Forward

There are thousands of books on travel. From remarkable memoirs by great travelers of the world, past and present, to more mundane books that serve as pure guidebooks. They all have value and I’ve read hundreds that have informed, entertained and excited me.

So why write another one?

As a freelance writer and photographer, right from the start, I realized that a book devoted purely to budget travel would offer readers a newer slant on worldwide adventure. My desire was to present a variety of ways to travel for the ‘economically challenged’ individual. Though I’m comfortable, I’m far from rich. I have always had a need and burning desire to travel, but there was always another ‘burning’ that took place; --- a hole that seemed to burn at the bottom of my pockets.

I was always anxious about my short trips (in those days they were all short) because I didn’t know how to spend my money wisely. I was worried about how I’d pay the bills that accrued while I was away and how my credit card had become maxed-out despite my best intentions when leaving home. There were always unexpected expenses while I was on the road. I was stuck wondering how I might change all of this and do what I loved more than breathing---travel.

Then I decided to use my skills as a researcher and consultant to unearth ways to travel cheaply. As I was in the middle of doing this exhaustive research, not even contemplating a book at the time, I drifted asleep, my work papers, books and reports disheveled about me, and (as the Beatles put it) I fell into a dream:

 I met a pauper on the roadside in some strange far-off land. He had a very regal bearing, in spite of the fact that he was obviously of small means. His eyes shown brightly and I was sure the glint in them came directly from the sun. He presented a warm, inviting smile that careened off the corners of his mouth.

A duffel bag was slung over his right shoulder and he held a walking stick in his left hand, he wore a loosely draped deep purple cover dress, which was frayed and just a bit soiled. I smiled back and asked him if he knew the best way to travel this land on the cheap. I pulled the pockets in my denim jeans inside out and showed him the holes that were burned in them.

At this the pauper laughed and pulled his pockets inside out, too. From them fell hundreds of dollar bills, gold pieces, diamonds, and all manner of jewels.

“You can travel this land with the most precious thing of all, and have money in place of those holes in your pockets”, he said.

“The most precious thing?”, I asked.

“Yes, --- your imagination. You have to see that the world is very small indeed and you can go anywhere at anytime you choose”, the wise pauper related. “But first, you must imagine that this is so, and only then can you make it so”.

“Then all my money worries can be overcome?”

“Oh, indeed. There are hundreds of ways a pauper travels with only his wits and knowledge to pay his way. In fact, I have been handsomely rewarded by the world, and all I must do is travel!”

“Then I shall let my imagination free, and find these ways”, I said declaratively.

“And while you’re at it, write a book about me”, the splendid pauper said.

I think I started down a new road after that sweet dream. I awoke to a broader world that had somehow become smaller. New avenues of possibility opened to me and I wished only to travel down the paupers trail to journey and adventure.

You’ll notice that in this book I capitalize the word pauper. That is because I’ve come to see that becoming a conscious Pauper is a laudable act and deserves more respect than is commonly afforded. My hope is that you, dear reader, will become a Pauper that takes great joy in developing wise, crafty and savvy traveling knowledge. A true Pauper uses experience as his teacher and employs his wits to succeed.

That’s the purpose of this book; to guide you to ways you can use your own innate genius to travel the roads of life. My gratitude to the many Paupers I’ve met along the way. In my search to find the secrets and tricks of the trade I’ve learned that imagination is truly the most important quality, and that we must first travel within ourselves before finding the truest pleasure in the world about us.

Let’s begin our journey together, with a wink and a nod to that first Pauper of my dreams.

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