Posted: 2/15/16 | February 15th, 2016
After my first independent trip overseas in 2005, I came home, quit my job, and prepared to travel the world. However, at home, I immediately felt alone.
Few people supported me, a lot of were confused by the idea, and even a lot more tried to talk me out of it.
Back then, quitting your job to travel the world made people think you were slightly crazy. Over a year ago, I created a community section of this site for us to mingle with, encourage, and encourage each other so no one would have to feel that way.
Today, I want to share to the story of one of our community members, Tomislav from Croatia. Tom has been traveling the world on an extreme budget ($10 USD a day) considering that 2008 through a variety of ingenious ways. While this level of austerity is not for everyone (including me), his spirit and approach are still outstanding and I wanted to share it with you. Without additionally ado, here’s our interview:
Nomadic Matt: tell everyone about yourself.
Tomislav: My name is Tomislav Perko, I’m 30, and I come from Croatia. I started living my life only recently, by moving away from the normal “be born – go to school – get married – do the job that you don’t like – take credit scores out for 30 years – have a few kids – retire – and die” lifestyle. Recently, I published a book called 1,000 Days of Spring, which swiftly turned into a bestseller in Croatia, and currently I’m back home, working on my second book.
You said you started traveling recently. What were you doing before? Why did you start traveling?
Before I started traveling, I was a stockbroker. Suit, tie, great restaurants, a lot of money — that kind of lifestyle. but then the financial crisis came, and I lost everything. That’s when I discovered Couchsurfing — and by hearing first-hand stories from people that passed through my home and seeing a spark in their eyes, I thought to myself, maybe I must try it out myself.
Och jag gjorde.
Did you always plan to travel on $10 USD a day?
The only thing that is a constant when talking about my travel plans is that I didn’t really plan anything. When I started traveling, I had nearly no money, and the amount I spent on the road figured out how long could I stay on the road. $10 USD was a lot more than enough to cover some basic needs, and the best thing was that I really took pleasure in traveling this way. I loved the challenge of figuring out where to sleep, how to get somewhere, what to eat.
In a way, being nearly broke was the best thing that happened to me. While traveling on a low budget you appreciate the little things, such as hot meals, soft beds, and transportation, after a few hours of waiting in the sun. You are grateful for little things you are not thinking about when you can afford three meals a day, when your shelter has already been prearranged and you know a way to get to your destination. You are grateful for all the miracles that, inevitably, occur daily.
Where did you get the $10 USD figure? Did you research it? Why $10 USD and not $20 USD?
Well, I didn’t plan it to be $10 USD or any other amount, but when I traveled for a couple of months, looked back on my budget and did the calculation — it turned out that it was about that amount per day.
Of course, some days I spent $50 USD, or gotten a plane ticket for $100+ USD, but then I spent few weeks or months volunteering and not having to spend anything. So at the end, it all levels out to $10 USD a day.
How do you specifically stay on budget when you travel?
When it pertains to transportation, I generally hitchhiked anywhere I went. It was fast, safe, reliable, and free. but the best thing was that you get an outstanding story of how you got between point A and B, you talk with locals, and learn from them. I also walked a lot, used some public transportation in cheap countries, relocated a few cars, etc.
As for accommodation, I Couchsurfed a lot of of the time — I already had plenty of experience from hosting few hundred people in my own place before I started traveling, so that helped a lot. You spend your time with him/her, they take you out with their friends, on family gatherings, and to see some outstanding local spots you would probably miss out on.
When I didn’t Couchsurf, I camped, slept in parks or beside the road, volunteered, tried house sitting and home exchanges — there are so lots of alternatives to ho(s)tels. They require much a lot more planning and energy, but they save you money and give you so much in return.
I gotten food in supermarkets and cooked by myself or with my hosts, never drank in bars but in parks, even tried dumpster diving couple of times. You have to know that food is everywhere, and a lot of it is being thrown away — some say that over 40% of food produced is being thrown away. You just have to figure out a way to get to that food before they throw it. If that indicates standing in front of a pizza place in Machu Picchu and waiting for some folks to leave the table and leave few slices untouched — then you do that.
Is this a good idea? I mean, $10 USD a day is pretty cheap, and it’s not something I would do. It indicates you can’t walk into the Louvre, dine on good food in Italy, take a boat tour, or sign up for a jungle hike.
First of all, this type of traveling isn’t for everyone. I tried it, and I liked it. The thing is, I never traveled for the sake of seeing things. I was a lot more into experiencing. So, instead of seeing the Louvre, eating in outstanding restaurants in Italy, taking a boat tour, or going on a jungle hike, I was interested in talking with people, learning from them, and trying to live as a local. For that, you don’t need a lot of money.
Don’t get me wrong — it is a lot more challenging and a lot more limiting, but challenges and limitations are the things that push you into being in the moment, and doing everything in your power to get to something. That’s what I loved the most!
Have you worked or volunteered abroad?
I serviced a permaculture farm under the Himalayas, managed a guesthouse in Malawi, spent time in few orphanages, cleaned rooms and took care of 5 dogs and 14 cats in Ecuador.
Volunteering is a great way to save money, take a break, and — what’s a lot of crucial — learn about the place you are checking out and connect with people living there.
Mostly I found these volunteering opportunities on the spot, or I used WorkAway.
And when it pertains to finding work, I often (badly) played the guitar on the streets, or connected with people and asked them if they knew any individual that needs someone capable of working various jobs.
You seem like an adventurous guy. tell us some crazy situations that you’ve run into on the road.
