Luxury Travel or Budget Travel?

During my years abroad, I came across a variety of people, personalities, and temperaments. Some expats I really enjoyed, but some travelers were more of an acquired taste. I got on with most people as best I could, but there was a certain type of traveler that just really got under my skin.

The only people I came across that I really didn’t enjoy too much were the travel-know-it-alls. You know the ones I’m talking about, the ones who are really conceited about traveling, know everything about every country, and judge you for the way you like to travel. Travel Hipsters I like to call them.

For some reason these travel hipsters only consider an adventure to another country as traveling if you’ve gone completely unprepared, slept in a hostel with 20 strangers, and nearly died of food poisoning from eating from at random hole in the walls.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve done my fair share of hostel hopping and resort vacationing in new countries, and I personally see the appeal in both kinds of traveling.

After a long and cold winter in Asia, the last thing I wanted to do was wander around a foreign country aimlessly without plans or accommodations. So what did I do? I called up a girlfriend and we made plans to head to a gorgeous resort in the Philippines.

I spent 4 lovely days on the beach without the need to see, taste, and do everything authentically. I suppose you could call this excursion a vacation, but, nonetheless, [bctt tweet=”I experienced new adventures, met new people, and tasted new foods”] in my book that counts as traveling.

On the flip side of that Asian coin, I’ve also spent time bouncing around from hostel to hostel, meeting new people, tasting really strange foods, and enjoying the excitement of the unknown through budget traveling.

Immersing myself in a culture in such an open way was fun because I had a lot on my must-see and must-eat list that I’d only be able to do in that specific foreign country.

I can see the upsides and downsides to each type of travel.

Luxury travel definitely costs more and offers you a bit of a sheltered view of a country, but it’s amazing for relaxation and enjoyment.

Budget traveling saves you money and gives you a different glimpse into a country (not to mention it’s often easier to make new friends in hostels), but it can be a hectic and stressful ordeal when you’re counting pennies and having a fly by the seat of your pants type of travel adventure.

So what’s my verdict on which type of travel is better?

You’re about to be really disappointed in my lack of choice.

It genuinely depends on which friends you’re with, where you’re traveling to, and what kind of experience you want to have. But (and this is a really big but) there is no right or wrong way to travel.

As long as you have a stamp in your passport and memories to keep forever, you’re doing traveling right. Never let anyone convince you otherwise. And on that same token, don’t be the rude expat who discourages others to travel the way that they enjoy it. We’re all in this travel business together, so let’s hold each other up and be positive towards one another.

Rant over.

Calling all budget travelers and luxury explorers! I want to hear you weigh in on the subject; do you prefer to travel cheap or travel in extravagance? Share your comment with other expats in a comment below!