Hi, I’m Amanda, a mindset coach and blogger who helps moms Crush it! in Life, Business and Travel.
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Often, we find it difficult to take a leap and try something new.
We desperately want to be those people, we want to get out of our comfort zones and do something amazing. But our fears hold us back. We make up excuses like, “I could never afford that.”, “I can’t live out of a hostel, it’s just not me”, “I have a family, kids that I need to think of” and the list could go on.
This blog will give you hacks to work and travel or just find the free options along the way.
I have compiled a list of ways to save on the 4 major expenses of travel and make it significantly less expensive than more traditional methods. Follow these steps and you will be on your way to the cobblestone streets of the UK or the Christmas markets in Germany or perhaps you’ll be floating down the Grand Canal in a gondola. Where ever you want to go, these tips and tricks should be able to help you experience these places for less than 10k over 3 months. (I’m going to do some calculations for a family of 4)
Let’s start on your first flight.
1. If you don’t already have a travel rewards credit card, then you are missing out on a great way to earn back your money for travel. In fact, it’s like you’re throwing away money. There are a ton of travel reward cards that get you started with just about enough for your first flight and then you can build from there. Find the one that will earn you the most from the money you spend and has the highest startup rewards. If you sign up with a certain airline then you can often get a free or very discounted companion ticket. Use your points along with your companion ticket to get to your first destination nearly (you may have to pay taxes on the ticket).
2. Depending on where you want to go, consider if there is a way to fly to the cheapest airport and then bus/drive/train ride from there. For example, Let’s say I want to go to Europe and I’m from Canada. I can take a flight from Toronto (the cheapest airport in my area) and fly first to London England as my starting point because a flight there (especially if there are seat sales) can be far cheaper than if I want to fly to Paris. Then I can take a local train, car, or get some help to reach my next destination. Which brings me to my next point:
Cost: $0-$800
Getting Around:
Bus Systems:
1. Megabus: Get around England, Scotland, Wales for as low as £1-£20, Megabus also operates trains to some destinations around the UK, usually starting at £10. Even more exciting is that Megabus is now goes to Paris, Brussels, or Amsterdam for as low as £10.
2. Flixbus: Has routes between 20 European countries with prices as low 5 EUR. Buses include WiFi, electrical outlets, and up to 3 free bags. They offer a 5-city pass for 99 EUR. This is good for long-haul and short-haul trips.
3. Busabout: Travel throughout 47 destinations on this hop-on/hop-off bus service. It allows you to get on and off whenever you want along one of their set routes. Buy flex-passes that get you to numerous stops along their bus route for one low price (determined by number of stops). You can take as long as you want in these destinations before hopping back on to get to your next spot. The downside is that if you want to visit a city not on their route, you have to make your own way there. It’s not as versatile as a regular bus or train pass. One example plan:
- 2 Week to 3 Month Passes Available
- Full access to MyTrip vacation planner
- Travel between any of the 47 Destinations
- Free Itinerary Planning Service
- $549
4. Eurolines: This is great for traveling between European countries. It’s cheaper than the train, but could be more expensive than a cheap flight, depending on when you book it.
Cheap Inter Europe Flights:
Look on Skyscanner or GoEuro to find some of the cheapest ways to travel around Europe and the UK. It’s pretty amazing that you can fly from London, England to Milan, Italy for $48. You can also look directly at RyanAir, EasyJet, Transavia, WizzAir to name a few.
Train:
Out of all the options presented, this is the most expensive way to travel across Europe. It can be worth it since it’s a beautiful way to see the countryside and quite a comfortable way to travel. If you have the budget, then give it a try. Costs range according to distance. They may start around $38 and go up into the hundreds
Cost: $500-$1000
Now onto Accommodations:
1. Free: ‘Couchsurfing’: There are different ways that you can get free accommodations and one of them is coming referred to as ‘Couchsurfing’, which is when you stay for free on a local’s couch or free bed. While ‘Couchsurfing’ is the most commonly known and used term/website, there are a few more that you can check out. (TIP: Make sure that you check out their comments and ratings to be sure that it’s a good place to stay)
2. Free: House Sitting/Home Swap: If you have a home that you can let others use while you’re away, then you can do a home swap (You can watch the Christmas movie ‘The Holiday’ to learn more about this…and it’s just a good movie). This is where you go stay in someone else’s home while they stay in yours. There are also lots of websites who have people looking for travelers to come and take care of their home, pets, gardens and maybe even barn animals. It can range in amount of responsibility, so make sure that you see what they want from you and see if you can offer them what they need. Here are some websites to check out:
3. Free: Work for accommodations: There are many websites that allow for you to go and stay at someone’s home to help with various things around the home and property. For example, tend to the gardens, help with renovations, take care of animals, teach english, work at a hostel. You generally have a full day of work and many have a minimum stay requirement.
4. Free: If you have camping gear along with you or perhaps traveling around in a large vehicle, then boondocking/wild camping might be a great option for free accommodations. You can find parking lots (make sure there aren’t signs that say ‘no overnight parking’), back road areas, off the beaten track areas could all be free for your slumber.
5. Cheap: Also, if you do have camping gear then camping sites can be found all over for free to cheap to still cheaper than hotels.
