There are various ways of travelling for free. Often one of the greatest inhibitions for people on the verge of their next great adventure is the cost! But you don't have to spend a ton of money while you're travelling. You only have to be willing to work, sometimes stay on farms or in the wilderness, and have an urge to meet locals, slow down, and really experience the cultures surrounding you. Contrary to what you might believe, it's actually easier to save money the longer you stay. So pack your backpack, throw your ledger away, and begin the process of planning your free, or dirt cheap trip abroad.
Steps
Part 1
Part 1 of 5:
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Consider looking for ways to stay at places for free or next-to-nothing. Hostels are a very cheap way to stay and you get to meet people from all over the place. Then there are services such as Couchsurfing, which let you bunk down at someone else's house for free. Finally, you might like work a little on a worthwhile project, getting somewhere free to stay at the same time.
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Give Couchsurfing a go. Go to Couchsurfing.org and check it out. The idea is that people everywhere in the world offer to host you in their homes (meals not included) for free, for a set number of days. Anyone from anywhere can sign up to be "verified" which simply means that they send you a postcard with a serial number which you enter into the website to become verified. The verification is also subject to peer reviews. Basically the idea is that you leave a comment rating the person after you stay with them. The reviews are completely transparent and the couch surfers have no control over whether they appear on their profiles or not. To stay somewhere:
- Send a request to a host wherever you would like to go.
- Together you decide if it is the right fit, and for how many days you will stay with them.
- Since the verification process is not very strict, be aware that you could run into problems, but use your intuition, read the reviews, and steer clear of people who have not yet been reviewed. Note also that there are groups on the site as well, which might be great way to meet people travelling.
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Try Airbnb. This is not free but the verification process is stricter and you can get some very good deals with this service by searching carefully at the low end of the prices offered. Usually you'll get a single room or a pull-out sofa bed/futon, often with a shared bathroom, at the low end of the price range. Once again, read the reviews to discern trustworthiness. Be aware that the company running the site takes a service fee, which is non-refundable.
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Work abroad. There are many possible opportunities to do volunteer work that makes a difference. One such group is WWOOF international. WWOOF is a great way to connect with people in their towns and learn a lot while you're doing it. WWOOF stands for world wide opportunities on organic farms. It is a non-profit organization that connects travellers willing to work on farms with farmers in hundreds of countries across the globe.
- Pay a small fee (usually per country). This will give you access to the contact information of hundreds of farms in any given country.
- Be prepared to work. The deal is that you work for them (you negotiate with the farms how many hours per day/days per week), and they feed you and give you a place to stay. This is all done with the intention of teaching and learning techniques involved with organic farming, however this is not always the case.
- Be aware that some people view this as people soliciting free work from people all over the globe, but it does give you a chance to meet people from all over the globe. You may be working on construction or something else, but you will also be given a direct back-stage pass into the lives and the cultures the locals. If you aren't picky about accommodations, (dietary restrictions are negotiable) or food, you can live and work with locals for free. Just make sure you know what you are getting into.
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Link up with friends of friends or long lost family members. Although you haven't met these people, by having a trusted person vouch for you, it may be possible to stay with people you don't yet know in different parts of the world. You might even score yourself a new friend or make new family connections by doing this. Ask friends and family if they know of people they'd be happy to ask on your behalf about the possibility of staying. However, don't be pushy, don't expect too much and pitch and help a lot if you do get to stay with people in this way.
- Be aware that you might be a source of burden for some people, either because they're not well off and you're another mouth to feed, or because they felt obliged to help you but didn't really want to. If you pick up such vibes, either offer money to cover your costs or move on to give them back their space.
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Be sensible and cautious. When something is incredibly cheap or free, it pays to be alert at all times. While there are a great deal many good people out there, some people are shady, fickle and even dangerous, so you must exercise caution when staying with people you do not know.
- Check out the websites devoted to people's experiences with services such as Couchsurfing that didn't work out so well. There are instances of failure to connect (therefore leaving a person without a place to stay), rudeness during the stay (as in, making it clear you're not welcome after all) and expectations that you'll contribute in some way (not always an appropriate way). Read the reviews and do trust filtering checks when you meet people. If a place doesn't feel right, trust your instincts and move on.
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Part 2
Part 2 of 5:
Getting from A to B for free
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Find the ways of travelling between cities and countries abroad which are free or very cheap. As always though, you'll need to be careful of who you encounter out there, as people are not always friendly or have good intentions.
