Access the world view of other cultures by living like a local while on the road. Gain inside information on how to book low-cost transportation and places to stay.

1. How to Travel Deep & Cheap
Leanna Wolfe
Independent Travel Coach

2. About Dr. Wolfe
• Independent Travel Coach
• Writer, Photographer, World Traveler
• MA Anthropology, New School for Social Research
• PhD Sexology, Institute for Advanced Study of
Human Sexuality
• Wise Woman Sex and Relationship Consulting

3. Young Anthropologist in Mani,Yucatan

4. Reunion
with an old
friend in
Mani

5. Field work with the Luo on Rusinga Island, Kenya

6. Field visit with the Huli tribe, Papua New Guinea

7. Home Stay in Mumbai, India

8. With Couchsurfing Hosts in Buenos Aires

9. Sipping Coconuts with host in Rio de Janeiro

10. Burning Man

11. Dress Up with Hosts in Amantani, Peru

12. Inka Trail with friendly Llamas

13. With my Kumbha Mela Guru, Allahabad, India

14. Playa Zipolite, Oaxaca, Mexico

15. What’s a Travel Coach?
• Not a Travel Agent!
• Empower you to navigate today’s travel scene
• Learn how to:
• Access good airfares
• Book regional trains and busses
• Sort out Homestays/Hotels/Hostels…
• Become an Engaged Traveler (and not a Tourist)

16. What’s Engaged Travel?
• Live like a local
• Stay in a neighborhood
• Shop at farmers markets and corner bodegas
• Eat and drink in people’s cafes
• Engage in Regional Activities
• Concerts
• Art Openings
• Street Fairs
• Parties
• Absorb the Worldview of Locals!

17. Lisbon
Saturday
Flea Market

18. Concert in a
Philadelphia
Neighborhood
Park

19. What about Touristic Stuff?
• Absolutely…But
• Ask Questions
• Study and Explore on your own
• Don’t Depend on Tour Guides for inside information
• Book Free Walking Tours!
• Run by locals for tips…
• Avoid long queues by booking online and in advance

20. Free Athens
Walking Tour

21. Free
Bushwick
Graffiti Art
Tour

22. Why do people do Touristic Stuff?
• Must see art, monuments and museums
• Selfies!
• See it with your own eyes
• Walk through Pompeii
• Michelangelo's Pieta
• David
• Mona Lisa
• Eat and Drink Memorable Meals…

23. Viewing
Sculptures
of Pompeii

26. How to Break off from Touristic Stuff
• Walk down side streets
• Eat at hole in the wall places
• Take local busses and subways
• Go on Facebook and look for local events
• Stay with a Couchsurfing or Hands-On Airbnb Host
• Join them in their routine
• Go hiking or jogging in local parks

27. Folsom St.
East, NYC

28. Backstreet
Café, Corfu

29. With my Airbnb
Host in Merida,
Yucatan

30. How to Create an Itinerary
• Decide on Arrival and Departure Dates
• Roundtrip or Open Jaw or Multiple Stops
• Mix and Match Airlines…
• Buy one ticket with miles…and another with cash
• Give yourself time to adjust to jet lag and altitude changes
• Book places to stay
• Try to stay fewer places for longer amounts of time
• Book regional transit (buses and trains or rental cars)
• Book transit between cities at midday, arriving at hotel 3 pm check-in
• Allows time for unpacking, sunset viewing and a leisurely dinner
• Build chill time into your schedule…don’t over book activities

31. Travel Solo or with Others?
• As a solo traveler you are likely to meet more people…may have long alone
gaps
• Traveling with a buddy / partner reduces per person costs for hotel rooms
• Traveling with others creates instant family, but on any long trip, travel
stress is likely to intensify
• Travel Buddies quirks can get irritating
• Things that don’t work as planned can blow up otherwise good friendships
• Finding someone who has the same stamina, interests and appetites is not
easy!
• Make agreements to give each other time off to wander, read, sleep, etc.

32. Exploring Coba,
Yucatan with a
travel partner

33. Aerial Skyway
Selfie, Lisbon

34. Travel to Challenge your Worldview!
• Different Foods – tastes, colors, seasonings
• Different Smells
• Different Ways of Getting Around
• Walking, Hiking and Trekking
• Water Taxis, Vaporettos and Gondolas
• Horses, Camels, Donkeys…
• Bicycle Taxis
• Rickshaws
• Different Clothing Traditions
• Saris, Kimonos, Burkas, topless bikinis

38. How To Book Cheap Flights
• Travel off Season
• Google “cheap flights” for your destination
• Discover regional airlines
• LATA - Interjet – Volaris - Ryan Air – German Wings – Easy Jet
• It can be cheaper to fly on Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday
• Be Careful about Long Layovers to save small amounts of Money
• Fly Direct if at all possible!

