You can travel the world for less money than you spend each month to fill up your gas tank.
World travel is cheap and easy. In fact, with a little practice and effort, you can travel the world for free. The idea that travel is expensive and difficult is bullshit peddled by tour companies, hotel chains and corporate media.
The tourism industry wants you to buy cruise packages and stay at all-inclusive resorts. They want you to choose a travel experience the same way you would choose a new jacket at the mall. They want your Credit Card number. The tourism industry doesn’t want me to reveal the simple secrets of free travel, but I’m going to share them with you anyway. It can be scary to venture into the world with nothing more than optimism and good-will, but personal freedom begins with a leap of faith.
1. Embrace the Simple Joy of Travel
The joy of new experience is the most wonderful thing about travel – and new experiences are free. Travel frees you from the grind of daily routine. You will explore new places, meet new people, try new foods and learn things about the world – and yourself – that you never imagined were possible.
The joy of new experience is the most wonderful thing about travel – and new experiences are free.
~Walk the streets of a city.
~Stop and chat with a local.
~People watch in a public park.
~Climb to the top of a hill and watch the sun set over the ocean.
The simple joy of being in a new place is just a matter of…wait for it…going someplace new. No tour package required.
2. Keep Your Needs To A Minimum
People need fresh air, healthy food, clean water, exercise, creative stimulation, companionship, self-esteem and a safe place to sleep. All of these things are simple to obtain. Most of them are free. For fresh air, go outside. For exercise, take a walk. For creative stimulation, go somewhere new. For companionship, make a friend. For self esteem, turn off your TV, breathe deep and open your spirit to the basic goodness of the world.
3. Go Slow
If you live in New York and want to take a 2 week vacation to Africa, it will be very difficult (though not impossible, see number eight) to travel for free.
Indeed, as long as you believe that time is money, you will spend money all the time.
Time is not money. Time is free. You have all the time in the world. Instead of buying a plane ticket, catch a ride out West, or just hop on your bike and ride away from town. The slower you travel, the less money you will spend.
4. Leave Your Possessions and Obsessions Behind
When you travel, you don’t need to pay rent. You don’t need a car. You don’t need an oven, a washer-dryer, electricity, Cable TV, a gym membership, a sofa and loveseat or a closet full of clothes. You don’t need a suit and tie to wear to your job because you don’t need a job. You don’t need to worry about paying the bills, because there are no bills to pay. You are free.
5. Trust People and you will Receive Free Food and Lodging ^-^
Many people are willing to open their homes to travelers. Chip in with a few chores, and they will give you a free meal, too.
CouchSurfing and WWOOF are two phenomenal online networks that help travelers connect with local hosts. CouchSurfing members are willing to give travelers a place to sleep for a night or two. WWOOF connects travelers with organic farmers who want to trade room and board for an extra hand.
Many members of both CouchSurfing and WWOOF are seeking an alternative to high-impact consumer culture.
6. Get Out of the City
Although it’s possible to travel for free in a big city, it’s damn difficult. Cities are built on money, and necessities like fresh air, clean water and a safe place to sleep are difficult to come by in cities.
Go to the country, where people are more relaxed, food is plentiful and there’s ample room for one traveler to lay out her sleeping bag under the stars.
7. Find A Job You Love That Entails Travel
If you need an income in order to pay off loans or support a child, find a job that calls for extensive travel. There are millions of jobs available in the global economy that demand travel.
8. Embrace Serendipity
Traveling the world for free requires a blend of advance planning and the willingness to seize opportunities and go with the flow.
Does your new CouchSurfing friend want company for a drive across the country? Grab your pack and ride along! Does an organic farm in Thailand need a farm sitter for the rainy season? Get in touch with Christian Shearer!
As Kurt Vonnegut wrote, “Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God.”
Go Dancing.
sounds challenging o0....
ReplyDeleteready to giv it a try?