Lessons

Lesson Info

Saving Money at Any Destination

So we there was a lot to talk about in the last session we learned a awful lot about how airlines price tickets and you don't care about you on how we can fight back when we talked a little bit about accommodation you know there's so much to talk about there's so much to go through you know can you ever get through it all way missed a couple of things about a combination but they were going to talk about in this session saving money at any destination I flowing we've got the cheap flight here now in your destination you got a great inexpensive place to stay what do you know how you avoid spending tons of money you know, getting that expensive tour or paying on food you know, transportation trained to get everything in between so this section we're going to break it down to your three big spend categories food because we all need to eat uh transportation because we all need to get somewhere in activities because we didn't come this far to do nothing ah ah and so I mentioned this yesterd...

ay sort of my philosophy on travel travel like locals live I how you live at home you know, you know travel like a local I guess but what we're traveling we kind of want to go do all this stuff right? We want to see these museums and yet these nice restaurants and you know, get between point a and point b and we end up spending a lot more money than necessary because we think to sort of the tourist infrastructure in the tourist infrastructure of buses and restaurants and activities tend to be a little bit more expensive than the locals because every knows tourists have money to spend because they've saved up to come so they're more expensive but if you travel like you live, you know eating what finding local restaurants we'll get we'll get into that you're taking public transportation, looking for free events, looking for local activities these are going to sort of get you off this is tourist trail into the the wave and the rhythm of everyday life and that's going to drop your crossed significantly you know, if you're here we are in services who eats out every male yeah no, not one hand. Miss reyes, do you ever feel like you're missing on the food scene in san francisco because you know when you know that every meal now you know, a couple times a week you find that restaurant same thing when when you go somewhere just because you skipped no one will brasserie in france in paris one night you know, and cook some sandwiches doesn't mean you're really missing out on like parisian food, you know, just because you've taken the local boston thinking a little longer than tourist bus it's probably even better because you get to interact with local so you don't travel like locals doesn't mean you miss out on anything it just means you actually get closer to the people you've come to see so the first part is saving money on third the book by bourdain yesterday I love this quote quite long do you really want to travel and hermetically seal pope mobiles through the rope province of france mexico and the pharmacies in the only in hard rock cafes tiles would you want to you with no fear tearing into local sue the humble talk careers mystery meat this is really offered different slightly grilled fish head I know I want I want to know I want to know everything at once I loved I think this is a great courses segway into it because so often times it's ready with food we get a little nervous about what we're eating and you travel is really about breaking out of your comfort zone we talked about this yesterday you know try new things getting into uh new experiences meeting locals and who is definitely a way to get out of your comfort zone for just such an integral part of every culture that skipping out on local meals because of money as a huge is missing on a huge part of the travel experience um because you're traveling is me you have to spend a lot of money on food I I stayed in the hospital, I'm budget travel, I'm a backpacker um some of you out there might not be some of you here might not be you might have a living long, luxurious style, but one thing that always is my biggest pet peeve about backpackers is that they I really can't afford so many capasa all day. Why don't you come home the way someplace that you've dreamed about? Never try local food because you have enough money and I would rather have a more awesome short trip, then a miserable longchamp I mean, you know, it's all about priorities and setting your own priorities, but it's also getting involved and the local culture and food is such an integral part of a place that I would rather go home two days early and have really tried great, great top us and, you know, spain than you stated, and someone said housing food span and I'd say no was making possible the whole time, but that doesn't mean you don't have to cook, as we said, you don't go out every day. Well, you don't have tio, you know, every day on the road either, you know you can cook for, you know, fifty, sixty dollars a week, sometimes you're just buying your basic necessities, you don't have to like coke complicated meal, but, you know if you're spending twenty bucks a day on food that's going to be way more expensive than just buying groceries the most hospitals, guesthouses and airbnb apartments have access to kitchen with pot spans and utensils. People always ask me that leg, you have to bring my own pots and parents, don't they even have olive oil and sometimes salt and pepper? You know what I'm saying at a hotel all oftentimes get, you know, pre made sandwiches there was ready to go meals from the supermarket