THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO TRAVELING WHEN YOU HAVE NO MONEY
I recently asked subscribers of my newsletter about the number one thing that holds them back from traveling. The near-universal answer?
Money.
This is something I hear from everyone I talk to: “Matt, I simply don’t have enough money to travel.”
This problem — and how to overcome it — is my most asked question. I have answered this question in a plethora of posts, emails, tweets, and Facebook posts. Long-term readers might even be getting sick of me discussing this subject because it is one I talk about so much. But I know no matter how often I address this question, it will come up again.
Since this question comes up so often, I like to constantly remind people of this fact:
You do not need to be rich to travel.
Let’s repeat that.
You do not need to be rich to travel cheaply.
There are plenty of ways to travel cheaply or for free. There are plenty of ways to travel around the world when you have no money if you’re willing to be creative.
Introducing…
The Ultimate Guide to Cheap Travel
In this post, I’m going to show you two things:
- How to travel cheap
- How to travel for free
Wondering what the difference is?
Traveling cheap is all about taking advantage of helpful apps and websites that save you money, finding ways to lower your expenses, and even making money as you travel. It’s about finding value and lowering your expenses while still being able to afford to do what you want.
Traveling for free entails taking advantage of free accommodation, transportation, and activities that are already out there and reducing your cost to zero. Here you sacrifice comfort and convenience to extend your travels as long as possible.
Travel doesn’t have to be expensive. With the right budget and the right mindset, you can make your travel dreams a reality. Even if you don’t earn a lot or you have debt, there are still plenty of ways to go overseas. They may not be fancy or luxurious, but if travel is your priority then you can definitely make it happen!
Ready to kick-start your budget travels and save money?
How to Travel the World for Cheap
1. Use the Sharing Economy
Use the sharing economy to find cheaper accommodation, quirky tour guides, rideshare options, and home-cooked meals with local chefs. You can bypass the traditional travel industry by sharing economy websites and gain access to locals using their own assets and skills to become small tourism companies at cheaper prices. Moreover, locals know where to find deals. They know which supermarket is cheapest, which stores offer the best sales, and where to find the hole-in-the-wall restaurants and bars with the tastiest food at the lowest prices. Talking directly to them gives you access to that knowledge.
These websites have changed the travel game and made travel more accessible for everyone.
Here are some of my favorite websites:
2. Cook Your Own Meals
The best way to save money on the road is to cook all your own meals. I recently spent USD 60 for a week’s worth of groceries in Stockholm instead of an average of $15 per meal eating out! That’s a saving of $150! If you are Couchsurfing, your host will probably have a kitchen, as do many hostels, campsites, and guesthouses. No kitchen? Pack your own container and silverware and make some sandwiches and salads on the go. Not every meal requires a stove, right?
Just because you are traveling, doesn’t mean you need to eat out every meal. You won’t ruin your trip to Paris if you decide not to eat out one day! There’s simply no reason to be spending lots of money on food on your trip!
3. Get Rail Passes
4. Sleep in Large Dorms
Large hostel dorm rooms are the cheapest paid accommodation out there. If Couchsurfing isn’t your thing, this is your next best way to save money on a place to sleep. The bigger the dorm, the cheaper it will be. While a 4-6 bed dorm might give you more privacy, a 12-18 bed dorm is going to be a bit cheaper. In the long run, this will add up. As long as you’ve got earplugs, opt for the bigger door to keep your budget intact!
5. Use Student and Other Discount Cards
Are you a student, teacher, or under 26? Welcome to the world of 50%-off attractions and a plethora of discounts. Get a student/teacher/youth card and save big! Even if you’ve recently graduated, chances are you can still get by with your expired ID card (as long as it doesn’t have an expiry date). Always ask if there are discounts available for students or youth as this is an easy way to save tons of cash as you travel around!
6. Get City Tourist Cards
If you plan on seeing a lot of sights in a city, you should get a city tourism card. These will offer you discounted and/or free access to the major attractions and museums, as well as free public transportation. I saved over $100 with the London pass, $80 with the Paris Museum card, $50 with a Helsinki card, and tons more with other city tourism cards. They are an amazing way to save money on attractions that not enough people use. Just head to the local tourism office to find out what cards are available. They can help answer all your questions and make sure you save as much money as possible.
7. Sell Your Services
Need some cash? Use Craigslist, TaskRabbit, Upwork, or Gumtree to find people who need a few things done around the house and get paid to help them. It’s a way to make money when you travel without committing to a long-term job. Additionally, if you have a skill, sell it. Offer haircuts to other travelers, busk for money, provide online services like editing or consulting. The sky is the limit here! You can also help people learn your native language through apps like Duolingo.
How to Travel the World for Free
Looking to travel for free? Here are all the ways that can make that happen:
1. Travel Hack and Get Free Flights!
I hate when people tell me they can’t afford to fly. There are so many ways to earn free flights these days. Sign up for a few travel credit cards, collect miles, and then fly for free. Most cards offer sign-up bonuses of 50,000 points — and if you sign up for both an airline card (e.g., a United airlines card) and a general rewards card like the Chase Sapphire or AMEX card, you can combine the two point balances and get a cheap flight faster.
By collecting points and miles through credit card bonuses, smart everyday spending, online surveys, bonuses, and other methods, you’ll accrue a ton of miles even before you’ve left for your trip. You can go a lot further in the world when you take away the cost of flights and some accommodation.
2. Stay for Free
Many services connect travelers with locals who are willing to let them stay with them for FREE. Using these sites, you will never have to pay for accommodation. Years ago I read about a guy who traveled for years while only Couchsurfing. I’ve used this service about 10 times and always meet amazing people. Sometimes you get a room, sometimes a couch, sometimes an air mattress, but it’s always free. There are also local Couchsurfing group meet-ups that can help you make friends in your new city.
Moreover, because of the rise of the sharing economy in the last few years, there are now websites that let you not only stay with locals but share rides, meals, train tickets, gear, and much more! These websites not only save you a TON of money but they also get you off the tourist track and into the local life.
3. Take Free Walking Tours
Want to learn about the city, get your bearings, and see the major sights? Take a free walking tour. You can find them in 90% of the major cities in Europe, and there are also a few in large Asian cities, South America, New York, Australia, and New Zealand. To find these tours, ask the local tourist office, your hostel staff (or just walk into a hostel and ask about them), or Google “Free walking tour (city name).” Just be sure to tip at the end!
4. Use your social network
Does your colleague have a relative in Spain? Or maybe you have a distant cousin who lives in New Zeland. Or maybe a childhood friend of yours is working down in Brazil. These days, we have a vast social network of friends and family that stretches across the globe. Don’t hesitate to use that! Ask your co-workers and friends if they know anyone where you’re going. Get your mom to ask her co-workers and friends, too!
Not only is this an opportunity to find free accommodation but you’ll get to interact with a local and pick their brain about the destination, giving you a more in-depth experience. Then, once you start traveling and meeting people you’ll have your own network of friends across the globe who can help you as you travel onward. Of course, you’ll want to re-pay the favors as you go, but this is a great way to build closer relationships while saving you some more
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