How to Travel in Morocco on a Budget

Published by Johnny Ward on May 08, 2013

Morocco has long been one of the world’s best-kept traveler secrets. Located as conveniently as it is to Europe, it is easy to reach by flight or ferry, but as soon as you arrive you’ll realize that you’re in a totally new world. Morocco’s unique blend of African and Middle Eastern culture, with a little bit of French and Spanish flair thrown in, makes for a magical experience. Historical sites in ancient cities full of rich traditions, amazing natural parks in the desert, coastline, and mountains, and endless shopping opportunities for traditional textiles, metalworks, jewelry, and more are some of the factors that conspire to make it such a great destination. What’s even better is how inexpensive it can be to experience the country. Budget lodging, street food, and local transportation are all very inexpensive throughout the country. Entry to historical and cultural sites is universally low, and often lower if you have a student ID card (even if it’s expired, this is a nice thing to hold onto for some discounts).

Wandering through the bazaars of any Moroccan city is a somewhat magical trip, as they are so full of people and goods that are exotic and unfamiliar. In general, you’ll pay far less here for things than you would back home, so bringing home souvenirs and gifts is always a good plan. It’s best to approach the bartering process lightheartedly, and without a lot of attachment. If you see something you like, casually enquire about how much it and some other things cost, without giving too much of an indication of your interest. The first quoted price is likely to be twice as high (or sometimes more!) than what you can actually get the item for, so make a low counteroffer and you’ll gradually negotiate your way to a middle point. Don’t offer to pay a sum and then rescind it—if a shopkeeper agrees to a price you have quoted, it is disrespectful to try to force him lower. Unless that happens, though, you shouldn’t feel obligated to buy anything even if you spend time haggling. Start to move away and the shopkeeper may lower the price one last time, or you might find a similar item elsewhere in the market for cheaper. At the end of the day, it’s important that you get something you like and feel good about the price, not that you get the absolute lowest price possible.

Finding a small local tour operator, rather than a corporate, international one, can save you a lot of money and greatly enhance the experience. One such company is Marrocos, check out their website ’Travel Guide to Morocco‘, which a small company run by a Portuguese brother and sister that offer high quality multiday tours for small groups. Whether you hope to experience the ancient cities of Fez, Marrakech, Rabat and more, do a camel trek through the Sahara, or walk through the Saghro Mountains, you can find the perfect option for a group of four or so traveling together. The convenience and insider knowledge provided by a tour like this is invaluable.

Whatever you do in the country, you’re guaranteed to have a memorable experience. Morocco is a wonderful place to try new things on a budget. Have fun!

Tags: advice, budget, General African Stuff, middle east, Morocco, Tour, travel

5 Tips on How to Travel in Finland For Cheap

Published by Johnny Ward on May 17, 2012

If you’re used to South East Asia, or if you’re a fan of $30 a day backpacking budgets, Finland is gonna be a shock to the system, this place is pricey. But with the Northern Lights, Lapland, Santa Clause’s official house, husky and reindeer sledding and the arctic circle, it’s really got a lot to offer backpackers.

Alas, all is not lost when it comes to cash though, check out my tips on how to travel in Finland for cheap!

COMPANY:

Don’t come here alone folks. If you come alone, it’s gonna cost you a bomb, there’s no way around it. So if you don’t have at least one other person to travel to Finland with you, put it on the backburner – come back when you have a friend or two to join you.

Traveling with friends in Finland

ACCOMMODATION:

A dorm bed in a hostel costs around $30 per night, and there aren’t too many available. A budget hotel costs around $70 per room per night. So if there are 3 or 4 of you, you can crash in one room, easy.

Better yet, use couchsurfing. Finnish people are great, they’re really sociable and outgoing and not only will you save $30 a night by couchsurfing, you’ll get some real local experiences too.

FOOD:

There are two ways to eat for cheap in Finland. Eat kebab and pizza lunch time specials for $6 (Finland has a lot of immigrants, and it’s standard practice to have discounted lunch menus like that) or buy your groceries in a S Market branch, of which there are loads. Bread, ham and cheese will only cost you $3 or so.

TRANSPORT:

In Helsinki, I asked for a return ticket to Lapand on the train. It’s around 13 hours away, the lady behind the counter quoted me…. Wait for it…. 257 Euro ($340) each way, $680 return!! WTF?! For a return bus ticket, the fee is $300 return.

However, if you’re with 1, 2 or 3 friends renting a car is a much better option. For 5 days, a car will cost about $300 ($60 each) + petrol. Roadtripping is awesome, it gives you a lot of freedom and is much, much cheaper than the crazy public transport here.

BOOZE:

Lay off the beers, and try not to buy alcohol in bars, and certainly not in clubs! Bring hard liquor from whatever country you happen to be in before (Russia, Estonia etc), it’ll be 30% of the price that you’ll have to pay in Finland.

Ok guys, Finland is always gonna hit ur wallet hard but if you’re smart, you don’t have to break the bank entirely. You can squeeze buy on around $70 a day, if you’re really careful. Happy travels!

Tags: advice, cheap travel

Should You Bring a Laptop When You Travel?

Published by Johnny Ward on February 01, 2011

To laptop or not to laptop huh?! A tricky question indeed. This is an issue close to my heart, one that thought long and hard about before first hitting the road. Lets look at some of the pros and cons involved with bringing your laptop:

Some laptop time as I wait for a boat in Malawi!

CONS:

HASSLE -. Generally you have to carry it in your hand luggage to avoid some underpaid and overzealous local transport employee hurling your backpack and smashing your laptop into a million pieces.

WEIGHT – Laptops can be pretty hefty and are normally a couple of kgs additional weight to lug around with you

FEAR – For me this is the worst hassle. The constant mental task of trying to keep your laptop safe from theft and damage, it’s got to always be on your mind. Also, the fear of losing all your photos and videos for your epic trip is awful so make sure you keep backing up!

PROS:

ONLINE – With the prevalence of wifi in coffee shops, malls, airports and hostels growing every day – if you have your laptop you’re online in a heartbeat, and you avoid the often extortionate per minute fees some tourist hotspots love to charge

MOVIES – With movie piracy rampant around the world (SE Asia in particular) you can pick up the new releases for under $1 and what better way to avoid hitting the booze for yet another night than settling down with your mate for a bridget jones session The Godfather trilogy

PICTURES – With your own laptop you can edit and upload you pics the same day as taking them, no need to mess around with finding internet cafes to burn DVDs etc. Just find a power socket and way you go

BOREDOM – Believe it or not, traveling isn’t all bungee jumps and foreign beers and many evenings you’re left at a loose end. With your laptop though you’re rarely bored – you can blog, play games, read books – anything to keep your sanity so far from home!

So with that in mind I hope you’re further on in your decision whether to bring a laptop or not. I know a lot of people who wouldn’t dream of bringing a laptop on their travels, and they relish the lack of contact with their normal life. Equally, I know many people who wouldn’t consider leaving home without their beloved laptop. A common solution these days is a netbook– small, light, cheap (can find them for less than $300) although unfortunately I’m an apple convert so that’s not an option for me! I love having my laptop with me when I travel, all the cons still exisit, but personally I think the pros outweigh them. Happy decision making!