Travel Cheap

Hi.
 
If you're planning on flying to your destination, it is well known that Burlington International Airport's flights tend to be significantly less expensive than those leaving from Montréal. That might only apply for continental flight. If you're trying to get to Europe, flying to Paris first is a good idea. Your trip from Beauvais* to Budapest will be less than 35 € if you go with Ryanair, a no-frills, low-cost airline. I've used it before and had no problems.
Buy your plane ticket 1 to 2 months in advance. Travel in the middle of the week for cheaper fares.

Budget travel guide to bus and coach travel in Europe

*75 minutes away from Paris, shuttle is 15 €, rideshare could be cheaper

If you want to cover a lot of ground and don't mind the Greyhound (and the relatively expensive) part, try the Discovery Pass: unlimited travel, wherever, whenever, from 7 to 60 days, 246$ to 556$.

But if you really want to save a lot of money, listen up.

Getting around

What you'll do is get yourself down to Burlington, Vermont. It's possible to take the Greyhound down there (to get to the airport, last-minute round-trip tickets are 52$ and buying them  in advance can save you a whole 6$). You also might want to check out Craigslist's RideShare section; there seems to be at least one ride leaving there per week, though only charging a little less than those Greyhound tickets. If you're nervous about crossing the border (maybe you don't have a job, maybe you're on welfare - they want to think you want to steal their shitty jobs!), take the Greyhound and buy a return ticket. You'll avoid being questioned too long, with less chances of being turned away at the border if they know you're coming back.

Megabus You're most likely not rolling in dough, which is why you're going to love Megabus. This low-cost bus service is the best alternative to Greyhound in the United States. And yes, it is easily possible to travel from one city to another for 1,50$ (service charge included), as long as you are among the first ones to reserve your seat! Trips may only be purchased online with a credit card. You can only book a trip 2 months in advance, though good deals are usually still available from a few weeks to a few days before the bus leaves.

Basically, if you are coming from Burlington, your only Megabus option is to head down to Boston, which is cool, sure, but from that point, you can go to New York, Philly and Washington, which are three of the six main hubs in the States, along with Chicago, Pittsburgh and Atlanta, connecting all over East Coast, from Maine to Florida, or Nebraska to North Carolina...

Taking a Chinatown bus is another alternative, and GotoBus is a great search engine, kinda like an Expedia for bus tickets.

Use your Internet skills to find out if you can take a Casino shuttle to get to (or close to) your destination! These are especially cheap, to lure in the masses, and they will occasionally give you a bunch of chips you can cash in (or play). From the Casino, take a city bus into town, unless you want to do a bit of hitchhiking...

Hitchhiking on this side of the world isn't the easiest thing, but that hasn't stopped people (including me) from doing it and absolutely adoring it. Though its reputation is a lot worse than it used to be, I don't think it's as dangerous as they would make you think. Though I plan on writing a related article, the following websites have come extremely handy in my vagabond years.

Digihitch The Travel Sidekicks board is actually where I met my first hitchhiking partner, with whom I conquered the USA, from New York to Oregon. Digihitch has an active Forum where, along with crazy travel stories, a section has been set up for Sparkies (novice or first-time hitchhikers) to ask questions and get informed. You can also find a ride board, a print-out guide to American Hitchhiking laws by State, as well as tons of other useful stuff.

Hitchwiki I used this wiki to find prime hitching spots when I was in Europe. I ended up unknowingly crashing on the Dutch couch of the guy who runs it. They say it best anyway: ''Hitchwiki is gathering all sorts of relevant information about good hitchhiking spots, knowledge about hitchhiking possibilities in different countries, general know-how about what to pack and when to go, what to eat, and how to stay safe.''

Vice's webseries Thumbs Up! has been monopolizing my eyes for the last few days. It follows artist David Choe and his best friend Harry Kim as they hitchhike across the States (though its third and current season is set in China)

Larsie sent me this email recommending biking!(Thanks!)
On most airplanes you can bring your bike for free or for less than 100$. On most big airlines it's free, all you have to do is buy a box to put it ( -10$) and remove the pedals.
Once you reach your destination, Warmshowers, is very helpful! It's an active community that offers you a place to sleep and a shower. It's much simpler than couchsurfing.

Accommodation 

Couchsurfing When I'm on the road, I always couchsurf. I hate the idea of showing up in a brand new city only to scurry away to a hostel and get pushed towards the touristy crap. I want to feel the pulse, see cool shows, get drunk with people I actually WANT to get drunk with. Therefore, I can't recommend Couchsurfing enough.When searching through the profiles on Couchsurfing, I take some extra time finding the raddest person I can, usually going by keywords (ex. punk rock), but often looking through every damn profile with a friendly face.

Airbnb I love Couchsurfing too much to give it up, but this website has made me dream and even drool a bit. From beautiful guest rooms to beach houses and entire villages (yup!), there's something for everyone in this user-driven website. Budget travelers will mostly find well decorated apartments for much less than a hotel room.

You can also sleep in a park, hell, do whatever you want...