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Visit blablacar.com. This website connects people travelling in personal cars all over the world. On this website there are also verifications, and peer reviews, so there is some higher level of trust for those travelling with strangers. Caution is always advised, and often you will have to pay a small portion of gas to chip in for the journey.
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Try hitchhiking. Hitchhiking has been done for hundreds of years, and can allow you to travel short distances for free while being able to chat with and get to know people. This form of travel should really be considered on a country or region specific basis because in some places it's safe while in others, it's downright dangerous. For example, hitchhiking in France is relatively easy and safe. However, in some countries you should not even consider it, especially if you are a female and or are travelling alone.
- Use your intuition. This is extremely important when deciding whether or not to accept rides from strangers. If you feel at all uncomfortable at all, pass on the ride.
- One great tip is to ask them where they are going first, before you divulge your destination. This allows you to quickly assess the person and decide whether to accept before jumping in.
- Where hitchhiking is illegal, find out how rigorously it is enforced. A free night in jail might not be your idea of fun travel.
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Work on a container ship or working boat in return for free passage. Realize that this means actual real, hard work. If you're not fit, the captain won't even think twice about taking you for no cost––you must be able to do everything you're expected to do, in all forms of weather and regardless of the condition of the sea. This usually works best when planned well ahead of time, as you'll probably need to negotiate by email or letter exchanges.Advertisement
Part 5
Part 5 of 5:
Not spending
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Keep your budget reined in by spending on the basics and nothing else. This means not buying a lot of things that tourists are traditionally known for buying (and you're a traveller, not a tourist remember), such as guided tours, souvenirs, overpriced boat trips, "must-do" sites and eateries, expensive meals, top-end hotels, and so forth. It can help to realize that you are not missing out on anything by eschewing these things. In fact, you are more likely to get to know the real place by not holing yourself away in a posh hotel and eating at the finest restaurants.
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Use some of the following ways to keep your spending right down:
- Forgo the souvenirs. You do not need all those mementos. Think of ones you've purchased in the past and how much dust is accumulating on them or how they're already long forgotten at the back of a drawer. If you want to help a local culture, donate your time, your teaching, your knowledge or small amounts of money instead.
- Eat everything if breakfast is included. Fill up at the beginning of the day when your energy needs are the greatest, at someone else's expense. Then, eat lunch from supermarket pickings, such as baguette and cheese or rice salad. For the evenings, hunt out vegetarian places––many of these will have decent feeds for small prices.
- Walk as much as you can. Provided you know an area is safe, you can find out a great deal by walking through it and observing everything.
- Be really choosy about sites you must pay to see or enter. Only go to those ones that are truly meaningful to you, rather than checking off every must-see in the guidebook. If it doesn't resonate with you, it's not worth outlying the money.
- Find as many free activities as you can. Think as the locals do and flock to the free things they're doing, such as fairs, festivals in parks, watching street theater and simply hanging about watching people. Check local newspapers for free events thrown for the locals.
- Forgo meals if they cost extra on any form of transportation. Take your own food from the supermarket. This does mean being organized ahead of time but pre-planning is an essential part of budget travel anyway.
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Tips
- Read books written by people who have traveled the world for free. There are a few in publication from recent times and you'll get some great ideas from their experiences.Thanks
- Carry as little as possible. This frees you up from having to have others tote your stuff and it also keeps you mindful about not adding more things to your bags. The freedom you gain from not carrying a lot will be very rewarding in itself and opens up opportunities to hitch lifts, walk, enter places, etc., where a larger bag might be a burden.Thanks
- Take digital photos of things you would like to buy but can't lug around or can't afford at the time. When you get back home, order them from a website. Almost everything, even local handicrafts, can be found from some enterprising person online nowadays.Thanks
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Warnings
- While many people are good and caring, there will always be those who seek to profit from you in some way or mean you harm. When you want something for nothing, be aware that many people will expect something in return. Others may think that you're being a pest or a troublemaker and may report you or treat you badly. You must have your wits about you at all times, and have back-up plans for the times when your free or cheap-as situations don't turn out.Thanks
- It is often harder for a woman to travel the world for free or on the cheap because of people's assumptions about women traveling alone and what a woman might be prepared to do for something. Be extremely wary of the assumptions others make––you might be the most liberated and enlightened person in the world but you don't live in a world that thinks that way everywhere yet.Thanks
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