1. Get off the beaten path.

Tourist areas are the most expensive to stay at. Therefore, the best idea is to stay outside busy city centres, a few kilometres away from all hotspots. You will not only be able to negotiate much cheaper price for your room, but you will also have an opportunity to get to know some locals, discover local areas and see what other holiday makers will not see. If you feel like going to the city centre, rent a bike for $1 or $2 per day and go there by bike – healthy, eco-friendly and affordable.

2. Go couchsurfing, accept invitations to stay with locals or go for dorms.

Once you get to Cambodia, you will realize how hospitable locals can be. Some of them will treat you like a family member, let you stay at their place overnight and treat you with some nice food. If you don’t trust randomly met people in the street, try to use couchsurfing. There are plenty of Khmer people who will be more than happy to host you and show you around telling some interesting stories. More often than not they will want to take you to their village and introduce you to people who never or rarely have met foreigners. If you go for couchsurfing (couchsurfing.org) make sure you start looking for a host at least 7 days before your arrival so that you have enough time to find an appropriate person, and allow them to read your messages and make the necessary arrangements. If you are not a big fan of couchsurfing, try to go for dorms and share a room with at least 8-10 other people. It’s extremely cheap and you can make new friends with fellow travellers. Dorm prices can be as low as $1 per night.

3. Try local food and avoid Western style restaurants.

Cambodia, especially Siem Reap, is full of really expensive Western restaurants where you can get a cheeseburger, pizza, fries and coke. You can treat yourself with amazing Khmer food instead. It is going to save you a lot of money as Western food costs up to 5 times more than traditional Khmer dishes. Would you fancy a plate of rice and vegetables topped with spicy sauce for less than $1 or a takeaway cheeseburger and coke for $5? Besides, what kind of traveller would you be to go to Cambodia and stick to Western food?

4. Keep your partying in check.

You are on your holiday and you obviously want to have fun. However, the alcohol in Cambodia might cost an Earth especially when you are out off limits. It all starts with a $0.5 draft and by the end of the night you find yourself broke. Going clubbing every night is not the cheapest entertainment option so you should always keep your partying in check. Some locals can take advantage of you being tipsy or drunk and rip you off. If you feel like you might overspent on alcoholic, take a friend or two with you to keep an eye on your tap.

5. Avoid guided tours.

Do you want to see Angkor Wat or ride an elephant? Do it on the cheap and avoid all guided tours which are way too expensive. You can rent a bike and go to Angkor Wat on your own terms saving $20+ per day, get a local bus to take you o elephant orphanage saving at least $15. If you insist on travelling with a guide, find some other travellers happy to share the bill. Guides charge per day ($20-$25), regardless of the group size. If they say otherwise, go and look for another guide.

Moreover, in the tourist areas, make sure to haggle and not to set on the initial price. You will probably notice right away everything in Cambodia is negotiable. The first price you hear from locals is most likely up to 5 times higher than the typical price so don’t be shy and push yourself to get some bargains.

After a week you will see how much less money you have spent in comparison to other fellow backpackers and tourists you meet on the road!

Author Bio: Agness is a Polish vagabond who, after graduation, left her comfort zone and set off for a journey of her lifetime to China in 2011. She has been constantly travelling the world since then (slowly, but surely as she says), living like a local for less than $25 a day. She became a photography passionate and adventure blogger sharing her life enthusiasm and travel experience with everyone around.

Website: eTramping
Twitter: @Agnesstramp
Facebook: eTramping
 

The country of Thailand is a unique blend of rich heritage, a strong culture and unbeatable friendliness. Together, this creates the unbeatable Thailand holidays which so many foreign travellers love. From gorgeous sandy beaches to breathtaking temples, Thailand has hundreds of wonderful destinations worth visiting.

Visit these top destinations on your new found holiday deals for an unforgettable trip:

Bangkok

The majority of visitors to Thailand spend at least part of their holidays in the bustling capital of Bangkok. The city is home to three of Thailand’s most famous temples, including the Wat Pho, Wat Arun and the Grand Palace. You will also find the largest reclining Buddha statue on earth, and impressive structure that dominates the area. One of the best ways to see the city is with a boat ride along the Chao Phraya, the river that traverses the center of the city. To get a better understanding of the history and culture of the Thai people, make your way to one of the world class museums in Bangkok, such as the National Museum or the Museum of Siam. At night the streets of the capital truly come alive, with many bars, restaurants, night markets and muay thai boxing performances. 

Chiang Mai

This city in Thailand has a much more sophisticated and relaxed vibe when compared to the capital, with an emphasis on natural scenery and outdoor adventure. Around the city are several elephant camps where visitors can ride an elephant through the wilderness, and get a feel for their natural habitats. Eco tourism is becoming more and more popular in the area, with environmentally friendly accommodations and rainforest canopy tours available. Back in the city, don’t miss out on a trip to to Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, a gold plated temple that is truly breathtaking. Aside from the Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, there are 300 other smaller temples in the area, many of them still inviting in worshippers. 

