33 Ways to Travel for Free
It’s the million-dollar question (or should we say $1 question): How can one travel the world not just on a budget, but without spending any money? We are here to tell you that it’s not impossible. Here are our tips and tricks from traveling on a budget for over two years on a sabbatimoon around the world. And the only reason we stayed within our budget was hacking the system to get a lot of things for free.
Let’s start at the top:
Free samples. From the time you walk through duty free in the airport to walking through the city center, take advantage of anything offered to you for free. For us that’s lotion and perfume in duty free after a long and dry flight, as well as tasting samples of chocolate, gelato, and other snacks that look tasty being given out on the street.
Take everything from your flight. From toothpaste and toothbrushes on longer flights to food and snacks whenever possible, your flight has a lot of treasures that the flight attendants give to you for free. Asking is always worth it, too. Sometimes they have extras and leftovers like meals that they will give to a hungry passenger.
House sit. Watch over someone’s house (and sometimes pets) and get free lodging. Use sites like MindMyHouse.com, Rover.com or TrustedHousesitters.com
Work for free lodging. Use WorkAway, WOOFing, WorldPackers and other platforms to find part time work that will get you free lodging.
Take a shift at a restaurant for a free meal. Or, if you are more adventurous, eat people's leftovers.
Use Grabr to subsidize your flights. By taking products for locals with you on the flight you can get paid to be a courier and bring the cost of your flight down to almost nothing if you bring enough products.
Hitchhike or carpool. Keep the cost of transportation down by picking up rides and keeping people company. It may take a little longer than expected at times, but you are traveling for free, eh?
Camp in free campgrounds. Or in nature (where legal)!
Walk as your mode of transportation. Skip the taxi, Lyft, or Uber. Just walk everywhere. We average 8 miles per day while traveling.
Just ask. Human kindness isn’t dead. A lot of people are willing to help in different ways.
Busking. Perform your greatest talents on the street for tips.
Go last minute. It isn’t free, but you may be able to get cheaper tickets if you buy last-minute or use certain apps like HeadOut that allow you to get last-minute deals on tours.
Self guide. Use an app like Detour to do tours by yourself for free, or just read up ahead of time and walk through cities and places with the knowledge on your phone or in a brochure or book.
Use WiFi in hotel lobbies and cafes. Never ever ever pay for it again.
Hand wash your clothes. Do it in the morning and let them dry all day. It’s very easy.
Take everything from any hotel you stay at. Soaps, swabs and toilet paper are just a few things you may be able to get for free at a hotel. In addition, there may be continental breakfast and room service that will bring you other extras for free.
Walk or bus to/from the airport. It’s usually the cheapest way and nearly free on the bus unless you are going a long distance.
Bathe in the worlds natural rivers, lakes and oceans. OK full-on hippy mode here. But in all seriousness, if you are camping out in the woods somewhere then you can just use Mother Nature’s amenities, including natural scents like mint leaves. Get some inspiration for what’s forgeable from Juniper Ridge’s collection.
If you really need it, visit churches and soup kitchens. Often times they encourage anyone needing a meal or companionship to visit.
Couchsurfing. Stay on people’s couches for free.
Use karma apps. Try apps and websites that allow you to trade your skills for things you need.
Stay on the outer edge of cities or in rural areas. The cost of living will be significantly lower. You can hitchhike or bus into town.
Only stay at places that offer free breakfast. Then devour it and stock up for lunch and dinner.
Practice fasting. It’s the hippest thing in Silicon Valley right now. Learn how to fast and maintain your body and brain function. You’ll consume less food thus spending less. It’s supposed to be good for your health, too.
Eat one meal per day. Going out to eat three times a day can gobble up your savings. Try having one big meal per day and snacking the rest.
Forage. Get good at finding fruits and vegetables growing freely in and around cities. We loved eating fresh wild blackberries in Ireland.
Freeganism. Dumpster diving at supermarkets for freshly thrown produce that is very much still edible.
Use credit card points and frequent flyer miles. Build up your points and miles over years of planning and then cash them in during your elongated travel.
Offer your skills for money or in exchange for covering travel costs. Think blogging, speaking, photography, videography, and online businesses.
Use SIM cards. It’s usually the cheapest option to use a phone. If you stay at a hostel on a work stay then you could snag cards from people who are leaving the country. Or, if you are from the U.S. try T-Mobile while you travel abroad so you don’t need to buy SIM cards.
Use a water purifier instead buying water bottles. Better for the environment, better for your wallet.
Stock up on food and water at lounges. Get a free Priority Pass via a Chase Reserve card.
No haircuts/only self haircuts. Say bye bye to barbers and salons! That goes for self-manicures, too.
