There’s a myth about international travel: that it requires large amounts of money to do.  I would argue that it just takes a shift in priorities and resources to make it happen. Consider that a cable subscription for one year is roughly $1200.  A 42′ flat screen TV at Best Buy to watch all 1,000 channels on is $400. My flights from NY to Rome, Rome to Cairo and Istanbul, then back to NY were less than $1500.

Image: Jamison Antoine

When researching places to go I normally consider:

• the length of time it takes to get to the location
• the stability of the government
• the exchange rate to the US Dollar
• the neighboring countries and,
• any visa entry requirements. Most of which can be found at the US State Department website at www.state.gov.

Of course there’s living accommodations and food to account for, which can cost a good amount per night if you’re a prince or a diva and require five star hotel stays, but if you are willing to rough it a bit you can save a great deal on hotels.

Since the US has a favorable exchange rate with Egypt (1USD = 5.6 EGP), I lived in hostels paying between $4 and $8 USD per night. In actuality it was cheaper for me to be in Egypt on the other side of the world then it would have been to live in New York City.

To find low cost hostels in any location you can go to hostelworld.com or hostels.com. If you’re sqiumish about hostels, check out the Hostel International franchise, because in most cases they have internet access, laundry service, and well planned activities so it feels somewhat like a hotel, with the emphasis on somewhat.

Image: Jamison Antoine

I am flexible with the dates of travel by one or two days. For instance I found a flight that would take me from NY to Australia, New Zealand, and back to NY for $1111. When I shifted the dates to two days later the cost of that same flight rose by nearly $300 dollars. Still, this is less than the TV and cable subscription.

I use Kayak.com to search for deals and Orbitz.com to purchase the tickets. Once I’m in a country I find local low cost airlines or bus services that allow me to travel for next to nothing. So you don’t need to rob a bank or make a six-figure salary (although that wouldn’t hurt) in order to travel. You just need to do research, save and have a few cups of courage to make it happen.

Here are a few sites to get you started on the adventure:

Airline Deals
Airasia.com
Orbitz.com
RyanAir.com
Lastminute.com

Tips & Info
LonelyPlanet.com
Bootsnall.com 
Matadortravel.com
TripAdvisor.com

Let me know if you’ve found good deals on other sites. I would be happy to get some new resources. Cheers!

Jamison Antoine is a “Hip Hopper Turned Globe Trotter” currently on an exciting mission to see the world. VisitThe C.O.M.B to read more about Jamison’s adventures. 

Last 5 posts by Jamison Antoine

• How To See The World: Airport Security - August 4th, 2010
• How To See The World: Passports & Visas - July 13th, 2010