Can you believe I have been on the road since 3.5 years! Since I am currently sitting in a lovely little café on the Gold Coast looking out to the ocean, I guess I must've done something right.

I have actually just bought a small car and paid for a pretty hefty fee for a visa application to stay here in Australia long-term and set up my base over here. Yes, travelling indefinitely can becoming tiring too and while I definitely won't stop, I will surely take things a lot slower and building more of a home base in my personal little paradise on the Gold Coast.

Today, I wanted to share some essential tips on how I've travelled the world over those 3.5 years without going broke, actually saving money along the way that now allows me to live in the country I always dreamt of setting up a home base. And if you think I am some sort of super human, I am not and no, I don't have my parents sending me checks. That would be nice but heck no, I would never let them do that!

Speaking about affordable, Australia is definitely not the cheapest country in the world to travel and live in, but if you know some hacks, it can become affordable. I have actually written a whole, very comprehensive article on how much it costs to travel Australia on this blog here.

There are so many other great destinations out there though and you might already know that I am a huge fan of Southeast Asia, not only for its prices and affordability but also for the cultural diversity, sights and the food!

If you are looking for a great escape on a shoestring, try Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and my all-time favourite in Europe for a cheap but damn awesome place to travel to and around is Portugal. In many of those countries you can even splurge a little even if you are on a budget!

Exchange rates could also make a big difference and they are one of the reasons why some countries are more popular for various nations than others.

I love hunting for deals, at the supermarket, when it comes to shopping clothes, make up and surely when I am looking to book my next flight, hotel or tour.

There are definitely some hacks to finding the cheapest flights and you can find good deals on a budget too, especially when your destination is not set in stone it pays to consult your favourite flight comparison site and put in “everywhere” as it will throw out the cheapest options first. Happy days!

When you are looking at getting a good deal on a cruise holiday, it pays to know what you want. Are you craving a balcony or don't mind an inside cabin? Want all-inclusive? It also pays to book early to not miss out.

You have heard me rave about housesitting before. And possibly seen me with all those furry ones on my Instagram.

To date, I have travelled and lived in four different countries entirely for free and looked after 25+ houses and even more pets! Often I drove their cars too so no need me to rent a car, which saved me a lot of money, especially when sitting in countries like the US and Australia where the cost of living is fairly high.

But housesitting to me is not only getting free accommodation, but it essentially let's you dive deeper into a culture as you take your spot as a local, staying in a l0cals house, many of them recommending their local favourite shops and cafés. I had neighbours taking me out on bike rides and surf sessions and met a lot of people along the way, who I would definitely not have met as a tourist staying in a hotel.

If you are interested to check out this whole housesitting thing, you can read my article on how to start out with housesitting or check out the housesitting platform I love, use and have found great success with in the past.

You're allergic to cats you're saying? Or just don't want to deal with the responsibility of looking after a whole house? I sure get it, it can become work too and actually restrict you when wanting to explore a destination fully. Don't worry, there is still hope!

Sharing services like Airbnb or even Couchsurfing could help you lower travel costs and still give you fantastic local experiences.

With lifestyles around the world shifting, new opportunities are created every day and I stopped believing long ago that I had to get an education, good secure job, buy a house and have kids.

After questioning for a while where my life would take me and why I was still stuck sitting in a tiny apartment in Frankfurt, Germany, I finally took the leap in 2014 and became a nomad with no fixed home address and living out of one suitcase while travelling the world and seeing incredible places.

I created my blog Breathing Travel and started working with clients, helping them with their digital marketing which today is a social media agency specialising in paid advertising & consulting.

There are tons of full-time remote job opportunities out there to finance your travels long-term. You could also work for a few hours a day in return for accommodation, teach English in Thailand for a couple of months or create your own online business. There are literally so many opportunities to work while travelling and a holiday doesn't need to be short 2 weeks a year!

Nothing replaces a strategic plan to save money. Because sometimes you just can't find a suitable housesit, you can't find the perfect deal and simply don't want to work on the road.

That's all fine and especially when going on a longer trip, I recommend you save up some coins before you take off. This helps you not being overly stressed when hitting the road and your bank account drains out quicker than you thought.

A few things that will help you with saving:

• Minimise expenses, for example: Stop eating out and make delicious meals at home, cancel your gym membership and do a home workout or get together with friends in the park.
• Sell things you don't need anymore, for example do a garage sale and get rid of everything you haven't even looked at for the past two years, the likelihood that you'll look at those things ever again is tiny.
• Freeze your credit card, literally.
• Track your spending and learn to stick to a monthly budget.
• Avoid peer pressure that influences you to spending money unnecessarily.

The most important thing I have found with saving was to actually write down your goals and track what you are doing, this is the only way to be successful in saving big sums.

Are you planning for a long-term trip? Let me know in the comments below how you are saving money or are you are planning to work online along the way?