People that say "$$$ doesn't matter when traveling" are hugely misinformed

I've traveled to over 70 countries and I can confidently say that the amount of money I bring with me ABSOLUTELY determines the quality of my trip. <br><br>The more that I have, the better my experience is guaranteed to be. I stay in hotels with working air conditioning, I don't get diarrhea from street food, I can take taxis without worrying about getting kidnapped, I don't stress about being mugged, I can have fresh clean water to drink, I don't have to ride buses full of farm animals, I can eat fresh produce at nice restaurants, I have more confidence navigating unfamiliar cities, I can give generously to beggars, I can do whatever I want at any time. <br><br>The less that I have, the more miserable I am. I am forced to stay in filthy hostels with bed bugs and the stench of mold, I get diarrhea from every restaurant I eat at, I get mugged by thekeeves that hang out at the bus stop, I have to walk everywhere in blistering heat, I drink warm soda from the gas station, I lose 5 pounds a week, I have to argue with the bus driver over the price of a ticket, and I generally feel like shit and want to go home.<br><br>You can argue that the experience of staying in a hostel is better than a hotel because of the "people you meet" but I don't want to meet a 22 year old Australian that hasn't had a shower for 5 days. I can go to a bar or restaurant and meet hundreds of interesting people that are clean and showered. <br><br>I don't want to have to worry about having to lose 10 pounds before returning home. I like eating fresh food, exercising, and feeling strong. Bodyweight squats at the hostel don't count. <br><br>I've heard people say "I love meeting locals." Well, I hate meeting locals. Unless they're working at a nice restaurant or selling me something I want to buy, why the fuck would I care about meeting some random schmuck on the street?<br><br>I don't think the less educated portions of society that try to "slum it" have any idea what it's actually like to be forced to live a life of poverty. I can leave whenever I want, they can't. <br><br>Of course, not every person that is poor is a scumbag, but the ones that are scumbags will harass you every day and make your trip that much more miserable. If you stay in nice areas and meet nice people, then you are far less likely to meet scumbags. <br><br>If you're so ignorant that you think money doesn't matter when traveling, then you need to travel more.<br><br>Edit: for everyone saying that money doesn't matter for the memories you make - you can make the same memories at a fraction of the risk and a fraction of the discomfort. <br><br>Imagine someone telling you "You can either take this new car or this piece of shit for a 4,000 mile road trip." <br><br>"Why would I take the piece of shit? It's the memories that matter!"