Even in an economical downturn traveling is still possible

I think that is possible to travel even if you don't have a lot of money. The cheapest types of accomodation are probably couch surfing, camping and hostel dorms. I have never tried couch surfing, but I have slept in a tent and in hostel dorms. If you don't mind sharing your room and bathroom with others hostel dorms are a good choice because that type of accomodation is often cheaper than a hotelroom. Sometimes you can save some money if you live in the outskirts of the city instead of the central part of the city close to the sights. Before I book a hotel room in the outskirts of a city I check if it is possible to use public transportation like metro or busses so that I don't have to pay for a taxi or walk many kilometers. Captical cities are often more expensive than small towns and I usually try to spend some time outside the capital instead of staying in the capital all the time. You can also save money on transportation. Direct flights are often more expensive than other flights. If you are willing to change planes you can often save some money. In Europe I saved some money when I travelled by bus. It is not so comfortable to travel by bus for many hours, but it is good way to save some money.

I agree, travelling isn't that expensive as before because a lot of airlines are offering budget fares available even 1 year before. And so, you will have time to save and to check on cheap accommodations. My yearly goal is to have one out of the country travel a year and at most two local travels a year. Been doing this for three years now, the experience is always amazing!

I know when I travelled up to and toured Scotland I saved a fortune by taking my tent with me, camping prices are so cheap, usually from 8GBP to 15GBP per night for your pitch, obviously you don't have electricity which can be a major concern, but some do have huts where they provide a television, a kettle and a place to eat your meals dependent on the camping site. I actually think camping is far more fun, adventurous and when you compare it to the price of an overnight stay at at a B&B which can be 25GBP the cheapest up to 70GBP that soon mounts up over a 4 week period! There are great ways of economizing when travelling. Also not eating out every night, I used to go to the supermarket buy myself food to eat, and take back to my tent, although it was cold food I mainly stuck to, I never starved!

I would not travel alone and besides even with budget travel, you have to save the money to go somewhere and cannot use that for something else. For me, it is not going somewhere and sleeping in a hostel or staying at a friend's place who lives in that country. It is deciding whether I fix up my basement and get hardwood for the living room, or go someplace. It also means giving up my phone and my tv and using the money for travel plus also my piano and not being able to get it. Why when I got my ipad, one of no two of my friends thought that was extra money come that month instead of what I had saved up for and suggested I take a weekend out in the country plus start donating money for the school right away instead of what I had been doing saving money to do that. I do not want to be in that situation. Right now I have to choose between going to P.E.I. or fixing up the basement. Cannot do both.