TRAVELING ON A LOW BUDGET - 3 MONTHS IN EUROPE RECAP

The cool part about traveling is the diversity, try to travel in different ways, using different transports with different people. I enjoy to travel in different ways: I traveled 21 days with 2 friends on a InterRail (by train), I backpacked alone 7 months in Asia and Australia (bus, train, planes), I traveled 3 weeks in North Portugal with my partner (by car) and I traveled in Europe almost 3 months with my partner (hitch hiking).

This last trip in Europe we spent around 900€ BOTH OF US. Something like 150€ per month each. With this budget of course you cannot do everything you feel like but the challenge starts here. You start living with few money and the less money you have, the more you reconize you don't need it. I'm not saying that you can live without money, I'm saying you don't need to spend so much money.

For the last years, I found people very consumist, working hard in jobs they don't even like and then to put this frustation away, they keep going to the malls and satisfy their souls and "happiness" buying things they say they need and mostly things they don't need but they think they need. Why buying new jeans for 60€ when you have 5 pairs of jeans already? Why buying new clothes just because it's your friend's birthday and you want to look good? The beauty comes inside and not outside. Be yourself, be natural and you will see the atrattion law working ;)

Back to my travels. Hitch Hiking means that you travel for free. But that's not all: you have a chance to meet so many people, you share ideas and opinions that maybe will change your LIFE! Yes, it's risky because the driver and the people in the car or truck are strangers, but life is risky anyways! Remember that situations of stealing, car jacking, violation, rapping can happen anytime and anywhere, just get out of your home and your life is in danger already ;) Living with fear will block your happiness, will make you freeze and not do whatever that you really want to.

Then you obviously need to sleep somewhere. On the road we sleept in Gas Stations, it's not a comfortable way of sleeping but it's Summer so a sleeping bag and a good spot makes everything better! Before arriving to certain cities and villages we asked our friends if we could stay with them, so this is a way to be with your friends, meeting their family and friends and it's free accomodation. Only positive points! Sometimes you don't even know but probably the place you want to go so hard, you have a friend living there. Now a days with facebook it's easy, you type "My friends" in the Seaching Box and then you fill up with what are you looking for. This is how I met up Lia in Madrid and I'm sooooo grateful because I had a chance to be with her again and her sweet family <3 On Summer time you can sleep on the beach, camping or in a hammock. How beautiful falling asleep staring at the stars and the moon. Couchsurfing is also another way of accomodation, someone let you to stay in their house, usually in a period of 3-5 days, for free. This way you stay with a local and that person will tell you the interesting things to do not the touristy ones. Personally, this is one of my fave wesites but watch out because Couch Surfing is not about free accomodation, it's all about SHARING.

We stayed in Madrid with my friend Lia and her adorable family <3 

Concerning the food, I learned to go to markets and check out what they have to get rid. So much vegetables and fruits that are in great conditions they just throw away. We always try to cook at home, if not possible we will eat sandwiches. Going to fancy restaurants is not possible, so we eat in local areas, what we call "tascas" in Portugal. For me those are the best spots to experience local food, cheap and delicious. We end up making friends with the owners all the time.

Bruno made these yummie Shrimps with garlic while we were in Marseille. We spent a total of 10€ including beers and bread, can you imagine if we go to a restaurant how much would be?

We needed "new" clothes for the coming season so we start looking for second hand shops and flea markets, they are everywhere! You can search on the net the addresses and look for them, it's so fun because at the same time you visit places, streets, you never been before. We were lucky enough to find a pile of clothing in Marseille, people left it in a corner after the Flea Market, so we got "new" clothes for FREE. We are ready for the Fall, bring it on!

Guys, I don't mean to tell you what to do, this is my life style, I'm just sharing it hoping that it inspires you somehow, maybe you can think differently after reading this post and will clear your consciousness. No juddements, you do whatever you want with your money, off course!!

It was such an important trip, now I feel more confortable about leaving in a sustailable way, trying not to spend money on things I don't really need. The next months my task is to learn about agriculture process and hopefully one day I will have my own Farm, grow my own food and not depending on shitty food they sell now a days in the supermarkets. "What you are is a manifestation of what you eat". And yep, I want to continue with a healthy life. 

So why not starting to plant in California? Here we are in my friends house, who we met up in Mexico last December :) Sunday is their wedding ceremony and I'm extra extra excited!