The modern age has taught us to measure happiness and security with fiat currency.
The most commonly asked question I receive when I tell people how long I have been traveling is, “but how do you afford it?” Over the past 5 months I have integrated with a community that does not require money to live a life of fullfillment and grandure.
My no money adventure started in Greece with a hungry ATM. Ignorantly I took too long to retrieve my card which initiated a security response that re-swallowed and canceled my debit card. Alarmed but overconfident I embarked on the journey across the Mediterranean towards Spain, regardless of my limited access to money.
That €200 took me about 3 weeks to spend yet it took me 5 months to retrieve my debit card.This is how I learned to survive and thrive!
#1- Eating for free
The number 1 rule of living for free is recycling everything, even food. Have you ever eaten something a day after it expired and lived to tell the tale? The United Nations estimates that over ⅓ of all food produced is wasted. That is billions of dollars worth of food that is grown, harvested, processed and shipped only to be sitting in a dumpster rotting away it's potential.
If you go to the grocery store right when they close, the food in their dumpsters is as fresh if you had bought it. I have found ice creams still frozen, yogurts still cold and fruit nothing more than a little bruised.
Not interested in getting a little dirty? Try asking shops that sell fresh fruit if they have any produce they cannot sell. People won't buy fruit that is less than cosmeticly perfect. As long as you are willing to chop the bruises off of apples or pick the wilted leaves off of lettuce, you could be eating salads and stirfrys for free!
These are tips you could untilize even if you plan to purchase your food. It never hurts to check in a dumpster or ask a cashier.
#2 Hostels are cheap, camping is free.
This is a picture of my home on the small Mediterranean island Formentera. For 5 days I left my things in this camp site hidden by trees next to the beach. Talk about beach front lodging! Not everyplace is as safe as this island to simply leave your things but you would be surprised what you can find for accommodations if you stretch your imagination.
Along my journey I have found many communities that host travelers for short stays. Many will ask for a small amount of labor or community participation for their stay. This is a mural I made while living in a community called La Experimental next to the Tibidabo, Barcelona Spain.
There are also websites that allow you to make work trade agreements for free food and housing with hosts around the world. I spent time volunteering at a Thai Yoga Message retreat in Greece
http://wwoof.net/
https://www.workaway.info/
#3 Street performing
Have an obscure talent? Do you play music or can you juggle? The street performer life may be calling you. A friend and I drove his house van from Spain to Italy stopping in city to city to perform. We started with his very talented dog and me with a clown nose and a harmonica on the metro of Barcelona. All it takes is a push of confidence to turn you from moneyless traveler to tourist entertainer with a hat filled with coins.
#4 Hitchhiking.
People are kinder than we were raised to believe. Keep caution not paranoia. Hitchhiking with a friend is always the safest way to go. I have friends who have hitchhiked back and forth across the world with little problems encountered. On one occasion a man passed me as I stood at a highway gas station, got off the highway and circled back around to pick me up. He drove me 6 hours up the coast to Barcelona and dropped me at the doorstep of the house I was traveling to.
#5 Crafting
Having a craft that you can travel with is always an enjoyable asset. I make wire wraps. It brings me so much joy to know my creations are being enjoyed all over the world. I sell wire wraps and ship them globally to help fund the non recyclable parts of my travels. I have also traded them for things like long distance car rides.
To see all of my creations check out my page at:
https://www.facebook.com/mangosinspace/
Contact for customs!
Please comment if you have resonated with anything from my story. The communication of like-minded individuals is the amplification and expansion of an idea. This is called community and community is powerful.