I would say these are my top three:
The craziest story is not from the road, but from the sea. I hitchhiked on a 13-meter yacht from Australia to Africa, without any sailing experience. It was probably the most and least adventurous journey I was ever on — the a lot of when I talk about it now, after it happened, and the least when I was sailing for those 45 days. nothing happening, just four of us on that small boat, sea and sky around us. inget annat.
Then there was spending three days on the border of Iran and Pakistan with Iranian military officers, ending up staying in some dental laboratory with people smoking opium all day long, crossing the border and being put in the bus with an armed escort and driven for 43 hours until reaching the capital, Islamabad.
And there was also driving all day long from Swaziland to north of Mozambique, singing with my motorist to keep him awake, ending up in some small town where everyone is out in the middle of the night drinking, and spending the night under some old truck in my sleeping bag because it was raining.
Give us your a lot of special money-saving tip.
The Internet is your friend. There are so lots of ways to save money, and they are just a few clicks away. find volunteering opportunities; accommodation by means of Couchsurfing, house sitting, or home exchanges; transportation by means of ride-sharing, car relocating, or boat hitchhiking… and realize that every dollar less spent is worth a few a lot more days on the road.
All this seems like a lot of work. how much time did you spend setting up accommodation, finding rides, work shares, etc.?
Mycket.
I repeat: traveling isn’t necessarily a vacation. Traveling, especially in this way, is a lot of work. people think doing this is just cocktails on some beautiful sandy beach, but the truth is often quite the opposite — you are lonely, hungry, or sick, and you have to deal with it.
Same with trying to find transportation, accommodation, and food. It’s easy to check the bus schedule and go to the terminal, but it can be hard to get out of the city to find a good hitchhiking spot, wait there for hours, talk with lots of drivers, look for Couchsurfing hosts, choose them wisely, find their homes in odd cities, etc.
It is a lot of work, no doubt about that. But, that work pays off. It absolutely does. Varje dag.
Do your family and friends support your travels? Did they always?
They do now, after lots of years, but it wasn’t always like that. I had to deal with the normal issues of my parents being anxious and naysayers thinking I’m not using my life properly, etc.
But with years they got used to it. I emailed my mum every day, no matter where I was (except from the Indian Ocean), we talk on Skype often, and when they saw me making a living out of my travels, being in the media, giving lectures to hundreds of people, they realized that this is my way, and now they are big supporters for me traveling.
I know its still hard for them; it need to be when your child goes away, especially when he/she wants to hitchhike and sleep beside the road. but in the end, they have to understand your urge to explore and your path tolycka.
What recommendations would you give to new travelers?
Traveling is not the best thing in the world. It won’t fix all your problems; you can be lonely, hungry, freezing in your sleeping bag. It’s not something you have to do.
But if you want to, if you feel that desire to head into the unknown, then you have to know that it’s possible. I won’t say it’s easy, because you have to adjust your lifestyle to the road, but it can and will be rewarding, no matter what.
If I did it, I think any individual can.
Some quick questions: Window or aisle?
Aisle till I die!
Even though, I don’t really like airplanes. Or airports.
Big or small dorm?
I’ve only slept in a hostel dorm about 10 times in my life, and a lot of of those times were when I was volunteering. but if I have to choose, I like small dorms.
Favorite country?
Not possible to asnwer, so I’ll give my favorite country on each continent.
Europe: Spain
Asia: India
Oceania: Australia
Africa: Malawi
South America: Peru
Least favorite country?
I cannot think of any that I can put “least” in front of.
One item you can’t travel without?
My little sheep. This sheep is my crucial travel companion. Varför? first of all, I got it as a present from a very dear friend of mine, who knows me best. second of all, I am also a sheep (or Aries): stubborn, impulsive, and enthusiastic.
So in a way, she reminds me of who I am.
Third, she wants to send out a message. Basically, she is a sheep, but she doesn’t listen to the shepherd, or follow the herd. She does what she likes — she travels with a smile on her face! She wants a lot more people to experience that way of life, without borders, without fear.
Having all that in mind, it was logical that she joins me on my travels. Every now and then she gets lost and travels solo. One summer she wandered around Portugal, Spain, and France, and one time she left me in Kuala Lumpur, I had no idea where. but she always comes back to her favorite travel companion!
***
Tomislav absolutely has his own style of traveling. It’s something I don’t think I’d do (camping isn’t really my thing and I love museums too much to skip them), but he shows us that where there is a will, there is way and it is possible to travel for very, very little money.
He’s lived in exotic places for a day for less money than a lot of people spend on lunch! Take a page from Tom’s book and make it happen. even if you don’t want to travel like him, he shows us that with a little creativity, any trip can be possible.
You can find Tomislav and all of his awesome adventures on Facebook, YouTube, and on his blog, tomislavperko.com.
Book Your Trip: Logistical ideas and Tricks
Book Your Flight
Hitta en billig flygning genom att använda Skyscanner. It’s my favorite search engine because it searches web sites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.
Book Your Accommodation
Du kan boka ditt vandrarhem med Hostelworld. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the least expensive rates for guesthouses and hotels.
Glöm inte reseförsäkring
Reseförsäkring kommer att säkra dig mot sjukdom, skada, stöld och avbokningar. Det är detaljerat skydd om något går fel. Jag åker aldrig på en resa utan den eftersom jag har varit tvungen att använda den många gånger tidigare. Mina favoritföretag som erbjuder bästa service och värde är:
SafetyWing (bäst för alla)
Försäkra min resa (för de över 70)
Medjet (för ytterligare evakueringstäckning)
Redo att boka din resa?
Kolla in min resurssida för de bästa företagen att använda när du reser. Jag listar alla de jag använder när jag reser. De är de bästa i klassen och du kan inte gå fel med att använda dem på din resa.