Our website participates in various affiliate programs, which means we may earn a commission through links to products or services, at no additional cost to you. We strive to only recommend products or services we believe in, but please note that we are not responsible for any actions or purchases made through these affiliate links. For more information, please read our affiliates disclaimer.
Hi there! My name is Skye, and I had always dreamed of traveling the world, but I thought I needed a lot of money, or a really high income to do so. I was sick of my monotonous life and craved something vastly different, so I decided to take a leap of faith and start traveling full-time, while trying to stick to a budget of just $1,000 a month.
In this article, I’ll share where I’ve been in the past few months, and how much I’ve spent on each leg of my trip! While budget travel may initially seem limiting, with an open mind, you’ll be able to experience more than you could’ve ever imagined, and meet lifelong friends along the way.
At first, I had no idea where to start, but with the help of a friend (thank you, Mary!), I discovered that volunteer programs such as Worldpackers (get $10 off your subscription here), Workaway, and Homestay offered the perfect opportunity to explore new places while working for a few hours a day in exchange for free food and accommodation.
I started my journey by traveling from Crete, Greece (where I was living at the time) to northern Italy, where I volunteered for a month and a half at a yoga and meditation retreat center in the region of Piedmont. My responsibilities included changing sheets, vacuuming rooms and dishwashing. Although it isn’t glorious work, it allowed me to explore the beautiful mountains of northern Italy and indulge in the local culture and cuisine. During my free time, I hitchhiked (I know…but I promise, it’s safe!) to nearby towns and took in the immense beauty of the region.
The most beautiful part of this experience was the people. I am eternally grateful to those I met while in the tiny town of Pratolungo, Italy. This experience made me feel like I was truly on the right path. I felt as if I was following my soul’s calling of travel, building community, and human connection. I truly don’t have words to put this incredible experience in a simple blog post, but if I had to sum it all up, I would say…the Universe was screaming! Up to this point, from Crete to northern Italy, I had spent a total of about €540 for six weeks, including my plane ticket, and a few weekend trips to Turin, and Milan!
A SUMMER IN SICILY
While I was volunteering in northern Italy, I met the most incredible people. One of those people is my beautiful kiwi friend, Annelise. She asked what I was doing after the volunteer experience, and I had no plans. She didn’t have plans either, and we both decided we would head down to Sicily and try to find a job in a hostel. We booked a flight from Milan to Palermo for €60 and headed out.
Coincidentally, one of our friends from the retreat center we were working at had left a few weeks prior to us and was currently volunteering at a bed & breakfast in Sicily, which had available positions for more volunteers. Our wonderful friend, Sol, got us in contact with the owner, and within 12 hours, we were on our way to Catania. We spent about €275 during our time between volunteer opportunities.
Once we got to Catania, we worked as receptionists and housekeepers – our tasks included making beds, cleaning the bathrooms, and welcoming guests. Although Catania wasn’t my favorite city, Sicily as a whole is incredible and has some wonderful things to offer (most notably, Stromboli, an active volcano which Annelise and I hiked). A lot of Sicily’s activities are free, or low cost, which helped me stay below budget! Between exploring the ancient theatre of Taormina, swimming in the beautiful Ionian Sea, climbing Mount Etna, and sharing countless laughs with the other volunteers, this was a summer to remember. In total, during my month in Sicily, I spent about €585.
MY BIRTHDAY IN BERLIN
At this point, I had spent around €1,845 for 10 weeks, which put me about €600 under budget! I decided to travel around Europe a bit, without volunteering. From Catania, Annelise and I headed to Berlin to meet up with some friends and celebrate my birthday! We found plane tickets from Catania to Berlin for about €120.
Once in Berlin, we stayed at an affordable hostel, and spent about €200 on the hostel, clothes for Oktoberfest (more on that later), and food. We decided to go over budget, and to splurge on some matching tattoos (€80 each), and I decided to add a few more tattoos of my own. This set me back a few hundred euros, but I was prepared to dip into my “fun money” savings account.
It’s worth noting that although I stuck to a budget of around $1,000 a month, I did have a solid base of savings before I began traveling. I would highly encourage you to have at least a few thousands dollars saved, so in case of emergency, you can afford to do whatever you may need to do. I work remotely (part-time) while I’m on the road, and I wanted to give myself a budget of around $1,000 USD/month so I could continue to save money while I was on the go! If you’re living off your savings while you’re on the road (I’ve been there too!), I would recommend sticking to your monthly budget, so you don’t have to cut your trip short, just because you wanted to splurge.
SEPTEMBER SOLO TRAVELS
From Berlin, Annelise and I split up for a bit, and I did some solo traveling! I took a bus from Berlin to Prague for €30. Once in Prague, I stayed at a hostel, went to a classical music concert, did a free walking tour (don’t forget to tip your tour guide generously!) and walked around the city with some new friends I met at my hostel. In total, I only spent about €120 in Prague.
After Prague, I took a bus to Vienna, Austria, where I stayed in a hostel (are you sensing a theme?), visited some beautiful palaces, gardens, and art museums. I also decided to take a side trip to Bratislava, Slovakia! In total, I spent about €360 on this leg of my trip.
You’re probably wondering…Skye, aren’t you over your budget? In the short term, yes I was definitely over budget! However, when I volunteer, I typically do so for at least a month, allowing me to save money during that time, and then spending it once I’m back “on the road”, moving around from city to city. Although I was over budget, I wasn’t worried, because I knew I would end up volunteering in one place for a while, and have very minimal expenses.
