You don't need a lot of money to travel.
Granted, there are some things which require parting with money, but I can promise you, the cost is far less than you'd think.
I'm a 23-year-old full time student, have visited dozens of countries and racked up countless unbelievable experiences even in my short life span. I've hiked up Machu Picchu, slept under the stars in a Jordanian desert, swum in hidden forest waterfalls in Mexico, run a voluntary health camp in rural Nepal, visited the island Nelson Mandela was held captive in South Africa, watched the sumo wrestlers in Japan and much, much more.
But how did I do it on virtually no income?
Free accommodation:
Paying for your accommodation? There are tons of ways to do it for free.
- Sites like Homeswap let you go anywhere in the world by swapping houses with somebody else looking to do the exact same thing. New York. London. Paris. Sydney. The list goes on...
- Find someone who wants a house sitter. These people are often those with pets and looking after them is part of the deal. But with free, often luxury accommodation, taking Fido for a walk on the beach in New Zealand suddenly seems incredibly appealing.
- Couchsurfing. This is a personal tried and tested favourite. Sign up for free, make a profile, and find people in the destination you're going to. Chances are, someone will offer to host you and a lot of the time you'll get more than a couch! It's always polite to offer to cook for them in return, share experiences and the like. But on the whole people are incredibly friendly and generous, and the bonus is you get to see how the locals live! I'm about to head off to Malta for four weeks and I'm staying in a CASTLE. FOR FREE. Not kidding.
If none of those tickle your fancy, then cheap, amazing accommodation can often be found on Air B&B much cheaper than hostel/hotel websites.
Offer your (professional) services:
...No, that's not as dodgy as it sounds, get your mind out of the gutter.
If you're employable at home, you're almost definitely employable elsewhere. A cautionary word though: check visa requirements, as some are very strict.
You could au pair in France, teach English as a foreign language in China, or work in a vineyard in Australia. If you're really lucky and have a job that can be completed online (as so many of us are striving to achieve), why not work and travel? There's a whole world out there!
Getting Around:
- Hitchhiking. I would say this is probably safer in pairs or if you're male, but in countries that are more developed and well-known for hitchhiking, it can certainly be an effective free method of getting from A to B!
- Share services like BlaBlaCar. This is something I've used for inter-city journeys in the UK and can often be a fraction of the price of a train or driving alone.
- Look for travel passes. When I interrailed around Europe, we traveled to 14 countries in 30 days for €130 of train travel with our passes. Not bad right? That was a few years ago, but a pass giving you access to 30 countries is currently €200.
- Where you have to part with cash, part with the least possible. Buying flights? Make sure you check sites like Skyscanner and Kayak IN A PRIVATE BROWSER. This way you'll be getting the best deals and your cookies won't be tracked, so if you visit the site several times the price of the flight won't increase just because you're showing a lot of interest. Nifty.
Get Sponsored:
- Thinking about volunteering abroad? Like I said I'm a student and was recently sponsored by my university to participate in a month-long project in Nepal, fully funded. Only 13 applicants were selected globally, and I was fortunate enough to be one of them. I'm not saying everyone would be eligible for this, but take note: look out for opportunities and apply! When I sent in the application I thought there was no chance and I was proved completely wrong.
- Fundraise. I volunteered in a hospital in Mexico and ran a quiz night beforehand that earned me over £1000. Not bad for one night's work!
- Enter competitions. Here are some run by lonely planet, Condé Nast Traveller and National Geographic. You never know, you might be lucky!
But above all else... be flexible and innovative
Buy food and cook rather than eating out. Stay in larger dorms to save cash. Looking to swap into foreign currency? Try doing it with a real person rather than taking a hit on exchange rates.
And a final note... Travelling isn't always the most glamorous thing, especially on a budget. But let's be honest - you might well have the time of your life. Now get out there!
Rachel
P.s. if you have a travel hack I've missed, please comment below!