International Birding on no budget! lol! (1 Viewer)

nightheron28 · Sep 9, 2004

Hey everyone,

I was just wondering if there are some of you out there that like me are just struggling in life, but still manage to find an interest in birds and birding and despite your best efforts it seems that all your denaro, pounds goes into bills with little (i mean little left) for birding I mean I can barely afford the gas/petrol to get to birding locations. What have you done or what kind of strategy did you use to get to exotic birding locations. When I say exotic I mean other countries where you can litterally increase your list by the hundreds if you spent a few days there. For me going to somewhere in south america, Europe, Australia, Asia, Middle East (oh wait I am whiter that a sheet and american, cant go there lol!), anyway going to these places would literally give me hundreds of birds.

Or do I just have to wait it out and win the lottery lol!

Thanks.

mountain man · Sep 9, 2004

All sentiments echoed!

You can do it, but it requires lots of careful planning. If you want to do a foreign trip on an extreme budget then what you need above all else is lots of time. You see people doing North India, China, Peru in 10-14 days and think "WOW that must be easy." Then of course you discover that they are flying everywhere, using guides and hiring drivers. Aim for 3 times the length it takes an organised trip for your own schedule.

I did North India for a month when I was an undergrad student living on a total of £6,000 for the whole year. I covered everything that the big tour groups do and got almost as good a trip list, but it just took a lot longer to do. Where people would fly we would go by bus. Where groups drove to special sites off the beaten track we would either walk or hire a bike.

It was huge fun. My advice would be to beg, borrow and steal to scrape enough together to do it.

Have fun!

Edward woodwood · Sep 9, 2004

worked as an English Teacher abroad, Indonesia and Greece. Good way to see a place and a few birds.

Foreign trips are cheap - only real expense is the flight. Some countries are very cheap. Peru for example, the Manu Road - best birding in the world perhaps costs nothing, just your food. Maybe a couple of dollars to pitch a tent next to one of the very few buildings on it. Most 'developing' countries have cheap hotels, very cheap food (I recently ate very well in Sri Lanka for less than 50p a day).

Do it yourself, save some cash and savour the experience. Tour groups dash everywhere madly. No fun. Hardest thing is to get the time.

Great birds, great people, great experiences, great food and drink. Adds to the richness of life.

Tero · Sep 9, 2004

If the climate is OK, bicycles and youth hostels may work. Try summer, or go really south.

Edward woodwood · Sep 9, 2004

yep Tero

South America (Peru and Ecuador are good value)

Anywhere in the Orient is pretty good. Indonesia is wonderful, very cheap and the birds are disappearing fast. Whole Indian subcontinent is very good value, as are Cambodia adn Vietnam Once you take the plunge you realise just how easy it really is. And once tried, everyone goes back for more it seems

Botaurus · Sep 9, 2004

There is a guy from the UK who founded a network of birding folks that try to cut costs by traveling together. And there is an other site, that is for people living near interesting places and willing to help others as free guides and hosts. I dont know if it is allowed to link to sites like this here...

Best you google for "budget birder" and for "birding pal", and you will find them and their concepts soon. I do not know if it is really good tho', I have no personal experiances with any clubs like this, just have known the guy who founded the budget-birding club online for some time on a now defunct forum, and I think he is a very nice and trustable person.

Hanno · Sep 9, 2004

That is exactly why I went into the hotel business. I get to travel the world, and am being paid doing so (OK, the 16-hour work-days are not always ideal for birding, but I do get my fair share in.) As Tim said, Asia can be extremely cheap. I figure you could survive on less than USD 20.00 a day here in Vietnam, and that includes lodging, fodd, and a couple of beers after a day's birding. And follow Botaurus' advice by visiting 'Birding Pal".

Edward woodwood · Sep 10, 2004

http://birdingpal.org/

jurek · Sep 10, 2004

I don't know what your situation is. If you have young children or a member of family who needs medical care, I can do little to help you.

The general advice to get rich is don't buy things which cost you futher money (like big house or car where you pay maintenance, repair etc.) but buy things which bring you more money (like self-education or shares). Still not worked for me, yet

Tropical birding IS cheap. Lots of Asian and S.American countries cost $10-$30 per day with budget lodging and ground transport and have fantastic birds, sights and are safe.

1. Look at Lonely Planet website and guides for info on expenses etc.

2. Look in Internet for cheapest air tickets.

3. On the spot - go (usually) without a guide, travel by coach or train and stay in budget hotels. But remember not to overstetch yourself. Eat enough, sleep long, beacuse otherwise you will not have a stamina for birding.

