Keiichi Iwasaki proved that low funds are no barrier to seeing the world when his story was featured in the media last week. Iwasaki left his native Japan for a worldwide voyage with the equivalent of just £1 in his pocket, facilitated by a humble bicycle to cover the huge distances. Earning money through street performances such as magic tricks, he has been able to climb Mount Everest, row across the Caspian sea, and generally live a life quite literally worlds apart from his old air-conditioning job.

All power to you if you’re brave enough to attempt something similar (please do!), but however low your budget is, there are ways to make sure your journey doesn’t come to an end before you want it to. I went travelling with minimal funds and the comfort of an interest-free overdraft. Here are some tips to survive on a pittance, and NOT at the expense of having a good time (see the pun I did there?!).

- Keep in mind cheaper hostels are often unpopular and have less opportunities to meet fellow travellers, and so if you’re travelling solo you won’t be getting quality for money. I never realised it until I started backpacking but it often serves well to pay more to meet people.

- Stand your ground with scheming taxi drivers etc, but don’t let it take over your everyday experiences abroad. Many travellers become so weary of being stitched up by opportunists that you end up haggling over a silly amount of small change… let it go over your head and you’ll enjoy your trip so much more.

- LISTEN to advice from all sources, i.e. locals as well as your guidebook. Often restaurants/cafes listed in guidebooks put up their prices as a result of their ensuing popularity.

- Shop around when you get to the bus depot. In many foreign countries there are several companies all trying to compete with each other, and inevitably prices vary. Just by spending a couple of extra minutes doing your research can save you enough for tomorrow’s lunch! Also, when booking bus tickets with your hostel you should ask if that is a ‘VIP’ or ‘local’ bus. To really save money you should stipulate you want the cheapest bus possible, because they will automatically place you on the more expensive bus. Obviously you need to ask fellow travellers about the safety of such loca buses.

- Being on a budget doesn’t mean ruling out eating in restaurants. In fact, it’s often cheaper to eat out rather than cooking your own meal, particularly if you are by yourself. What I used to do was try and save some of my dinner, take it home with me and eat it the next day!