Travelling on a budget.

I might be in the extremely fortunate position of winning the SOR's Work the World Competition; this means that a lot of my expenses for my placement in Tanzania have been paid for. However, I am planning to travel following my placement, which means that I need to consider how best to take care of my money. At the day I’m still a student! 

So I have been doing some, admittedly simple, research that has led me to the above video. Created by Graham Hughes aka thatgingerscouser, who has visited every country in the world using only surface transport. I cannot attest for all of his advice, but I thought that I might break it down and consider how some of it shall be relevant (or-not-so) to me and throw in my two-pennies worth whilst I am at it.

20 - Avoid Expensive Countries 

At this stage my choice of country has been made, however in terms of costs – apart from going on Safari – it seems that Tanzania is a fairly cheap country. The documentation that I have been given by Work the World, cites some example costs, for example:

• £0.50 for a bus from the accommodation to the main hospital. 
• £3.50 to £5.00 for a taxi from the accommodation to the main hospital. 
• £0.75 for a beer in a local bar. 

Compared with the UK these costs seem damn cheap, but I guess compared with other countries they might seem expensive. However, considering whilst on placement/university I can spend £3.00-£4.00 on a bus, £20-30 on a taxi (which I sadly did once, never again!) and perhaps most importantly over £3.00 a pint.

I will therefore be more than pleased for the opportunity to travel to work for £0.50.

19 - Travel Light 

Thankfully, I am not completely inexperienced when it comes to travelling; and this is one that I have learnt the hard way over time... and that is just from spending time in the United Kingdom! I seemed to get the balance right when in Nepal, a couple of things that I picked up:

• Travel with a rucksack, mine is a hand-me-down from my older brother: it has been all over Europe and came to Nepal with me... It shall also be coming to Tanzania. 
• Just because it is 40/50/60 litres doesn't mean that you have to use every single litre, imagine if you want to bring something additional back from your trip. If you have packed up every inch then you are simply not going to have the space. 
• Take clothes that you might be happy to donate whilst you are there. Again, to refer back to Nepal, I took lots of t-shirts that I was happy to not come back with: donating them to a local orphanage. It's quite simple really: there are always going to be people in need of additional clothing, and if not there is always charity shops (certainly in many western-countries) that you can donate your items to. 

I guess for most people these things will be common sense, but even if you think that you cannot live without X, Y or Z. Then just consider the costs that might be saved by not taking those things, a lighter bag means that it is easier to take public transport rather than a taxi... keeping costs down.

I guess that point ended up being my personal advice, but I need reminding sometimes!

18 - Purchase a decent guidebook. 

I have to admit that this is something that I have not done as of yet, and is something that seriously needs to be done. My dearest girlfriend who will be joining me for the two weeks that I travel after my placement has taken out some books from the library: but she is currently in a different country and the books are in German… i.e. not useful to me right now!

I guess the argument against guidebooks is that the information they can provide can quickly become out of date, and that in this great-age of information that we live: the internet can be the benevolent provider of such data. This is actually very true, with websites such a TripAdvisor and Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree, allowing us to converse with previous visitors and experienced travellers. For example, TripAdvisor has already helped me to get up to date information about organising a budget Safari in Mukimi National Park. However, I think that it will always be useful to have a guide to reference at a moments notice, knowing that you will not have a constant access to the internet.

A brief search on Amazon.co.uk, shows that the normal offerings are available for Tanzania: Lonely Planet, Rough Guide... Though which is the better of these products is not so obvious, thankfully I have an older sister who has travelled to Tanzania: so I think that is a conversation to be had.

17 - Bring a laptop. 

I know for me that this simply would be a bad idea, I know myself, and I don't trust myself.

Also, we live in a wonderful world where Internet cafés exist to serve the internet-deprived traveller. Therefore I think that I shall be stick with that. Whilst in Tanzania I intend to update this blog (hopefully more regularly than now!) by handwriting my notes and taking plenty of pictures, then typing them up for posting in an internet café. I am therefore a lot less likely to loose £1000 worth of equipment… Which is good.

16 - Unlock your mobile phone / Purchase a local SIM-card. 

I must admit that this is something that I have never tried before, but it is something that I have seen others do to different degrees of success. The example that immediately comes to mind is some friends of my parents did this quite successfully whilst in South Africa, using it to contact my Mum at one point. Also as pointed out in the video, this is also allows you to make emergency calls if needs must.

Work the World's documentation suggests that a SIM-card in Tanzania can cost as little as £0.40 and a handset £15. – In my situation it might also be useful, considering that I will be working in the same hospital for four-weeks, opportunities may always arise from having a telephone number to give to people.

15 - Travel Insurance 

I cannot add anything concerning travel insurance, it is a no-brainer, it can never be understated to travel without insurance is beyond stupidity. Just be careful to ensure to check the premiums and that any activities that you intend to undertake are covered by the package that you choose.

14 - Bring a Debit Card. 

I am in the fortunate position of not having to have a credit card, so this is not too difficult for myself.

However it is important to remember ATM safety, even when using a debit card: as the additional-charges are not the only thing that needs to be worried about. In the UK there is an increasing rate of thefts taking place at ATMs, and this problem is not going to disappear in any other country.

Though the alternative, taking cash with you, presents its own obvious risks. So it is important to weigh these up for yourselves.

Personally, I am not going to reveal here how I intend to handle money whilst in Tanzania. You never know who might be watching... I am looking at you!

13 - Book cheap flights, travel during off-peak times. 

In terms of my trip to Tanzania, there is little that I can say, the cost of my flights is included within the competition prize package. For which, I shall be eternally grateful to the Society of Radiographers. And, gives me a reason to encourage all-eligible students to enter into next year's competition.

