January 21, 2022

Tripedia

The Trip Encyclopedia

Travel (Almost) For Free (Part 2)

Head over to the first part of the article here to learn tricks on how to get cheap flights, free accommodation and even free boat rides!

 

CAR POOLING
Get on board on someone’s car going in the same direction as you. You will have to pay, but much less than it would cost to buy a bus ticket (in most cases). It also works the other way around – if you happen to want to drive somewhere but you are concerned about the gas expenses, you can really save some money by inviting people and split the costs. Plus, you get to meet people this way.

 

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Photo credit: rcadby14 / Foter / CC BY-SA

 

HITCHHIKING
Hitchhiking is definitely not for everyone, but you’d be surprised how many people, both male and female, are doing it!). It is a great way to get around destination and it is quite a common practice in Europe, Russia, Central America, Mexico and some Asian countries. If you’d like to get more information on how “hitchable” a country is, the “hitching” customs or even if it is legal in a certain country, head over to Hitchiwiki to learn everything you need to know.

 

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Safety tip: Don’t carry a sign with your destination written down. Instead, simply ask the driver who stops for you this question: “where are you going?” This way, you get to interact with them and see if they give you a good vibe. If they don’t, simply thank them and say you are going elsewhere.

 

HOME SWAPPING
If you are lucky enough to have your own home and want to head over to a destination, why not try to swap your house for another in your preferred location? This means you will not have to pay for a hotel room and you will get all the comforts you could ask for such as a kitchen and quite space. You can arrange a home swap in Home Exchange.

 

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Photo credit: orijinal / Foter / CC BY

 

RENT OUT YOUR HOME
I have a friend who owns a flat in central London and one day he asked me how I manage to travel for months at a time and I said I work online. He told me how lucky I was I could do that and I just wanted to yell at him that he owns a place that is worth at least 3000 pounds a month! If he rents out his flat, he could comfortably travel the world for a few years without having to worry about saving up or working while on the road. If you are one of the few lucky ones who owns a home – rent it out and travel the world!

 

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Photo credit: jacilluch / Foter / CC BY-SA

 

TEACH ENGLISH ABROAD
This is a bit hard to do because you need to get a certificate and they’re not exactly cheap – you’ll be looking into going to class for a month and paying $2000 USD for it. On top of that, you need to be a native English speaker or be able to speak as good as one. This, however, is a great way to travel long term, get paid for it, and be able to stay in each country for a few months at a time and really get to experience it. If you’re interested in doing this, head over to TESOL or TELF to get started and look for certification programs near you.

 

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Photo credit: USAG-Humphreys / Foter / CC BY

BECOME AN AU PAIR
If you enjoy being around kids, you can look into getting free accommodation in exchange for taking care of parent’s children. Of course, this option requires great effort and it is not easy to get the jobs, after all, the parents are trusting you with their kids and so, they expect you to know what you’re doing. It helps spending some time babysitting in your area to get some experience as well as taking a CPR certification and the likes.
 

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Photo credit: Chris Penny / Foter / CC BY

 

STUDY ABROAD
Many countries such as Germany and Norway welcome international students to study in their universities for FREE. Many classes are offered in English which means that you don’t even need to know the language to enroll (although it is recommended to at least know the basics). On top of that, Germany will give you permission to work 180 days, which will give you enough money to rent a room, eat well and go out occasionally (and lets not forget transportation is free for students!).

 

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Photo credit: JSmith Photo / Foter / CC BY-ND
 

EARN MILES FOR FREE FLIGHTS
Search for a credit card that rewards every amount spent with airline miles. This way, you can fly for free when you have enough earned or at least get a very sweet discount! Check with your bank to see the options you have –  many even reward with hotel, car rental, shopping and restaurant points!

 

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Photo credit: Kossy@FINEDAYS / Foter / CC BY
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