Its hard to believe in this materialistic world where everything has a price, but to travel for free it is possible. There are a lot of people out there that are willing to offer accommodation free and show you around their city. Learn how to extend your travels with these great tips…
ALL YOU NEED IS TIME….
…. Well, and love too, of course! Once I read somewhere: “Money comes and goes, but time, once its gone you will never EVER get it back, so use it WISELY!” This stroked me and I could not stop thinking about it while I was working 40 hours a week. There was a price put on my time. But time is priceless, so I always try to find a job that I enjoy, and the rest.. well, the rest its travel so how not enjoy it!
So take YOUR time to enjoy a walk instead of hopping on a bus.. ride a bike instead of getting on the car, and you will not only help the environment but you will also help you health and your pocket.
REDUCE YOUR NEEDS
All the ads on tv they make you believe that you need the latest gadget, tv, phone, etc to be happy. But don’t be fooled. The things that you need to be happy are usually free: a good chat with a friend, a hug from your son/daughter, a smile, your health… We should learn to appreciate more all what we have rather than to focus on what we lack and we will realize that we are so more wealthy that what we ever imagined.
TRUST AND SHARE
Make friends while traveling, you will not only enjoy your trip but you will get to experience the real culture of the place. A good source online to meet locals is to stay over with Couchsurfing, a community of people that offer you to stay in their place for free.
Alternative there is a organization called WWOOF where you can experience the farm life and lend a hand in exchange of acoomodation.
And last but not least… you wont need your house while traveling, so why not swap it? Its all about trust, but there are many websites that help this became possible by connecting people on the other side of the world exchange their homes during their holidays. (See movie: Holidays)
Hitchhiking
One way to get around and meet people on the road while saving loads! One of our team members has hitched around New Zealand and the Argentinean Patagonian. We wouldn’t recommend it to everyone, you never know when you will get to you final destination, but is a cheap way to get around if the weather is good and you have plenty of time. Here are some tips for hitchhiking:
- Find out if its legal in the country to do hitchhike!
- Take enough food, water and may be some music to listen while you wait for your hitch.
- Be prepare for the change of weather, and dress appropriately. (Bright colours are best)
- Buy a good map and know where you going and how to get there
- Learn at least a some words of the local language.
- Take sunscreen, sun glasses, mosquito repellent, etc.
- Smile! It take once second for the driver to make the decision should I stop or not… You can bet your smile will always help then!
- Ask in petrol stations just outside the city if there is someone going your way. You already have the no.. so it cant hurt!
- How fast you will get picked up will also depend on the location: choose a place where the driver can easily pull over,, where there is traffic but not to much of it, and where they can see you from far. So to give them time to make the decision of weather to stop.
- Find out how popular is to do hitchhiking in that country
- ALWAYS check for safety in the country, it’s certainly not safe in some countries and many consider it not to be safe in many countries, so you have been warned!
Below you will find some good webpage that can make you save while traveling mainly around Europe:
http://www.hitchhikers.org
http://www.roadsharing.com/
http://backseatsurfing.com/