How to Save Money to Travel Asia: 6 months on Only $3,000

How to Start Saving Money for Travel Right Now

If at all possible, I would take the extra time to find ways to build a remote income. I don’t care how it’s done, but if you have the skills, get into either coding software engineering, or building a real business.

Both of these options take time and skills, but they will keep you in the game for the long run.

Now if you can’t wait, and just need to go like I did, work and work and work… and work. If you are lucky enough to be in a first world country, or even get a visa to work in a first world country, you can save enough to backpack in just a few months. No excuses.

I’ve met people from other countries such as Jamaica and Thailand who come to the U.S.A on a visa just to let them work to pay for University, and they end up hustling.

I would sometimes work a nearly 19 hour day during some summers doing two jobs. I’d start at 4am and finish at 11pm. And funny enough, I felt the most alive when I put in the work towards a goal.

Don’t tell my old boss, but I would get paid enough to get help setting up the wedding ceremonies, and instead of hiring helping hands, I would just wake up extra early and knock it out myself at times and get paid handsomely. 

I would be down at the beach setting up the arbor and chairs for a beach-wedding ceremony at 4am, then run down the beach to my beach service job to start slinging chairs and umbrellas out until 7:30am. During my lunch break, run back to the wedding and finish it up with all the sashes, linens, and flowers. 

Get a quick bite and be back at the beach service at 9:30. My co-workers at beach service were kind enough to let me nod off for 30 minutes during some lunch breaks, then we’d start picking up all the chairs from 3pm until closing up at 5pm.

Run back to the wedding ceremony and get ready to DJ for the bride’s entrance and exit, get a dinner in during the reception, and break it all down at 10pm. 

I’m telling you this to know that there are no excuses. You can hustle. You just don’t have to. This isn’t permanent, but a season of your life that will teach you hard work. 

Cut These Monthly Expenses 

Work at your biggest expense first, but you’re going to cut everything. Every penny. This isn’t just to save more, but it will also teach you how to live as minimal as possible.

This mindset will carry over into your backpacking and prepare you immensely. This is the biggest difference I found between the true hippie like backpackers and the summer break partiers. 

Your biggest expense will probably be housing. 

Find the cheapest way to get housing. If you can still live with your parents or go back while working, do it. Help them out, be thankful, and take advantage.

If you don’t have that option, be a broke university student. Live with roommates in cheap housing. Just this could be enough to save for the travels. If you’re spending $1,000 or even $2,000 a month on your own place, stack up those roommates. 

No extra room, no girlfriend to stay with? Well your boys will have to be your boyfriends for a while sharing that room. Vise Versa for the ladies.

Extra expenses to save on monthly

• Cheap Housing

• No Eating Out: Learn to cook, it’s an amazing life skill. Chicken, rice, and some veggies are the staple of cheap healthy food that even bodybuilders rely on. 

• • Free Activities: I mean gas money to go for a hike only levels are cheap. Not even a coffee. Good friends will be understanding. 
  • Save on Bills: Reduce that shower time and enjoy the cold. This will prepare you for the lifestyle

• Great Value: No extra shopping, and end up saving the 10 cents on the can of beans just so you can save money and live better. 

Create a Travel-Specific Savings Account

For Americans

I’ll teach you how to set up your accounts in a later article in this chapter book, but for now, I’d open a High Yield Savings Account to put all your money into. I recommend Capital One Savings because of their no fees, no bs, and traveler friendly system.

Capital One also has an amazing Credit Card system with no foreign transaction fees on all their cards, and one of the best travel credit cards, The Capital One Venture X. 

I’d also open a checking account with Charles Schwab or Fidelity. Both banks offer a debit card to take out cash from ATMs with ATM fee reimbursements on all ATMs International.

This will save you hundreds of dollars over your trip. They are also both great brokerages to invest in for later times. 

For non-Americans

Not leaving you out, I love you guys.

Open the best HYSA your country has to offer. Put all your savings for this trip into there.

For a travel debit card to use for ATMs, I highly recommend Wise or Revolut. I’ve also heard for the U.K. folks that Monzo is a good option. 

How Much Money Do You Really Need to Travel Asia?

You backpack in Southeast Asia for as cheap as $500 a month. Southeast Asia is famously one of the best places in the world to backpack. It meets all the requirements. It’s one of the cheapest regions in the world to travel, has very welcoming and friendly people, a safe region with little major crime, and a clearcut path.

Southeast Asia vs East Asia: Budget Differences

If you want to travel in Japan or Korea while backpacking in Southeast Asia, be prepared to triple your budget in these areas. 

Now the Southeast Asia region like Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Indonesia are all part of this budget backpacking trail, getting to East Asia is also a cheap ticket away. 

