Getting between places is where budgets leak
Once you're somewhere cheap, the fastest way to undo it is an expensive move. The travelers who go furthest move least often, and move cheaply when they do.
The cheap-move toolkit
- Buses over trains over planes. In most budget regions, an overnight bus costs a fraction of a flight and saves a night's accommodation.
- Overnight transport, every time you can. You travel while you sleep — two costs become one.
- Local transit, not taxis. A metro or songthaew ride costs pocket change; the airport taxi costs a day's budget.
- Two wheels. In Southeast Asia and Latin America, a scooter rental is often the cheapest way to see a region (ride safe, and always wear a helmet).
Plan moves, don't drift
- Cluster a region before you fly out of it. Crossing borders by land is usually cheaper than a short-haul flight.
- The runway calculator has an overland-only mode that shows you what a trip looks like when you skip cheap flights entirely.
Transport is the one cost that rewards planning more than sacrifice.