Travelling the world to budget traveller destinations on a shoestring budget, is it possible?
It is possible to see the world and be on permanent vacation for under $7000 AUS. This is not a typo. I talk to one man who has mastered living on a shoestring. Shane Thomas has visited 109 countries and still counting.
A self confessed hard nose budget traveler, Shane has settled into spending all of his time in various Asian countries. By living like a local, forgoing most travelers luxury perks and keeping an eye out for bargain airfares Shane is able to live abroad spending up to three months at a time in each location.
Shane was a television station technician for 7 years, sold real estate for 5 years and managed a mobile phone shop for 3 years. He also worked in call centres so he could travel a lot while he spent the last 7 years semi-retired or retired.
Shane’s main goal was to pay off his mortgage and when he achieved this goal, he felt financially free. Furthermore, he won a travel prize in 1993 which allowed him to travel to places for free. It included a tour of the United States, Europe and other places with unlimited train travel passes, 30-day Delta Air pass for unlimited flights in the U.S. After the blast, the travel bug had well and truly bitten him, and all Shane could think was the next trip.
Shane was in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia during his interview with retirement coach, Ann Nelson. He had been there for six weeks into a two-month stay. He lives in various locations for two or three months per location.
Shane said that when one starts to travel, he or she would realize the world gets bigger. Instead of planning where to go, he checks which cheap air fares are available and books it a month or 12 months ahead. He has spent one to three months living in China, Cambodia, Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia.
Listen in to discover how affordable it can be to seek out budget traveller destinations.
Shane budgets about $6,500 AUD yearly for his travel, $230 of which is for the accommodation that is mostly fan room or non-aircon, though he has experienced having unlimited air conditioning with the price range. In Tahiti, a night in a pension house is just $20 which sounds impossible when one considers it is one of the most sought after honeymoon destinations with prices advertised at $1,500 a night in hotel. In Thailand, a genuine 5 star hotel is under $100 for a night if one wants a treat.
The traveling guy stayed mostly in Asia these days, though he considers Central and South America as well. However, he has to increase his budget by 50 to 60 per cent if he wants to visit these destinations in the next two to three years. In South East Asia, he can live on an average of $22 per day.
Get advice from Shane on his Quora page.
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