PROST, OKTOBERFEST!
From Vienna, I took a train to Munich and met back up with Annelise to head to Oktoberfest! Because we’re budget travelers, we decided to stay at a dedicated campsite about 50 minutes from the Oktoberfest grounds, and we camped for the duration of our time there! We saved hundreds of euros by doing this, as hotel prices in Munich skyrocket around the time of Oktoberfest.
Our costs were minimal, as we were only there for a few days, and we don’t drink! We did, however, spend money on some other goodies and took part in the rides and attractions at Oktoberfest. We got food from the grocery store and were surprised to find food within the festival was actually reasonable. During my time at Oktoberfest, I spent about €130, including my train from Vienna.
SUNSETS IN SALZBURG
From Vienna, Annelise & I split the cost of a BlaBlaCar to Salzburg, Austria! In case you’ve never heard of BlaBlaCar, it’s a carpool app where you can join drivers on their trips! We paid €10 each for the ride.
Once in Salzburg, we enjoyed a mini Oktoberfest with some fellow kiwis, found my long lost brother on a bridge (pictured below), and hiked through the incredible mountains. We stayed at a low-cost hostel, and got groceries to save money. In total, we spent about €90 for a few nights in Salzburg.
BALLIN' IN BUDAPEST
While in Salzburg, we got in touch with a couple of our friends from our first volunteer experience, who told us they were going to be in Budapest. It just so happens that Annelise studied in Budapest, knows the city incredibly well, and I hadn’t been yet, so we booked our tickets!
We took a night bus from Salzburg to Budapest for €35, and slept for the entirety of the 8-hour drive. We got to Budapest well-rested, and didn’t have to pay for accommodation for the night! Once in Budapest, we met up with our friends Francesca and Artur, and began exploring! Budapest is relatively affordable compared to Western European cities, and we were able to get 5 day’s worth of groceries for €15!
We explored the city, and Annelise gave us the full city tour (including the Michael Jackson shrine)! In total, I spent about €180 for 5 days in Budapest, including food, accommodation, museum tickets, transportation, and a massage.
BACK ON BUDGET
At this point, I’ve spent €3,170 for 12weeks of travel, putting me just a bit over budget. Annelise & I split from our friends and make our way to Vienna, then take a flight for €80 to Tallinn.
Travel tip: Always check nearby airports for prices to your final destination – it’s not unlikely that it’s cheaper to take a bus/train, and then fly to your final destination! We saved €140 by taking a bus to Vienna, then flying to Tallinn!
Once in Tallinn, we get settled into the hostel we’re volunteering at, and meet all of the other volunteers. Depending on where you volunteer, there can be anywhere from one other volunteer to forty! In Tallinn, Estonia, the hostel we worked at had about 20 volunteers in total. This was definitely my least favorite volunteer experience as we all shared one giant room, and people aren’t always the most respectful of others in large dorms.
With that being said, we had a lot of flexibility with this position, and we scheduled our “working days” to be consecutive, meaning we would work 3 days in a row, then have 4 days off. We spent 6 weeks in Estonia, and took trips to nearby countries like Latvia, Lithuania, Finland and Sweden. In total, during our 6 weeks in Tallinn, I spent about €740, putting me back on (actually under) budget!
THE SWEET LIFE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
From Helsinki, I took a flight for €400 to Singapore! If you’re wondering how I find such cheap flights, check out this article where I go into depth on how to find the best flight deals. Once I was in Singapore, I was incredibly surprised at the affordability. Although Singapore is known to be one of the more expensive countries in South East Asia, I was able to eat meals for less than $3, and stroll around the small, dystopian looking country for free (the metro is also very affordable for when your legs get tired).
From Singapore, I met up with my friend Francesca, and we took a bus for $18 (USD, note that Singapore also uses dollars as their currency!) to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Once in Kuala Lumpur, we met up with Annelise and splurged on some delicious food, split a $15 taxi to go to the Batu Caves, and a massage. Francesca had a friend from Malaysia who generously drove us around and showed us the beautiful country! In total, in Singapore and Malaysia, I spent about $230.
TREATING MYSELF IN THAILAND
From Kuala Lumpur, we said goodbye to Annelise and made our way to Phuket, Thailand. I ended up spending a little over a month in Thailand, visiting Phuket, Phi Phi Islands, Koh Tao, Koh Samui, Chiang Mai, Pai, Pattaya, and Bangkok! Thailand is incredibly affordable, and I was able to afford massages twice a week, eating out for every meal (I also used this as an excuse to indulge in the local cuisine) and new clothes, jewelry, and even scuba diving trips by staying in both guesthouses and hostels.
A nice hotel in Thailand can range from $10-30, and you can stay in a hostel for as low as $2 a night. If you’re truly on a budget, you can make $250 a week go a very long way in Thailand.
In the end, my journey taught me that it’s possible to travel full-time on a budget, and that the most fulfilling experiences come from stepping outside of your comfort zone and trying new things. I discovered new cultures, met incredible people, and created unforgettable memories that will stay with me forever. And best of all, I did it all on a budget of just $1,000 a month.
NOT SURE HOW TO BUDGET FOR A TRIP?
If you’re not sure how to budget for your trip, I can help! Shoot me a message under my ‘Contact Me’ page, and I’ll be in touch.