I’ve made it no secret on this blog that D has an online business that funds our travels. We’re not broke backpackers (budget flashpackers, maybe). I know how lucky we are to have that income stream. I really appreciate this when we can rent our own apartments instead of having to share a room and bathroom with strangers. I can’t do that anymore. I can handle D’s stink, but not anyone else’s!
But these days, we are still operating on just a fraction of the income we had pre-travel. We control a tight monthly budget with an iron grip. After all, we’re not vacationing. We’re just living, except we pick a new place to live in every few weeks. So really, we are both quite stingy when it comes to spending “fun money”. We understand that in exchange for living in amazing places around the world, we sacrifice some pleasures.
Throughout our travels, we’ve missed out on a lot of activities simply because we were unwilling to part with the cash, even an extra $100. I thought it would be fun to compile a list of the most regrettable things we missed out on. And what we did instead.
London
With an extra $100, I would: ride the London Eye – oh how I wanted to do this SO badly! Before setting foot in London, it was all I talked about doing. But my heart sank when I saw just how expensive it would be. Oh, giant ferris wheel, you look amazing, but I can get the views elsewhere.
What we did instead: rode around on the open-top sightseeing bus. It was super touristy but FUN!
Amsterdam, Netherlands
With an extra $100, I would: sample the Rijstaffel Indonesian platter – What happens when the Dutch colonizes Indonesia and falls in love with their food? You get the Rijstaffel! A Rijstaffel, or “rice table”, is basically a HUGE spread of many small plates of Dutch-Indonesian dishes (some up to 40 plates!). We really wanted to experience this, but it would have easily blown our budget. I’m kinda kicking myself now!
What we did instead: ate ummmm…a few cakes. Because when in Amsterdam, right?
Buenos Aires, Argentina
With an extra $100, I would: see a tango performance – Buenos Aires is the city where tango was born, and we didn’t even go see a show! How nice it would have been to enjoy a glamorous evening of velvet curtains, glitzy dresses, and seductive dances.
What we did instead: ate steak. A lot and a lot of steak.
Chiang Mai, Thailand
With an extra $100, I would: go ziplining – I love adventure activities and Chiang Mai is the adventure capital of Thailand! When we first arrived, I picked up practically every single tour brochure from the local tourist office: ziplining, ATV, white water rafting, rock climbing… I wanted to do them all. We ended up doing none of them.
What we did instead: took a Thai cooking class! And we’re still making dishes that we learned from the class!
Bangkok, Thailand
With an extra $100, I would: attend a ladyboy cabaret – When I was a tween, my aunt, upon return from a Thailand trip, showed me pictures of her posing with ladyboys. I had never heard of such things. Or seen such gorgeous creatures. And so, when I finally made it to Bangkok, going to a ladyboy cabaret was at the top of my list. D, however, was so not into the idea.
What we did instead: went to Soi Cowboy and saw some ladyboys there.
Singapore
With an extra $100, I would: eat chili crabs – When I asked for suggestions for what to do in Singapore, absolutely everybody told us that we must eat chili crab. Along with chicken rice, it’s like the national dish. We spent a month there eating every other local dish, but never once the chili crab.
What we did instead: I managed to drag D to the Night Safari! I loved it, while D thought it was just “meh”. But we both agree that it’s the best zoo we’ve been to.
Even though I say I regret not doing any of these things (and given the chance, I would totally go back and do them), I really can’t complain. More than anything, I’m just happy to be able to live this life of travel. I’m so grateful to be able to wake up in different countries around the world and eat exotic local cuisines. And that’s already fun enough. :)
Have you done any of these? Was it worth the cost or just completely overrated? What do you feel like you’ve missed out on due to being stingy?
This post was inspired by Dollar Shave Club, who asked the question: what would you do with an extra $100? This post is not an ad and I received no compensation.
Note: post edited to change pictures.
Great post Anna! Sometimes I think, yep, I’m going to fork out the cash as I’ll only ever do this once and other times I just can’t justify it and I try to find a cheaper activity. I think it’s good to have a balance! In London, if you’re going to splash cash on a view then I’d say to spend a couple of extra pounds for The Shard rather than The London Eye, I think it’s worth it.
