12 Ways to Travel For FREE (or Cheap) and 2 to AVOID!

“I can’t travel because I don’t have the money for it.”

This is everyone’s ultimate excuse for not traveling.

BUT! There are ways to travel for free, or at least for very cheap!

Sure, you’re probably not going to be sitting poolside at a fancy resort, but if you open your mind to other ways to travel, you can explore the world and spend very little money doing so.

You may have to give up some of your creature comforts along the way, but hey, you’ll be traveling the world for free (or close to it)! It’s a worthy exchange if you want to see the world but don’t have the means to do it up big.

Let’s get you traveling more and spending less!

Top 3 Ways I Travel For Free: Quick List

Impatient? Here’s the quick low down of my TOP FAV ways to travel for FREE:

— 👉 TOP PICK —

1. Worldpackers

Exchange some time helping a local for free rent!

Read more about this or click the button to sign up! ($10 discount included at check out!)

I WANT THIS!

— 👉 TOP PICK —

2. TrustedHousesitters

Watch cute pets, and get a free house abroad!

Read more about this or click the button to sign up! (25% discount included at check out!)

I WANT THIS!

— 👉 TOP PICK —

3. Travel Credit Cards

Get free flights and hotels with your points!

Read more about this or click the button to sign up!

I WANT THIS!

1. Volunteer

Volunteering is one of the easiest ways to get out of the country and travel for free. Of course, lots of your time will be spent doing work for virtually free, but at least you’ll be doing it somewhere abroad!

In exchange for all your hard work, you’ll get free accommodation, and maybe even free meals and other benefits.

There are plenty of companies that can connect you with volunteer opportunities abroad. Try to look for something that matches your ethos and interests.

Here are a few of my favorite volunteer companies:

• WWOOF
• HelpX
• WorkAway
• Worldpackers – Get $10 off with code NINA10! (Read more on Worldpackers here)

Some websites require a small fee to join, but they are well worth it, and usually, they offer a bit of coverage for protection.

The positions range greatly and might include working at a B&B, running a guesthouse, doing some gardening work, teaching in an underprivileged school, helping someone build a house, or helping take care of animals.

Of course, you will also get to know some locals and immerse yourself in the culture during your time. A HUGE added bonus!

RELATED: 10 Jobs Abroad With Accommodation (& Without Experience!)

2. Peace Corps

If you want a long-term volunteer commitment, check out the Peace Corps.

The Peace Corps provides great benefits for those who join and commit, and opportunities are plentiful. The process might be a bit long, but the rewarding positions are worth it.

The positions might offer a small allowance and other benefits, such as paid transportation and accommodation. Depending on how long you participate in their programs, even student loan reimbursement is on the table!

This is an amazing choice and another way to travel for free, but it does take some work and commitment (usually at least two years).

3. Couchsurf

No money for accommodation? No problem! Try Couchsurfing. If you’re too broke to pay for a hotel room or even a hostel room, Couchsurfing allows you to stay somewhere short-term for free.

The platform connects you with like-minded travelers who open their homes up for fellow “couchsurfers.” This might mean you’re literally sleeping on someone’s couch for a night or two or maybe you get lucky and get a bed.

Does this seem too good to be true? Well, depending on your situation, it might be. If you’re traveling in a cheap country, accommodation won’t be your biggest expense anyway.

If you’re like me and value your privacy, this may not be the best way to pinch those pennies. I’m happy to travel the world for free, but I’m OK paying for some things along the way, like my own room!

4. Housesitting and Petsitting

If you’re not up for the couch-crashing, then check out house sitting. There are actually tons of people who want you to house and pet sit for them and there are websites that help you see this process through.

Let me just repeat—you get a whole place for FREE and adorable animals to watch over. It’s amazing!

TrustedHousesitters is the website I use to help me travel for free and get my puppy and kitty cuddles in!

Besides being able to live somewhere for free, you will have access to a kitchen, which can help you save money on meals. Plus, a home is way comfier than a hotel room (or a couch), right?

I nearly got a whole month of accommodation for free in Europe with TrustedHousesitters! Talk about traveling Europe on a budget—it’s totally possible!

READ MORE: An Honest TrustedHousesitters Review as a Remote Worker!

5. Save on Transportation

Transportation can be a huge expense when traveling. How can you travel for free when you’re too busy paying crazy prices for transportation?

Well, something I ALWAYS do, especially in pricey countries, is walk. I always love walking because it’s not only free, but it’s also a great way to see what’s around me.

If it’s too far to walk, how about hitchhiking? I’ve done it plenty of times, and it’s a great way to save money and meet some locals. (I never asked/expected to be picked up, they offered, I went with my gut, and never did it solo, only with friends.)

*Obviously, be very careful using this, and look up safety rules and whether it’s accepted in the country you’re going to.

If you do need to use some form of transportation other than your feet, use what the locals use. For example, songtaews in Thailand are a popular way for locals to get around. They cost less than $2 and sometimes as little as $.07!

If you’re traveling long distances and want a night off from paying for a hotel room, you should take overnight trains, buses, or red-eye flights.

If you’re going from A to B, and it’s quite a few hours away, make sure to ask if there’s an overnight mode of transportation. Pay for that ticket, sleep on the bus, train (or even plane!), and then you don’t need to spend a night at a hotel.

6. Travel Hacking

Sometimes, if you’re REALLY good at travel hacking, you can travel for free! Even if you’re an amateur, you can get some serious discounts on flights, hotels, and more.

