Travel On A Budget – Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

I was speaking with an old friend the other day who runs a roofing company in Mississauga called (surprise, surprise!) Mississauga Roofing. He is an avid traveler and mentioned visiting PVR in the winter and highly recommended I visit if I ever got the chance.

Glad I took his advice because this was one of the best places in the world you could travel to. Everything from the weather to the food and the culture was unreal, and the best part is it’s very easy on the wallet. Here’s the Top 5 experiences once you’re in PVR.

The beach along the Malecon

You may be wondering, what is a Malecon?

In Mexico, basically any walkway or roadway that traces that follows along the edge of the sea is called a Malecon. Kind of like a boardwalk type of thing.

I highly recommend coming to this historic downtown area of Puerto Vallarta literally any time of the day. It is very safe at night so don’t worry, even kids are out late there taking in all the action along the pathway.

In the day, its the perfect way to scope out a spot on the beach as well as decide on food considering the amount of taco stand and restaurants everywhere on this path

Cheap High-Quality Food Is Everywhere

From the Malecon to pretty much anywhere in this city all the food is very affordable. A lot of time people come up to you with freshly caught and cooked seafood to sell you right off the grill. It’s very common to get 2 skewers of gigantic shrimp with bbq seasoning for less than a $1. In fact you’ll find that you’re constantly inundated with tonnes of fresh seafood everywhere you go.

You can get clams the size of your skull for $0.25, and you can actually see them catch the thing fresh in front of you. Unbelievable, I’m drooling just thinking about it.

You can afford to get plastered all day long if you choose…

I mean this part is self-explanatory, whether you’re staying at the all-inclusive resort of bouncing around to different Airbnb rentals, the beers are cheap and plentiful, and the best part is you can take your beer on the go. You don’t have to be that weirdo nursing a can in a brown bag standing off to the side like you would at home. Drinking on the street is a common occurrence and nobody bats an eyelid when they see it.

Amazing AirBNB Options

While my roofing buddy recommend I book an all-inclusive experience with one of the hotels on the beach there, I opted to manage my own accommodations using the AirBNB app.

While some people opt to stay in a hotel for safety reasons, I found PVR to be safe enough to experience on your own. That being said, I stayed in 4 different rentals while I was there, all located in different neighborhoods of PVR.

Again, like most things in Mexico, the rentals were very affordable even for the more luxurious rental locations. The rental that we booked that really made a difference during our stay was in a phenomenal location up in the mountains overlooking downtown PVR. The place was massive and had everything from Netflix to extra towels plus anything you need they could provide.

Must experience the trip to the Marieta Islands.

This excursion was like the cherry on top of the whole trip to PVR. Basically you book a boat and go way out into the sea. Along the way you see everything from dolphins, whales to gigantic sea turtles.

Once you arrive you get your scuba gear on and jump into the ocean. To get to the hidden islands you need to swim through an underwater tunnel that opens up depending on the tides, which was unreal, felt like I was Indiana Jones or something.

Finally, after enjoying the island you end up going around snorkeling through a reef area and seeing all kinds of sea creatures in the wild.

I highly recomend this trip if you get the chance to go.

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Travel On A Budget – Cairo, Egypt

If you’re enjoying these travel on a budget posts I keep making, then let me know.
I might just turn this into a regular series of posts.

Ok without further ado, let’s get into traveling to Egypt, the broke edition 😀

1 – Plan your trip during the off-peak season

Namely anytime other than the winter months of November-February. This is when most people in cold winter countries plan their trips to escape the frozen Winterland of their own country. Choosing the right time is key in saving money as you could literally shave off up to 1/3rd of the flight cost by avoiding the peak season.

2 – Take advantage of the currency exchange rate

On average, most travelers to Egypt can have a great time exploring and eating spending no more than 400 Egyptian Pounds a day, which works out to roughly $25 per day. Of that $25, if you spend $6-$7 on the food you can eat to your heart’s content every day. For foreigners, the price of eating high-quality (and quantity) is so low you won’t ever have to worry about being hungry.

Also, if you’re planning on staying in hotels then you’re also in luck. For about $25 you can stay in the best hotels in Cairo for a couple of days, which is unheard of where I’m from. $25 wouldn’t get me a room in a rundown motel in my area, so staying at the Marriot for a few days for only $25 is a sweeeeet deal.

3- Learn to haggle

Unlike most western countries, you can haggle about the price of anything in Egypt. Literally anything!

If you really want to save money, then you’re going to have to become a cutthroat haggler, and don’t feel bad because everyone jacks up the price when they see foreigners. In fact, even if you’re not a foreigner they’ll jack up the price on you. It’s pretty much a regular part of doing business in Egypt, you must haggle.

