Note: this entry is based on my travel experience around South America. In some cases, there are elements that can be applied to other destinations, but I can’t guarantee it

Are there ways to save money in our trips and, hence, to be able to broaden our visit with less expenses? Here, some of the backpackers’ usual practices when travelling around South America.

Spend the night in a bus. The distances between Latin American cities are usually big, in many cases over 8 hours. So, one of the ways to save money is by travelling by bus during the night, every other day. Obviously, you’ll have to take the bus somewhere around 10pm. so that you’ll arrive to your destination early in the morning, around 6 am (not earlier, if possible). The con: you’ll have to walk around the city the whole day without counting on a place where to rest or take a shower. At least in Bolivia, this last issue is not a big problem, since there are public showers (not free, but they’re cheap) in all the bus terminals. Just don’t exceed your savings impulses and do spend a night in a hotel every other day; otherwise you’ll be so tired, you won’t be able to enjoy your trip. By the way, in Bolivia it’s possible to bargain for the price of bus tickets, particularly when there are not enough passengers to fill the bus. In these cases, you can get substantial savings.

The cheapest hotels are located nearby train stations. In Latin America, trains have been an object of a long process of uninvestment and, in fact, have stopped working in many places. But even in areas where abandoned (or not) train stations are located you can usually find most of the cheapest hotels and lodges of the town. Don’t look for single rooms nor with private bathroom, you won’t save as much. The con: it’s not unusual for these locations to be unsafe. By the way: in countries like Peru or Bolivia the development of camping is minimal, and doesn’t make much sense to carry a tent around these places. Besides, in high altitude places it gets so cold at night that you’ll hardly like it to sleep outside.

Eat in the streets. Ok, maybe someone concerned about hygiene and bromatology will strongly disagree with this advice, but you have to admit that you won’t find anything cheaper, at least not in Latin America. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon to gain some digestive problems and, in the case these are really bad, you’ll end up spending more money in medications than in food. Not to mention the two or three days you’ll waste by staying in the bathroom.

Buy in groups. Particularly in countries like Bolivia, Peru and Equator, it’s not hard to bargain for the prices of crafts. But it’s even better to buy in groups, and talk the price of every piece down, until you get a greater discount for the whole package. Remember, bargaining is a social relation between the buyer and the seller, not a talk between a swindler and his victim. I clear this up because I’m tired of seeing european tourists yelling at the sellers “I’ve said 20!!!!”, as if they were ordering the price. The funniest thing is that these same tourists might have already been overcharged by taxi drivers and restaurants, and they didn’t say anything…

Got any more advice? Leave it on the comments area.