Abhishek Kumar - Travel: The Ultimate Budget Travel Guide for Students to make Every Destination a Wild Lifetime Adventure

TRAVEL:

THE ULTIMATE BUDGET TRAVEL GUIDE FOR STUDENTS TO MAKE EVERY DESTINATION A WILD LIFETIME ADVENTURE FOR UNDER $30 A DAY

Text Copyright Abhishek Kumar 2017

All Rights Reserved

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

The information in this book is intended to provide useful information on the topics mentioned. Great care has been taken to ensure that the details in this book are accurate and up to date. However, the author does not assume responsibility for any incorrect information that may be in this book. This includes information that is out of date.

Introduction

O nce I start making the big bucks, Im going to travel the world and live it big! This is what my friend Jose told me as we were finishing up our calculus homework one evening in an Atlanta dorm. We were in our first year in college and very excited about the opportunities that existed within the campus for education and fun. There was a slew of social student organizations, fraternities, sports clubs, housing authorities and academic clubs to keep one busy during the four to six years of undergraduate life. However, I noticed that not many students took full advantage of global opportunities afforded to them during college; the reasons for this involved fear of estimated travel costs and time.

For generations, the concept of travel has been linked with the idea of the overworked getting away for a while. After working hard day after day, the poor soul finally takes a trip to Hawaii for a weekend of blue water beaches and beautiful sunsets. Or we think of the happy retired couple taking a month-long adventure to India. The hotel industry, airline industry and other aspects of the hospitality industry have been built around the need for people to relax after work or after retirement. Enjoying the sights and sounds is more important than saving money. Instant gratification assumes greater significance than the need for a long-term plan of travel. A $1000 weekend getaway to San Francisco or a $10,000 month-long trip to China is all worth it. After all, this is what money is saved for, right?

Modern day travel has another dimension, especially for students. These are students looking to get more global exposure by working or studying abroad. These are also people who have a gap year after college or between jobs. Month-long and yearlong vacations are becoming more common. From my personal experience, it is very important to travel around the world early in your life. It gives you a global perspective on life and a global perspective on your field of work, and it offers you a wider array of experiences and a better idea of what you want to do after graduation. Having lived in four continents and traveled to 27 different countries, I realized that not only is travel important but it is very possible for every single person to afford. Traveling as a student is especially important as it opens your mind to different global perspectives at an early stage in your career when you have more choices. It also leads to greater inter-cultural understanding, which is a trait many employers value in the modern workplace. Keeping costs of travel low is extremely important for students and for those who are on long-term travel, away from their jobs.

Congratulations for downloading this booklet! I have made every effort to summarize as much information in as little space as possible. I believe in the importance of concise information; I dont want to bore you and cause you to drop this guide before you have reached the end. The information I have for you is most beneficial for novice travelers, but I expect everyone to get significant value from this booklet. You can use it as a reference long after you read it.

This booklet is full of tips and tricks on how to save money while traveling. I used these same tips as I traveled throughout Europe, South America, Asia and North America. This information is not only for studentsanyone interested in long-term budget travel will benefit from reading this booklet. Being from a culture that values thrift, I have taken great pride in ensuring that I can always find the best value for money. I hope to encourage more travel and more inter-cultural understanding, making this world a much smaller place to live in.

The Benefits of Travel

I ts hard to describe the benefits of long-term travel if you have never embarked on such an adventure. Travel definitely changes you as a person, but its not a noticeable change, like the change you experience after going through a workout program for three months. The change in you is seen in how you deal with situations around you. Lets look at a few situations and examine how two different people responded to them. Student A has just graduated. During his college experience, he completed one study-abroad program, one work-abroad program and he also traveled to another country for vacation. Then look at Student B: He has also just graduated, but he has never left his home country.

1. Situation : Both students get a job in a company. A couple of new coworkers join the company who are of a different ethnicity. They are not fluent in English and struggle to communicate.

Student A thinks : Theyre probably from another country where English is not spoken, and are trying to learn the language. From personal experience of living in a foreign culture, I know that it is a difficult transition and can take up to 6 months to be fluent in the local language.

Student B thinks : Why cant they learn how to speak English properly before they get here? I hope I dont have to work with these guys. It seems like too much of a pain to communicate with them.

Result : Student A will obviously get along with the co-workers and be more productive with them. He has an additional resource for help in these coworkers when he needs them. He can learn about things from their perspective, which makes him a more rounded person. Student B will struggle to get along with the co-workers and could have altercations with them in the long run.

1. Situation : Both students relocated to a different part of the country for a new assignment, where the landscape, weather and culture are different.

Student A thinks : There will be a period of adjustment when I move there, after which I will get used to it. I will like some things there and hate some things there. I think the move is overall beneficial, and it is a good one.