Just know that the economies of Japan and South Korea are much stronger, and while you can budget travel, they will ultimately be more expensive. But, If you want to visit one of these countries in the area, including Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, or China, 

Sample Daily Budgets in Thailand, Vietnam, and Japan

Now Japan and Korea are lovely. If you dreamed about it, definitely go. But if you’re backpacking to experience what life is like in other countries, I would recommend sticking to Southeast Asia, not just because of the cost, but because these are extroverted countries that are so welcoming.

Japan and Korea are very polite people, but the mentality doesn’t open you up as much as Thailand or Vietnam would. If you would still like to visit an East Asian Country, I would highly recommend Taiwan as an alternative. 

The Taiwanese still have the more “orderly” style of East Asia, but are more sincere and will give you a better outlook on life. Hate me for it, but that’s my opinion after traveling throughout all the countries, and having lived in Japan for over 2 years. 

How I Saved $3,000 to Travel Asia for 8 Months (My Real Story)

Like a lot of broke college students with dreams of a once-in-a-lifetime backpacking trip, I worked part-time jobs. Would I recommend it?

Yes, 100%. It teaches you what the real world feels like when you’re just becoming an adult. It builds grit. It builds hunger. And most importantly, it gives you the kind of discomfort that makes you never want to settle.

If you’ve been working for a while, maybe you’ve already imagined packing your bags and handing in that notice after buying a one-way ticket. Anything’s better than staying stuck, right?

But here’s the thing: if you never build a relationship with money, if you don’t experience the grind of saving with a real goal, you’ll burn through your savings faster than a lottery winner.

I was lucky to grow up in a small touristy beach town in Florida, where beach-service jobs and wedding gigs were everywhere. I started working at 14. At first, it was just to save for stuff like a gaming PC (I was deep into gaming back then). But that habit of stacking cash started early.

At 17, I went on my first trip: one month in Japan with a close friend. That trip changed everything. It was my first taste of freedom, of living outside the system. And I was hooked.

That trip flipped a switch in me. I quit gaming. I started reading everything I could find about how to make money, how to travel longer, how to invest. I built my credit the moment I turned 18. I planned to get a multi-unit property through an FHA loan with just 3.5% down, live in one unit, rent the others, and stack income while living nearly free. I opened investment accounts. I put everything into the S&P 500 instead of wasting it on temporary hobbies.

But I had a bigger goal in mind, not just saving, but freedom. I realized I needed a job I could do remotely while traveling. So I chose digital marketing as my career focus in university. After classes, I either worked my part-time jobs or researched travel blogs and personal finance like my life depended on it.

At one point, I had the opportunity to work with a mentor to build an ecommerce business. But instead of taking the long bet, I chose guaranteed money. I kept working. Kept saving. Looking back, maybe I should’ve taken the leap and built my skills sooner. But my path made me who I am, and now I can pass that experience on to you.

By graduation, I had about $3,000 saved. I had interviews lined up for jobs back home: $45,000 starting salary, a path to $60,000 within a year. Great deal for a suburban Florida life. It all made sense on paper.

But my mind kept drifting. I couldn’t stop watching videos of travelers backpacking through Asia. I couldn’t stop imagining myself eating street food, hitchhiking across countries, and staying in grimy hostels, living real, raw life.

I remember clearly the conversation I had with a close friend and gym buddy. The decision was simple but heavy:

Do I take a stable job, buy a house, build up my real estate plan or buy that one-way ticket and take the leap?

He told me something I’ll never forget:

“You can always come back and make more money. But your time and place in life right now is unique. Nothing’s guaranteed. If you feel like you’ll regret not going, then go.”

So I did. I bought the ticket. Told my family. Graduated. A month later, I was gone.

And that’s how I started the journey with $3,000, a loaded backpack, and a gut full of fire.

My Monthly Budget Breakdown While Saving

My personal budget looked something like this: 

Housing – University dorm room about $800 a month with Utility. I could have saved more going off campus to about $500. I stayed with my parents during summers.

Groceries – $150 a month. Mind you this was a few years ago, when egg prices were under $3 a dozen. Adjust accordingly, but I still currently get by in Japan for about $200 a month USD. Chicken and rice. 

Miscellaneous – $100. Great value, only the essentials. The most I spent extra was for a few dates in University. Sometimes you can’t miss out on life you know. 

Lessons Learned from My First Asia Trip

I learned that you don’t need much in life to keep going. Sure, there are thrills that are always chased, but you will always make the best out of the situation you are in. 

I got bit by a wild dog in Thailand and have a long story with rabies scares. Thinking I was going to die at any moment made me realize: at the end of the day, I just want to be surrounded by good people. 

Stay true to yourself and you will find good people. 