I also think the same principle can apply to other forms of transport, something that I know to well being at the behest of the Isle of Man Steam Packet. I will therefore take the time when in Tanzania to shop around when booking any forms of longer-distance transport.

12 - Be creative. 

I think the advice that is given in the video seems apt, I guess that it is a case of "Ask and it will be given to you," don't and it won't! Not that I am always the best at following such advice, too British and polite... Or something like that.

11 - Take a student card. 

As a student it is always a good idea to have an ISIC, and if you live in the UK it can be included within the NUS Extra Card for a small additional fee. These cards combined will open discounts both at home and globally, including flights.

I shall be ensuring to take mine...

10 - Travel Overland 

I guess that it is quite simple, overland transport is nearly always going to be cheaper than travelling by air.

As I have previously mentioned, I am intending to Safari in Mikumi National Park; and though flying can be an option whilst travelling around Tanzania, it is a very expensive one. Bus travel using the Mikumi example with Scandinavia Express (a strange name admittedly...) costs 7000 TSH for a single, roughly £2.80.

A further example using the Work the World documentation, the cost of flying to Zanzibar compared with using the ferry, is a difference of £65 to £23 though the later is assuming that you have a residence permit.

It seems that overland travel is the way forward, as it were.

9 - Sneak into places. 

I am not sure if I can condone this action, but if you must then do it at your own risk and morals. It is outlined a little within the video, but I guess if you choose to do this that you have to get creative. And, perhaps most importantly accept that there always might be negative consequences to your actions...

8 - Have a good story. 

This is something that I am going to need to think a little about before I go, I'm not sure I am so good at telling stories about myself... At least I know lots of card tricks! I guess the theory here – if it needs breaking down – is that if people like you, they are more likely to do things for you.

7 - Eat from Roadside Stalls or Buy Food from the Supermarket. 

I have to admit to not having very much experience with street food, but I certainly know that taking the time to buy and prepare things from the supermarket is going to be more pleasant on your wallet.

In terms of the difference in cost between road-side stalls and restaurants, Work the World suggest that street food in Dar es Salaam will cost around £1.00 to £2.00, whilst a western-style meal in a restaurant £3.50 to £7.50. The latter of these is not exactly breaking the bank account, but considering that you can get a similar priced meal in your local Weatherspoons, then it seems that street food might be the way to go. I would also assume that eating from these stalls would give me a better insight into Tanzanian cuisine.

6 - Drink with the locals. 

This is a really simple one, the locals are always going to know the best places to drink, and the best drinks to have. But perhaps most importantly they will know the cheapest places to drink, if you’re that way inclined.

5 - Avoid countries that demand Visas. 

I can see the point that is being made in the video, but admittedly it is not always something that can be avoided. Tanzania requires a Visa for entry, and I shall be working therefore I will require additional work permits. I guess that if you were travelling the world, then avoiding countries that require a Visa would be a good way of keeping costs down.

4 - Bargin and Haggle. 

Being able to haggle for the price of an item really is a skill onto itself, and it something that can be developed with experience; but there will always seem to be people who are naturally talented at getting those costs down. This is something that I picked up slowly whilst in Nepal, but it made a massive difference: onetime a friend and I haggled down a pair of boots to a quarter of their original cost. In the right countries, this skill will get you an awful long way when it comes to saving money.

There are plenty of videos of Youtube that serve as a good introduction to haggling.

I really like the advice given in the video: "haggle for quids not pennies".

3 - Don't get ill. 

Of course, it is not always going to be possible to avoid getting ill, we can't even avoid that at home. But, it is important that you take available precautions, check NaTHNaC for individual advice about each country.

The majority of GPs in the UK offer free travel clinics where you can get advice on a range of topics, plus any medications/vaccinations available on the NHS. Unfortunately not all vaccinations are available on the NHS, and therefore must be sought privately. However different clinics are likely to offer these at different costs.

If you get ill whilst travelling it might ruin a few days travel, at worse it could mean hospitalisation in a foreign country and the associated high costs. This is also the reason that it is important that you take travel insurance before you travel.

2 - No souvenirs. 

This is possible a more personal choice, and so long you are practicing ethical travel (i.e. not buying ivory) then the harm in buying souvenirs is probably somewhat limited. However, there is no denying that the cost of buying tacky ornaments is high; and will my Mum serious need a Dar es Salaam key ring in her life? I doubt it.

Despite this I think a point could be made about supporting local trade, I think as a traveller it is important to support different aspects of the local economy. At the simplest of levels, this might mean bringing back a bottle of that local tipple that you enjoyed so much. Or even better, organisations that work with disadvantage people often operate craft programmes. For example: a Google search for 'Tanzanian crafts' returned Neema Crafts, who operate to provide training and employment for disabled people in Tanzania. Spending money on such items will both promote the growth of positive groups and support the local economy.

1 - Couch Surfing. 

Couch Surfing as a concept that is explained rather well in the video, basically people around the world will let you sleep on their couch for free: assuming that you will return the offer to other travellers.

I am signed up to the website, but I have no experience with trying it out. My girlfriend used it a fair amount last year, and that wasn't for physical couch surfing. With people using the website to organise events to meet up with likeminded people in the local area, which seems a potentially good way to drink with the locals.

I also have heard second-hand success stories about Couchsurfing.org, with people travelling the world spending nearly nothing on accommodation. However, this service cannot be seen without having its risks and in-depth-critical reviews have been produced. The greatest practical risk stands from a safety point-of-view and though I have no real experience with the service, I would suggest that a healthy attitude of "If it seems to good to be true, then it probably is." It won’t remove all the risks, but it seems a sensible start.

I am certainly keeping an eye on the Dar es Salaam group on Couch Surfing, it appears that it might be a positive way to open new doors of opportunity; saving money and meeting new people.