How to Travel on the Cheap: Part 2

What's more awesome than traveling? Traveling for $2. Here are a few more ideas for cheapo travel...

Travel during the 'shoulder' season

Sure, I'd like to be in St. Tropez for Valentine's day ... but so would every other girl and her sister. All those eager travelers equate to packed hotels and high prices. The shoulder season is the month before the 'real' tourist season kicks. You'll still see good weather, but you'll be privy to open beaches, short lines and even discounted rates on your lodging. Here's an awesome list of shoulder-seasons for popular destinations the world over.

Sniff out the deals

There are travel deals to be had everywhere, it's just a matter of knowing where to look. Kayak and Mobissimo both search heaps of travel sites for you so you don't have to shuttle around from one site to the next. I'm also a huge fan of Travelocity's 'Last Minute Packages' tab. If you've got a three-day weekend coming up and your only requirement is 'somewhere warm' you can get amazing deals. Right now, I could get a round trip flight from Minneapolis to Atlanta, plus three nights in a hotel for $247!

And don't discount non-air travel. Though America isn't known for it's public transportation system, Megabus is making some pretty significant inroads. Routes are limited to the Midwest and east coasts of the US and Canada. But! You can get tickets for $1! $1! Of course, a lot of the tickets are a bit more, but they are always reasonable. I'm actually heading to Chicago next weekend for less than the cost of a new sweater.

Stay with friends or Couch-surf

I encountered some dumb luck while planning my world ticket and happened to have friends living in four amazing cities that I wanted to visit. If you have friends abroad at the moment, seize the moment and go sleep on their couch! You'll get free lodging, your own tour guide and insight into the city. Just be sure to clean up after yourself, cook them dinner and send a thank-you gift ... But you already knew that, right?

But if you're headed to someplace obscure or friend-free, give couch surfing a try. Here's how it works: After you select a country you're traveling to, you sift through profiles of various intrepid souls who have opened up their homes to travelers. You email hosts that interest you, introducing yourself and sharing the details of your trip. If both parties are keen, you stay with them on your way through their city, make a new friend and return the favor to other travelers when you get home. So lovely, right?

Rental relocations

Sweet Jesus, but these are awesome! Countries like New Zealand and Australia have huge tourist industries with heaps of tourists driving all over, very often in one direction. Many travelers land in Auckland, rent a car and then spend a few weeks driving down to Christchurch where they fly home. And lucky you - the car rental companies are happy to rent you that car for $1 if you drive it back up to Auckland for them! The Mister and I spent a three-week holiday on the southern island of New Zealand driving wherever the rental relocations were going . We even drove a $300-a-night camper van for a few days. This website will tell you everything you need to know about the rental relocation process.

Eat like a local

One of the best ways of experiencing a new culture is through the food, right? What would Bangkok be without mango sticky rice or Edinburgh without haggis? Lame, that's what. But eating out all the time gets spendy! If you're going to eat out, nosh during the lunch hour when prices are a lot more reasonable and take your leftovers back to the hostel for dinner. Or make a picnic out of nibblings from the grocery store or the fruit and veggie market. I'm also a huge fan of eating from street vendor carts. Authentic, adventurous eats for a pitance.

But stay away from those grey cubes rolled in black sesame seeds. They're not tofu. They're congealed duck blood.

Haggle

I nearly turned inside out with embarassment the first time I haggled a price down in South East Asia. "But it's already cheap! And it's so damn awkward!" It doesn't have to be - just like most things, if you approach haggling with charm and confidence you'll be fine. Often prices are not posted and the price you are quoted is a) intended as a starting point b) inflated because you're a foreigner. So smile sweetly, reduce the price by a third and have a go!

Is there anything I've missed? What other travel tricks do you have up your sleave?

Related posts:
How to Travel on the Cheap: Part 1
How to pack your backpack for 6 months (and still look awesome)