Believe it or not, there are plenty of ways to satisfy the wanderlust craving with little to no budget. I’m here to show you how to turn dreams into reality with these five creative and cost-effective ways to travel for free. Whether you want to trade skills for accommodation in another country, organize a group tour with friends and family, or work abroad as an English teacher. No matter which method you choose, now is your chance to shrug off society’s expectations and hit the road without breaking the bank.
Credit Card Perks
Many credit cards offer reward points that can be used towards travel expenses such as flights, hotel stays, and car rentals. Travelers may even be able to get free airline tickets or hotel stays with enough points. Additionally, many credit cards offer sign-up bonuses which can give you extra rewards points when you first get the card. Just make sure to read all the terms and conditions so you know what you’re getting into before signing up for any new cards.
My favorite travel credit card is the Chase Sapphire Preferred which offers a 60k sign-up bonus, which equates to over $750 for free travel. There is a reason this card is always ranked highly on websites such as NerdWallet every year. Benefits for the card include but are not limited to:
- A 6-month complimentary Instacart membership
- 5x points for travel
- 3x points on dining
- Complimentary DashPass membership
- 3x points for streaming services
Get A Job That Involves Traveling
For travelers that don’t mind being away from home for extended periods of time, then getting a job that involves traveling could be a creative way for you to travel for free. Also, teaching English abroad is a classic traveling abroad option amongst travelers who also want to earn some extra money.
Becoming a flight attendant is often overlooked because of the 10-week intensive training, however, it’s by far the ultimate way to travel around the world for free. Here are a few websites for travelers seeking to join a yacht crew: Crewseekers, Yacrew, and Find a Crew. The possibilities are endless, with determination and drive nothing is off the table. Here is a list of other travel jobs you can do:
- Yacht crew
- Traveling personal assistant
- Cruise ship worker
- Freelance travel photography
- Freelance travel writing
House Sitting
Travelers can do volunteer work in exchange for free housing in nearly any country in the world. Typically, the volunteer work consists of farm cleaning and maintenance, hostels, and sometimes sailing boats. House sitting websites can help guests to find the right home and get paid around $50 for every overnight stay.
Check out programs such as Home Exchange, where two families live in each other’s houses for free. The only downside to Home Exchange and Workaway is the membership cost of $100 on average per year, however it’s a small price to pay for endless opportunities to travel and live abroad. Here is a list of websites offering House Sitting jobs or Home Exchange opportunities:
Student Discounts & Airline Miles Programs
Students should always ask about student discounts when booking flights or accommodations. Student Universe is a great tool for students to use for discounts on flights, hotels, and rental cars. Student beans is another great website to find general student discounts and deals from large brands to use on all things tech & entertainment to home.
Another way to travel for free is for travelers who regularly fly with certain airlines to sign up for airline reward programs. This allows customers who frequently fly with the same airlines to accumulate points that can be redeemed towards future flights or other perks like upgrades or priority boarding. Here are some of the most popular airline reward programs to take advantage of:
- Alaska Airlines
- Delta SkyMiles
- United Mileage Plus
- Airlines AAdvantage
Traveling doesn’t have to break the bank, with some creative thinking and research, there are plenty of ways to travel for free or almost free. So, by taking advantage of credit card perks, getting a job that involves traveling, using student discounts, and signing up for airline miles programs travelers can travel the world for free without sacrificing the experience.