Once arriving at a destination, there are numerous ways to significantly reduce travel costs to a few dollars per day, if nothing. Most of these methods involve socializing with other people, so if extreme budget travel is the aim, prepare to make lots of new friends and get involved in the local culture too.
Couchsurfing: Lodge for Free Around the World
A development that could only have evolved during the digital age, couchsurfing is a rapidly growing world-wide movement in which individuals offer up their “couches” (or beds where they have a spare) to visitors for free in cities, towns and villages all over the world. Indeed, it is possible to avoid costly hotels (or even cheap and dirty hostels) and stay in the home of local residents while traveling the world on a budget and getting to know the local culture as an insider.
There are so many benefits to this, the greatest of which is, arguably, making an effortless connection with a local person who will likely provide inside tips about traveling around their home area. They may even act as a guide and introduce their friends too, providing a network from the get-go.
Anyone can register to be a host or a visitor. Some hosts have been verified for safety. Potential visitors can surf the Couchsurfing website database and filter search by those hosts who have been verified, as well as other factors like location, gender and age. It is relatively quick and easy to locate hosts anywhere around the world that have clear and extensive verification. There is an active community and, once signed up for free, members can communicate with other members and plan their couch surfing adventure.
Volunteer for Free Around the World
This type of volunteering normally involves an element of working to earn one’s keep. In other words, free board and meals are provided, and perhaps even a token salary, in exchange for volunteer’s labor. VolunteerAbroadFree.com is an excellent place to get information about free volunteer opportunities.
One of the most reputable organizations in this field is WWOOF: World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. WWOOF “links people who want to volunteer on organic farms or smallholdings with people who are looking for volunteer help.” They have farms all over the world from New Zealand, to England and Italy, to name a few of the diverse locations in which travelers could spend time living for free.
The way it works is that “in return for volunteer help, WWOOF hosts offer food, accommodation and opportunities to learn about organic lifestyles.” Potential volunteers contact the farm or garden directly and arrange their placement with them, after paying a token registration fee to join the WWOOF network.
Free Transport for Travel Around the World
An essential element of travel is getting from place to place — and it’s usually one of the most interesting. Transport is generally an unavoidable travel cost throughout the world, but there are ways to minimize transport costs and sometimes travel free.
A certain degree of local knowledge and judgment is required in this, however hitch hiking or catching a ride with new friends is one way of traveling for nothing in some countries where these practices are cultural and deemed relatively safe. Certain African countries like Ghana, for example, have a culture in which rides are offered to locals and visitors as a matter of course, especially if they’re stranded. Learning the local signs for “I need a lift” will certainly help travelers in this regard.
In some cases, travelers need only stand on the side of the road and look like they need a lift for a vehicle to pull over and ask where travelers are headed. If hitch hiking is part of the plan, do some research before-hand to check whether the local culture is safe enough and open to this. Lonely Planet’s Thorntree Forum is an excellent place to get up-to-date and informed advice from seasoned travelers with intimate knowledge of specific destinations and cultures. Ask about hitch hiking and anything else about the destination there.
In very remote areas locals are likely to pull over for anyone needing a ride. In some parts of the world it’s not unusual for locals short on cash to ride free on the roof of vehicles or in the back of trucks. Budget-conscious backpackers often join these locals to get around for next to nothing.
Anyone physically fit and with the extra cash to spend on a bicycle could pony up and ride their way around the world or vast regions of the world.
Couch surfing, volunteering for free and catching lifts with others are just some of the ways to travel for free or next to nothing around the world. Oh, and in London, everyone under 16 (residents and non-residents) can travel free on buses and trams!
Gayle Pescud - Co-founder of G-lish Foundation in Ghana, an award winning non-profit that welcomes volunteers in Africa.
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