Dirt Cheap Holidays
I’m trying to save money to fund some of my experiments at home.
Instead of saving on small things (like skipping coffees at cafes), I’ve realised that I can be more effective optimising on the big things. One big thing is holidays. Holidays cost a lot, and they form(ed) a huge part of my yearly expenditure.
The simplest solution to cut cost is to not go on holiday. That works to an extent. When I can, I try to spend my time off making things at home, instead of travelling. I think this works if you can find something you love so much that you don’t need to take breaks.
But not going on holiday at all is unrealistic. So, I am trying to find a way to spend much less money, for the same amount of fun.
After a brief analysis, the two biggest costs from my holiday typically come from of transportation (flights), and accommodation.
So as a result, I’ve been trying to figuring out how to go on holiday without transport and without accommodation.
One of the things that fit the bill is bike touring. Bike touring is when one takes a bike, packs a bunch of camping gear, food, and clothes, and rides around a route. If ride my bike locally in the UK (or in Europe via boat) with my tent on the back, then my transport costs would be around $100 round trip for ferry or train (and $0 if in the UK), and around $10 a night to stay at campsites. I think this is relatively cheap. This is what it looks like:
In May, I rode down the French Norman coast, staying at campsites where I found them, for $10 per night. I ate croissants and supermarket tuna. I got there via boat from Portsmouth which was around $40 each way.
Now that I’m more experienced, I’m starting to look at bike routes in the UK, which are a bit more challenging. For these routes, all I would have to do is pack my bike and drive there, which would be cheaper than even the train!
I think the initial fixed cost for a decent bike and camping gear is high, but in the long run the variable costs get lower.
Some point along the way, I learned that this was more fun than any other holiday I’ve done before, even the more expensive ones. When you set off to tour, it feels like your journey is the destination. Kind of like a knight on a horse. Local people are usually curious and ask you questions. Bike touring has taught me what I was actually looking for in a holiday - some adventure, some fresh air, and meeting new people.
And doing this at a much lower cost!
Note - this is a pretty personal post. I recognise that I’m really privileged to have the even time to go on holiday, as well as the health to cycle long distances, something that many people don’t have. I still wanted to write about the thought process though, since it’s something I’ve been thinking a lot about.