How I manage to stay 2 months in Sri Lanka?
- Mar 14, 2017
- 3 min read
Traveling with low budget is not always easy, you always have doubts if you should take the trip or not. Your mind will think that you might not have enough money for accommodation, food, transport or even sightseeing. If you take the step to travel, you always want to enjoy yourself and have the money to do it. Can be tricky sometimes so, you just have to plan carefully and find ways where you can have a nice place to stay, food and that you still do the sightseeing.
Before I came to Sri Lanka I had 1,300 pounds in my bank account so, I knew if I wanted to stay for two months in the country I would have to find ways to save money. Normally, a part of the plane tickets, the accommodation and food are the two things where you spend most of your money. You can choose cheap places to stay or eat in local restaurants or even not spend money on sightseeing and go where you can see things for free. But still, the money you will spend on those thing still high.
So, I start planning and searching ways that I could combine everything. One of the options was doing volunteer work while I was traveling. I read about Workaway, an website where you can find exchange work, about 18 months ago and I find it very interesting. In the website you can find many projects or work around the world, you just have to give four a five hours of your time to the host and after that you are free to do your own things. In exchange you will get free accommodation and free food.
I signed up on Workaway the same day I bought the plane ticket and the process was very simple, took me just 5/10 minutes to fill a form with my information, skills and experience and in the end I payed a fee of 29.00USD or 38.00USD (when you signed up two people in the same profile).
As soon I got the confirmation by email that the process was complete I contacted a Hostel near Colombo, Mount Lavinia to do some work exchange while I was in the area. They reply to my email the in same day and accepted my request, I would have a place to stay when I arrive in Sri Lanka and I could be there for 2 weeks and in the meantime travel around and do whatever I wanted to do.
The job in the Hostel was pretty relax and easy, I would wake up in the morning and clean the kitchen, the living room and the rooms, after I would watering the garden and doing that I would have accommodation, breakfast and dinner for free.The hostels name is Vintage Club Hostel, located in a quiet area and very close to the beach and supermarkets. The owners, Arqam and Uliana were very nice to me, very easy going and treat me like family.
In the second week I took 4 days off and went to Ella and Kandy, when I got back to the Hostel I felt like going back home. I stayed for a few more days and then left, finding other hostel to work 5 days later, this time in Mirissa, in JJ’s Hostel. This time I would have to help with the breakfast preparation for the guests and with the reception, and in exchange I would have free accommodation and free meals.
The money that I spend most of the time was in transport, personal activities, souvenirs, food or accommodation while not in the Hostel. After almost two months and with my flights back home bought I still have half of the money that I had in my bank account when I left.
Comments