Going on vacation: What many people used to take for granted is becoming painfully expensive. Where else can you travel so that the best time of the year remains affordable? Beautiful vacations can be experienced not only in well-known places. Not just in hotels or on campsites. Not just lazing on the beach. With clever ideas, you can get out into the world even on a limited budget.
Bringing people closer to nature: That’s what Sepp Fischer has set out to do. He calls himself a ‘bushcrafter’ – in German: ‘Waldhandwerker’. At his forest camp in Upper Bavaria, he shows interested people how to survive out there without modern tools: making a fire, preparing water, building a shelter and identifying edible plants. The Scharf-Gessel family takes the plunge: “You get a lot more out of a vacation like this. And it’s much cheaper than flying somewhere by plane,” says mother Chantal. With this new knowledge, the family of six plans to go on adventure vacations on their own doorstep in the future.
Ted Karfakis offers vacations in exchange for helping to protect the environment. He runs the “Terra Sylvestris” volunteer program on the Greek island of Kalamos. “This project helps young people to get involved in nature and take a vacation at the same time,” says Ted. For two to three weeks, young people from all over the world work together on environmental projects and discover the impressive natural world. Work camps like this offer an affordable, meaningful alternative to traditional vacations – with a real impact on the environment, the community and your own life.
Travel bloggers Chris Hergesell and Marie Volkert prove it: Travel doesn’t have to be a luxury. They explore attractive destinations worldwide – for people on a budget. On a research tour through Croatia, the two look for places that are similar to well-known travel destinations, but are cheaper and less crowded. They test accommodation, restaurants and what there is to do. They share their tips on their blog. “The costs are always transparent,” say Chris and Marie. “And we focus on non-typical tourist destinations”. Their clever travel hacks make it possible to have great experiences on a small budget.