and you know when you're cooking your own meal, you're going to the supermarket and that's what? You can really see local cuisine because you walk into a supermarket in germany, you're going to find a lot, I'll meet you, you're going to go find a place and it's gonna neighbor, you're going to find a lot of seafood, lots of herrings and they have this really weird cheese and caviar two cheese thing that they love never really answered that basically, but they love it, but if you're just going to restaurants, you would never like wonder across that on the island be like, what the heck is this thing? Because, you know, getting evenings like fight for your either way so they can grab a bunch of them, you go to the local markets, you see the fishmonger's you know, the iberian ham places in spain, you get the vegetable sellers, you can see local produce and, oh, what's this, we'll have this back at home, you miss that when you just go into restaurants day and day out and you're getting leg because, you know, vietnam and that's what you think it will it's all about getting pad thai in thailand or getting maybe a curry and some rice going into the local supermarkets really gives you an eye opening culture of what is available to those people and what they put importance on. And so yeah, cooking, you know, miss out, but then you came, like, grab some local cheeses and meats and really make some food would be like this is pretty good. I need another great benefit to couch surfing is that you could go with the local who could be like this is our local dish sort of like how I went in teo, denmark, and taught the mourners and mac and cheese and be lt isn't via my local dish got abilities lunch specials if I tend to eat out ten theo during lunch because you'll have set menus plates of the day it's just cheaper, you could get the same thing for dinner that you can for lunch, but half the price and local tourism boards the tourist office that you can go to hospitals or great for this and hotel staff to can also give you restaurants I have lunch specials when I was in barcelona up the tourism board was like yeah, if you really want you know some of the seafood go teo the street during launch and you'll get to play to the day much cheaper than you will get at the dinner and the same fish of course I would never have known that had I never asked so if you do really want to eat out you know during lunch because it's a lot cheaper um I mean, you know that just living right you always know like if you go for lunch is you're going to spend less time to go for dinner there is always more expensive dinner menu it's often time in the same food so lunch for lunch pete on the street who has been to southeast asia one, two, three, four do you know where selfie thing is outside paris? Yes, perfect. Uh well in southeast asia it's really popular too have seaford way have all these vendors line the street um and central america eating at the market stalls you know, anywhere the local people eat whether it's a small little vendors on the side of the road or market stalls is going to be way cheaper way more delicious andi also it could be a lot fresher too, because there's such high turnover on the food and we're going to talk about food safety that's always a question you know, I eat I love going to sweeten your you've been sweeping right? Well, you live there uh kind of explosives he does all the time, but I love the little hot dog family stalls are on the side of the road they have, like little thai place in the needle shops it's just like, well, stand yeah, way cheaper than going into her sit down restaurant uh, you know, they're not going to win in the michelin stars and, you know, being on tv but it's going to save you some money and you're going to get much more local experience because, you know, most people can't afford to eat every day, so they go to these places and, you know, I look for markets and she'd food that have lots of locals at that meeting at them because if they're there is good just like if you are past the restaurant in san francisco, it was like, wow, the place is full, I'm gonna check it out as opposed to welcome passing empty place to be like, and I think I'll skip it same same thing keep the tourist areas now I know this is how do you do this how do you do? You know where do you go? I never use a place in the guide book if I can ken for it maybe it's like the top rated restaurant in that city and it's everywhere so you can't help it but if it's generally listening guidebook orphans near a major attraction is probably going to be half as good and twice as expensive than anywhere else the locals going to eat and I'm from I live in new york I don't know one new york and was like hey let's go into times square today you know how many most italians you know probably like yeah let's go eat by that pizza place next to the coliseum is going to be amazing all right no we skip those places why? I mean simply going to have those piers here right? The famous ones what? Pure thirty nine? Yeah. What fisherman's warf right how would they feel the tourists? Uh yeah, yeah, I would never go there. Yeah, exactly if you want to recruit you see for you and probably go somewhere else and I also went to respond friends come in I have tried my best to stay away from that yeah, I'm never like we're going to go to times square or I grew up in boston like yeah let's go teo the super touristy uh bars and restaurants yeah, I mean it's not a bad thing to go to a place like that but don't pick yourself there don't doctor there yeah yeah sometimes hungry and I've been sightseeing all day and of