For people who have been traveling, where does the money come from?

Let me tell you about the travel life of a person who I personally saw traveling all year round.

When I was traveling in Iran, I met a Japanese man who had been on the road for 13 years. He looked about 35 years old, with rough brown skin. He was wearing gray-green jackets and pants with a fleece jacket underneath. Judging from the neckline, it has been polished smooth. Two large mountain bags of 80 liters were packed to the brim and extremely dense. One was carried on the front and one was carried on the back. When he was carrying it, I could only see his head. Since his itinerary was almost the same as mine, and we were both traveling on a budget, we happened to bump into him at every stop. We often booked the same hotel, and we chatted a lot.

To what extent can you travel on a budget? Give some specific examples.

How cheap is Iran? In 2012, we stayed in a standard room in a four-star hotel for only about 300 yuan, while in a youth hostel, a classic old house renovated, the standard room was 18 US dollars. This Japanese gentleman always takes the night bus. He gets on the bus around 12 o'clock in the evening and arrives at the destination at 4 o'clock in the morning. He stays in hotels as little as possible. I once saw him catching up on his sleep on a bench in the park. . I took the Iranian bus from Tehran to Kashan, which seemed to take 5 or 6 hours. The price for two people was actually 70 yuan, including a meal.

If he really wants to stay in a hotel, he always books the largest mixed room, which only costs about ten yuan a night. Sometimes he just stays in the lobby of a youth hostel on the floor for free. I met a Japanese gentleman at Shiraz Station and found out that I had booked the same youth hostel, so I took a taxi to the hostel. The total cost was 12 yuan. After arriving at the hostel, he never mentioned that he wanted to pay me for the bus again. It's something.

Tickets for tourist attractions in Iran are usually 2 yuan for locals and 30 yuan for foreign guests. Japanese gentlemen always have to bargain and buy tickets at Iranian prices. Iranians are casual and often pass. Or they don’t even charge tickets and let people in. To be honest, I’ve done it before. For two people, they can only charge one person’s ticket. Even if the ticket only costs 2 yuan, this Japanese gentleman also has a complete set of strategies for evading fares. He once enthusiastically taught us that the prayer room of a certain mosque has a side entrance. Try not to bring a camera or anything like it. It looks like a tourist's attire. Put on your shoes. Take it off, carry it in, no one is watching, and then put it on after entering the hall door from the inside, and you can play as you like.

There are also many wild tour guides in Iran who solicit customers for traditional handicraft shops. If you follow them, you can see handmade carpets, printed cloths, etc., and you can buy them at will. He has never just watched and bought. The place was expensive, but even if he wasn't poor, he wouldn't buy it. He wouldn't have any space to store travel souvenirs.

Since he has been away from home for many years, he does his own haircuts and carries a manual clipper with him, so although his outfit looks old, it is still decent. There are sleeping bags and tents in the big mountain bag. If he is traveling to a place with a mild climate, he will camp directly for the night.

As far as I know, in 2012, he had already been traveling for the 13th year, and his major was in finance. He said that he would go back to China to work for 1 to 2 months every year. It was not clear how he worked. , the money he earned in these two months was enough for him to travel on a budget for at least 10 months. He said that there are many travelers like him in Japan who travel all year round and have no family or specific job.

Many people misunderstood him as a homeless person and deliberately added a photo. It can be seen that although it is very old and simple, it is still very decent, an ordinary set of hiking clothes. He is also cheerful and is greeting fellow villagers from Japan.

Later, I met many people in South America who traveled all year round. Most of them gave me the impression that they were hippies with dreadlocks. They performed in various squares in the evening, some played the piano, and some Some perform acrobatics, some resell souvenirs, some sell their own handicrafts, and some braid people's hair on the street for a fee. One boy who surprised me actually brought a chicken with him. He probably laid eggs to eat. Just standing on his shoulders, and there were chicken droppings hanging on their clothes... Each of these people tried their best to make money, but they still could only live in the cheapest hotels and the cheapest beds.

I have to mention a man I met in a super cheap hotel. A standard room in that hotel only cost 30 per night. Can you imagine that the wall coverings in the standard room were seriously peeled off and the bed looked like ...I haven't washed it for about half a month. I didn't want to book it after reading it. Before I left, I found a bunch of luggage tied to a wheelchair. I couldn't help but look back in the hotel and found one with only one leg. The short, fat boy was carrying a pair of crutches. Judging from the amount of luggage, he was also traveling for a long time. You know, South America is dominated by mountain cities, and every city is constantly going uphill and downhill. This kind of trip is very difficult for him. I have always regretted that I did not chat with him and get to know him better.

It is normal to travel purely on a budget. After all, not everyone can be a travel experiencer, write articles for magazines, and provide photos, right? Even the one-legged boy can do it. In fact, traveling is something that can be achieved as long as you endure the hardship. But if I want to travel all year round and be luxurious and comfortable, then... I can't do it anyway.

Finally, I saw in the comments that many friends think this is wandering, hard work, and meaningless. But these poor tourists, ascetic travelers I have met, are actually very happy. When we talk to them, I only feel that they are comfortable and happy.

Perhaps although they do not seek advancement in their careers and do not want to start a family, traveling is tiring and hard, but this wandering life makes them feel comfortable?

However, relatively speaking, I am very lucky that there are no hippies wandering in our country all year round. Personally, it still affects the city appearance and working atmosphere.