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I've been living out of a small suitcase for the past two years. The same one my cousin gave me in return for a knockoff Vera Bradley beach bag that I bought from Walgreens (thanks Barbra!). I've become strangely attached to this suitcase. It's grey with a hard shell that's covered with decals that say"Exit", "Danger High Voltage", "Bikram Yoga", and the newest addition "Sayaq-Seqe Paragliding". It's become my unique type of charm bracelet that travels with me everywhere I go. I have yet to name it so I still have higher levels of crazy to achieve. At this point my baggage has become the one constant in my life, I suppose that's something most people wouldn't like to admit.

To live a life full of travel- the way I do- means to live a bit uncomfortably. It means giving up pretty much everything that makes you feel safe and secure in order to go somewhere new and different without fully knowing what's in store for you when you get there. Albeit, this is a relatively luke warm sacrifice, nonetheless it is a struggle to travel. It is this very struggle that people tend to forget or don't even realize when they see those gorgeous photos of far away places.

That photo is the finished product of many hours of stress and planning and budgeting and hiking. It's the crowning jewel for many travelers. It's the evidence of our badass...ery.

You may be wondering how I'm able to afford such adventurous trips. Like I said before, a life of travel is a life of sacrifice. I'm certainly not wealthy, nor do I come from a wealthy family. I don't own a car, rent an apartment, purchase fancy things, or go out to eat often. I spend my money always in consideration of the next trip I want to take.

At this point it's become borderline obsessive but it's a mindset that enables me to go where I want to go.

This is How I Budget for an Epic Trip

1. Buy the Ticket

I begin checking www.flights.google.com as early as I can before I plan to leave, preferably around a month in advance. I look for dates that are significantly cheaper and then go to the discount websites like www.cheaptickets.com, www.cheapflights.com and www.kayak.com and enter the cheaper dates found on flights.google.com. That is how I find the real deals.

If you find yourself in a position to be bumped from a flight in exchange for a voucher, take the flipping voucher, it's free money! American Airlines gave me $500 in exchange for waiting 4 hours for the next flight.
And if you aren't shy about being ruthless for a cheap flight somewhere, keep in mind that often times after things like terrorist attacks, or otherwise bad publicity in a certain country results in majorly discounted flights.

2. Book a Hostel

This is where budgeting really kicks in. Yes, that luxury hotel sure looks nice with its heated swimming pool with a swim-up bar, A/C, couples massages and continental breakfast, but isn't the point of your trip to leave the hotel and have an adventure? Don't you want to experience other cultures?

Thanks to the scary movie Hostel and it's many sequels I think many of you are aware that there are places that exist which serve as the perfect lodging for travelers. Hostels typically cost anywhere from $8-$30/night and they give you the basics: a bed, a shower- hot water is NOT always guaranteed, a free breakfast (which typically consists of some type of bread and jam and your choice of hot drink) and the always important wifi.

Hostels are great for travelers because they aren't designed to keep you around. They encourage you to go out and explore. Then you can return and tell your bunkmates all about it while at the same time you'll learn from their experiences as well. If you want a real travel experience go ahead and splurge on that $10 a night hostel. You might get lucky and find a decently prices private room at a hostel which is great since you won't have to deal with 8 other strangers snoring all night long.

Another great way to save money on lodging is to check out AirBnB.

This one is also great if you can find a deal because you'll be with locals who can tell you a lot more about the area and you'll probably have a much more productive time than if you were wandering around aimlessly.

I'd love to exchange some SBDs for a room in foreign countries. Any Steemians who are interested private message me on www.steemit.chat my username is heiditravels.

3. Find an ATM

Skip the exchange counters at the airport and withdraw money from an ATM at the airport. I suggest at the airport because it's a safer place then on a random street out in the city. The fees from the ATM are more than likely less expensive than the exchange counters. Also like I suggested in my previous post I'd advise you to withdraw as much as you can or as much as you'll need in order to avoid having to make repeat trips and collecting more exchange fees.

4. Use a Travel Friendly Credit Card

I highly suggest using a credit card that offers zero foreign exchange fees and also gives you miles for all purchases. I've also looked into the Xapo and BitPay cards. Bitpay is a pre-paid card that you load with your bitcoins. This card is back by Visa so you can use it anywhere Visa is accepted, although it applies a 3% fee for purchases outside of the U.S. and $3.00 fee for ATM withdrawals outside of the U.S. Xapo is generally the same, except it charges $3.50 for ATM withdrawals outside of the U.S.

Hey @ned @dan @dantheman , when can I start using a steem card??

5. Get to the Grocery Store

First thing I do when I arrive and throw my bags on my bed is to head out to the local market. I try to limit spending on restaurants whenever I can and that means hitting up the grocery store for things like bottled water, fruit and vegetables that I can snack on if there isn't a kitchen available. I enjoy eating healthy so it's an added bonus if my room or hostel has a kitchen that I can use to cook. My go-to snack to make is homemade hummus, it's incredibly easy and healthy and it fills you up so you'll feel satisfied for a good chunk of the day with energy to burn.