Ways to Make Extra Money for Your Asia Trip

Freelance, Part-Time, or Side Hustles You Can Start

Sell Stuff You Don’t Use

If you can muster the courage to sell everything that won’t fit into a backpack, go for it. All those extra shoes, bags, the random motorcycle you only ride 200 miles a year… sell it. You’ll realize more and more along the journey of saving, and while traveling, that you really don’t need much. 

You’re also likely to get hooked on traveling and start planning your next trip while you’re still on your current backpacking across Southeast Asia. Oh, maybe add Sri Lanka or Japan, those people at the hostel said it was amazing. 

If I run out of money, I met so many people who had a great time doing a working-holiday visa in Australia. I think I might do that and not go home. I’ll start practicing my Spanish on Duo Lingo so I can backpack Latin America!

Yeah, it won’t end, and you will look for more ways to travel and make money doing it. So make it easier on yourself while planning. Sell it all. 

Jobs That Let You Work + Travel Once You Arrive

• Working Holiday Visas – Many countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and even Japan allow young travelers to enter the country for a year with permission to work in order to save money and travel. It’s a promotional campaign to spread the good word of the country. I’d start with backpacking, and then consider taking advantage of it if you enjoy it!
• Workaway – This is a gray zone since many countries consider “volunteer” work or work in exchange for anything including a room to be against a tourist visa’s domain. But, websites such as workaway, and many hostels in general will hire backpackers to work for a few hours a day in exchange for a room. If you need to buy time making your plans, this is a decent method. 
• Teaching English – Many countries have both government programs to bring in Native speakers as well as after-school education centers who want to hire English teachers. Usually they require a bachelor’s degree in any field, and a passionate teacher. It’s a great way to live in a country for a year or more, but don’t do it if you just want a  job to stay. The kids rely on you. 

Travel Hacking: Use Points, Rewards, and Deals

One of the easiest ways to get free and extra travel benefits is through reward points. 

If you are not building credit already, I highly recommend you start. 

Here’s a guide on building credit to travel with points. 

Use Credit Card Bonuses (Without Going into Debt)

You wouldn’t believe it if someone off the street said they’ll pay you $1000 if you spend $4000 on anything you want. No gimmicks or strings-attached. 

I’ve personally received over $1500 in points I can spend on flights and hotels from building good credit, opening a few credit cards, and meeting the sign up bonus by paying my rent or new electronics. 

This is what many credit card companies are doing. They offer sign-up bonuses for new customers as an incentive to become a loyal customer to them. They value your lifetime value as a customer that much. 

The catch? You have to earn their trust by building credit before you can get approved for their big travel cards. 

Start with a no annual fee card, pay your gas or groceries with it. Make sure to pay it off in full every month after the statement date and before the minimum payment due date. If you do this, you will rack up no interest charges and be building credit. Just set up an auto-pay for the full statement balance. 

You can track your credit score with built in systems or using experian.com

(one of the three major credit reporting companies in the United States).

After about a year of no missed payments, you can start applying for a new credit card every 6 months with the best sign-up bonus for you. 

To find out more, here’s an article on how to get free flights to Southeast Asia

Booking Cheap Flights to Asia

Many blogs and videos will tell you to use skyscanner to find the best flights. I can also recommend skyscanner as a good way to search, but there are even better methods that they don’t teach you, because they don’t receive commission on your flights booked through these methods. 

I’ll teach you the real best ways to find the cheapest flights to Asia. 

Final Tips for Staying Disciplined (Even When It Sucks)

Let’s be real, saving money isn’t sexy. It’s not what gets clicks or dopamine. But this is what separates the dreamers from the doers.

Here’s how to stay locked in:

Stay Motivated by Visualizing the Goal

When you’re knee-deep in a double shift or skipping dinner out with friends, remember why you’re doing this. Keep a photo of your dream destination as your phone background. Watch travel vlogs on your breaks. Create a Pinterest board of hostels, beaches, and local food spots you can’t wait to try.

Make the vision so clear that you’d rather stay in and cook rice again than waste money on things that don’t move you forward.

Delay Gratification = Buy Freedom

Every time you say no to something now, you’re saying yes to something better later. This is a skill that compounds, not just in travel, but in life.

Think of it like this:

• $10 saved = one more meal in Vietnam
• $50 saved = a week of accommodation in Laos
• $500 saved = a flight from Thailand to Tokyo

Once you start framing spending in “travel currency,” every expense becomes a decision with real weight.

Don’t Just Save – Practice Living Like a Backpacker Now

Want a real hack? Don’t wait until you land in Asia to learn to live simply. Start now.

• Eat cheap, healthy food
• Use public transportation
• Find joy in free experiences
• Cut unnecessary subscriptions
• Share space, be resourceful, and get comfortable with discomfort

This isn’t punishment, this is training. Backpacking doesn’t reward comfort; it rewards resourcefulness and grit. The more you lean into it now, the more natural it’ll feel on the road.