Grau - Backpacking My Style: how to see the world on budget

Backpacking My Style

Copyright 2018 Cristina Grau

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher.

Published by Amber Horn

an imprint of BHC Press

Library of Congress Control Number:

2017964746

Print edition ISBN:

978-1-947727-24-3

Visit the publisher at:

www.bhcpress.com

For Hailey

My beautiful granddaughter

My summer travel companion

My little nomad in training

For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go.

I travel for travels sake. The great affair is to move.

- Robert Louis Stevenson

Travels with a Donkey in the Cvennes

After publishing Fulfill Your Dreams , many people have asked me how I can extensively travel all over the world for so many years; I responded that, while I dont have much money, you dont really need much to travel.

I decided to keep track of all my expenses for a year, so you can see how much I spend and on what.

Hopefully, this will demonstrate that you dont need that much to pursue your traveling dreams.

Before I begin, let me explain that I am not your typical backpacker. I have met many backpackers that spend much less than me. I have met many travelers that spend much more than me.

This is just my style.

At the end of each chapter, I will detail the expenses for each location Ive traveled, and at the end of this book, I will reveal the grand total, whatever that might be.

As I explained in Fulfill Your Dreams , the reason I can travel without many expenses is that I house-sit and use HelpX and Workaway.

For house-sitting, I use

HouseCarers ( www.housecarers.com ) and

TrustedHousesitters ( www.trustedhousesitters.com )

Both sites are excellent, and they work the same way. You pay an annual fee, and then input your pro file and a picture on their web page. You select the countries you wish to visit and then wait for the site to send you an email with your list of chosen countries; or you can go into the list of the people looking for house-sitters and contact them. If you find something you like, you send an email to them via their sites email system for house-sitting approval. You can change and update your profile at any time. They also have a calendar that lets you input your availability.

There are many house-sitting opportunities in Anglo countries or European countries for Anglo people but few opportunities elsewhere. However, I wanted to visit other countries where house-sitting isnt a common occurrence, so I signed with HelpX (www.helpx.net) and Workaway (www.workaway.info). Once again, you pay a small fee and input your profile and picture and contact the places you want to go in your desired country. There are many different work opportunities all over the worldjust about anything you can think of.

Whether you are doing house-sitting, HelpX, or Workaway, you will meet great people, see beautiful places, and experience a vast array of cultural lifestyles and foods.

By traveling this way, I am able to travel for years without breaking the bank. And by staying with families, I learn about their countrys culture and traditions.

Its a win-win situation.

As you will see, I dont have as many expenses as I would if traveling as a tourist, which sometimes I do.

Well see

I arrived in Morocco on a Sunday afternoon in early November. The sun was shining, and it felt like summer.

I came from Spain by bus because I wanted to see the countryside, and then decided to cross the canal by ferry ($75.34), which proved to be the right choice. The 1-1/2 hour crossing was beautiful, with stunning views of both continents.

Due to the choppy waters, I did not sit much on the ferry. I know some people complain when boats rock, but the rocking would have put me to sleep like a baby. I did not take the ferry to sleep and miss the sights. So, I walked as if I was drunk, going from one side of the ferry to the other. And yes, I was having fun; a few times I even went wee as I slid all over the ship.

As I walked, I spoke to some of the people onboard. Most were men, as the few women onboard sat and remained in another part of the ship.

I was the only non-Moroccan person on the bus and ferry, and I was amazed at the friendliness of the Moroccan people. Everyone who had been to Morocco had told me how nice its people were, but you dont realize how genuinely nice they are until you meet them.

Morocco is situated in the north of Africa just across from Gibraltar. It has a western coast on the North Atlantic Ocean and a northern coast on the Mediterranean Sea. Beautiful beaches run along each coast.

There are many souks (markets), beautiful mosques, white-washed seaside towns, and medieval city centers all with vibrant colors and appetizing aromas that dance in the air to the sound of Islamic music.

Morocco is a mixture of Berber, Arabian, and European cultures, and as such, they speak Moroccan, Berber, and French. Spanish is even spoken in the northern sections of the country.

Morocco had been under Portuguese, Spanish and French governments until its independence in 1956.

My host, his wife, and an assistant picked me up at the bus station. We stopped for coffee at a very nice beachside caf before proceeding to the apartment where I would be staying.

The apartment was located in a new community of block buildings in a working-class neighborhood that looked like the projects.

On Monday morning, I went for a little walk around the neighborhood as I waited for my host to arrive with another volunteer. As I walked, everybody said hello, smiled, and spoke to me. Many men came to shake my hand and welcome me into their town.

I am still amazed at their friendliness; I had never felt so welcome in a place.

I was volunteering at Jeune Habile, a private language school that taught English as a second language. They also taught Spanish, German, and French. Of course, everybody there was very welcoming and friendly, too.

A very nice volunteer from New Zealand arrived the day after me and became my roommate for my two-week stay.

The first day, our host and his wife took us for lunch at a typical tagine restaurant, and it was delicious. We had salads, lamb tagine, chicken tagine, grilled meats and insides (yuck), halloumi, and bread. Then we went to the medina, the amazing market in the center of town that provides anything and everything you could possibly want. As we walked through the market, the vendors gave us free samples of sweets and fruits, and then we stopped because we couldnt eat one more thing. However, being with Moroccans means that you will eat more, whether you want it or not, so we went to a tea house for some tea and more cookies. Obviously, we did not have dinner that night. How could we?