How one man spent a week in Norway for just €50

Have you ever thought you were too broke to travel? Matt Cassar wants to prove to you that you’re not. 

Matt Cassar hitch-hiking

Getting by on the kindness of strangers and a spot of dumpster diving, adventure blogger Matt Cassar, from Sliema, has managed to spend one week in Oslo, the Norwegian capital, on the shoestring budget of €50. And this included flights, travel, accommodation and meals. 

Norway has the third highest cost of living in the world, with the minimum wage set at just a hair below €19 per hour and the average salary amounting to around €2,800 a month. 

Mr Cassar put his resourcefulness to the test, posting on forums as well as using couch surfing apps to find people willing to host him on the trip. 

“I wanted to show that you can trust people, you don’t have to automatically be wary of everyone. You have to be careful, yes, but you’ll find a lot of really nice people who are willing to help you out,” he Cassar said. 

One Norwegian woman, Tonje Seim, even reached out to Mr Cassar, having long been enamored of Malta: she had visited several times and even learnt Maltese. She and her mother insisted on hosting Mr Cassar for a few days. 

“She came to meet me at the train station waving a Maltese flag. The last thing you’d expect to hear in Norway is Bonġu, kif inti!”

Flying – of course – low-cost, Mr Cassar only had a small backpack to take all his necessities. 

Matt Cassar and Tonje Seim, who hosted the blogger.

He stressed it was important when travelling ‘no-budget’ to be very prepared. While doing his research thoroughly and making good connections in Oslo, he also packed survival items and did camp out for one night of his journey. 

“I never make a plan. I’m always prepared but I hate planning with a passion. It gives me more freedom to do whatever I want.” 

Spending €35 on flights, Mr Cassar ended up blowing the rest of his €50 budget on the first evening on dinner with friends, which he says he absolutely does not regret. 

Mr Cassar spent the rest of the trip acquiring food cheaply on apps, accepting food from his hosts or doing a spot of dumpster diving. He even foraged for mushrooms growing in a forest.

While taking food out of bins is hardly conventional, Mr Cassar said he went around supermarkets asking for permission and acquired a stash of food, including fruit and vegetables, that were only a day past their sell-by date and still perfectly edible. 

He did lament the strict rules that meant such food could not be given away or donated to foodbanks, creating large amounts of unnecessary food waste. 

“I did it because people think it is disgusting. But I found sealed food in a clean bag, it wasn’t like I was digging for scraps in a pile of rotting food. So much is thrown away that doesn’t need to be,” Mr Cassar said. 

At 23, he says he is enjoying life full-time and tries to travel at least once a month, documenting his projects and travels on his Facebook page MattVentures – Travel and Adventure Blog. 

The keys to a successful adventure? A positive attitude and not being afraid of asking for what he wanted. That being said, he always made an effort to give something in return to his hosts, such as cooking meals or providing company.

“It’s important that I’m not a burden on the society I’m going to. I want to be a help not a hinder to these communities.” 

Haul from dumpster diving