Dublin is mad for paninis, which means heaven for a panini-lover like myself, and they’re generally 5 euro or less.
My number one money-saver, stupid as it seems, is to bring a nalgene (or similar) water bottle big enough to get you through the day walking around. A similar size bottle of water at Spar or Tesco will set you back 2 euro a pop. Take this time to get off of sodas if you can, because they’re similarly expensive for smaller bottles and cans than we have here.
There’s a quasi-new development north of the river that runs between the quay and Abbey Street by the Jervis shopping center that’s jam-packed with reasonably-priced Italian restaurants (plus a Botticelli gelateria–which also has a location in Temple Bar). I never stopped by there since I was generally on the mad dash back home on the Luas in the evenings, but they looked like a great deal of fun in a modern-Dublin sort of way.
You absolutely need an umbrella. And a lightweight raincoat. The misting rain is impossible to escape with an umbrella, and the downpours render a raincoat useless.
Temple Bar is generally there to suck your money straight out of your pocket. And there are plenty other pubs with better food and better ambience away from the massive crowds.
Guinness is terrific, but do try the Porterhouse on Nassau St. near Grafton–less crowded than the one in Temple Bar. They do NOT serve Guinness, but their microbrews are to die for, if you ask me, and the same price as most pints in Dublin (4 euro). Great for an early and reasonable dinner (terrific burgers around 8 euro if I remember correctly)
I also spent 6 weeks in Dublin, Belfast, and Cork last summer living a little less settled, and I’d be happy to answer any questions about damn near any issue that comes up when traveling in Ireland.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:15 am
J.D., don’t stray from your “pack light” mantra, you won’t regret it. Check out Rick Steves’ site for more tips on that. We visited Italy for three weeks during the winter Olympics, each of us with just one tiny carry-on suitcase (unfortunately, I’m not sure you can do that anymore with the liquid restrictions??). Initially, it was tough to figure out what to take, but once I shaved it down, I never missed anything. And that was in WINTER - we’re talking long johns, coats, boots and heavy socks! Remember, you won’t be in a third-world country. Take only what you’ll absolutely need; you can always get more of the essentials once you’re there. Besides, it’s sort of fun to trouce through a foreign pharmacy. And you’ll need some extra room for funky souvenirs! A cheap one: send postcard to yourself along the way, then you can giggle at them and save them in a scrapbook once you get home - no luggage space needed! I second the suggestion of earplugs, and add a sleepmask. We had a giant bell over our hotel that rang EVERY hour! Sometimes, you really need to get some shuteye, and they’re good for the plane too.
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:52 am
[...] Rich Slowly talks about the NYT Frugal Traveler going on a road trip. The trip he took to Europe was three months for $4000! That makes me want to be a wanderer. One of [...]
July 2nd, 2007 at 5:40 pm
Packing light is huge, but so is having what you need when you need it. I went to WorldCon in California for a week last summer, right after the new travel restrictions increased checked baggage (with resulting increases in lost baggage). So I used an under-seat rollie and a backpack for CPAP, clothes, extra shoes, and a few books.
What was missing? Laptop, swimsuit, dress-up clothes, dress shoes, makeup, and clothing that wasn’t t-shirt material. (I went to a scifi con without velvet - horrors!) But it’s hard to go wrong when over 1/2 the clothes are black and every piece goes with every other piece.
September 5th, 2007 at 5:01 am
[...] has written about how to save for an overseas trip and how to have a vacation on a budget, but if you have time on your hands and like the idea of living in another culture, traveling [...]
November 14th, 2008 at 5:00 am
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November 14th, 2008 at 11:44 am
Here’s something to consider; rent or barter a small towable RV; I think that the difference in gas will be made up in the reduction in cost for hotel rooms, but your mileage may vary (HA)
Two people can easily fit in something like a pop-up, and my pop-up has running water, electricity, a shower, and a toilet. A cheap DVD player and some items from your library (ask if they’ve got options for vacationing travelers and how far you can extend the due date) can keep you happily entertained in you need alone time or personal head space.
Also - as someone who camps for two weeks, this is a lifesaver
http://www.laundry-alternative.com/