Skyscanner is by far the cheapest flight search engine. Compare it now with others and see what I am talking about.
These guys are cheaper than their main competitor because they don't charge the ridiculous $2 fee on top of the 10% booking deposit (which they also keep). Every dollar counts!
In the future, middle and low cost hotels will disappear and be replaced by people renting out their spare rooms and apartments. Save huge amounts of cash by renting an apartment or a private room from a local through AirBnB. Rooms and apartments are reviewed by other guests who have stayed at them so you can know the quality and the friendliness of each host (i.e. that a particular host is not an axe murderer). When I don't feel like staying at a hostel and I want a cheap private room, this is where I go.
Couchsurfing should be your first stop if you are travelling on a budget - stay on people's couches and in their spare rooms for free worldwide. In the past this community was more open and it was easier to find a couch to sleep on. If you are persistent however, you will most likely find a place, but it will probably take you a few requests.
Utah, USA - Live & Work Anywhere in the world.
I first learned the hard way that when you backpack across the world, you should always, always take as absolutely minimum as possible. I recommend getting all the things you want together and then taking only 20%. Trust me, the lighter your backpack, the happier you'll be. Having said that, here are some of the bare minimums I recommend you look at taking and NOT taking with you.
I know that many of you first time travellers will freak out at the idea of not taking out travel insurance, but honestly, unless you are travelling to the USA (where health costs are more expensive than anywhere else in the world) it's not worth it. The reason is that the cost of getting treated is rarely as expensive as the insurance itself. More so, many countries with free public health insurance have reciprocal agreements with other countries, which means free access to health care in the other countries. For example if you are from Australia, if you bring your government insurance Medicare card with you, you have access to the U.K.'s health care system for free. The same with many other European countries. More details here. Bottom line, check out the cost of getting treatment in the country you are going to before deciding on whether to buy travel insurance.
I mean the Steve Jobs kind, not the Moses kind. Laptops, even mini ones are a nuisance to carry around when backpacking, especially when you have limited space in your backpack. Tablets are a vital part of being on the road because they let you not only communicate with family back home, but help you save money too. You can catch the free wifi in a hostel where sometimes you need to pay to use a computer, and you can use Skype to talk with family and friends instead of international calling cards. Smartphones are also a good option here but may be a pain if you are trying to book a hostel over the Internet. I recommend an affordable one, not necessarily Apple's Ipad. You can check out the variety here.
Guidebooks are a joke these days. They were great before the Internet but the quality of the information these days is second rate (you'll recall the Lonely Planet scandal a few years back when an author admitted never having been to a country he wrote a book about). It is usually outdated and exaggerated and a needlessly heavy addition to your backpack. You are much more likely to get accurate up to date information from bloggers who have been to the place you are interested in. Google is the new guidebook.
The smaller the better. Don't be tempted to get a big one you will regret it when you are hiking 1 km/mile to the next bus stop. Check out a huge variety of all brands here.
If you want to live and work anywhere in the world, getting a TEFL certificate is the best way to do it. I-to-I TEFL were the cheapest I found and they let you complete the certificate online if you want to. They can even help you find a job if you don't want to do it yourself.
Rail Europe is an expensive way to travel which requires you to stick to rigid timetables in the hope that you may save some money. Usually the passes don't compare well money wise when compared to catching a bus / using a cheap airline / carsharing. Don't bother.
Tekapo, New Zealand - Live & Work Anywhere in the world.
Travel cards with no international transaction fees are awesome.
(AUSTRALIANS) This is the card I buy almost everything with. It has no international transaction fees, no currency conversion fees, no annual fee, and comes with fraud protection. It is basically awesome and has the potential to save you thousands.
Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich. I can't speak more highly of this book. This is the roadmap to freedom. It is the book that inspired me in 2009 to stop following the 9-5 sheepforce and start living the life that I want. More importantly, it showed me exactly how to do it in step by step details. If you are really committed to living a free life on your terms, this is the detailed roadmap.
Before doing any kind of currency exchange, make sure you checkout what you should be getting according to the market rate. You won't get exactly the market rate, but the closer the better (on a side note, don't ever exchange your currency at a border crossing or at an airport where exchange rates are always crazy).
Save your cash and space in your backpack - this is a free online guidebook edited my thousands of travellers.
If you have specific travel questions that need answering, this is the place to go. You can also message me through my facebook page and I'll try to help you out.
Note that my list is purposely minimalist. I could have included hundreds of other links but I have chosen to post only the ones I use - repeatedly the cheapest and best value for money. Also note that some of these links are affiliate links and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. I have listed only what I personally use and enjoy using.
FACEBOOK x2 and mailing list between sections and popup after 3 mins
Image credits - Stuck in Customs,