Ways To Travel the World Without Spending a Lot

Ways To Travel the World Without Spending a Lot

By: Caitlin Megonigal

            Have you ever had the desire to travel outside of the country, to go somewhere amazing like Paris, Amsterdam, Australia, Scotland, and Budapest? I know I have, but if you’re in the same boat I’m in you just can’t afford it. Unlike most people I’ve traveled outside the country many times, but most were on my parent’s dime. Recently I’ve been researching ways in order to travel outside the country without the heavy burden on one’s wallet. A main toll on one’s wallet is not the ticket but finding affordable places to stay when you’ve arrived at your intended destination. So how much would you be willing to pay? My ideal price is FREE! For those readers who agree, check out www.couchsurfing.org. Couch Surfing is, “A global network of travelers, adventure seekers and lifelong learners.”  How it works is that host people from around the world offer up their couches (for FREE) to people who are looking for a place to stay while their traveling or just want to travel in a more exciting, adventurous way. Just go onto the site, make an account (I just used Facebook to log in) and search any destination and supply the number of people you are traveling with. Make sure to read the profiles carefully just for an extra safety precaution.

            Another cheap way to travel is by staying at hostels. Hostels are like cheap motels for travelers, except many of them are pretty nice. I stayed in a few when I was in Australia and they were very simple, but nice. It is the perfect way for the adventurous traveler to have a roof over one’s head without spending a lot of money. The best website to find hostels around the world is www.hostelworld.com. If you’re brave enough also consider approaching a hostel manager and negotiate an exchange, work for a room. Some hostels are apprehensive about hiring people from abroad, so also consider applying for a job before you arrive at your destination. Hostel World has a message board link that has job postings. According to an article by Andrea Gourgy, advocates for this type of travelling say that as long as no money is exchanged trading labor for a room is good way to get around the visa issue of working in other countries (http://www.vergemagazine.com/articles/budget-traveller/15-ways-to-travel-for-free-or-at-least-cheap.html).

            One of the other hard things about traveling is the issue of running out of money when you get there. Well there are solutions for that too! It is easy to pick up casual work when travelling, but you have to do it right in order to avoid violating visa regulations. One could try being an au pair, check out sites like www.greataupair.org or www.aupair.com. To those who don’t have a degree in child education or lots of experience when it comes to taking care of children, this is not the choice for you. Another option is www.goworkabout.com, this site will prearrange pre-seasonal jobs in Australia. Working for small fruit farms and such is also a possibility (www.anyworkanywhere.com). Be aware though many farmers only advertise locally, so it may be difficult finding listings.

            If you’re a student like I am make sure you travel right, meaning the cheapest (but safest) way possible. These are just some ways to travel the world for cheap. Other ways include working a cruise ship, yacht, house-swapping, teaching and even study abroad programs with one’s university. Don’t go your whole life without seeing the world, there are so many different cultures to experience and places to see…don’t deprive yourself of those experiences just because of money.