How To Travel Without Money

How can you travel without money? It doesn’t make any sense right? Wrong. Actually, traveling for free is more common than you might think, so grab your pen and paper and start taking some notes.

Photo Credit: NPR

Don’t wait around until you finally have the money for a big trip. Instead, take some time to learn how to travel hack, get free travel or travel cheaply. I once ran out of money while traveling, and because of these techniques, it wasn’t so bad!

How to Travel Without Money

Couch Surf

Photo Credit: Stuff

Don’t pay to stay in hotels and resorts. Sure, they’re nice, and can be kind of swanky, but they can be highly overrated.
Instead, try couch surfing with people that you know. Round up all of your family members, friends and friends of friends and see if you can crash on their couch if you come visit them. You might not be traveling to the most exotic destinations this way, but you’ll still get to see a new place.

Photo Credit: We Love Wanderlust

Also, you can try Couchsurfing.org which is a social networking platform that allows you to host and be hosted by locals ALL over the world. Just make sure to fill out your profile completely, and be careful when looking at the profiles of potential hosts.

Volunteer

Photo Credit: All Hands

If you want to travel for free, volunteering is a great way to do it. You can join programs like All Hands or Orph Fund, which don’t have any signup fees and provide accommodation and some meals.

Photo Credit: Parkssc

You will have to put in a significant amount of time training and actually doing work, but you will get to sink deep into a local culture, meet local friends and do some traveling around the area as well.

Trade Work For Travel

Photo Credit: Roberts Organics 

Volunteering isn’t the only kind of work you can do for free travel. If you want to travel without money, try working in other ways. You can pick up shifts at a hostel for free room and board or try programs like HelpEx, which offers a variety of jobs like being a nanny or pet sitting.
There are also programs like WOOFING which allow you to work on a farm in exchange for free room and board. Programs like this exist all over the world so that you can travel for free almost anywhere!

Get a Job Abroad

If you want to travel for free AND make money, you should get a job abroad. English teachers are needed all over Asia and South America, and require only a college degree and an ESL training certificate. You can also utilize your skills to find jobs in countries that offer work visas to people from your country.
I actually got certified to teach ESL and took my skills to China, Thailand and Vietnam where I easily got jobs.

Use Credit Card Points

Photo Credit: Credit Cards

If you have a credit card and you’re spending money anyway, get a credit card that earns points. Cards like the Southwest Rapid Rewards and Chase, offer points towards hotels and flights. Every time you swipe your credit card, the points are building.
I’ve taken at least five round trip flights with my Southwest Rapid Rewards card and they cost me nothing but a few bucks in taxes. If you want to know how to use credit card points to travel the world, check out this guide.

Offer Services For The Travel Industry

If you have photography, writing, web design, computer programming, marketing or yoga teaching skills. You can probably offer your services to travel related industries in exchange for free travel.
No matter what it is that you do, try contacting tourism boards, hotels, airlines and car rental services and see if they can use your help. I met a yoga teacher in Bali who was trading free hotel stays for guest yoga classes.
I also met a guy who evaluated Tripadvisor reviews and then helped hotels improve based off of them for free stays too. Get creative if you want to travel for free.

Use Affiliate Links

Photo Credit: AirBnB

Many travel companies have affiliate links that you can sign up for. Once you are part of their program, you can start earning money for recommending their services and products.
A great program to join is AirBnB’s, as they offer money towards a stay every time that you successfully recommend them. Speaking of AirBnB, I have a link right here which you can sign up for to get $20 off your next stay! Booyah! You’re welcome! ; )
So, if you are ready to travel for free, it’s time to get creative and take some action with these resources!

Happy traveling!

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