During travels, one often meets people who have been traveling for months on a shoe string budget. A lot of people have the notion that traveling is expensive and that it includes guided tours and continental breakfast etc., but that is not the case.
Money is often the most important criteria because of which many people feel like they cannot travel. With the world advancing every day, even younger people who have taken a year gap from University also look to travel on a budget.
Traveling cheap is all about being smart on the road, finding the best deals and lowering your expenses. It can be in the form of cheap accommodation, transportation etc., where you might have to sacrifice some comfort to travel longer.
Let us take a look at ways to travel for cheap or free.
1. Working Around The World
A lot of countries allow for its guests to get working visas, which also allows them to live there for a certain period of time. There are plenty of opportunities available and some of them are excellent ways to discover the local life in a city and get to learn a lot about it. Some of the most popular options are:
Au pair: Live-in caregivers who help their host families and their children with daily chores.
Hostel worker: Work in a hostel to meet new people and learn about the local life of a city.
Waiter/Waitress: Due to a high turnover, restaurants are always looking to hire people for this profession. Thus, this becomes an easy job to find.
Dive instructor: People with these qualifications are required everywhere, to work in the most fascinating locations! If you have your certifications, this is an easy job to score.
Yoga Instructor: If you have the necessary skills (and certification), teaching yoga in another country is a simple way to supplement your income. Although you will need to know the language, yoga studios can be found in almost every city on the planet.
2. WWOOFing
WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. It is a website that lets you work on a farm in exchange for free lodging and meals.
Its a fantastic way to get a comprehensive view of a location while still encouraging you to commune with nature. You must pay to get to the farm, but everything else is covered once you arrive!
It will undoubtedly assist you in traveling on a budget while also allowing you to have a unique experience and meet a lot of interesting people. WWOOF offers volunteer opportunities in more than 60 countries around the world.
3. Cooking Your Own Meals
Cooking your own meals while travelling is the perfect way to save your money.
Locals do not eat out every day, and neither should you. Most hostels and rented apartments like Airbnb’s allow guests to cook their own food. Eating out once in a while is good, but if you do the math you will realize that it becomes very expensive in the long run.
4. Staying In Hostels
If you do not mind sharing a room with other travelers, staying in a hostel is a fantastic way to cut your travel costs and meet new people. Some hostels have dorms which have different quantities of beds. The ones with more beds are usually cheaper to cut your travel costs and expenses.
Hostels have incredible benefits for a fraction of the price of a hotel stay, including communal living areas, kitchens, lounges, and sometimes even free city tours!
Websites like HostelWorld are perfect for finding cheap hostels, and you’ll be able to read other travelers’ ratings and reviews so you’ll know exactly what to expect when you arrive.
5. Do Your Own Laundry
It is difficult to do laundry while travelling. If you’re looking for a place to stay, make sure to ask if they have laundry facilities.
Bringing your own soap and a laundry line to hang in your room, as well as doing your own laundry in the sink is the great way to manage your travel budget.
6. Selling Your Services
When you travel, it is a given that you will spend money every single day.
This is a good time to put into perspective and think about all the skills that you have accumulated over the years from which you can generate income from.
Could it be guitar classes or Yoga classes on Zoom? Or could it be content creator courses etc.?
A lot of digital nomads sell their services online while traveling, and in light of this new trend, many countries have come up with digital nomad visas as well. This way you can travel and make money at the same time. A few popular examples are Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer etc.
7. Staying For Free
Another best way to save money while traveling is staying for free with a host in a new city or country.
Couchsurfing, BeWelcome are some of the popular platform that provide such services. When you travel to a new country, locals host you and let you experience their hospitality for free. When you go back home, you host other travelers and give them a place to stay for free, too. This way, one makes new friends while everyone helps each other save money.
8. Hitchhiking
Hitchhiking is one of the most popular ways to get around places for free. It is relatively safe and common almost everywhere around the world. Just remember to always keep your valuables on you the entire time.
Taking a note of the license plate number is also a good idea in case of emergencies. Most of the time, it is safe, but it is still good to take precautions.
9. Free Walking Tours
Most major cities host free walking tours on a daily basis. You could search for it on Google, or step into any hostel or tourist office and they will happily assist you with the relevant information.
This will help you get a better understanding of the city you are in, plus a guide you can ask questions to. A lot of guides work pro bono so it would be nice to tip them at the end for this is how they get paid.
10. Use Your Network
Using your network, or connecting with travel groups on social media offer great opportunity to reduce your travel cost.
We all have friends over the globe and it makes sense to use that as not only you can catch up with them, but you may also be able to stay with them for free. Since they would be locals, they would know about the little gems no tourist guide or handbook will tell you about.
Your social networks can also be used to find people traveling the same route. This way, you do not have to bear the entire expense of making that journey.
A reliable option for example, is BlaBlaCar. You can either sign up as a driver looking for passengers, or as a passenger looking for people driving that route.
11. Traveling In Off Season
Many destinations have “off” seasons, or times of year when tourism is slightly lower. Everything from flights, to accommodation and souvenirs etc., would be cheaper if you fly to your favorite destination during the off-season, as less people are on holiday there.
Final Words
So, these are some cheap traveling advice but not limited to. There are many other ways to travel cheap and we would love to count in your experience too.
Do you have any skills which can help you during your journey? Do you know any other ways to travel cheap or how you guys save money and control your travel expenses? Share your advice or experience with us in the comment section below.
Featured Image: Freepik