Sendt: 14/15/16 | 15. februar 2016
Efter min første uafhængige rejse til udlandet i 2005 kom jeg hjem, afsluttede mit job og var forberedt på at rejse verden rundt. Dog hjemme følte jeg mig straks alene.
Få mennesker støttede mig, en masse var forvirrede af ideen, og endda meget mere forsøgte at tale mig ud af den.
Dengang fik det at holde op med dit job for at rejse verden verden til at tro, at du var lidt skør. For over et år siden oprettede jeg et samfundsafsnit på dette sted for os at blande mig med, opmuntre og opmuntre hinanden, så ingen skulle føle sig sådan.
I dag vil jeg dele med historien om et af vores medlemmer af samfundet, Tomislav fra Kroatien. Tom har rejst verden på et ekstremt budget ($ 10 USD om dagen) i betragtning af at 2008 gennem en række geniale måder. Selvom dette niveau af nøje ikke er for alle (inklusive mig), er hans ånd og tilgang stadig fremragende, og jeg ville dele det med dig. Uden derudover er det her vores interview:
Nomadisk Matt: Fortæl alle om dig selv.
Tomislav: Jeg hedder Tomislav Perko, jeg er 30, og jeg kommer fra Kroatien. Jeg begyndte at leve mit liv først for nylig ved at flytte væk fra det normale “Born – gå i skole – gifte sig – gør det job, du ikke kan lide – tag kreditresultater i 30 år – få et par børn – gå på pension – og dø ”livsstil. For nylig udgav jeg en bog kaldet 1.000 dage af foråret, som hurtigt blev til en bestseller i Kroatien, og i øjeblikket er jeg hjemme og arbejder på min anden bog.
Du sagde, at du begyndte at rejse for nylig. Hvad gjorde du før? Hvorfor begyndte du at rejse?
Før jeg begyndte at rejse, var jeg en børsmægler. Dragt, slips, gode restauranter, en masse penge – den slags livsstil. Men så kom finanskrisen, og jeg mistede alt. Det var da jeg opdagede Couchsurfing-og ved at høre førstehåndshistorier fra folk, der gik gennem mit hjem og se en gnist i deres øjne, tænkte jeg for mig selv, måske må jeg prøve det selv.
Og det gjorde jeg.
Har du altid planlagt at rejse på $ 10 USD om dagen?
Det eneste, der er en konstant, når jeg taler om mine rejseplaner, er, at jeg ikke rigtig planlagde noget. Da jeg begyndte at rejse, havde jeg næsten ingen penge, og det beløb, jeg brugte på vejen, regnede ud, hvor længe kunne jeg blive på vejen. $ 10 USD var meget mere end nok til at dække nogle grundlæggende behov, og det bedste var, at jeg virkelig glædede mig over at rejse på denne måde. Jeg elskede udfordringen med at finde ud af, hvor jeg skulle sove, hvordan man kommer et sted, hvad jeg skulle spise.
På en måde var det at være næsten knust det bedste, der skete med mig. Mens du rejser på et lavt budget, værdsætter du de små ting, såsom varme måltider, bløde senge og transport, efter et par timers ventetid i solen. Du er taknemmelig for små ting, du ikke tænker på, når du har råd til tre måltider om dagen, når dit husly allerede er blevet forudbestemt, og du kender en måde at komme til din destination. Du er taknemmelig for alle de mirakler, der uundgåeligt forekommer dagligt.
Hvor fik du $ 10 USD -tallet? Undersøgte du det? Hvorfor $ 10 USD og ikke $ 20 USD?
Nå, jeg planlagde ikke det at være $ 10 USD eller noget andet beløb, men da jeg rejste i et par måneder, så jeg tilbage på mit budget og gjorde beregningen – det viste sig, at det handlede om dette beløb pr. Dag.
Selvfølgelig brugte jeg nogle dage $ 50 USD eller fik en flybillet til $ 100+ USD, men så tilbragte jeg nogle uger eller måneder frivilligt arbejde og ikke skulle bruge noget. Så i slutningen er det alle niveauer ud til $ 10 USD om dagen.
Hvordan forbliver du specifikt på budgettet, når du rejser?
Da det vedrører transport, gik jeg generelt overalt overalt, hvor jeg gik. Det var hurtigt, sikkert, pålideligt og gratis. Men det bedste var, at du får en fremragende historie om, hvordan du kom mellem punkt A og B, du taler med de lokale og lærer af dem. Jeg gik også meget, brugte nogle offentlige transport i billige lande, flyttede et par biler osv.