course I want to end up getting a slice of pizza who are you know, sitting down in a restaurant near a tourist place because I'm lazy I don't want to wonder and I'm hungry and I'm hungry I'm cranky is better is it for your lifestyle but when you can't help it go away so my rule is, um I walk three blocks away it doesn't seem a lot, but he'd be surprised once you start walking three blocks orm or how quickly the tourists and the restaurants change because people like just stick together so you know if if the love is here I'm walking a couple of streets and then a couple of streets over and, you know, find the side streets, find the little alley um and just stay away from the tourist centers that it's going to get you better food but it's also going to drastically reduce your costs because food is way more expensive where all the tourists are because people know they're going to pay for it and you, uh this comes into asking the locals ask the locals were they not what you should eat right? Because rescue at your hotel guy or the uh, cab driver hey, we're show you were saying they're going to think, well, all the tourists go to this place so maybe you can eat there they would never eat there, so just changing the phrasing to where do you eat can change dramatically the answer you get and they're going to like what I like to go to this place and, well, now you have a local restaurant, and so I'm just like the place they think you should go because you're a tourist and then you know what? You know? Because they feel like they wouldn't need to direct you to, um, you know, the popular places could that's what you want, but if you really want each even eat loco, go ask, where do you eat now? Where should I change that? That phrasing and your hostiles again are a great place to ask where's a good place to eat because they're market are all people with, you know, small budget, so they're going to know where the markets are, where that great, you know, two places that's no great food at a bargain, that salmon shop that you know, that restaurant with a great lunch special, so even if you're not staying there, go in, just ask they'll help you out, um, eat the local food as a big one oh great we're in italy man I really can't wait to get you know chinese heard or let's go all the way to thailand and get pizza right or have a hamburger I know it's comfort food and maybe once in a while you want it but not to be that good it's going to be more expensive there are lots of pizza restaurants male but pizza is american it was invented in chicago so don't go to italy the pizza really well even the italian pizza meant in chicago well that pizza naples is really good I was phenomenal I feel much eight that's like three days um but you know, stick the local cuisine not the food the conference room you know, I was just recently in nicaragua and I you know, old dion guy open toe was his rice and beans uh so much rice and beans and meat and some plantains after a couple of weeks I was like, you know what going to that take place I'm going to get a burger and that's you know it's okay, tio I'm not saying it's not ok to do it once in a while I'm saying if you're on the budget and you really want to try the local food uh say money get the local skipped soda one your doctor will love you to it's a lot it's offic expensive um I had stuff snacking on this to, um we talked yesterday about those phantom expenses, so the gelato you get that will stack was really add up sick eating meals well and I think it's I've heard it's more healthier, but I'm no nutritionist, but I know it's a lot cheaper than constantly picking throughout the day well and also eating nails refill your local water refill your water vile uh not only good for the environment, great for your budget water costs a lot and you need to drink a lot of it during the day, phil from the tap on and a lot of countries where you can't feel from the tap they many hospitals this was true in nicaragua, they offered free water as well as if you had a refill, your water bottle just like really cheap play. So I carry sometimes a metal water bottle just like constantly re fill it up it's also great for the environment because you know, three bottles of plastic a day, so especially in a lot of developing countries where they don't have a recycling system that ends up on the side of the road borderland fell and you know you don't want to really contribute to that night yet the buffet I know we have a bad impression of the face here in america, but they're quite popular overseas and sweden they have those lunch time for phase that tons of locals go to there's a great vegetarian one in salt home called hermann's if you ever get a chance to go there heat there delicious singapore lots of a face you can fill yourself up with for a long time at once that price food safety tips let's talk about this but you're in a developing country wanted street food but you don't want to get sick. Who is every guy in sec? Uh, well, my story this goes back tio eat local food now we don't know I love sushi so I wasn't uh, costa rica I went and got to see in a time that was not by the water and I eat some sushi and I end up in the hospital for three days. Um be smart about what you eat um, you know, if you don't eat things that you have to be flown in from halfway around the world and aren't really local, such as raw fish um you can use a steri panty prayer firewater it's a little device in particular the u v device you put in your water kills all the germans back here this is great if you're, uh you know, I'm so far you're camping, you know, a lot going to be out into