A low budget trip

@Porcospino (31367)
Denmark
September 15, 2012 1:25pm CST
On a Danish website I read about a man who went on a very cheap trip in Denmark. It is quite expensive to travel by train in Denmark so he visited a site where you can find people wo are going to the same destination as you. He found a man who had car and they were both going to visit the same city so he asked the man if he could get a lift in his car. He had to pay the man a small amount of money, but it was much cheaper than going by train. When he arrived at his destination he stayed in two different places. At first he rented a cheap room in a private home and later he stayed at a free place (couchsurfing) Instead of going out for dinner went through the trashbins near the supermarkets and picked up the food that they had thrown away and he got plenty of food that way. When it was time to go back his home he hitchhiked back and it was quite easy for him to find a lift. What do think about his trip? Would you be willing to travel that way? Or would you make different choices? Which things do you do to save money when you travel?
2 people like this
11 responses
@yugasini (12836)
• Anantapur, India
16 Sep 12
Hi Porcospino, I do not accept that persons behavior, he was just like beggar requested other man to visit that place, what is the importance and need to visit that place like visiting like that and eating the food in trash-bins just like beggars are doing like that. It is better to reach that place by walking at least he may be in news and he might get some donations voluntarily, have a nice day.
1 person likes this
@yugasini (12836)
• Anantapur, India
17 Sep 12
Hi Porcospino, Thanks for the response, for the sake of god no one should have that position in their life. There are lot of ways to save money for food, some times I will consume less food in the noons when I am eating outside. I spend only below half dollar for outer food in the noon, or I can buy some cheap food instead of costly food. Have a nice day.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31367)
• Denmark
20 Sep 12
That is true, there are many ways that we can save money on food, and it is not neccesary to pick up old food from the trash bins. Food is relatively expensive in my country, but there are still ways to save money. At the moment my husband and I have to save our money for our trip in November and December so we don't eat hot meals every often. Instead of hot meals we buy some bread and make sandwiches, we are able to keep the costs down that way. I would never pick up the food from the trash bins, but I am willing to save money in other ways.
@Porcospino (31367)
• Denmark
17 Sep 12
This man picked up the food from the trash bins, and you are right that behaviour is similar to the behaviour of the beggars. Some people pick up food from the trash bin because they are really poor and don't have other options. This man wasn't so poor that he couldn't afford to buy food, he picked up the food from the trash bins because he wanted to save money. Personally I wouldn't do something like that to save money. I think that it is a good idea of save money, but there are things that I wouldn't do and picking up the food from the trash bins is one of the things that I wouldn't do.
@allen0187 (58447)
• Philippines
16 Sep 12
hi porcospino. i definitely see myself going the distance to save on a vacation trip. the only thing that i can't do that the man did was look through the trash bins for food. i think that is taking it to the extreme. i would rather hunt or fish (i actually did fish for food in one of my vacations) for food than to go through trash bins. i've actually hitched a ride to get to a vacation spot and i've also experienced riding a military transport plane to get back home. as for accommodations, i've actually stayed in a couple of transient houses instead of hotels to save. as for the other things that i do to save money, i've tried another route which is to earn money while on vacation. i've actually taken a job or two in a couple of my vacations to have some extra cash. fun times!!! cheers and happy mylotting!!!
