How to Get Money
From Your Parents

with Lene, Århus, Denmark

• Call your parents together for a conference, detail an unrealistically low budget, then tell them you'll hitchhike back. Works especially well for over-protected daughters.
  
  
  
• Tell them you've always had a burning desire to study Dutch, Italian, or Thai, but never had the opportunity. Which is also why you dropped out of school?
  
  
  
• Tell them employers really respect applicants who have had lots of road time, and that without such experience it will be difficult to ever get a job and move out of the house.
  
  
  
• Tell your parents it's a mission to discover "roots" in Europe, Asia, Africa, or California, and that you will take lots of photos and look for lost relatives who might invite them over for a big reunion. Play that last part as hard as you can.
  
  
  
• Tell them you are having a serious identity crisis, so it's either Europe or a lot of really cool facial and body piercing. And since you're so responsible, could they please loan money for all the antibiotics you're going to need.
  
  
  
• Tell them the Jones' kid went last year.
  
  
  
• Depending on your popularity, tell them you might not come back.
  
  
  
• Tell them to think of all the money they'll save while you aren't around.

Photo: This Californian bought his bike directly from the factory, rode it around Europe for several months, then had BMW ship it home. Buying it there helped defray his hellacious-good-time expenses. Campground overlooks Oslo.

Top Ten WAYS
To Get Travel Money

The fundamental ingredient for travel isn't money or time, but will. Most lucky citizens of the developed world can get the jack for travel backpacking.

10. Sell your sports car  then use public transport, a bicycle, or a '79 Civic

9. Sell your furniture  and pretend to be an artist

8. Spend your nights in a Salvation Army shelter  while still going to work

7. Hire-out your body to medical science  worked for both of me

6. Stop watching television  solves problems, cures ailments

5.  Save more than you spend

4. Get a job

3. Get another job

2. Write a book millions of people want to read  yeah, right

1. Visa Gold

 

Photo: I never had travel money until I sold my sexy sports car (so okay, it was only a Fiat) and got this courageous Lemo.

 Bottom Ten Really Really
BAD WAYS
To Get Travel Money

10. Visa Gold 24.9%  compounded daily

9. Defraud welfare system  cheating isn't fair

8. Move in with your parents  unless they're really cool

7. Run for political office  not the right reason

6. Believe newspaper ad about big money in Alaska  do it, but don't believe it

5. Write a book  you got that straight, yet?

4. Creative application of student loan  some would differ

3. Deal crack

2. Spontaneous series of convenience store robberies

1. Spam universe requesting donations