travel tips
1. free “some” rest + breakfast
when ur driving on the interstate or to explain this easier.. if its between 5:19 – 7:03am (provided that its still somewhat dark out) and you see motel or cheap hotel on the road, you can stop and check for the rooms that are half open. knock on the room and make sure that the guest had already checked out. if no bags / clothes in sight, you can proceed and crash on the bed. with this trick, you can even freshen up and eat breakfast at the lobby 
2. late check out
usually check out time is at noon, and if you wana sleep in and not to be bothered waking up in the AM (like me), offer the front desk to fill in survey and let them know that ur tired from ____________ (whatever – fill in the blanks) and you need to sleep late in order to drive safely the next day. most (at least all in my case) hotels are very friendly that way especially if you tell them well ahead in advance and offer to fill in survey
3. if you’re lost…
dont be afraid to talk to strangers. in my 10 years or traveling experience, great things always happens to travelers. for some reason, locals (most of them) will try to help passing through travelers as much as they can (i had bad experience in chicago on this matter though). feel free to ask for directions, opinions and suggestions. i usually ask people who are smoking outside buildings – simply because theyre gona stay there for a few minutes anyways, and i am not holding them back from getting anywhere. regardless, the only thing that you got to loose is your loneliness
4. talent / effort
when traveling, some vagabond told me that you cant afford to be timid and shy. also, talent and effort counts as something major. for instance, instead of just hanging out in the room by myself, i would rather play the guitar or cook for other travelers. that way, you make friends and friends are forever. ive bartered a lot of things just by playing songs on guitar. ive scored food, balloons and more, with just music. im not a super-guitarist or anything but i think effort plays a bigger role in that
5. getting in festivals for free
if you are into music festivals like i am, this is a great trick on how to get into festivals like bonnaroo, cochela and rothbury for free (not to burningman though). yes, for free. tickets usually goes around $250 – $350 and this could be a mojr savings on your part. first, decide on the festivals that you want and able to go to. after that, go to the website and look up for volunteers section. i highly suggest that you do this way the fuck in advance because usually volunteer position are filled pretty fast. send them emails saying that u volunteered before (technically ur not lying) and that you are intierested in contributing your experience and knowledge toward the success of the event. you might have to pay the tickets in advance and get your money back right after you fulfilled your commitment but the point is that, you get to meet cool people, freebies, staff tshirt, back stage access and on top of that, u get your money back!
6. foods
- dumpster diving: some most hyperstore (eg: walmart) discard items that either just or barely pass the “sell by” date. they are getting rid of this ’sell by’ date because its not accurate and confusing when theres a ‘use by’ date. anyhoo, what i did before was that, i would sneak around walmart (most of the time on broad daylight coz its less shady) and grab some breads and fruits and vegies from their dumpster at the back. i know it doesnt sound too hygenic but it is pretty clean, especially after you clean and wash it. sometimes in a box of strawberries, one of two would be molded but the rest (around 15 – 19 pcs) are not just edible, but also awesome to eat – in terms of taste and health. breads are awesome too. i love getting garlic bread and dip em with salsa or something. wamps. just writing this and reminicing it makes me drooling.
- food coops: like in asheville (my fvourite place), they have coops that go around these markets and pick up unsold perishable food items such as fruits and veggies (mostly). they distribute these within their community. the best is to assimilate with your community. get involve and ask around for these kinda things. lotsa people do it not because they dont have any money, but because they are saving money for their travels. with the funds that can enable u to travel for 3 months, if you do these things, you could probably sustain yourself for a year. its all about sustainability baby!
