Because I travel around the world nine months a year, people think I must be rich. I'm not. But I have discovered a way to budget for travel anywhere and for as long as I want.

It started several years ago when I realized that I (like a typical traveler) was paying double rent when away from home. My apartment near San Francisco would be vacant, but I had to keep paying rent for it. Why not give up that apartment and pay rent only where I was living at the moment? It took courage to get rid of most of my belongings. Now, the only things I own have to fit in my car, usually parked near a BART train station with easy connections to San Francisco airport.

When traveling, I usually look for monthly, or at least weekly rates. They usually are much lower than daily tourist rates. And I like to buy food in local markets and cook it myself. There are big savings compared to restaurant meals, and it saves me many stomach troubles that bother many travelers. Compared to California, rent and food costs in many countries are low. The difference pays for airfares and occasional trips to expensive places, like Western Europe.

Now I even look at my trips back to California as just another travel destination. By avoiding cities and going off-season, my California stays are less expensive than before. And the flexibility to take off anytime to another part of the world is wonderful!

For a summary of my travels for one year (2013) including housing and flight costs -