HOW DO I AFFORD IT?! - Travel Edition

So this is the part where I think there are a lot of misconceptions. Yes, traveling is a luxury but it doesn't actually have to be expensive; it's more about making choices and setting priorities. $2000 can get you either a one week trip to a fancy resort in the Caribbean or weeks of backpacking in Asia. $200 can get you a little city trip or just a one way plane ticket. All of the options are good and fun, depending on whatever you're into. Anyway, this is how I keep the costs of the actual traveling down. (It's a big chunk of text so I've added a tl;dr at the end for you without time or patience or attention span)
WHEN TRAVELING

People come to me a lot with travel questions and it's not that I'm too much of an asshole to answer, it's just that I have to look up most stuff too. Seriously, google actually IS your friend most of the time. I google flights, hostels, activities, reviews and discount coupons on everything. Besides googling my ass off, I use Lonely Planet travel guides most of the time as they also offer good budget options and I kinda got used to the way the books work. I don't make a lot of plans or bookings when I travel and kinda just go with the flow. I also don't make a budget planning. As I basically do almost everything on the cheap, I've never had to worry too much about money. Sometimes I run into things I would reallly like to do or buy but end up having not enough money..which is a bummer, but you know, such is life. I worry a lot (about money) in my daily life, but in some amazing way almost not at all when I'm on a trip. It's nice.

- Getting there & away

Before I book a flight I take days, sometimes weeks, to figure out the cheapest way through search engines and ticket and airline websites; I like using Cheaptickets or Hipmunk. 
Tickets and their prices work in magical ways. Sometimes it is cheaper to buy two separate one way tickets than a round-trip. Sometimes it's cheaper to fly to or from another airport in the area. Sometimes it's cheaper to book through an agent. It helps a lot when your dates are flexible; different days can save hundreds of dollars/euros/yen whatever (I'll just keep with $ from now on). For under $100 (or $50 even) you can get pretty far. For cheap flights within Europe there is of course Ryanair and EasyJet. Asia has a lot of cheap carriers, such as AirAsia, Jetstar and Peach. The US is kinda lagging behind in low budget airfares but crazy cheap bus rides can be found through Megabus. Long haul buses in the rest of the world are cheap too.

- Air miles programs

Obviously, the more you fly, the more air miles you earn. It definitely pays off to join certain air miles programs and to sometimes pay a little bit more for a ticket from a certain airline if you can earn miles with it. I have found that the British Airways program kinda sucks, especially if you're flying outside of Europe. The price you still pay for an award ticket is almost as much as an regular ticket?! The Turkish airlines program (how did I ever think it was a good plan to join them...) is horrible too; almost no reward tickets available, a lot of conditions for the tickets and a complete unresponsive customer service. KLM is pretty good. Their website often show no seats available, but when you call them the ticket is booked within minutes. The best one, in my opinion, is United. Good website, flies almost everywhere, has a lot of availability, a lot of flexibility, good service; no complaints so far!

- Getting around

The cheapest way that I've used to get around is hitchhiking. Sometimes it has been completely free, sometimes I've paid for their food or some of the gas. Obviously there are safety issues and I wouldn't recommend it just anywhere in the world, especially if you're a girl and by yourself.

I've had only one shady experience. Some older German dude in New Zealand who complimented me and randomly mentioned how he had never received oral while driving. Not sure what kind of reply or reaction he hoped for but I just ignored it, stayed quiet and stared outside until we reached the destination; yes, super hot. In general if you use your common sense, are alert and flexible and are friendly but not naive, I think it's a fun way to get around. Especially when you're with someone else! A little safer is local public transport, which is still cheap depending where you are. I took a 3.5 hr bus ride last week in Belize and only paid $5. I also tend to find places to sleep where I can walk to from a bus/train terminal and avoid using a taxi to get anywhere.

- Places to stay

Most of the times I will book my first night(s) cause I hate going through the hassle when I just arrive. I book through Bookings & Hostelworld. When I travel by myself, dorm beds in hostels are the way to go. Sleeping with a bunch of stranger all around you isn't the most comfortable, and I am definitely sick of it after an extended stay, but it's often the cheapest place to stay. I remember $7 beds in Namibia and $15 beds in New Zealand, and the $20 capsules in Japan were awesome too. I've never brought my own tent any place overseas but camping is a fun (well, to some) and cheap option. In some parts of Asia (China, Thailand, Vietnam etc) it's often really cheap to get a decent hotel room so when you're with someone else that is worth it. An even cheaper (free!) alternative I've used multiple times is Couchsurfing. This website allows you to get in contact with locals who offer their spare couch or bed for you to sleep on, free of charge. It's truly amazing and I've met awesome people through it. In return you offer your couch or bed when you're home, or when you can't, to just walk people around and have drinks or something. It restores some of my faith in humanity.

- Eating & drinking

As the culinary Antichrist that I am, eating is a low priority to me and I spend as little on it as possible. This has resulted in multiple days relying on cup noodles, crackers, cookies etc. Local and street food are also cheap options that I've never had problems with. I save money on not drinking sodas or alcohol and not a lot of bottled water. I bring my own bottle with me everywhere that I fill up with (tap) water. Party, right? 
I feel like a lot of tourists are too cautious of hygiene issues when it comes to local street food and tap water and in so spend unnecessary amounts of money on 'good' food & drinks. If it's good enough for the locals, it's good enough for you. I probably should've been dead by now if you'd look at the shit I eat and drink but I'm not yeha.

- Things to do & stuff to buy

My favorite thing to do when I travel is to just walk around, observe people and get lost. This cost zero money. Organized activities are usually pretty expensive, and some countries run on stuff like that and make it hard to do things by yourself. Just as with the at home edition, the local Groupon site might have cool discounted activities. Couchsurfing also often has free or cheap activities you can join. I am a little bit more lenient when it comes to buying stuff when I'm travelling. Obviously I can't bring big things home and I've long stopped buying touristy souvenir shit. Also, I'm super bad at haggling and trading. I once got 'tricked' into giving this dude a kiss for some statuette in Zambia. I wish I had started a prostitution career a little more glamorous but ala. Now, I like to buy things that are practical so I can think about my trip anytime I wear or use it.

Yesterdays and today' s TL;DR: I don't spend much at home: no house, no car, don't go out, don't drink, don't smoke/do drugs, try to not buy shit I don't need. I don't spend much when travelling: cheap or award tickets, hitchhiking, public transport, walking, dorm beds, couchsurfing, cup noodles, no souvenirs.