In Nepal lots of people I knew took the Everest flight to see Everest from the plane but I just felt like the price was too high! Walking in the Himalayas would have been more my thing :)
That sounds like much better use of time & money to me too! Seeing a view from a plane is just way too indulgent to me. I can never justify that! All your views from the Shard looks gorgeou!! I stopped paying to go up places to see views (like in Paris too) because I’m so cheap, haha.
This is such a great idea for a post and definitely something I can relate to. I almost always come away from a trip wishing I’d done at least one extra thing that I didn’t splash out for.
I know! I always have a price in my mind of what I’d spend to do something, and it’s so sad when you find out the thing you want to do is more expensive. And then you regret it when you leave!
When you’re traveling long-term as you guys are, it must be tough because while you are going to all these places that have these famous sights or things to do, you don’t exactly have the budget of a vacationer! But all the more reason to go back there and give it a go! I’ve heard a bit about the Dutch rijstaffel but I had no idea it was so expensive…. although I’ve been to Amsterdam three times and haven’t really felt like I missed anything. I would love to try it now that I’ve discovered food as my true love :)
Nowadays my philosophy is to “do all the things”, even if it means shelling out for a more expensive experience or two. You might regret what you decided not to do, but you never think “man, that alp tour was just way too expensive, why did I do that?”, you know?
I think when I was vacationing, my philosophy was to just do everything I want to (within reason, of course) since I probably will even go back. But now that we’re traveling and living, we sacrifice a lot of activities in order to be able to travel more and have more savings.
Oh I know, that rijstaffel looks amazing right? One day, we even walked in the heat to a restaurant that was supposed to have a good one, but it was closed that day. And then we decided we weren’t going to try to go back again. If it had been open, we would have shelled out the cash for it!
Great idea for a post! I also wanted to ride the London Eye when I went to London but couldn’t justify the price. I travel on a budget, and I was able to do a lot of other activities with the money I would have spent on the London Eye. Plus, since I live in Spain I just tell myself I’ll go back to London one day and ride it then.
Hehe yep I told myself I can go back to London and ride it, but I doubt I ever will (unless I really do get some extra money somehow!). In fact, I doubt I ever will do anything cool in London because it’s just too expensive in general!
I have seen Tango in Buenos Aires and eaten Chilli Crab in Singapore. The Tango was fabulous. There are free shows during the day in San Telmo but we also paid for a nightclub performance. The Chilli Crab was a great way to smother and ruin the taste of seafood. You didn’t miss a thing.
We caught a few minutes of the free street shows, but I can imagine a show in a theater being so amazing!!
HAHA, that’s great! Good to know I didn’t miss out on the chili crab.
I’ve been on the London Eye before, but I was using a coupon from Iceland (frozen food supermarket) so I paid only 18 pounds for a ticket! It was quite a magnificent view up there, and it would be much cheaper (even at full price) compared to, say, get a booking to go on top of The Shard. Still, if I was not able to get up there, I would probably think: “Meh, it’s just a view, we can get lovely views anywhere.” :D
Booooooo. You could have just lied and say that it’s completely overrated…. And that it’s slow and boring and that you’re crammed in with too many people in one pod. :P
Haha, my Chinese college students were so fascinated by the ladyboys. I tend to be stingy when it comes to activities – but it works out since I’m afraid of heights and would never go ziplining anyway!
I don’t think ladyboys are a thing at all in China! I have a feeling that would be so frowned on.
I went ziplining once back home. I’m super afraid of roller coasters and the sensation of falling (and of heights too, but only if I think I’m going to fall), but it was SO fun!
Ok call me strange but I loved my cooking class in Chiang Mai so much that I would happily choose it over zip lining. It’s not like you can take photographs whilst you’re flying at such high speeds over the northern Thai countryside! ;-)
We had so much fun at the Thai cooking class too! I’m really glad we chose that in the end! It’s so fun to recreate the dishes too in our own kitchen. So that was an activity that just kept on giving!
This is such an interesting read Anna! It has really got me thinking of all the things I have skipped out because of the cost! I’m probably one of the only Londoners to say this but I really don’t think that riding the London Eye is that great – I’ve taken relatives a few times and I always think it doesn’t live up to the hype and you can get lovely London views for free elsewhere! I did try the crab in Singapore which was delicious and although I really enjoyed the tango show, I honestly don’t think Pumpkin did!
