Whenever I’m about to set out on an exotic trip somewhere, I frequently get comments like: “How can you afford to travel so much?” “You are soooo lucky.” “How he hell do you DO it?” and… “Can we trade lives for a while?” Well, I won’t “trade” with you but I will show you how I do it because it is actually cheaper for me (in many cases) to travel than to remain in Asheville! Keep in mind, that I stay in VERY basic places like this: Or with friends like this: Your food might look something like this: If your idea of a vacation is a luxurious suite somewhere with pools and golf courses and five star meals every day, then this is not going to apply to you. Also, you have to be willing to be at least slightly uncomfortable, some of the time. That’s a requirement for this kind of travel. The last hotel I stayed in in Diyarbakir, Turkey made so much “building” noise at night it sounded like you were sleeping in the intestines of a giant, the walls were papered with sickly pink palm trees, I had to jerry-rig the toilet every night to get it to stop running and the young guys working the front desk (I’m not sure why it was necessary to have 6 of them) chain-smoked and threw their butts all over the stairwell of the place, HOWEVER, this simple, delicious breakfast was included: And they set me up with an AWESOME Kurdish guide name OMAR: Also…this particular city was kind of raw and rough around the edges so it felt appropriate to be staying in a borderline shithole. AND it was only 35TL or about $19 bucks/night! Right now, for example, I am in the Southeastern region of Turkey, an area full of Ancient historical churches, mosques and temples, an amazing cuisine and incredible hospitality towards visitors. Here’s how my costs are breaking down: Hotel/night average: $35.00 Food/day: Breakfast (usually included in hotel) Lunch: $3.00 (I eat a Kebap or small sandwichy thing and juice) Dinner: $12.00 (this is a splurge, really, as I could also eat for about $8.00) Buses/Taxis: $5.00/day average Total: $55.00/day or $1650.00/month Expenses in Asheville: Rent (plus utilities): $1100.00 (you SUBLET your place while traveling…sometimes for MORE than you pay!) Food: $200.00/week or $800.00/month Entertainment: $160.00/month Gas: $60.00/week or $240.00/month Total Monthly Asheville Expenses: $2300.00 *Note: I’m not including things like health insurance and car-payments which are ongoing and a cell phone you need in either place so… Total Difference: I actually pay $650.00 MORE to be in Asheville for the month!! $650.00 can buy you a ticket to Mexico City, for example, and then you could bus it around Southern Mexico which is cheap and fascinating. My ticket to Turkey was $1000.00, in which case, it would cost you around $500 bucks for this trip….if you wanted a little spending money or money to go to the HAMMAM which is the Turkish Bath where you steam clean yourself for hours and people rub you with oil and wash your hair with rose water. It is an excellent reward, after putting up with a little grime for a few days, so I am OFF! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!!!!