4. I assume that you have time. That will repay the lack of guide. Some of the most cracking bird reports come from people who went on their own away from regular birding tour circuit. Example is this Frenchman who discovered Iraq Babblers and Bald Ibis in Syria or another who saw the recently described laughingtrushes in VietNam. See it at worldtwitch website. http://www.worldtwitch.com/ This is good inspiration.

And, end with being serious and on a lighter side: see Vladimir Dinets website. http://dinets.travel.ru/ But don't believe in everything on this particular website. The chop himself admitted that he is coloring.

nightheron28 · Sep 10, 2004

Wow thanks everyone for all the great and wonderful suggestions!

My biggest problem is not that I am materialistic, but having to pay for all these things which are really necessities and having so little left. Things like a car, you would be suprised at how expensive this necessary evil is in this country when you account for insurance/car payment/gas (petrol) costs. I also have rent and utility bills which seem expensive, but is not that bad for this area. I also owe on a $4500 loan.

Plus I have been in kind of a rut lately job wise it has been very slow up until now, luckily I landed this freelance gig which will give me a years worth of work.

I am hoping my new strategy for having a car, (buying reliable used) in about 6 months will pay off and allow me to have more free money since I will not have a car payment. Then it will just be a matter of getting some time off from work.

Karl J · Sep 10, 2004

If you can afford a plane ticket & cycling is your thing, and personally i can't think of a better or cheaper way to get about, there's plenty of inspiration on the web. Stay in campsites to keep the cost down even further.

Plenty of travel journals on here but I particularly liked this one .... http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journal/author/?opts=300&author=Rachel_Kimler ... a couple who cycled 300km along the Icefield Parkway in the Rockies towing their 10 month old daughter in a kiddie-trailer. Shows just what can be done if you really want to.

Edward woodwood · Sep 10, 2004

hey Carlos
thanks for the idea
I've thought of this before.....a bike would have come in handy for me more than a few times in the past....I reckon in many places you could buy a decent bike very cheaply indeed and sell it on at the end of the holiday

Karl J · Sep 10, 2004

a hugely overlooked means of transportation, in my opinion. Mind you tim i'm not too sure i'd fancy biking through the rainforest

Edward woodwood · Sep 10, 2004

Hi Carlos

I did use bikes in Way Kanan - they were very poor but i took them out at night when frogmouthing etc - I was a bit scared as there was a tiger in the close vicinity and i figured (probably very mistakenly) that the bike would help me get away if needed.........how stupid is that? I think i would have had no chance.!

many places with forest would be bikable though - Fraser's Hill, Khao Yai (amd many other sites in Thailand, Turkey and Morocco

Karl J · Sep 10, 2004

I eagerly await your next trip report !

actually some of the old seemingly poor bikes are some of the best you can get. If you can get hold of an old fashioned steel frame bike it'll be far more comfortable than modern aluminium, and last forever. but hardly anyone want steel ones cos they're not fashionable so most have ended up on the dump.

Edward woodwood · Sep 10, 2004

Carlos,

to digress a moment, I'm after a mountain bike at the moment to bike around Waxham and north norfolk etc.....any good places to pick up a reasonable bike 100-150 or something like that?

Karl J · Sep 10, 2004

Do you really want a mountain bike ?

First place i'd look for a bike suitable for norfolk roads is Ray Freeman in Norwich. Or Streetlife Cycles has shops in Norwich and Lowestoft.

some of the cheaper ones ie. Apollo bikes from Halfords, are that sort of price bracket but won't last long.

Keith Reeder · Sep 11, 2004

Tim,

unless you can find a decent 2nd hand "proper" mountain bike a few years old, I'd advise you to keep your money in your wallet.

As Karl suggests, the cheap Halfords/Argos/QVC specials will make your life misery then break - most likely when you're miles from home...

Edward woodwood · Sep 11, 2004

thanx for the advice - i'll take it! Will look for something 'decent' instead.

and anyone into going it alone and loking for adventure should certainly check out Vladimir Dinets site as mentioned by Jurek above at http://dinets.travel.ru/ I posted a thread on Vlad somewhere on BF recently....

atb
Tim

erik · Sep 11, 2004

You know, having not that much money myself i am still planning on biking to Sweden next summer (stil enthusiastic about it though...) If it won't work out, hitch-hiking is a good option here in europe. We now and then have hitch-hiking contests to Paris and it gets u there in 8 hours (Central Netherlands to Paris). And that for no money at all. So for the europeans among us (sorry Nightheron...), hitch-hiking is the way (well at least when ur young coz people tend to take you with them easier.

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