If you’ve been saving your money to embark on an adventure, you’re in luck. Here are some unconventional and affordable ways to travel that will help you appreciate the journey and savor the experiences along the way.
Volunteer Travel
Volunteer travel is arguably one of the most ethical forms of tourism. Wwoofing, Workaway exchanges or Worldpackers opportunities allow travelers to connect more with the communities they visit rather than just passing through. Volunteer travel involves an exchange of work for accommodation, food and cultural experiences in your desired destination. This could mean you stay in an Italian villa in Tuscany and help harvest grapes for winemaking, or you could work on a farm in Indonesia, nanny in Portugal, and work the reception desk at a surf hostel in Costa Rica. Most importantly, it helps you to better experience your destination through the eyes of locals, connect with your community and give back to your destination while saving money.
Community Experiences
There are some modes of travel that are free or of very little cost, but you’ve gotta have moxie to pull them off. Couchsurfing offers free stays at people’s homes around the world. The platform works like Airbnb with hosts and guests, and you can get your profile verified to get booked faster. For transport, BlaBlaCar connects you with drivers who might share a destination with you and can offer up free space in their car for ride-shares. EatWith connects travelers with local cooks offering private meals, dinner parties, or cooking classes; Campspace offers camping grounds of private properties; RVShare can offer camper or RV rentals from the community. Sharing these resources can help travelers build trust with locals and make friends abroad all while saving you money for more adventures.
House swaps & House Sitting
If you loved the popular Christmas romcom “The Holiday” you might consider a house swap to save money on your next adventure. Luckily, Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet’s Hollywood exchange is based on a real life practice, though one that isn’t very common. Platforms like HomeExchange charge a yearly fee for users to find a house swap that works for them. This way, all you pay for is the fee and flight to your new home. Stay at beautiful homes or cozy cottages around the world and maybe you’ll meet a young Jude Law and fall deeply in love, or something like that.
If you don’t feel like offering up your own home to a stranger, you could opt for a one-sided house sitting gig. TrustedHousesitters is your go-to for free stays at local homes and pads. These stays often require you to take care of pets, water plants, and clean a bit. Usually nothing crazy, but you may have responsibilities, similar to volunteer travel gigs.
Teach English Abroad
There are many success stories of people young and old who dropped everything to go teach English abroad, and you can too. There are droves of programs where hopeful travelers and expats can purchase a course, get certified to teach English as a foreign language, and get assistance in finding a placement somewhere in the world. These are another great option for an immersive travel experience where tourism gives back to its community rather than simply moving through it as an observer.