I’m glad to hear you say that the London Eye is overrated! Next time I’m in London, I’m gonna save that money for afternoon tea instead. :) We kept on asking each other if we should go get chili crab, but it just seemed too pricey for something so difficult to eat, lol. I don’t think D would enjoy a tango show either, and he definitely wouldn’t want to spend that much to see one!
I can related to this so much. Although there are a few things that I regret not experiencing in retrospect! x
Those are the worst, especially since you never know if you will ever go back!
Like you I avoided the London Eye (waaaay to much $$) But I did try a Rijstffel when I was in Amsterdam. I went with two other girls and we did a ton of research before hand trying to figure out a budget friendly spot with god reviews. We got the cheapest option (about 25 euro each with drinks) but it was a fun splurge for sure!
Yeah, we wanted to try that! We walked to a restaurant one day even, but it was closed that day. If it had been open, we would have splashed out for it. 25 euros each isn’t too bad, but still would definitely be considered a splurge meal!
Wow, I didn’t realize the London Eye was so expensive!
Yep, I was surprised. And especially if you get front of the line pass, which I would because I hate waiting in such a long line!
I never really fancied going on the London eye, I don’t know, I don’t really fancy London all that much. There’s always something extra to be done when you go somewhere though, and in our case there’s always something that we miss altogether haha!
Wow, I think you’re the only person I’ve heard to say that you don’t fancy London! I was only there for 3 days, but I loved it. I wish we could afford to spend more time there!
We have the same feelings. Our life is not a vacation it’s a lifestyle which is one we so love and wouldn’t change. Sure enough, not being a slave to the system is so liberating, however, we don’t have rich uncles or a magic bank account and have not won the lottery. We must budget and spend wisely, it’s like living at home but on the road in many different homes.
With that being said, if we stayed at a fixed home, for example back in Australia, we wouldn’t be doing every single tourist thing either, so we have no problem with missing out on something. It’s all about your priorities, travel the world 365 days a year or go away for two weeks when the boss allows you to… A simple choice for some.
Moni & I always look at each visit like a first of many, we just don’t know when the other times will be next.
Yes, exactly! This is just a lifestyle and not a vacation. We think too that we can always go back to a place ( the benefit of having such a lifestyle!), even though we don’t know when exact that will be. :)
If we had a fixed home, the difference would be that we would have months to do everything, so we wouldn’t be spending a large amount of money at once. But then again, I hardly did anything like this kind of stuff back at home!
Yes that is true as well. It’s somewhat different when living on the road, and the longer we can stay in one place the better. The visa’s are the biggest challenge.
Anna, Hilarious…I have done a few of them…but like you would have done more with more funds!
Oh, I’d love to know what you did and your thoughts!
I think the London Eye is overrated. It probably didn’t help that it was freeeeezing when we went too. The views are pretty but once you look around, take it all in and snap a few pictures- you are just stuck in a cold, glass ball with strangers taking selfies all around you AND paying a premium for it. No thank you.
LOL!! I was kinda scared of the same thing too, like what if we’re stuck in a pod with really annoying people?! Then I’d be really mad that I spent so much for that!
Love your honesty, as usual. It is always such a let down when you are fantasizing about a trip and all the things you will do when you finally get there, then the reality of paying for it rears its ugly head. I’m kind of a pain in the butt and if there is something I really want to do, there is no stopping me. I do, however, have to make sacrifices to make it happen. For example, we are riding the London Eye and just having beer for dinner. Haha.
Thanks Amanda! Haha, that’s hilarious! But we do the same thing. If we know that we are going to splurge on something, then we’ll just cook or eat the cheapest street food for a few days.
This is such an awesome post idea!! I haven’t done the London Eye either – the expense usually gets me… but I may have to splurge on our next trip… because views. The really awesome thing about traveling is though – like you said – there are so many amazing views that are free. And that usually keeps me from spending money on views, lol!
Yeah! Marcella just wrote a post about the newest FREE view in London. It looks amazing, and I can’t believe it’s free!
I just saw that too!!! I’m already obsessed and putting it on my list!!