@allen0187 (58447)
• Philippines
18 Sep 12
hi there porcospino. my thoughts exactly... scavenging food in trash bins is definitely extreme. it poses health hazards and like what you wrote there are definitely cheaper ways to get food while on vacation. one can even pack canned goods instead. i'll get back to the fishing and earning part while on vacation. let me comment first about staying in private houses. i think that has been more common now with hotel fare accommodations rising. transient houses as what we commonly call them here in the country are readily available in known vacation spots. you can rent a room for two, room for as many as 12 people, or even rent a whole house complete with amenities like swimming pool. sometimes the owners of these transient houses also rent our their cars. as for the fishing and earning while on vacation part, let me share you my story. i was vacationing with four other friends in puerto galera a couple of years ago. it was supposed to be a three days and two nights vacation but we enjoyed it so much we ended up staying longer. we were in puerto galera for almost a week already when we realized that we will run short on cash and might need to cut short our already extended vacation. that's when we decided to approach the local fishermen and offered to work for food. a buddy of mine and myself were lucky enough to be asked to join a family of fishermen (the father and his two sons). it was an eventful day at the sea. my friend and i joined the family at shore at around 1am to help them prepare, by 2am we were off to go fishing. we had a good catch and we were back to shore at 4am. then we hauled the day's catch to the market to sell it. over-all, we earned enough cash to tide us over for a couple more days. we also get to keep some of the fish that we caught. it was a great sense of fulfillment that we did this for two to three more time with my buddies alternating on who will be joining the fisherman and his sons. also manage to work in the bar that we frequent in puerto galera . we were either serving tables, washing dishes, or performing acoustic songs for the crowd in the bar. over-all i think we stayed close to two weeks. this would not have been possible if we didn't work while on vacation. doubt if i can ever do this again. working while on vacation defeats the purpose of vacationing in the first place. lol! it was a good experience nonetheless but i think with good financial planning it what happened to us can altogether be avoided. cheers and happy mylotting!!!
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31367)
• Denmark
17 Sep 12
Yes, it is an extreme decision to find your food in the trash bins instead of buying it. I wouldn't do that, I would be afraid to get ill if I picked up old food. I think that it would be a much better choice to fish like you did. There are also other ways to get cheap food for instance sandwiches instead of restaurant meals. It is a great idea to earn money while you are on vacation. The extra money that you get that way would keep the costs downs. I have never tried to hitchhike, but I have stayed in private homes during some of my trips. One time a friend and visited another part of the country and we didn't arrange our accomodation before we arrived. We passed a house with a sign saying that they rented out rooms and we decided to ask them if we could get a room there. Our host was very, very friendly and the room was very nice so it was a very positive experience.
@allen0187 (58447)
• Philippines
23 Sep 12
thanks for the best response tag porcospino. appreciate it a lot!!! cheers and happy mylotting!!!
1 person likes this
@maximax8 (31055)
• United Kingdom
16 Sep 12
At 18 years old I traveled in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. I had found all of Scandinavia very pricey and at time outlandishly expensive. I traveled using an inter rail pass but had to pay for seat reservations and a couchette was pricey. I stayed in backpacker hostels. I wished to stay for a week in Stockholm but they had a four night maximum stay at the youth hostels. I stayed for four days on the ship youth hostel and then stayed at the youth hostel close to it. I stayed in a private room in Budapest sharing with an Australian girl. It was a very low price traveling in Hungary. I like the man's ways of traveling but for me and my kids think hitch hiking could be dangerous. I wouldn't ever go through bins and eat the food. If I was a single person I would happily have a go at couch surfing. In my younger days when I was a single traveler I stayed in dorms in youth hostels and backpacker hostels. I did self catering. I often got a travel pass or rail discount card. I did self catering and never ate out. I traveled on the lower cost flights like I left in November to fly to New Zealand. In December it would have been way more expensive to fly there buy comparison. I look at budget minded travel guide books. I stay at the lowest cost accommodation. A triple room is best but in Rio we had two single beds for the three of us. I do self catering and as we are a vegan family I take lots of food from home. I book in advance to get the lowest prices for planes and trains.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31367)
• Denmark
18 Sep 12
Scandinavia is not a cheap place to visit, that is true. I like backpacker hostels, and they are usually cheaper than the hotels. In my country you can get a relatively cheap room if you are willing to share your room which other people. I stayed in a Danish hostel once and I shared my room with another Danish girl. I had never met her because, but we got along really well and we chatted for hours. I have stayed private homes in the past, but I have never tried hitch hiking. I think that it could be a dangerous way to travel because you never know who you are going to meet and you are dealing with complete strangers. I would never go through the bins either. I don't want to pick up old food which could make me ill. I also like budget minded guidebooks, and it is a good way to find cheap accomodation. I also use the internet when I want to find a cheap place to stay. I don't need fancy hotels, I just want a cheap place to spend the night.
