What is the cheapest way to travel?

Post Reply New Topic

How can I travel cheap?

the cheapest travel mode is using one's thumb [hitching a ride from a stranger]. that is what i did as i did not know anybody to give me a ride. i see people on the road all the time with signs saying "need to go to portland [oregon] {from south puget sound washington state] so i am not the only hitchhiker. if one needs something better, there is still Greyhound bus service.
https://www.tripsavvy.com/great-options ... us-3150009

A nice good quality touring bike. I much prefer the late 80's to early 90's bikes as they give the best of old and new cycling technology without the silly fashion crazes we have today. The older bikes had the more desirable level top tube type frame angles which were better for climbing hills, hence why I suggested early 1990's rather then later bikes. Also, they started to cram in too many cogs at the rear which mean things wear out and cost more to replace. The old 18 or 21speed bikes (Preferably with a freewheel rather then a cassette) usually gave an acceptable gear range without going silly. Today's bikes need so much extra maintenance then they used to need. Also the parts wear out noticeably quicker then they used to.

in america, most city and country streets are so cratered that city tires and hardtails will not work here. a suspended mountain bike is far more practical and easier on the spine and less likely to spill its rider.

But it's hard (if even possible) to install a strong carrier on a suspended-tailed bike.
I ride an MTB hardtail with good front suspention and it's good even for moderate offroad.

i severely injured my back, repetitive motion injury, riding an unsuspended bike on our local moonscape. hence my stressing the importance of fat tires and front and rear suspension. if one has a strong back, one can ditch the suspension, i suppose.

I've learned not to load the saddle but work with my arms and legs on bumps.
If your back is not well, you possibly couldn't also carry a heavy backback while riding.
Fat tires are good.

Do you plan your trips by yourself? There are many websites where you can plan your future trip and figure out how much it would cost, do you know that? Honestly, I found out not so long ago and it's really a find. Check out

Last edited by B19 on 13 Nov 2019, 6:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.: spammer

Bus service can be very cheap. Casinos will subsidize bus rides so you may want to look at that if there is one nearby. There are often other things to see or go to next to a Casino.

my suspended semi-recumbent bikee with fatter tires meets my needs and can haul enough stuff with its carry bag which is both strapped to the inclined seat back as well as rests upon the bike frame.

Interesting contraption Good it fits its purpose
Mine is more conventional:

^^^yours has nice big wheels on it and fat tires i rode a Giant Suede DX bike before, a semi-semi recumbent style aka "crank forward." it had front and rear suspension [seat post style] and had nice big rear-swept handlebars and a relatively upright posture about it, made for my 6'3" frame so i wouldn't have to bend my knees more than 90 degrees. would still be pedaling around on the thing if some deer hadn't have jumped outta the blind on either side of me and knocked me cuckoo [put me in the hospital for a week, still recovering from it 7 years later]. totaled the bike. a sun recumbent was next as my balance is not up to uprights anymore, that is the one that wrecked my back due to the lateral hobby-horsing of the two rear wheels twisted my lumbar spine up badly. the bikee is what the sun recumbent should have been. wish i'd started out on it.

I once made my own recumbent bike from various bicycle bits and pieces. I did go back to prefer an ordinary diamond frame. Though recumbents have advantages, the dissadvantages were also apparent. Horses for courses as they say.

Also, I tend to use 28 mm tyres which have been fine to use on and off roading. Don't forget. My touring bike was designed to be ridden round the world and back and many have. I used to do a lot of mountain bike racing, but these days, as I so rarely used my mountain bike I sold it. I will also be parting witn my hybrid. The tourer is fine for they type of offroading shortcuts I do and is so much better as a general allround machine. As even when I did lots of mountain biking rarely was more then 60% actually offroad, and it was only about 5% that was really demanding. Even the demanding bits I habe taken a racing bike on tubalars aroud in the past where the odd tree across the path one just lifts the bike over instead of riding it over like I would with the mountain bike.

Last edited by Mountain Goat on 28 May 2019, 6:55 am, edited 1 time in total.

I like the 29' wheels, they go smoothly through obstacles and gain speed easily on flat road.
I needed to replace the front suspension because the manufacturer saved on thinking and put a spring adequate to 80 kg rider into an S-frame lady's bike

I have mixed feelings as a bike mechanic with those 29's as on the one hand they really roll well, but on the other hand there is much more flex in the wheels so in certain situations one does risk damage. I really don't know why they changed from 26 to 27.5, as to have 26 and 29 was the best choice. A 26 gave a very strong wheel for certain conditions, and the 29 flowed better on other courses one may be riding. The 27.5 size seems ideal in theory, but is not as strong as the 26 and nether flows as well as the 29 so to me I am very puzzled. Would rather ride a 26 to be honest. So much easier to zip around obsticles on.

Anyway... Back to travelling.... Ideas for cheap ways to travel for the origional poster who asked the question. I would ask where you expect to fravel to and where from?