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My whole trip to Lisbon cost less than my old car payment
Just got back. Added up every single cost. Flights, hostel, food, trains, everything. Total was $412 for six days. I used points for the flight and ate at local markets. Could not believe the number when I saw it. Anyone else had a trip come in way under what they thought?
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riverh492mo ago
That point about adding up every single cost is key. I do the same thing with a notes app on my phone, logging every coffee and bus ticket as I go. It stops those little spends from becoming a mystery later. My best trip was to Guatemala where I stayed in a family-run guesthouse and used chicken buses to get around. The total was shockingly low, like yours, because I avoided all the tourist trap restaurants and just asked locals where they ate lunch. It makes the trip feel more real and the budget feel like a fun challenge.
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kimfisher2mo ago
Exactly, @riverh49, those chicken buses are a budget miracle and a backache all in one. My notes app once had a line that just said "three bananas and a very confusing bus fare, $1.50 total." It's the best way to travel, even if you end up eating mystery meat from a street cart because a guy at the market said it was good.
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samk772mo ago
Honestly used to be the type to book a fancy tour bus and stay in a hotel with a pool. Then a trip to Peru changed my mind completely. Got on a local bus crammed with people and market baskets, paid next to nothing, and ended up at a family's house for a meal. That chaos was more real than any guided tour. Now I seek out that stuff.
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