39. Book Cheap Flights…continued
• Use an Air Ticket Consolidator
• Travel Agent who specializes in flights to a particular region
• Get Airline Credit Card Deals for large amounts of miles
• American now offers 50K if you get an Aviator Master Card
• United is now offering 60K with an Explorer Visa Card
• Explore a variety of travel dates
• Some dates and times are cheaper than others
• Visit Islands during Shoulder Season
• Peak Travel – can be very crowded
• Off Season – bad weather and few businesses open

40. How to Book Cheap Trains
• Use regional sites…not tourist ones
• Different departure times have different prices!
• Use Trip Advisor to explore possibilities…
• But do your own bookings!
• Many regional sites have translation toggles
• Or use Google Translator…
• Take Advantage of Senior or Student Discounts
• Different train companies may charge very different
prices

41. How to Stay Healthy away from Home
• Drink Safe Water
• Stay Hydrated
• Bottled Water if regional source is not treated
• Pace Yourself
• Get the Sleep you Need
• Stretch
• Personal First Aid Kit
• Pain killer
• Anti-acid
• Band Aids / Ace Bandage
• Sunscreen and Sunglasses
• Prescriptions

42. Staying Health part II
• Take Probiotics
• Pack Cold Meds
• Lots of microbes are recycled during long flights
• Take Airborne (or something like it)
• Investigate Travel Vaccinations
• Make your own decisions!
• Malaria and Zika Virus Prevention
• Mosquito Nets
• Repellent
• Long Pants and Long Sleeved Shirts
• Evaluate Malaria Prophylaxis

43. Take Photos that Say Something Original
• Standard Photography is available on Google Images
• Experiment with Angles
• Shoot in Low Light and Adjust “Contrast” afterwards…
• Shoot through Port Holes, down Alleys and from Roof Tops
• Play with Reflections!
• Crop, Colorize, Make Collages

44. Views from the
Roman
Colosseum
Portholes

45. Burning Man Playa
Shot in a Full on
Dust Storm

46. Reflections
in a rain-
soaked field,
Pa’ Lungan,
Borneo

47. Venice Canal
Reflections

48. Lake
Reflection
Banff,
Canada

49. How to Book Hotels, Hostels and Homestays
• Start out searching with Trip Advisor, Booking.com, Trivago
• Then go to the hotel’s own website…or call them up
• Some hotels only book through booking sites
• A hotel might have availability through one site but not another
• Consider location!
• How much are you willing to travel to access sights and restaurants?
• Many Airbnbs are in residential neighborhoods..
• Filter Airbnb with a zip code or “downtown,” etc.
• Hostels are no longer just for young people
• Some offer private rooms for couples and have many amenities

50. How to Make Sense of Customer Reviews
• Airbnb Guests who get to know their Hosts personally may
withhold negative observations
• Airbnb Hosts may negotiate with their Guests to give each other 5-
star reviews…
• A 5-star rating at a funky homestay doesn’t mean it’s a 5-star
place to stay!
• Guests at 5-star hotels and resorts expect a lot and may be highly
critical if services are not up to their standards

51. Selfie with
Airbnb
Hosts in
Russia

52. With Home Stay Hosts in Mulu, Borneo

53. What About Couchsurfing and Servas?
• Free places to stay
• Gifts, food or work exchange expected…
• Host expects Guests to socialize with them…
• Great for solo travelers who want to access other worlds..
• Some Couchsurfers use the site for dating/hookups
• May be explicit that the guest will be sharing the host’s bed…
• Possibility of Life Long Friendships!

54. Drinks with
my Chinese
Couch
Surfing
Host and
his Friends

55. Wine tasting with Couchsurfing Hosts in Vienna

56. Woofing and Workaway
• Sites that connect slow-traveling workers with communities
• Work in hostels, hospitals, schools and farms
• Receive room and board in exchange…
• Opportunity for an extended stay
• Also consider housesitting – especially for homeowners with pets
and plants.

57. Be in Touch!
Dr. Leanna Wolfe
323.717-6167
LeannaPhD@outlook.com
my Business Facebook Page:
“Leanna Wolfe Independent Travel Coach”