The ultimate guide to traveling for free

A lot has been written about free travel.

So much, that one gets tired just thinking about it. But hey, that doesn’t mean everything has been said and so here you have it: We have compiled a long list of the resources that will make you travel for free right below these lines.

Use it wisely!

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

• GET LUCKY

1. Win a contest (google “travel contest”)
2. Do some research. There are endless opportunities out there!
3. Get a sponsor. Here’re some of our partners.
4. Become an influencer like, for instance, these cool Instagramers.
5. Get yourself a sugar daddy or mommy (just kidding!)

• SAVE SOME MONEY

1. Work your ass off before going anywhere
2. Sell everything you have (or just some stuff you don’t need)
3. Raise money for your project or cause (crowdfunding, donations, charity..)
4. Cut your daily expenses, like your phone. Use a calling app to talk to other users for free and make cheap calls to everyone else.
5. Follow our saving tips

WORK ABROAD / ON THE MOVE

1. Get a skilled migrant visa to any country looking for people with your education and experience background
2. Trip leader (Contiki, Trafalgar, HF Holidays, Intrepid,  EF, Backroads, Dragoman, G Adventures, etc. )
3. Group tour organizer (Adventures abroad, Adventures incorporated, ..)
4. Trekking or mountain guide.
5. Take a challenge (Global Adventure, Across the divide, Charity treks, Mongol Rally, Rickshaw Run, etc.)
6. Flight attendant
7. Travel seller (at G adventures for instance)
8. Rockstar on a world tour
9. Video blog for Tripfilms
10. Create a start-up and head to Chile (with Startup Chile, and get 40000 dollars to develop it)
11. Travel writer
12. Importer/exporter of goods. Make sure it complies with the law first.
13. Work for a non-profit organization. Start looking for it on Idealist
14. Travel photographer. And you could be doing cool photography things soon!
15. Freelancer (designer, SEO analyst, online teacher, translator .. )
16. Journalist
17. Bartender all over the world
18. Expat if your company gives you the chance
19. Caregiver
20. Au-pair (in Aupair.com or GreatAuPair.com)
21. Language teacher (get your TEFL certificate and teach in a faraway country)
22. Cruise (CruiseShipJob.com) or yacht crew (crew seekers.net)
23. Temporary fruit picker
24. Farmworker
25. Sailor or worker at a ferry crossings company
26. Ship Unloader
27. Conference speaker (you should, at least, pretend you are good at what you do..)
28. Diplomat, politician
29. Chef (there is always a high demand for these!)
30. Busker
31. Musician
32. Artwork specialist
33. Product reviewer or secret shopper
34. Seasonal worker at ski resorts in winter
35. A worker at hotels during high season. For instance, at Club Med
36. Start your tourism-related micro-business (city guide, photo tour, .. )
37. (Your favorite sport) instructor
38. Work camper (in National Parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite or campsites)
39. Bar hostess in Japan (just for women, we don’t like it either but it pays well!)
40. Test medication (we wouldn’t recommend it..)
41. Join the Navy (we hate this one)
42. Spread the word.. of God (another non-keeper)

VOLUNTEER ABROAD

1. Super short-term: Join a work camp. SCI, worldwide. Small fees may apply.
2. Short term: Geekcorps, Winrock, ACDI VOCA, FSVC, IESC
3. Long-term: Peace Corps and United nations, worldwide. Americorps, USA. VSO, UK.
4. As an English teacher.
5. Artists programs. Find more on Artcorp.org
6. Sudan volunteer program
7. Kibbutz volunteer, Israel
8. Volunteer in an NGO abroad. Go Abroad has lots of programs.
9. EVS if you are European (like I did, in Iceland!)
10. Turtle teams worldwide
11. Helpx
12. Workaway
13. WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms)
14. Conservation Volunteers (Australia and New Zealand)
15. Sister city exchanges
16. Workampers (if you are an RVer)
17. National Park Rangers (USA)
18. Disaster relief
19. Hiking Trail Volunteers (CDTrail, PNT, Appalachian Trail, .. )
20. Organic Volunteers (almost every kind of volunteer work)

STUDY ABROAD

1. Get a scholarship.
2. Go to a country where education is free (Sweden, ..)
3. Take part in an exchange funded by your local organization, university, or government

GETTING THERE

1. Hitchhike
2. Register to get every airline in the world’s newsletter and wait till they offer free seats (like Air Asia)
3. Work your passage as a sailor
4. Ride a bike
5. Walk everywhere
6. Use frequent airline’s miles (small fees may still apply)
7. Free travel schemes for seniors (Ireland), children,…
8. Relocate vehicles (Britz, Maui, Autodriveaway …)

SLEEPING

1. Couchsurfing (is Couchsurfing safe?)
2. Global Freeloaders (register at least 6 months before your departure)
3. Hospitality club
4. Servas
5. Hostels and monasteries of Saint James’ Way, Spain. They are no longer free but affordable for pilgrims and hikers (8-10€)
6. Beach or free camping
7. House Swapping
8. House Sitting
9. Hostel worker (in exchange for food and accommodation) South America, New Zealand, worldwide.
10. Warm showers (bicyclists)
11. Clubs (Lions, Rotary, Motorcyclists, Gays and lesbians, Educators, Women, Optimist, Mensa if you are really intelligent and after paying the intelligence test cost, Tandem bicyclists, Evergreen for 50+,…) For many of them, a small fee applies.

Related read: The 4 Types Of Intelligence Developed By Traveling

EATING

1. Plant your food
2. Go fishing and hunting (where permitted)
3. Take the food supermarkets to get rid of at closing times
4. If homeless, daily meals are offered in shelters
5. Dumpster dive in cities
6. Trade restaurant food for dishwashing
7. Donate blood (and, luckily, you will get something to eat afterward)

VISITING

1. There are plenty of “free city walking tours” worldwide. Do some research
2. Museums: during off-peak hours might be free / some of them are based on donations / Plenty of them cost nothing!
3. Art galleries are usually free (and, if you happen to arrive during an opening, you might get a glass of wine too)
4. Parks and nature spots are usually free of charge
5. Most of the online travel guides cost virtually nothing (like our Andalucia Road Trip Guide. Go check it out!)

What else would you add?