Stretching your dollar far and wide

One of the beauties of traveling outside of the United States is that, depending where you go, the dollar can still stretch far. While the USD doesn't go very far in Europe, and does absolutely nothing in Australia, it still has power pack a day full of activities in places like Asia, Africa, and Central and South America. Here are three great ways to fill your days with activities on Gili Trawangan in Indonesia, without spending more than $30.

Option 1: Surf, sun and spirituality

Traveling is all about pushing your boundaries, both mentally and physically. While for some, a day at the beach could suffice, after a short time one realizes there is more to visiting a destination than just sitting in the sand and drinking beer. Option 1 gives you the best of both worlds.

To start, the Emalia guesthouse right off of the main harbor is a great place for budget travelers. If you can find someone to share a room, you can stay in individual bungalows for $7.5 a person, or regular rooms for $5.

From your guest house, the options for local cuisine and coffee are abundant. My favorite is the Borobudur restaurant located right behind the night market. For less than $2.50, you can get a nice fish curry or chap chay (chicken, noodle and vegetable soup), as well as local Indonesia coffee.

After a filling breakfast, you can rent a surfboard from the guesthouse for around $5 and head up to the small break in front of the Surf Bar. Though the walk is a long one (around one kilometer away), the beach and the break are beautiful. The waves are perfect for beginners, and the local surfers are very accommodating to newcomers.

When you've gotten your surfing fix and built up an appetite, head back toward the main harbor area for some great street food. While there are a ton of restaurants, the small vendors offer some of the best tasting local cuisine on the island. Depending on how much you want to spend, you can get chicken or beef satays, noodle soup, or fried rice with vegetables, as well as fruit juice and fresh fruit for under $3. Fresh young coconuts can be bought for around $1, which depending on the size, can be quite filling themselves.

With a good amount of time to digest after a great meal and some good surf, the evening Yoga class at Gili Yoga is a great way to unwind and push your body both physically and mentally. Drop in classes are $10, and provide you with a mat, blocks, stretching ropes and a certified instructor. Classes are 1.5 hours long, and focus on both yoga and meditation.

The best way to end the night is to headover to the night market in front of the main harbor. The night market provides a wide array of dishes, ranging from barbecued fish to local vegetarian dishes, at a range of prices. The cheapest is a $1.50 BBQ catfish dish that comes with a whole catfish, rice and small mixed salad or local vegetables. For those looking for something a bit pricier, king prawns, red snapper, barracuda and albeit tuna are readily available, staring around $3. The night market serves beer, fruit juice and sweets as well, and is in close vicinity to the bars and clubs if you are interested in a nightcap. Large Bintang beers run about $3 a pop at most places.

Option 2: Three Island snorkeling

While surfing and yoga are some of the best activities one can do on Gili Trawangan, a three-island snorkeling trip is must-do for any visitor to the island. For around $10, visitors can rent masks, snorkels and fins, and hop on a chartered glass bottom boat to different destinations throughout the island chain. Booking the tour is simple and can be done at any number of tourist shops. Those with good bartering skills can probably get the tour for around $8.

Mixed with staying at Emalia’s guesthouse and eating at the local spots from Option 1, this leaves travelers with at least enough money in their pocket for a cocktail or a couple of Bintangs after the night market. The best places to go in the evening are the Suma Suma reggae bar or the Irish Pub. While the Irish Pub is a great place to mingle with other travelers and locals alike, the Suma Suma boasts quality live music each night. Three bands rotate on the main stage, and depending on which act you catch, you can either get straight covers of top-40 music, or bumping reggae from around the world. The bar is open from around 7 p.m. until late, and music normally goes until 2 in the morning.

Option 3: Playing high-class

Backpackers on a budget rarely get the chance to dine in the fancier restaurants offered to travelers. While most tend to shy away from these establishments anyways, sometimes it is fun to splurge.

One of the most interesting and beautiful spots on Gili Trawagan is the Pearl Beach Resort’s beachside lounge. The bamboo structure looks like a giant claim that offers fine dining and immaculate beachside real estate. Dining can be done in the open-air claim area, or on individual benches lined along the beach.

With mains ranging from $8-25, and drinks ranging the same, it is tough for any backpacker to dine here and stay under $30. For the bold traveler, to make Option 3 work takes perseverance, strength and fearlessness. To fully pull off Option 3, said traveler must spend his or her day doing absolutely nothing that costs money (i.e eating, drinking, activities). After spending the entirety of the $30 wining and dining, said traveler than will spend their night in one of the two unfinished resorts on the northwestern part of island. Though these resorts will be quite pricey upon completion, in their current state, they are relatively abandoned. With no one working on either at the moment, the resort offers shelter from the elements, and a beautiful view of the ocean upon waking. Hot showers, WiFi and running water are not included.

Enjoy your time on Gili Trawangan and make sure to stretch your dollar as far as possible. Dining and staying at local establishments not only saves you money, but also puts money directly back into the pocket of the people whose island you are visiting.

Photos courtesy of Wanna Surf, Trip Advisor and Asian Rooms