@myfb2009 (8296)
• Malaysia
25 Sep 12
Porco, that man willing to put his health at risk by eating food taken from trash-bins. As for me, i don't want to put any problem to my health. I prefer to buy a much cheaper food to eat, if my money is limited. I am willing to rent room in private home, if it is expensive to rent in hotel. I prefer to take a bus, if the cost of using other types of transportation is expensive. I don't dare to hitchhike since it is quite dangerous. So many types of news being heard arise from hitchhike in local and foreign countries.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31367)
• Denmark
25 Sep 12
The health risk is also one of the things that I thought about when I heard about his trip. I understand that he wants to save money, but I don't understand why he chose to pick up the food from the trash bins I wouldn't have done that, and I think that there are other ways to save money on food. I don't mind buying budget food like sandwiches instead of hot meals if I don't have any money, but I wouldn't pick up old food. Yes, I think that a private room is okay, because it is true that hotels are expensive.
@kingparker (9673)
• United States
16 Sep 12
Wow, that is quite a journey for this man. For me, I am not familiar with Denmark or any other foreign countries, so I might be panicked if I got a lift from a stranger. I just wonder are they friendly or some kind of psycho. I love couchsurfing too, and I just want 100% safety, that is all. About the food, I won't mind to get some food like hamburgers or low budget meal. But I never consider pick up trash from supermarket trash bin.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31367)
• Denmark
20 Sep 12
I would also be worried about my safety if I accepted a lift from a stranger, because it would be hard to know if I could trust the person or not. Unfortunately some of the people who pick up hitchhikers have bad intentions. I have never tried couchsurfing, but my husband and I have talked trying it when we visit Switzerland. Accomodation is really expensive in Switzerland and it would be hard for us to afford a hotel room so couchsurfing seems to be a good option. I would eat sandwiches or low budget meals, but I wouldn't pick up the old food from the trash bins.
@myfb2009 (8296)
• Malaysia
25 Sep 12
Same here, i won't dare to accept any lift from a stranger. I don't want to get into trouble while having holiday in foreign country. I really don't mind having to eat low budget meals while on holiday. But, i never have the interest to pick foods from trash-bins.
1 person likes this
@KOSTAS499 (1624)
• Greece
15 Sep 12
I really wouldn't trust strangers...in their car or home nowadays. But I would make my own schedule to save money because paying travel agencies is much more expensive.
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@Porcospino (31367)
• Denmark
15 Sep 12
I have stayed in private homes in the past and it was a positive experience .I wasn't alone and I wasn't worried about my safety there, but if I was alone I would probably choose to stay in a hotel instead. I haven't tried to hitchhike and I don't plan on doing it in the future. It is cheaper than other kinds of transportation, but I would be too worried about my safety. Many of the people pick up hitchhikers don't have bad intentions, but it is hard to know if we can trust him/her and the person is a complete stranger. When I travel I do the same thing as you. I plan my own trips, because I don't want to pay a travel agency for that. We can find the information that we need on the internet and it is easy to plan our own trip today.
@KOSTAS499 (1624)
• Greece
15 Sep 12
Even if you find nice people who pich up hitch hikers, you don't know what kind of drivers they are. And that is dangerous too.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31367)
• Denmark
15 Sep 12
That is true. We don't know kind of drivers they are and we also don't know if they have been drinking or taking other things which could affect the way that they drive.