nature and not have a chance to, you know refill your water bottle look for places where women and children eat if it's or old people too if their evening at all these restaurants especially if they're street food or outdoor vendors, they're probably going to say because they have more sensitive immune systems digestive system, older kids and do you really want to feed your kids for you that's going to make him sick? I mean, I don't have kids, but I can imagine that dealing with cable three poisoning is not your ideal day uh so look for places with women and children because they're probably going to be a lot better and then also go when it's busy the food's gonna have a higher turnover rate if you look at read anthony bourdain's book about kitchen confidential and life inside restaurants he talks a lot above you know you don't want to get seafood on sunday's fish markets are closed right? They do turn over high on the weekends in the weekdays go when free was busy, not one has been sitting out. This is especially true of out door vendors and street cells so you don't have your free like sitting there all day if you go in it's busy it's constantly being turned over and less of a chance of folks getting in that germs et cetera, et cetera hand sanitizer is your friend um especially when you're eating you want to have clean hands or touching all sorts of stuff you don't know what you're touching who's been touching it great life tip use hand sanitizer be smart about what you're eating I eat no sushi in the jungle don't repeat my mistakes and I know a lot of people who bring their own like plastic silverware chopsticks so you know you know how is it being watched? Is it really being washed in clean water you have now? So if you're really really sensitive um bring your own now every person is different we all have different expectations I don't bring my own chopsticks I live by hand hand sanitizer on I definitely keep an eye out for all this other stuff we all have sensitive stomachs I have built up a stomach over the last few years of eating god knows what sometimes you know, I've been sick a number of times doesn't let that stop me I'm like four days what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger but yeah, food safety is really important especially if you're in developing countries and you don't know probably people are wondering about fresh produce I can not eat first producing countries were I don't really stressed the wire especially if it's cheap food entirely in the southeast asia they it's they have access to the you know the water system that tends to be pretty good probably, but industry for an india um we went on before you move on about this terrapin on dh just water filtration in general how long does the syrup in last is what we're getting here? And then is that the only solution you can get water purification tablets there are more chemical base they make your water tastes a little funny makes it it's perfectly fi it's just the chemicals at a little flavor and I don't like the flavoring I'd rather use this terry pen it last but a thousand times so you can last a long time. Andre, your question. I found it really challenging allies traveling tio cook for one, just one person, especially when I was gonna be on the move. So while I was staying in hostels and had access to a kitchen, I had to have food that could last for a six hour bus ride that would feed me without having to go to the grocery store every single time and each new place I went tio what sort of things would you do for that sort of movable food? Mobile food? Hasta is great. Uh, you know, a lot of dry goods ready to me making deals um some price well, you know, I mean can last keep apples, right fruits. I tried not to take things like eggs or dairy you're a lot of hostiles, they leave stuff, people leave stuff and you use a new least often, and they use it distinctive of things, a removable and then by the fresh stuff when I get there and like a really small quantity, so I'll take pasta with me, I'll take fruits and vegetables, I'll think I'll buy meat, but I'll use out for a sandwich and then I'll eat the sandwich, just my lunch and then, you know, bread, but you don't really want to be carrying a whole kitchen around, right? So a few bags of pasta, you ready to make meals and then I'll go, I'll go shopping, I'll get like one tomato and one, um pepper, and that would be it. I carry like small olive oil that's good, because you get into a lot of hospitals you like, but no oil, and you don't really want to buy a big one carry on. So I keep a small one oil based salad dressing, and I carried with me. Yeah, much help, because you can use that for your cooking. You can fry a chicken or meat that you have and use the olive oil they cal addressing is multi purpose coming in from guests five, seven, nine, seven two they're saying when you go to a restaurant, check out the bathroom before you eat, because it is, the bathroom looks nasty. War on earth. Is the kitchen gonna look like that's? Actually, quite good advice is, for days want to make money, he's, master of all, who suggested? Um, yeah, it's, great advice, I mean, in the bathrooms there. If the staff looks kind of, you know, haggard and journey starts, sanitation is not great when there is. I really like street food, because food doesn't stay in a restaurant. It's there, it's being held, you ever know it's, their street food, turning it over in twenty four hours a day. There's, no place for things to hiding and go because it's a little cart on the street. So I actually prefer your vendors and such two restaurants for that reason.