Theory of [Beer] Relativity

Einstein's Theory of Relativity was something that boggled the minds of scientists for decades, therefore, I am not going to attempt to discuss it here. Instead, I am going to address a traveler's concept of relativity as it relates to price differences in countries. And the easiest benchmark in this case is Beer - common currency in [almost] every country!

The most I have paid for a beer is in Norway - $12, and the cheapest was in Czech Republic - about $1.30. For my examples, I use .5L (half a liter is a little more than one pint, or 16.9 ounces), of draft beer, seved in a decent bar, not purchased at a store. As you compare to prices in the US, then you think the $12 beer is REALLY expensive, and the $1.3 beer is REALLY cheap!  (This obviously depends on where you are - a $12 beer in a Las Vegas nightclub is about normal) However, if I sold you a beer in Czech Republic for $1.50 it would be an "expensive beer". If I sold you a beer for $10 in Norway it would be a "cheap beer". Thus we get into the relativity of it all.

I won the lottery!

One week ago, I crossed the official two month mark since I started my journey. I have traveled through Scandanavia, the Baltics, Poland, Czech Republic, and am on my way to Greece. I am just two months in to a planned one year tour around the globe - that is completely arbitrary by the way, it could easily be more or less than a year. Most people are genuinely happy for me and wish they too could travel around for a year and want to know how to do it themselves. Some just wonder (either out loud or just with their eyes) how I can afford to do it - am I independently wealthy, a trust fund baby, or a bank robber. My answer often times is: "I won the lottery!" Alas, this is not the case, I am in fact spending my own hard earned (or easily earned) money. However, I can still say I won the lottery, or perhaps it is more accurate to say "I hit the jackpot".

While I prepared for this trip during the past two years - both mentally and financially, most of the time I kept saying, "I don't have enough, I need more". The reality however, is that I haven't spent nearly as much as I expected. In fact, it is surprising how little money you actually "need" to travel! Now, some people have written books on how you can do it on $2 a day, but that's not me. I definitely spend more than that, it IS Europe after all, but I also don't splurge... often. I save where I can, so if and when I really want to, I can spend somewhere else. But the biggest savings is probably what I have saved on lodging.

Train ride - Airing out laundry and sleeping

Believe it or not, in the 67 days I have been traveling, I have only paid for lodging five nights.  Thanks in large part to CouchSurfing.org. (This is not meant to be an advertisement, however I will shamelessly plug the organization because it is just THAT awesome!) I have met some amazing people and had some really wonderful experiences that are definitely worth every dime I would have spent in a hostel or hotel and yet, in essence, it is free. I rely on the generosity of people, most of whom I have never met or have any connection with, to open their homes to a complete stranger. Outside of CouchSurfing, I have stayed with friends, friends of family, friends of friends, people I've met at a bar, people I've met on a bus (yes, really)... I've also slept under a tree, on a bench, on busses, trains and boats. So when I say I have won the lottery, what I really mean, is that I have had a better experience, spending less money, thanks to the generosity of complete strangers. People all over the globe really are good! :)



Sidenote: Interested in connecting on CS? Here is a link to my profile: Me!

What money-saving travel tips do you have? Share your ideas/comments!