This is such a cute post! I did the London Eye once, on my first trip to London in college. And while it was fun, I’ve never done it again. It is hard to justify the price when there are other views of London for much less (if not free!).
As much as I want to go on a giant ferris wheel, I doubt I will ever do it. You’re not the first person to say that it’s not worth the price! And yeah, thank god for bloggers who let us know where the free views are!
I haven’t done any of these either. I balked at the prices of the London Eye and just didn’t. I don’t think we missed out on too much though. There are plenty of other things I wish I did in my travels looking back but either due to poor prep or the ridiculous price it wasn’t worth it. Oh well, plenty of other adventures to be had though!
We miss a lot due to poor planning too. That’s always the worst! But I don’t feel too bad about the missed experiences either. I’m happy just to have been able to see the places!
Ooh I loved the London Eye! My fiancé took me up in it for my birthday, though–I don’t think we would have done it otherwise! There are some more expensive things I regret not doing, though! So I always try to prioritize now….like in Venice, I refused to pay for a gondola (80 euros!!). Instead, we just took a few extra water bus rides for much less money. It’s nice when stuff that like that works out…but if I had a lot of extra money, I would jump in that gondola!
I couldn’t cough up 80 euros for a gondola ride either!! That’s just too ridiculous to me. The water bus option you did, however, sounds like a perfectly fun and more local way to way see the city! And that’s so sweet of your fiance to take you up the London Eye. What a special birthday!
Oh well. You’ll just have to go round the world a second time and get it all done!
It’s interesting though – this is one of the reasons I am more of an armchair traveller – so many many MANY things still to do in this one little country that…
One of which is the London Eye. It’s not just the money, it’s the queues. I have half earmarked it for this summer though.
Oh I know… the line for the Eye is ridiculous. I looked up the “skip the line” tickets, which were of course, more expensive! Isn’t it funny how we never take the time to properly explore our own countries? :)
I feel like I’m always having this debate with myself! There are limited funds so I have to spread out my AWESOME experiences—we can’t afford to be greedy. I think missing out on London Eye was a good choice. I’ve heard from so many others that it was overrated. But ziplining and the lady boys would’ve been awesome! I’ve realized that I’m really good at convincing myself to spend rather than save…
Before, I could convince myself to spend, but now that I’m no longer making money, I debate over every purchase, especially if it seems like such a needlessly indulgent one! Yeah, I still want to go see the ladyboys someday!
I love, love, love this post – so unique and clever! BTW, I think you lucked out with the tour bus vs. the London Eye…totally overrated! When we visited Sydney for the first time, we splurged and did the Sydney Bridge Walk (for an incredibly overpriced amount of money), and while it was cool, it definitely wasnt worth the cash we forked over. If I could do it all over again, I would have pocketed some of that money and done a great bike tour or had a fun cocktail on the harbor!
Thanks so much Abby! Ooh I’ve heard of te Sydney Bridge Walk. It looks really cool and I really want to do that if I ever make it there someday. But knowing me, I’ll get there and won’t want to pay for it! It’s good to know honest opinions from other travelers!
This is such a lovely article, i think sometimes the cheaper option can work out for the best!
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Thanks Ruby! I definitely agree that cheaper is sometimes better, and then there’s no guilt afterwards either!
Exactly, this post really inspired my latest blog post on http://www.westfourteen.wordpress.com , I’d be so grateful if you could check it out and leave any feedback. Thanks so much xx
I love this idea for a post! I think no matter what there will always be things you wish you had done. If only travelling were cheaper, haha!
Thanks Sara!! That’s so true. We can never see or do or eat everything we want to!
This is an awesome idea for a post – sometimes the cheaper option can give you an even more authentic experience, or at least open your eyes to something more unique!
Yep, I agree! We try to stay away from the things that are there just for tourists, but sometimes they are fun. Usually we try to find a substitute that will give us a more authentic experience!
I usually avoid the big tourist attractions and try to find something similar, or a different experience that tourists might usually not experience. In Morocco we went to a local hammam rather than a tourist one, so it felt really real. Also, your description – I am the same: I will never eat bunny!
We do the same! Oooh I probably could have added a Turkish hammam to this list. I wanted to go to one when we were in Istanbul, but of course we never did because we didn’t want to spend that money!