This usually involves using points that you accumulate from using credit cards in a smart way. Here’s EVERYTHING you need to know about which travel credit card I like using to help me travel for free.

The #1 thing you must keep in mind when travel hacking is DON’T get a travel credit card if you’re not going to pay it off IN FULL every single month. You don’t want to be paying high interest – it’s literally the opposite of the point!

If you can manage that, then you’ll be earning points like crazy. I charge almost everything I can and pay it off each month. I earn plenty of points which in turn helps me travel for free!

Keep in mind some destinations are very much cashed based so at times, you might not be able to charge much, but you can pay online when you have the chance.

Check here for how I get cheap flights.

7. Save on Sightseeing

So how to travel for free when you’re actually out and about sightseeing?

Most major cities have FREE walking tours. This is not only a great way to see something for free, but it’s also an awesome way to spend your first day so you can get to know the place you’re at.

You’ll have a guide right there in front of you to ask questions, and you’ll maybe even meet a few friends! These tours are tip-based, so you may shell out a few bucks if you’re generous, but nowhere near the price of an actual tour.

Also, every single place on earth has beautiful places that don’t cost a dime. Think scenic hiking trails, lush parks, and beautiful beaches.

These are just a few examples—there’s always a way to spend money, but there’s also a lot of free stuff to do when you travel!

8. Make Friends!

Making friends will ALWAYS make your costs go down.

That taxi, which is the same price regardless of whether there are one or four people in the car, that hotel room that’s going to be pricey alone but will be half the price when you add another human…

Everything gets more budget-friendly with friends.

Whether you meet fellow travelers on that free walking tour, join a Facebook group for travelers in x city, or meet up with that girl whose couch you stayed on a few months back, there are friends to be found anywhere you go.

Oh, and sometimes, finding friends actually allows you to travel for free! Locals can be so kind and take you in and not accept a dime in return.

9. Use the Seasons

If you Google “shoulder season” or “low season” for the country you want to visit when planning a trip, you’ll find that flights, hotels, and even activities can be discounted simply because you won’t be visiting during the high season.

Of course, the weather is usually less desirable during the low season, but more often than not, it’s never THAT bad.

Shoulder season also has well fewer crowds and tourists, which can make your travels feel more genuine. It’s worth looking into and will often reward you with more budget-friendly choices and more availability too!

REALTED: How To Plan a Trip: 13 Step-by-Step Instructions

10. Choose a Cheaper Country to Visit

Another way to significantly cut down on the costs of your trip is to choose your countries carefully.

Plenty of places around the world are significantly cheaper, so if you’re on the fence about where to go, you might want to focus on some more affordable destinations.

Many of the cheapest countries in the world are also super underrated. Who needs to pay to see another medieval church in France when you could chase waterfalls in Montenegro or go surfing in Morocco for less?

RELATED: 39 Cheapest Countries in the World

11. Get a Job Abroad

So maybe you want to take things a step further. You want to really get a job abroad so you can make some real money while you wander about.

That sounds good—that’s what I do most of the time! Check out these awesome jobs you can get abroad.

You could even get a job abroad that lets you travel while you work. Become part of the crew on a yacht or cruise ship and you’ll be able to travel for free AND make some money while you’re at it. Win-win-win!

There are TONS of opportunities to live and work abroad. It’s literally my blog’s mission to make this more well-known, especially for all my American people here.

You guys are my biggest audience, have a badass passport, AND have the most opportunity! Yet, we travel and use these opportunities the least.

12. GO SLOWER!

My top tips for budgeting yourself smarter and finding free ways to travel are all above, but my best tip is TRAVEL SLOWER!

When you travel slower, you spend less. No matter where you are or what you’re doing… You’ll save money and time, and if you work online or abroad, you’ll need to travel slower too.

It gets too hectic to go quickly. I recommend staying a few months in each country.

The more you travel the country, the more you learn about it, which in turn, helps you become a savvier traveler in that country, saving you money! Check out my travel longer tips for even more tips.

How NOT To Travel For Free

There are two main ways to travel for free that some people like to do or promote, which I don’t necessarily agree with.

1. Being an Influencer

I have to make one thing clear since a lot of other blogs like to say, “become a travel influencer to travel for free!”

This is one thing I would recommend NOT doing if you want to travel for free. I’ll keep it short and simple as to why:

You’re not really traveling for free. You will be traveling for WORK. Sure, you might get to stay at a nice hotel for two nights for “free,” but you’ll be grabbing content a lot of the time and not having much time to enjoy.

Nothing is for free—the saying is true. This also doesn’t take into account the amount of work you need to do after the stay, nor does it account for the effort required to be invited/accepted into these partnerships in the first place!

So, while a lot of people like to say, “Omg, I’ll just become an influencer, and then I’ll get to travel for free,” it’s going to be a rude awakening once they see the work that goes into it.

2. Being a D*ck

Taking advantage of locals, haggling people down a few extra pennies, and begpacking are all no-nos!

Essentially, don’t be a d*ck.

To be clear, doing work illegally, like begpacking, is one of the lowest forms of getting to travel for less than I’ve seen. I think it’s incredibly crude to work in another country in this way. Don’t be this person!

NEVER expect handouts from anyone, NEVER leave home with zero dollars, and NEVER expect to literally travel for free.

I hope these ways to travel for free or a lot less help you travel more and better!

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