They say there is no such thing as a free lunch, but I've had free lunches on the free flights. I have had a free breakfast at a free hotel stay during a free trip to Ireland.
If this sounds impossible, I’m here to assure you that there are ways to save money on travel. This budget travel advice can get you out in the world without draining your bank account or adding to your debt.
Ways to Travel for Free
1. Win a trip giveaway.
You miss 100% of the shots you don't take, and you don't go on any free trips you don't enter to win.
My first trip to Ireland happened because I won a trip for two to Cork that paid for flights, hotel, and meals. It also chipped in $500 in spending money that my friend Joey and I blew at the pub like the 22-year-olds we were.
The company Ganedon Biotech had put out a new anti-constipation medication and to celebrate this feat, hosted a short story contest called "Get Uncorked and Go to Cork." My story "Constipated with Love," got me there.
Google "free trip giveaways" or "win a free trip" to find more trips than any employed person has time to enter.
One final note to keep in mind: One type of trip giveaway is the one you enter simply by signing up. These could get you from here to there, but competition is stiff.
Then there are contests like "Get Uncorked and Go to Cork" where entrants actually have to do something — write a story, make a video, sing a song, build a castle out of noodles, and any number of odd tasks. If you enter these contests and actually put in quality effort for a solid entry, your odds of winning are much more substantial than the lottery giveaways.
2. Try bleisure travel.
If you work in an industry where you can travel for work, you have the opportunity to turn that work into pleasure. Or business into leisure — bleisure.
When I was working for a charity, I often had to go to fundraisers or speaking gigs around the country. Whenever these work trips took me to a place I wanted to spend more time exploring, I took advantage by asking my boss if I could take a couple vacation days and book my return flight later than when my work engagement ended.
This is how I discovered Boston for the first time, explored Portland, visited Washington State, Los Angeles, St. Louis, and a host of other places I might not have experienced had I simply done my work and hightailed it back home.
Even if you aren't able to travel for work now, it doesn't mean that you can't in the future. Is someone else in your company traveling for work? Are there opportunities you're not capitalizing on?
If you would like to travel more for work, make sure your boss or manager is aware of that desire and you may just find yourself traveling on the company's dime.
3. Work from the road.
As a freelancer and travel writer, I can say that working on the road is a perfectly realistic answer to “How can I travel the world for free?”
There are a surprising number of jobs that require travel and can help you bankroll your trip. Become an au pair — a family pays for your trip in exchange for you being their nanny — or find a gig in the tourism and hospitality industry.
Working on a cruise ship will take you plenty of places, although a common lament from people who have done it is that they spend most of their time at port sleeping in their cabin.
You can also give the digital nomad lifestyle a shot. Pack up your things and work from anywhere. Freelancers, creatives, and anyone who isn’t location-specific — even social workers like Sojourner White — can take advantage of digital nomadism to get paid while they travel.
4. Crowdfund your trip.
This point is as much of a cautionary tale as it is a suggestion for how to get free trips.
All my travel blogging counterparts will agree — we get asked for help all the time from people who are kickstarting their dream trip and want us to spread the word to our readers. Some of these people have super cool, specific ideas about doing amazing charitable work, filming documentaries, or just something new and unique.
When it comes to them, I am always more than happy to give them some publicity, share their Kickstarter page on Facebook, or even chip in a fiver and write an article about them. It's inspiring to see people dream big and then build the funding to reach those dreams.
On the other hand are those who have vague notions of helping the world or taking an amazing trip but don’t want to pay for it.
When it comes to crowdfunding a trip (or anything else), your goal is to get others excited about your own passion. This begins with a vision that transcends personal wants and dreams to the extent that it energizes others when they hear about it. If you can manage that, then you can probably get your trip funded.
Be reflective and honest about this. Just because you personally have always wanted to drink cocktails on the beach in Fiji does not mean that the rest of the world is itching to help you make that happen.
5. Couch surf.
In life I have been both a couch surfer and a couch surfer host, and both have been remarkably positive experiences.
For 20 years, CouchSurfing.com has been providing travelers with newfound friends and a free place to stay all over the globe. I consider Couch Surfing a rite of passage that all travelers at some point should try.
Airline tickets and hotel/hostel bills are the most expensive part of traveling, so when you’re on a budget, this service will get you halfway there.
6. Sit for someone.
Not all travel has to be go, go, go. Staying in one place can help you cut down on travel expenses. And if you like the idea of having a single home base for a while, try house sitting or pet sitting.
Companies like MindMyHouse and TrustedHousesitters match travelers leaving home with others looking for a free place to crash. Water the plants, take Fluffy on a walk, and in between, explore your temporary hometown on the cheap.
Some of these services do charge an annual fee for your listing, but it will still probably be less than what you’d pay for accommodations, especially if you travel frequently.
7. Volunteer.
There are charity organizations that can help you travel for free, or at least on the cheap, in exchange for your manual labor. Join a voluntour trip and see new places while giving back to the host community.
If you want to see the world for free, check out reputable organizations like Peace Corps. To see the U.S. for free, try AmeriCorps, which, like the Peace Corps, has service-oriented goals they achieve by placing you in destinations across America.
8. Use a travel credit card.
First things first: credit cards are not free money. You will eventually have to give someone your hard-earned cash. And if you take too long to pay off your balance, the trip could end up costing you even more thanks to interest.
That being said, the best travel credit cards can help you earn airline miles to put toward a free ticket. Some will give you huge points just for signing up. If you play the game right, you might never need to pay for a domestic ticket to anywhere, ever.
9. Let yourself get bumped.
As a single freelancer, my schedule tends to be flexible. Because of this, I always sit right by the counter of my departure game. I do this so that as soon as an agent gets on the intercom to offer a voucher to anyone willing to go on a later flight, I am first in line.
Just last month, I had a connection in Tokyo and ended up getting bumped. This got me an all-expenses-paid day in Japan (a country I had yet to see!), and a $1,000 travel voucher for my next trip.
Some travelers eager for a free flight take this a step further and preemptively volunteer to be bumped with an airline agent as soon as they arrive at the gate.
Freedom with Peace of Mind
Although you don’t need travel insurance for a free hotel or a free flight, there are other parts of your trip you might need to protect. A prepaid, nonrefundable tour or excursion can be covered so that you get your money back if you have to cancel your trip or if you miss the tour because you ended your trip early for a covered reason.
You could have medical expenses if you get sick or hurt during your trip. Travel medical insurance can cover those expenses so you aren’t left paying for them out of pocket. Nothing ruins a travel budget — or your finances in general — faster than an unexpected, expensive medical procedure.
Get a quick quote for Seven Corners Travel Insurance or talk to one of our licensed agents, who can help you customize your coverage to get protection within your budget.