Some vendors will take offense if you don’t try to haggle back and forth with them, it’s very strange but at the same time they’ll treat you to tea and snacks as you guys shop and figure out a reasonable price.

Don’t be shy! If they tell you something costs 100 Egyptian Pounds, then you can offer them anywhere from 10-20 pounds. The rule of thumb is cut 60-80% off the stated price and start haggling from there.

4 – Only take the white taxis

The white taxies tend to be the ones with a functioning meter making it very difficult for the driver to rip you off on the cost of the trip.

Always ask if the meter is working before the trip!
If you’re forced to ride one with a broken meter then agree on the destination and price before getting in the cab.…

Travel Hacks For The Broke

So you are broke, huh?
Wondering how on earth you’re ever going to afford a trip this year?

Not to worry this article is for you.

1- Travel during off-peak season

Different countries have different peak seasons when travelers will swarm a destination like a plague of locusts. Do your research and find out what the peak seasons are for your potential destinations and plan to travel around those periods to save the most money.

2- Travel to countries with a favorable exchange rate

One of the best things about traveling to countries with weaker economies is that you get to take advantage of your own currency’s strength. For example, if you can get yourself a cheap flight to say to Egypt or Mexico, you will be living and eating like royalty in those countries.

A $100 in one of those countries would keep you very well-fed for a week and still have money left over for sightseeing and tourist attractions. Obviously, I would recommend having more than $100 to spend a week, but you can be extremely comfortable on a budget in countries with a weaker currency.

In some cases, you can even get by spending $5-$10 a day and experience so much.

3- Talk to other travelers

This is probably the most overlooked tip for all travelers. Ask around and seek people who have been to the destinations you are considering to get a better idea of what you’re getting yourself into.

Often times, people who have been to your chosen destination before can help guide you by suggesting affordable places to stay as well as activities to try out. The best part about doing it this way is you learn from other’s mistakes and avoid wasting money on trial and error.

So do yourself a favor ask around on forums like reddit and travel blogs online.

4- Travel on Tuesdays??

Yea, this one was a surprise to me but apparently historical data seems to suggest that traveling on Tuesdays is always the best decision for your wallet!

Who would’ve thunk it..

5 – Use public transport

In the age of convenience, not many have the patience to wait around to get somewhere. Most people would call a cab or an uber to get around a country, but if your budget is tight then you should consider public transport to help save some money.

While I do admit, Uber can be very cost-effective in some countries, it’s not always the most budget-friendly option, so definitely consider the public transportation and you never know what you’ll discover riding the bus like the locals.

6- Final Tip – Do Your Research!

You should definitely do thorough research before picking a destination. Sometimes certain destinations make more sense during a certain season, due to the cost of the flight alone. If you save a tonne of money on the flight then obviously that leaves more of your budget to actually play with on vacation.

You may have to be flexible and come up with a list of your favorite destinations and compare them to figure which one best fits your schedule and budget for that particular time.

If you’re doing an all-inclusive resort type of vacation then you don’t have to worry about much, but if you’re not….make sure you triple-check your accommodations and have backup plans in place incase something doesn’t go as planned. You don’t want to be homeless in a foreign country!!…

Going on an overseas holiday with a limited budget

You really want to go on an overseas holiday this year, but you know for sure that you can’t afford it. It is too expensive and you don’t have that type of cash. No matter how hard you are going to save. 

This is a problem that many are facing. But something that you might not know is that you can still go on an overseas holiday with a limited budget and have lots of fun. The only thing you need to make sure about is to take your budget into consideration when you are planning your holiday. Here is how you are going on holiday with a limited budget.

You don’t need to stay at the 5-star accommodation

Yes, you want to have a great holiday, but you don’t need to waste money on 5-star accommodation. Cheaper accommodation will also give you just as much pleasure and fun as the more expensive ones.

You just need to make sure that you are going to choose your location near attractions so that you don’t spend your money on traveling and transport between the hotel and the attractions. The closer you can find the accommodation to your main attraction the better. You will save a lot of money in the process. 

Plan everything carefully 

It is important to plan your whole trip carefully. Making sure that you know what each attraction’s entrance is going to cost you. And, how much you have for each night to spend on food and drinks.

The better you are planning, the more you will enjoy your holiday without worrying about where you will find money when your money runs out. And, you should make sure that you are sticking to your budget at all times. 

Consider traveling out of season

Yes, this is only something that people without children can do, but this is something to consider. To travel out of season. When everything is cheaper, the hotels are empty and you don’t pay as much for the food you want to eat.

This is the great thing about the out of season time. You can do whatever you want, without your friends are knowing that you are tired. 

It is possible to travel abroad when you have a limited budget. However, this doesn’t mean that now you can’t go and have all the fun in the world. But, you just need to make sure that you are enjoying your holiday without worrying about money too much. 

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