I’ve tried a tiny bite of bunny once when my bf ordered it. :( I have to admit it was pretty good but I felt so guilty afterwards (I used to have pet bunnies)!
We did the London Eye and while it was nice, I’m not sure that it was even the best thing we did that day. :-)
I really love your take on “this or that” for this post.
Thanks so much Becky! As much as I’d love to, I don’t think I will ever go on the Eye. I have a feeling it’ll end up being a “I can’t believe I spent that much for that” kind of experience!
As much fun as zip lining is, I think you made an excellent choice in the cooking class. It became the gift that keeps on giving. :) But I have to say, I would spend the money on the tango as well. It just seems like the right thing to do.
A cooking class is an activity that’s actually worth every penny. Not only do you get to eat delicious food, you learn new skills that you can use forever! We saw some brief street performances, but it’s not the same as a real show, I’m sure! That, I think, I would like to do if I get the chance again. :)
Fell in love with your honesty over on Amanda’s blog! Sometimes living on a budget sucks, buuuuut I think that in a lot of ways its better because you have to like look for fun and not just do the typical crap everyone does. Here in Rome it costs a lot, but I always tell our airbnb guest’s to just get off the beaten path, hike up a hill and you’ll find the real place. Following along on bloglovin (can’t wait to see more of your adventures)
Thanks so much Madaline! I discovered your blog a few weeks ago through Travel Tuesday and I love following your adventures in Rome with you family! That’s so awesome that you have an airbnb! We really want to go to Rome someday, so I’ll definitely look you up then! x
Loved meeting you on Rhyme and Ribbons!! So jealous of your travels and adventures, friend! I’ll be following along :)
<3 D
Thank you Daisy! I noticed that you live in Pasadena on your Disqus profile. That’s so cool! I used to live practically right next to there!
Hey Daisy, I am not able to following you!
I didn’t go on the London Eye during the 6 years I lived in London, but it wasn’t because of the cost (well it kinda was) – I think it’s just a glorified ferris wheel and you can get better views from other (and cheaper) spots in the city. I did splurge on the chilli crab in Singapore and pleased I did. My biggest travel regret is not forking out for the ferry to go over to Rottnest Island when I was in Perth a few years ago. I was worried about money but I wish I had just done it as I don’t know when I will be back in Perth again – it is so out of the way
That’s always the hardest! You don’t know when you will go back again, so do you just spend money to do everything you want to do, or not? We just think that we’ll make our way eventually around the world again!
We wanted the chili crab but were surprised at how much it is (maybe because we just came from Vietnam where crab was cheap!).
I haven’t done any of this :) I’m traveling on a very tigh budget now since i don’t have any income and my savings are limited, so I’m skipping most of the typical activities. No regrets though, I’ve realised that my best memories are not linked to the most expensive things but on the people I meet or the place itself.
Happy travels! :)
That is SO true! I could fall completely in love with a place without even doing anything there. My favorite memories are always just hanging out in cafes (to the point of becoming regulars) and eating anyway!
I often have musings like this after a holiday…
Hopefully no regrets though! :)
Oh I wish that I had the restraint you guys did. On out 12-month trip around Europe, we had to cut it short, by 3 months and we just spent, spent, spent. Thanks for linking up with us for SundayTraveler.
It does take a bit of restraint, doesn’t it? We also think about how if we just save this little bit of money per month, we can go somewhere more pricey that we otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford! Even though you had to cut the trio short, I bet you don’t regret anything you did one bit though!
I’ve definitely bypassed some things on my travels because of cost. When I studied abroad in Italy, a LOT of “must do” museums were just not even on my radar. My boyfriend is the true stingy traveler though. He’ll always think 30 times about adding on an expense. If I were in Argentina, I would definitely choose tango over steak though. :)
We do that too! If something is not “necessary” to living, we always think hard about if we need to see/eat/do it. We ate sooo much steak in Argentina. Now that I think about it, we could have skipped some steak meals and used that money to see a show instead (though I know D would totally pick steak over tango!).
If we bet and he continues with TP+, then we are probably getting check raised about 30% of the time and will be unable to take a cheap draw often.
Vacations