Tip #2: Save money and get somewhere by taking overnight transportation. A sweater for a pillow and a sarong for a blanket – ear plugs and a sleep mask help as well – and you are off to dreamland while your body is carried to your next destination. You’ve saved the cost of a hotel or hostel room, saved hours of mind-numbing travel (especially nice when going through areas of minimal voyeur interest), and you got to the next place you wanted to be. In most countries, this can comfortably be done on buses, trains (those with sleepers are especially nice) and planes.

Tip #1:You may be surprised at the quality of buses in other countries, especially those where the average family doesn’t own one car per member. In Mexico, for example, buses feature seats that recline almost horizontally, provide hot and cold drinks and sandwiches, and show movies (the better bus lines have headsets so you don’t have to listen if you don’t want to). Don’t assume that all buses are chicken buses (literally, because people bring live birds on board – usually in cages). And, in any case, chicken buses can be fun for short distances as you’ll get a really good glimpse into how the locals travel.

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