Travel the world for free? This girl must be crazy. Yes, I am. But this is no joke, there are ways to travel for free. This does not (necessarily) mean that you can leave home with no money in your pocket and become a globe trotting nomad until the end of time; it means you can spend a few weeks or months doing volunteer jobs, help exchanges, and other crafty things for free.
Having said that, you can travel the world for free, and I am going to show you how. This is a collection of global travel resources that I have used during my years of backpacking, which have allowed me to travel for much longer than I would have been able to using “typical travel methods”. Because it’s unrealistic to imagine traveling endlessly without money, there’s also budget travel.
If you’re looking for tips on how to backpack the world on a small budget, this is the place for you. Whether you’re taking your first trip abroad or are a seasoned traveler looking to hone your budget skills, I’ve worked to find the very best websites and put them in one convenient place for you. The Cheap Travel page is organized into three sections: Keeping a travel budget, cheap overland travel, and the (always time consuming) ways to find cheap airfare.
FREE TRANSPORTATION
The best ride sharing websites out there: including the well known Hitchwiki, and a few sites I’ve only recently come to learn of. Tips for how to get picked up, how to not get raped / kidnapped, and a host of ways to be a good car guest.
FREE FOOD/ACCOM
So you want to volunteer abroad for free? Not only will these opportunities allow you to give to the greater good, but most will house and feed you as well. Learn a new skill, or practice one you’ve got while being housed, living like a local, and getting 3 meals a day, yes please. Listing several websites that offering opportunities to volunteer abroad for free, this is a popular page, so get clicking.
FREE ACCOMMODATION
Yes, people welcome strangers into their home, give them a clean bed, and usually show them around the city. No joke! Here you will find several hospitality exchange websites, and the breakdown on what each involves and stands for. Accommodation normally accounts for 30% of travel expense, that means you’re traveling 30% longer by using these sites. That’s math we can all enjoy.
AWESOME TRAVEL JOBS
Work is a four letter word. However, there’s something about travel jobs that make the time go by quicker. Whether you have dreams of harvesting marijuana in the fields of California, or building eco-houses in the outback of Australia this is where to make the global travel dream come true. Unless your ideal job involves a cubicle, your travel jobs are waiting for you on this page.
COUCHSURFING
My favorite travel resource of all time. Here you will find activities in almost every country in the world, advice from locals, parties, and people willing to let you surf their couch. Couchsurfing is one of the best ways to travel I have ever come across; treat it with respect. Now start surfing!
BUDGET BACKPACKING TIPS
This page is the home of my favorite tips for how to not blow your travel budget. Including tips on how to eat cheap while traveling, how to barter in a marketplace and lots of free things to do when traveling anywhere in the world. If you’re not rolling in the dough, or used to keeping track of your money, you’re going to love this. If you’ve been traveling for a while, you may be well aware of these and have some of your own to share, either way, check it out and let me know.
TRAIN / BUS
In the interest of helping protect our planet, this page is dedicated to the cheapest overland travel tips and websites. Need to find cheap bus fare, the best information on trains around the world, and how to do proper research before your trip? This is where you need to be. Listing some of the worst sites (to prevent you from using them) and showcasing the best overland website in existence, this page is your transportation friend.
AIRFARE
If you want to take a flight, and need the lowest prices on plane tickets, go directly to this page for the best sites to get great deals on airfare. Listing international airlines, tips for finding the best sales on airfare, and my favorite websites to get cheap plane tickets, this is all about airplanes and where they will take you. Everyone from Ryan Air to Tiger Airways, you’ll find the best airfare or I will refund your time spent reading this site*.
*Just kidding, no one can replace time lost, which is why you should start traveling now.