No Money in the Bank? Travel

By Elizabeth Hilfrank on March 24, 2017

It’s common to think that in order to travel, one needs to have money. Well, I argue just the opposite. The best time to travel is when you don’t have ANY money at all. That’s why study abroad offers you the best chance to see the world.

Last summer I worked an unpaid internship, and the only other jobs I have had have been part-time and minimum-wage, so it’s hard to say that money grows on trees for me. Nonetheless, when the opportunity arose for me to finish my Spanish minor abroad in Madrid, Spain, I took it without hesitation. Now, halfway through my semester, I can successfully say that I have even less money than before I left, but I can also say that this choice has been one of the best in my life.

“Balling on a budget” is the best way to really experience a new culture. Not having money to throw around for expensive hotels or fancy food makes you live like someone in the country actually does, and it opens up an entirely new perspective. In regards to food, one way to save money is by shopping at the grocery store. My roommate and I visit our local supermarket every week for groceries, and each week we find something new. Food is a huge part of the culture, so simply taking the time to peruse the aisles makes you aware of so much more.

In the United States, for example, I have never seen an entire octopus just chilling in the seafood section, but in Spain, it’s the norm. Also, in Spain, a grocery store is hardly anything more than just groceries. You can’t get stationary or toys or sit down for a meal here, it’s just buy and leave. You can, however, buy wine, and for very cheap.

Even when on a weekend trip to Switzerland, my friends and I visited the grocery store, not once, but three times. Turns out Switzerland grocery stores are much more similar to American ones, but they have entire aisles dedicated to chocolate. It was here that I bought a chocolate bar for 0.50Franc, which was 6Franc less, and probably of close caliber, to any chocolate bar in the fancy chocolate stores, to which I turned down due to budget.

No money? No problem!

The low-income travel lifestyle applies to more than just food, however, as it opens up a whole new world to meet people. Finding the cheapest Airbnb possible, I can now say I have met a family from Russia that moved to Valencia, Spain. The kind man told us his whole life story, and I am much more educated on the world because of this encounter. In Switzerland, I shared an apartment with four other guests at a time, and it turns out that one of them is the girlfriend to someone I know at school. Never would this have happened if I could have afforded a hotel room in which I isolated myself. When you chose cheap housing, you have the opportunity to meet people in your same situation, and it makes for more friends and travel partners.

It is important to remember that travel is about experience, not things. It doesn’t matter if you can’t buy the fancy Swiss watch, because, while it may last long, your memories and friends will last longer. I would much rather come home sharing the stories about how my friends and I managed to get three free chocolate samples and two free glasses of champagne in one day, while also weaseling our way into a fondue restaurant. Well, I should say “out” of a fondue restaurant because the only way we could afford it was to sit outside sharing one pot for three people …

Anyways, if you have a fear that you don’t have money to travel, you do. It may not seem like it, but you find ways to make it work. You may eat a lot of 0.40 euro baguettes, and you may take six-hour bus rides to avoid paying an extra 10 euro for the two-hour train, but, in the end, it’s worth it. You learn the value of a penny (literally, you will gladly pick it up off the street), and you find lots of fun hidden places that you would never have found had you been able to afford the “popular” ones.

So, do not fear your bank account balance. Embrace it, live in the moment, and know that it will bring you the best experiences of your life.

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