Free Travel

You have to free yourself, so anything you can’t fit into a rucksack you don’t need. Sell the things that are holding you back. Save enough money for a one-way flight and three weeks’ worth of food.

For food, ask local restaurants for leftovers. In rich cities and rich countries buy food in supermarkets, which is the cheapest way and just eat on the streets. 

You can also cook with your host, which can be a pretty unique experience. Another thing is dumpster diving; maybe over 40-50% of the food that is being produced is being thrown away, and a lot of people have a problem with that, so they go to supermarket bins after the closing hours, and just take all the food that was not sold that day.

For accommodation, try Couchsurfing. Or just ask random people in the streets, “Hey can I sleep at your place tonight.” But there are other alternatives; one of them is camping, you have your tarp or tent, you can sleep almost anywhere you want.

In big cities sleep in parks with a sleeping bag and mattress. The last one when it comes to accommodation is volunteering. There are a lot of opportunities all around the world that offer you to work in exchange for accommodation, sometimes even food. 

Hitchhike in cars, trucks, horses, motorcycles, boats, even airplanes. There are other alternatives to transportation. One of them is walking, So, you just take your backpack and hit the road.

Another way is cycling; it’s not maybe completely free, because you have to buy the bicycle, and eventually fix it, but it’s much cheaper than the conventional methods of transportation. 

And the last one is actually working in exchange for transportation. Working on yachts you don’t have to pay for the ride, just do some work on the boat, like some night watches, cooking, and stuff like that.

You can earn money while traveling. One way is busking, playing the guitar on the streets. You don’t need to be a musician.  Learn three chords, (or learn slack key) and four songs, Then just repeat those four songs.

The most important thing is to have a story. Always have a small cardboard sign. Have somebody write in the local language, where you’re from, what you’re doing there, your story.

People will donate a little bit of money, some sandwiches, sodas, and so on. One other way is to write; you can write a blog, open up a Facebook page. 

After a while, you can maybe write a book, and so on. As a tourist try to get some work that allows you a place to sleep as well. In some cases, if you’re willing to teach English in non-English speaking countries then sometimes the school will fly you out there so your travel is already paid for as well.

Contracts like that last six to twelve months. Farm work is out in nature and they give you accommodation, food, and you work like 20 hours a week which is not bad. 

If you are a cook or waitstaff you might be able to find something in beach areas during the summer and skiing areas during the winter (any tourist area). Try to get there early, before the season starts.