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.

ואני עשיתי.

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. nothing else.

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.?
הרבה.

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. כל יום.

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 toאושר.

אילו המלצות היית נותן למטיילים חדשים?
טיולים זה לא הדבר הטוב ביותר בעולם. זה לא יתקן את כל הבעיות שלך; אתה יכול להיות בודד, רעב, קופא בשק השינה שלך. זה לא משהו שאתה צריך לעשות.

אבל אם אתה רוצה, אם אתה מרגיש את הרצון הזה להיכנס אל הלא נודע, אתה צריך לדעת שזה אפשרי. אני לא אומר שזה קל, כי אתה צריך להתאים את אורח החיים שלך לדרך, אבל זה יכול להיות מתגמל, לא משנה מה.

אם עשיתי את זה, אני חושב שכל אדם יכול.

כמה שאלות מהירות: חלון או מעבר?

מעבר עד שאמות!

למרות שאני לא ממש אוהב מטוסים. או שדות תעופה.

מעונות גדולים או קטנים?

ישנתי רק במעונות אכסניה בערך 10 פעמים בחיי, והרבה מהזמנים האלה היו כשהתנדבתי. אבל אם אני צריך לבחור, אני אוהב מעונות קטנות.

מדינה אהובה?

לא ניתן לאסנוור, אז אני אתן את המדינה האהובה עלי בכל יבשת.

אירופה: ספרד

אסיה: הודו

אוקיאניה: אוסטרליה

אפריקה: מלאווי

דרום אמריקה: פרו

מדינה הכי פחות אהובה?

אני לא יכול לחשוב על אף אחד שאוכל לשים “הכי פחות” לפני.

פריט אחד שאתה לא יכול לנסוע בלעדיו?
הכבשה הקטנה שלי. הכבשה הזו היא בן זוגי הנסיעות המכריע שלי. למה? ראשית, קיבלתי את זה במתנה מחבר יקר מאוד שלי, שמכיר אותי הכי טוב. שנית, אני גם כבשה (או טלה): עקשן, אימפולסיבי ונלהב.

אז במובן מסוים, היא מזכירה לי את מי שאני.

שלישית, היא רוצה לשלוח הודעה. בעיקרון, היא כבשה, אבל היא לא מקשיבה לרועה, או עוקבת אחר העדר. היא עושה את מה שהיא אוהבת – היא נוסעת עם חיוך על פניה! היא רוצה שהרבה יותר אנשים יחוו את אורח החיים הזה, ללא גבולות, ללא פחד.

עם זאת, כל זה בחשבון, זה היה הגיוני שהיא מצטרפת אלי למסעות שלי. מדי פעם היא הולכת לאיבוד ונוסעת סולו. קיץ אחד היא הסתובבה סביב פורטוגל, ספרד וצרפת, ובפעם אחת היא עזבה אותי בקואלה לומפור, לא היה לי מושג איפה. אבל היא תמיד חוזרת לחברתה המועדפת על נסיעות!

***
לטומיסלב יש סגנון נסיעה משלו. זה משהו שאני לא חושב שאעשה (קמפינג זה לא באמת הקטע שלי ואני אוהב מוזיאונים יותר מדי כדי לדלג עליהם), אבל הוא מראה לנו שבמקום שיש צוואה, יש דרך ואפשר לטייל עבור מעט מאוד כסף.

הוא גר במקומות אקזוטיים ליום פחות כסף מאשר הרבה אנשים מבלים בארוחת הצהריים! קח דף מהספר של טום וגרם לזה לקרות. גם אם אינך רוצה לטייל כמוהו, הוא מראה לנו שעם מעט יצירתיות, כל טיול יכול להיות אפשרי.

תוכלו למצוא את טומיסלב וכל הרפתקאותיו המדהימות בפייסבוק, ביוטיוב ובבלוג שלו, Tomislavperko.com.

הזמן את הטיול שלך: רעיונות וטריקים לוגיסטיים
הזמן את הטיסה שלך
מצא טיסה זולה באמצעות SkyScanner. זה מנוע החיפוש האהוב עלי מכיוון שהוא מחפש אתרי אינטרנט וחברות תעופה ברחבי העולם, כך שתמיד לא תדע שאף לא נותרה פונה.

הזמן את הלינה שלך
אתה יכול להזמין את ההוסטל שלך עם OstelWorld. אם אתה רוצה להישאר במקום אחר מלבד אכסניה, השתמש ב- Booking.com מכיוון שהם מחזירים בעקביות את התעריפים הפחות יקרים לבתי הארחה ומלונות.

אל תשכח ביטוח נסיעות
ביטוח נסיעות יבטיח אותך מפני מחלה, פציעה, גניבה וביטולים. זו הגנה מפורטת למקרה שמשהו ישתבש. אני אף פעם לא יוצא לטיול בלעדיו כיוון שהייתי צריך להשתמש בו הרבה פעמים בעבר. החברות האהובות עלי שמציעות את השירות והערך הטוב ביותר הן:

SafetyWing (הכי טוב לכולם)

להבטיח את הטיול שלי (לאלה מעל גיל 70)

מדג’ט (לכיסוי פינוי נוסף)

מוכנים להזמין את הטיול שלך?
עיין בדף המשאבים שלי לקבלת החברות הטובות ביותר להשתמש בו כשאתה נוסע. אני מפרט את כל אלה שאני משתמש כשאני נוסע. הם הטובים ביותר בכיתה ואתה לא יכול להשתבש להשתמש בהם בטיול שלך.