8 Budget Travel Hacks From A Couple Who Visited More Than 60 Countries In Just Three Years

A Reddit post by a travel vlogger duo known as "Haley and Zach" has received a lot of attention online recently. In the post, they share a list of tips for those who want to travel the world on a budget. The couple claimed that they spent "834 days travelling to over 60 countries over the course of 3 calendar years (2022, 2023, 2024) for 39k each." In 2022, they visited destinations in Eastern Europe and the Balkans. In 2023, they travelled across Asia from Japan to the Caucasus Mountains. In 2024, they travelled to South America through Central America and Mexico. The long post also includes the names of each of the countries Zach and Haley visited during these three years.

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Based on his experiences, here's what Zach advises budget travellers to do:

1. Don't let small inconveniences bother you. Zach's advice is to "be comfortable being uncomfortable."
2. Make the most of your credit card points. The influencer calls it "one of the best ways to save money."
3. Try your best to eat and travel like a local. This will allow you to save money and also enrich your overall experience. Zach says, "Avoid the restaurants in the touristy areas, look for places that are full of locals or markets that have food stalls. Take the buses the locals take, you'll make loads of new friends!"
4. Since many budget travellers stay in hostels, they should invest in good-quality silicone earplugs.
5. Zach recommends avoiding planning your trips too far in advance - if your schedule allows you to. He writes, "By the middle of year 2, I wouldn't even book accommodation until I was on the bus and an hour outside of my destination." This has exceptions, obviously, for big holidays or events (think Carnival, or the Sapporo Snow Festival). If you are on a vacation with limited time, you will probably have to book everything out in advance. If that's the case, leave yourself time in case things go wrong. No, 45 minutes is not enough for you to get your bags and change terminals in London."
6. Keep looking for better ways to meet your travel goals. Zach states that simple web searches and asking other travellers/hostel staff for advice can help save you a lot of money. He explains, "There is always another way. That website saying it will be $250 for a shuttle to the Great Wall of China and back. You can do the transport yourself (if you are willing) for a fraction of that. Tickets to Machu Picchu? You can buy them in person in Aguas Calientes, the day before you wish to visit the ruins."
7. Although you're travelling on a budget, don't hesitate to splurge on worthwhile experiences. Zach advises, "Spend the money when you need to. There is only one Great Wall of China, spend the money (if you do it the easy way for more money or the harder way for less money) and go see it!"
8. Zach recommends having a specific "quest" during your trips. He defines it as "something that would pull us away from touristy areas and, in turn, guide us towards seeing the more 'real' parts of a country." Zach and Haley aimed to visit every UNESCO World Heritage Site. He said, "This quest ended up giving us some of our most memorable travel experiences, not because of the UNESCO sites themselves, but because of the places we travelled through to reach the sites. We met locals who never see tourists, and in turn, we had some amazing interactions and made wonderful friends along the way."

Take a look at the complete post here:

How to travel on a small budget (Everything I learned during 834 days around the world for $39k USD)
byu/HaleyandZach intravel

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In the comments, several Reddit users thanked Zach for his useful suggestions.