@namiya (1713)
• Philippines
16 Sep 12
I think his style is a little risky. Staying in a private home is acceptable for here in our country there are homeowners that rent houses and rooms for transient use particularly near tourist frequented areas. Hitchhiking however with a total stranger is a bit unsafe and the one i feared most were the food. The supermarkets would clearly dispose foods that are no longer advisable to be sold hence eating these foods is risking one's health.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31367)
• Denmark
17 Sep 12
I also think that it is risky to pick up the food from the trash bins. There is a reason why the supermarkets and the restaurant throw away the food, and he could get ill if he eats old food. Personally I wouldn't take that risk in order to save money. I have never tried hitchhiking, but I think that can be unsafe kind of transportation because you don't know the people who offer you a lift. They could be harmless people who would never think about hurting you or they could have bad intentions. You don't know if they are responsible drivers or not, that is another thing that makes hitchhiking unsafe.
@natliegleb (5175)
• India
16 Sep 12
good to for some place for instead staying at home and wasting time,we can enjoy and explore a lot,happy journey to you,try to get budget hotels to save money
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31367)
• Denmark
18 Sep 12
Yes, budget hotels are a good way to save money. I don't need fancy hotels when I travel. As long as I have a place to spend the night I am happy, and I have stayed in many low budget hotels or hostels in the past.
@WakeUpKitty (8694)
• Netherlands
16 Sep 12
I don't care (anymore) about the way I travel. Only about getting where I want to be. Also I don't care about fancy hotels or luxury or being served. I don't care about the food either. Most important to me is that I can travel. So I would take a trip like that too. The fact is: if you have a cheap trip you don't expect anything and are happy with what you have (toilet, bed, piece of bread). If you have an expensive trip you have always something to complain if it's not worth all the money you saved and paid for! Which right you have to my opinion. When I decide to travel somewhere I put aside money for that. Each week a bit, the same amount. I do that first, what is left over I can live from (buy food etc.. or not).
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31367)
• Denmark
17 Sep 12
I don't care about fancy hotels either. As long as I have a bed to sleep in and food to eat I am happy. Some of the hotel rooms that I have stayed in have been extremely simple: A bed and a closet and nothing else, but I don't mind. I can stay almost anywhere, and the most important thing is the chance to travel and the chance to explore a new place. Like you I put money aside for travelling. I do that every month and sometimes it takes me a long time to save up for a trip, and the money that I am able to spend in my daily life is very limited, but it is definately worth it.
@ARIES1973 (11426)
• Legaspi, Philippines
15 Sep 12
Hi porcospino! I would save for my trip if ever. Well, actually in our country, we have this discounted fare to any part of the country and to other countries. We just have to be patient. Some of my friends were able to avail of these promos and they can actually go to other places for as low as 1 peso or $.025. But I was not able to get one.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31367)
• Denmark
15 Sep 12
That is really cheap. We don't have that kind of cheap tickets in my country. We have some called "orange tickets" which are cheaper than the ordinary tickets. Sometimes if we are very fast we can get an orange ticket, but they definately aren't as cheap as the tickets from your country. My husband and I are going to Amsterdam by train in November and we managed to get some cheap tickets or relatively cheap tickets because we bought them several months in advance, so we were very happy.
16 Sep 12
Hmmm...I guess it depends on your motivation behind the trip. I think that guy had a good experience doing that, for sure it's a good story to tell your kids later on. However, I personally prefer being comfortable when I travel, so I probably wouldn't do that myself. For me, travel is much like a reward. I travel to take a break from work, so I would not probably go for the difficult way like that man did.
@Porcospino (31367)
• Denmark
17 Sep 12
Yes, I think that he had a good experience that way. It was a very cheap trip, but it wasn't the most comfortable way to travel, and I think that you have to be prepared to travel in a less comfortable way if you choose that kind of trip. You also have to be able accept that fact you don't know exactly how the trip is going to turn out because you aren't able to plan everything from your home. I wouldn't mind staying in a private home like that man did and I have done it in the past, but I prefer to buy my food instead of picking up old food from the trash bins.