Some countries insist that you show some means of support (credit cards or cash), or have evidence of an . . . → Read More: Tickets, Money, Credit Cards]]>

Some countries insist that you show some means of support (credit cards or cash), or have evidence of an address where you will be staying (hotel, friends, etc.) while visiting. You may also need to show return or onward air tickets.

This is mainly to show that you don’t intend to stay for an extended time in the country (illegally), and you won’t become a burden to the state (and won’t need to be flown home at their expense, for example).

This is known as the ‘sufficent funds’ requirement. New Zealand, for example, requires that you have about $15 per day of intended stay. Canada will turn you away if you can’t show you have ‘enough’ money.

Any credit card (regardless if it has a low limit or is ‘maxed out’) should be OK to show you have sufficient funds at most borders.

It helps if you look OK when crossing the border, too, (i.e. not poor or dishevelled). Being clean shaven and wearing clean clothes just for this purpose is a good idea.

You can find more about taking money and credit cards with you in the ‘Money‘ section of this website.

It is actually possible to travel extensively without money, or at least, with very little.

Every year there are . . . → Read More: Financing Your Trip]]>

It is actually possible to travel extensively without money, or at least, with very little.

Every year there are a few people that start out on long trips with no money at all, whilst others do so with seemingly unlimited budgets. Most people fall somewhere between these two extremes.

How ever much you have, it has been said that is it better to travel with very little money than to not travel at all.

Plenty of travel websites and blogs exist on the Internet, many of them document the experiences of budget travellers. For example, this one, which makes fascinating reading (check out the FAQ section).

There are two things to think about where travel money is concerned, getting hold of some, and spending it wisely once you have it. Getting access to it while you are away is covered in the ‘Money’ section of this website under ‘Carrying‘, and keeping it safe is convered in the ‘Packing’ section under ‘ Security‘.

Saving, Working, Winging it

There are quite a few options for financing a trip. One is to work for a while in your home country, saving enough to cover all the foreseeable expenses and then taking a credit card as a back-up for the unforseeable ones.

Another option (and the one I usually choose), is to accumulate the bulk of your likely expenditure before you leave, but to supplement it by working whilst travelling.

Or you can take very little money and rely on the kindness of strangers you meet on the road. I once read of someone who started out with $400, travelled around the world for two years by hitchhiking, crossing oceans on freighters, and continents by jumping trains, sleeping rough or staying at people’s houses (people he met on the way), yet still returned with a couple of hundred dollars to spare.