Phuket

Of course, no guide to Thailand’s top destinations would be complete without mention of at least one beach locale. Phuket is located along the Southern coast of the country, and is one of the most incredible and scenic beaches on earth. Although there are opportunities to hike, dine and shop in the area, the real attraction is the water, with activities like scuba diving, jet skiing, parasailing, fishing, snorkelling and surfing the most popular pastimes. As might be expected from a world class resort town like Phuket, there are a wide range of accommodation choices to fit into any budget, as well as international and upscale dining. Also popular are trips to nearby islands, such as Racha and Phi Phi, to spend the day on a deserted beach with friends and family.

Click here for great deals on an adventure vacation in Thailand, however, if you prefer something a little less adventurous and more relaxing why not take a week off or two and stay in Mauritius through Virgin Holidays.

Lifecruiser Love Holiday Tips
 

Disclosure: I have a material connection because I received a cash payment, gift or item of nominal value from a company affiliated with a brand, topic and/or product that is mentioned herein. However, I only post about tips I truly believe travelers could have good use of.
 

Boracay White Beach, photo by Elmar

Have I told you that we almost got to the Philippines in the beginning of 2005? We had booked the flight and all, staying away for 2 whole months. But we never got here!

We have friends at Fårö – our summer island outside Swedens east coast – that goes to the Philippines a couple of months during the winter every year and speaks very well about it. What a paradise it is, how much there is to explore, the excellent snorkel and diving waters, how very friendly the Filipino people are and all the fun they have had over there.

They use to be a whole bunch of people going there to meet up. Even the farmer we rent from, has been going there for ages. For him it’s pure survival, since he is getting older and need the warmth instead of the cold damp at Fårö in the winter time. We had heard them speaking so much that we decided to join them, we planned and booked a trip there in the beginning of 2005.

First we would stay 2 weeks in Malaysia, first one night in Swiss Garden Kuala Lumpur and the rest at Swiss Garden Golf & Spa Resort Hotel to relax. Mr Lifecruiser would play golf a lot there and I would just get spoiled in the Spa with all kind of treats!!! The meaning was to get plenty of rest and relax, to be able to enjoy the rest of the trip better.

After that we would go to The Philippines. First stop Manila for a couple of days and then to the islands Mindoro and Boracay to stay there for 1,5 months living island life. *dreaming*

So how did it go? Two severe things happened that stopped our plans. First thing hitting us were that both of us got Pneumonia – what’s the odds of that happening? *giggles*

The emergency claimed that it was a lite version of Pneumonia, but we’ve never been so sick in our entire lives. I thought that I was going to burn up from the inside and the coughing would turn my lungs inside out, the fever was real bad. We got exhausted from all the coughing and even delayed onset muscle soreness from it.

It was the first time we’ve not slept in the same bed (our 35 inches bed!), it was impossible with all that sweating and turning before the antibiotics kicked in.

The most serious that happened was the big Tsunami. It did hit the coast line in Malaysia too. Maybe not as serious as in the rest of the Tsunami area, but never the less it did hit. That didn’t sound exactly relaxing in our minds. Then we have the fact that after flooding, there usually also comes diseases. I have a bad habit of catching illness, as much as I very often get bad weather on our trips. Remember my bad weather curse? *giggles*

There was no chance that we could have enjoyed this trip, with all the pictures of the tsunami victims in our minds. We simply had to cancel. Besides that it took us half a year to recover from the pneumonia, so this really was the right decision we made.

We were really planning to make the longest trip there, spending a lot of money. Not that it’s expensive over there – it really isn’t!

I read some where that this should be the top 3 least expensive countries to be a tourist in:

1. Egypt
2. Philippines
3. Paraguay

I have no idea if it still is the same. Best time to go to the Philippines is January – May, so we went to South America after we had recovered, in the autumn instead and I really can confirm for sure that Paraguay really was inexpensive to the max!!!

Since then it have been happening so much things over here, so we haven’t had the chance to think about making a second try to go there.

Have you noticed a new visitor here lately? Damaguete Guy (who lives there) and I got to speak a little about the Philippines, so it’s actually him we have to thank for this post

Maybe we’ll make it some day…

I asked him for some tips and he gave me this links below, where a couple of the sites has Boracay sections…

• Netguard – his oldest site
• Philippines Insider – big blog with a new post every day
• Davao City Hotel – smaller Davao blog
• Palawan Info – new site – work in progress. Right now this site is just aging and getting ready for a total launch. He has have another 50+ articles ready for this site already

Guy also said:

Actually the best beach for me in Puerto Galera is not White Beach, but Paradise beach. Totally secluded, many times you will be the only ones there. Nice big grained sand and corals just a few meters out. This beach is right before White Beach when you come from the Sabang side

Boracay – I usually stay in the quiet end of the island, which is the part closest to Caticlan where the airport is located. This area is not as expensive as the main drag and it is much more quiet

When you wanna party it is just a 20 min. walk down to the bars and discos…

Links to other sites to explore:

• Malaysia
• Philippines Government site
• The Philippines
• Wow Philippines
• The island Boracay
• Boracay Island Trip

Captain ♥ Lifecruiser