- Cool Camping: This camping search engine looks amazing and has some great features. It not only lets you find the sites in specific locations, it has lots of categorized offerings (i.e. Looking for a campsite on the beach? How about a woodland campsite? etc). It unfortunately is limited in area, but is a great place to start.
- Camping.info: Not quite as beautiful and nice to use, but extremely informative. Check out camping.info for some great sites. You can find camping as low as €3!
6. Cheap: Hostels can be an inexpensive way to get a decent bed. You can choose from a shared bunk room, which can feel a little strange sleeping with others around, but is cheap and really just a place to sleep. You’ll also meet more people this way. You can also get private rooms in hostels if you like which are cheaper than hotels (by a lot) and can be cheaper or on par with places like airbnb.
7. Cheap: Websites are popping up for homeowners to bring in some extra income in by renting out a room in their home or an entire home/apartment. We fell in love with Airbnb when we were in Paris and found a tiny apartment only a 15 min walk to the Eiffel Tower for only $45/night. You can find just about any price range, but remember that if it’s cheap then it’s likely really small.
8. Cheap: Monastery Stays: If you don’t mind a simple room, a quiet space and can be respectful of the rules then this is an inexpensive way to stay in a beautiful building filled with history and unique culture.
Cost: 1.5 months: Free & 1.5 months: $3400
The Stuff That Sustains Us, Food:
Free: While there are some less tasteful ways to find free food out there, I am going to give you a list of everything I can offer you.
TIP: Have a reusable water bottle that you fill up regularly.
1. Wwoofing/Work Away, etc: If you take part in one of these programs where you go to work on someone’s farm, help out a business or assist with renovations then you will find that many of them will not only give you a free place to stay, but will provide meals as well. (Make sure to check this before you go!)
2. Monastery: If you stay at a monastery overnight, then you may receive a free meal alongside the residents. It will be plain, but it will sustain you and will be taking part in an interesting meal, possibly a silent one (we’ve done this and it can be quite hard for some people, but nice for others).
3. Churches: We have in the past opened our home to travelers that have come to our church. We wanted to hear all about their journey’s and they needed a meal. If you go to church, perhaps you will also find the same courtesy (although you won’t everywhere. We recall hoping to have such an encounter at a church in Queenstown New Zealand, but didn’t receive an invite or much interest in us really…*sad face*). You might also be in luck if they are having a potluck or know of somewhere that is serving a meal.
4. Food Banks/Thrift Stores: Many food banks require that you sign up for services and so mostly you won’t be able to do this, but some do not. And on top of that, they often have a fresh food area that anyone can just grab some bread, vegetables or fruit from (sometimes some odd donations that they think they won’t be able to get rid of).
5. Homeless Shelters/Community Meals: If you do eat at a shelter then make sure that you at least lend a hand and clean up the tables. If in a small town, you could also take a look at community boards to see what meals might be happening in the area (we have soup lunches for free in our area that happen twice a week). And finally check online if you are in a city to see where you could go.
6. Freegan: I’m part of a zero-waste facebook group that is awesome and supportive (even though I’m not 100% zero-waste, but little by little we try to reduce the waste we produce and this group helps us find new ways of achieving this) and on this group there are some that enjoy the life of a freegan. They eat food that they find in a dumpster. It’s not quite as gross as you might think. In their journey to zero-waste, in the dark of night, they climb into dumpsters and often find packaged food (bread, cookies, canned food, vegetables, etc) that has just passed the expiry date that day. Truly, I wouldn’t mind eating this food, unless it had mold…can’t handle that. It’s not a glamorous meal, but its a free one. And one that helps reduce waste!
7. Do your accommodations have free breakfast? If so, then eat up and maybe even slip a croissant or two in your bag for later.
8. Wild Foraging: This won’t get you all the food you need, but it’s something that you could try. There are apps for that (Wild Edibles Forage), that allow you to match your foraged goods with a picture to reduce the risk of poisoning. I’m a little scared to put this here…I’ve watched the movie ‘Into the Wild’, not a good thing to eat the wrong berry or mushroom.
9. Gleaning/Urban Foraging: Grab some fruit from some fruit trees (not on private property). If on private property, then ask if you could pick the fruit for them and take a small reward with you for the effort. See if any community gardens allow you to pick some vegetables or meet some sellers at a farmer’s market and offer a hand and make your own ‘wwoofing’ connection.
Cheap: Looking for free food sounds too difficult and time consuming? Then consider some of these cheaper ways to save on eating while you travel.
1. Grocery Stores: Just like at home, it is far cheaper to eat food you prepare then to eat from a restaurant. So, go to the grocery store to stock up on some essentials to carry around with you. TIP: See if they have a reduced price area to find some things you would like to eat. You may also find some 50% off deals throughout the fresh food area.
2. Find accommodations that have a kitchen. This might be on airbnb or in a hostel. Grab some goods from the grocery store and cook it up. If you’ve made any friends to share a meal with, then it’s even cheaper if you split the costs.
$0 – $500/month Total Cost: $3900 – $6700
Now that you have seen this amazing list of free to cheap ways to travel, then you can throw away your worries and jump in with both feet. I’ve even left some room for extras and a little splurging. If you are thinking of getting started on a whirlwind travel and don’t want it to end, then consider starting your own blog. We offer a free email blogging course that helps you get ready to launch your own website. It has 10+ courses that are filled with actionable steps and some great advice. Get started today to see your travels last longer!
