on budget travel

I love planning trips. Especially on a ridiculously low budget. Because on my salary, I can't afford $300 round trip tickets to Malaysia.

That's right: Malaysia.

Yesterday, we found out that we have Friday off due to protests. But we've all gotten a case of the gimmes overnight, and we're going to ask for four additional days off in an attempt to squeeze in one more international trip.

I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much, but I'm positively brimming with excitement. Do a Google image search of "Perhentian Island" and "Cameron Highlands," and you'll see why.

I'm a fan of low-budget travel for a few reasons.

Apart from the fact that it's cheap, I like low-budget travel because it takes much more creativity and patience than flying in and hiring a cab to deliver you to every destination. I love the challenge of working within public transportation schedules and our own time and budget constraints. There's a feeling of exhilaration in the planning stages when different legs of a trip fit together seamlessly. Or there's the puzzle of finding alternative routes when they don't.

I also like budget traveling because you never know what's going to happen. You can do all the research you want, but once you're there, plans can change completely in a matter of minutes. You get lost. You can't speak the language. You find out that the next bus doesn't leave until 6 a.m. the next day, and you have the better part of a day to kill in a strange town.

It's difficult and inconvenient sometimes, but too exciting not to love.

Here's hoping and praying that our boss sees the light of reason!