Hvad angår indkvartering, har jeg couchsurfed en masse af tiden – jeg havde allerede masser af erfaring med at være vært for nogle hundrede mennesker på mit eget sted, før jeg begyndte at rejse, så det hjalp meget. Du tilbringer din tid med ham/hende, de tager dig ud med deres venner, på familiesammenkomster og for at se nogle fremragende lokale pletter, som du sandsynligvis ville gå glip af.
Da jeg ikke Couchsurf, jeg slåede lejr, sov i parker eller ved siden af vejen, meldte sig frivilligt, prøvede husets siddende og hjemmeudvekslinger – der er så masser af alternativer til Ho (S) tels. De kræver meget mere planlægning og energi, men de sparer dig penge og giver dig så meget til gengæld.
Jeg fik mad i supermarkeder og kogte af mig selv eller med mine værter, drak aldrig i barer, men i parker, prøvede endda dumpster -dykning par gange. Du skal vide, at mad er overalt, og meget af det bliver smidt væk – nogle siger, at over 40% af den producerede mad bliver smidt væk. Du skal bare finde ud af en måde at komme til den mad, før de kaster den. Hvis det indikerer at stå i 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. intet andet.
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.?
En masse.
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. Hver eneste dag.
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 tolykke.
What recommendations would you give to new travelers?
Traveling is not the best thing in the world. It won’t fix all your problems; you can be lonely, hungry, freezing in your sleeping bag. It’s not something you have to do.
But if you want to, if you feel that desire to head into the unknown, then you have to know that it’s possible. I won’t say it’s easy, because you have to adjust your lifestyle to the road, but it can and will be rewarding, no matter what.
If I did it, I think any individual can.
Some quick questions: Window or aisle?
Aisle till I die!
Even though, I don’t really like airplanes. Or airports.
Big or small dorm?
I’ve only slept in a hostel dorm about 10 times in my life, and a lot of of those times were when I was volunteering. but if I have to choose, I like small dorms.
Favorite country?
Not possible to asnwer, so I’ll give my favorite country on each continent.
Europe: Spain
Asia: India
Oceania: Australia
Africa: Malawi
South America: Peru
Least favorite country?
I cannot think of any that I can put “least” in front of.
One item you can’t travel without?
My little sheep. This sheep is my crucial travel companion. Hvorfor? first of all, I got it as a present from a very dear friend of mine, who knows me best. second of all, I am also a sheep (or Aries): stubborn, impulsive, and enthusiastic.
So in a way, she reminds me of who I am.
Third, she wants to send out a message. Basically, she is a sheep, but she doesn’t listen to the shepherd, or follow the herd. She does what she likes — she travels with a smile on her face! She wants a lot more people to experience that way of life, without borders, without fear.
Having all that in mind, it was logical that she joins me on my travels. Every now and then she gets lost and travels solo. One summer she wandered around Portugal, Spain, and France, and one time she left me in Kuala Lumpur, I had no idea where. but she always comes back to her favorite travel companion!
***
Tomislav absolutely has his own style of traveling. It’s something I don’t think I’d do (camping isn’t really my thing and I love museums too much to skip them), but he shows us that where there is a will, there is way and it is possible to travel for very, very little money.
He’s lived in exotic places for a day for less money than a lot of people spend on lunch! Take a page from Tom’s book and make it happen. even if you don’t want to travel like him, he shows us that with a little creativity, any trip can be possible.
You can find Tomislav and all of his awesome adventures on Facebook, YouTube, and on his blog, tomislavperko.com.
Book Your Trip: Logistical ideas and Tricks
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Find en billig flyvning ved hjælp af Skyscanner. It’s my favorite search engine because it searches web sites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.
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Glem ikke rejseforsikring
Rejseforsikring vil sikre dig mod sygdom, skade, tyveri og aflysninger. Det er detaljeret beskyttelse, hvis noget går galt. Jeg tager aldrig på en tur uden det, da jeg har været nødt til at bruge det mange gange i fortiden. Mine yndlingsfirmaer, der tilbyder den bedste service og værdi, er:
Safetywing (bedst for alle)
Forsikre min rejse (for dem over 70)
Medjet (for yderligere evakueringsdækning)
Klar til at booke din rejse?
Tjek min ressourceside for de bedste virksomheder, der skal bruges, når du rejser. Jeg viser alle dem, jeg bruger, når jeg rejser. De er de bedste i klassen, og du kan ikke gå galt ved at bruge dem på din rejse.