Truly Offbeat Budget Travel Tips

By Sasha A. Rae

It’s the new year and you want to get your travel on, only your wallet isn’t working for you. You’re scrimping and saving, even though you’re unsure about where or even how you can travel during your vacation. It’s time to veer off the traditional travel trails and into a more localized experience – even if you journey to a destination far from home.

There are tons of ways to save money and experience a new culture –sometimes for free – by exploring the local terrain, be it an urban, bucolic, or rugged outdoors location. And the best way to find out where the real deals are is to ask the locals – they know where the good (and cheap) stuff is.

Here are some local digs that offer sweet information about where to stay and what to do while you’re there.

Hostels: Not just a place to crash. The front desk at any hostel offers a plethora of local information, from where to find the best pubs to where to check out local dance performances. For instance, a whirl through San Francisco found me hanging at the San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf hostel in Fort Mason right near Golden Gate Park. Not only did the front desk hand me a detailed map off all of the local public transportation routes, but they also told me where the nearest parks, cafes, and libraries were. In fact, they gave me enough information to occupy me for days and for a relatively small amount of money. Plus, hostel staff members are usually very friendly and informative. Just ask them about what you’re looking for and they’ll tell you. Don’t forget to check the bulletin boards for local events.

Yahoo Groups: A virtual hangout spot teeming with people who know about your destination. With a regional directory of groups, you can surf on through here and find out what’s happening in different spots around the world. Want to know about things to do in Botswana or how to find romance in Germany? There’s a group for it somewhere in there.  Join up and start asking questions.

Local papers: Not the big city kind; the ultra-local neighborhood papers will serve you better here. The last time I hit a big American city and needed the low down on what to do, I grabbed a few papers from the stands on the streets. The hyper-local ones provide the best details on local restaurants, museums, and parks. As an added bonus, you get a feel for what the place is like and how much time you want to spend there.

Local libraries: More than a research facilities or places to pick up the latest fiction for free, these are information powerhouses on the local front. In fact, a few years ago, I rolled on out to Bali and kicked it in Ubud for a few weeks. While I was there, I was getting too frustrated with my inability to speak Indonesian. I …