3 Ways to Travel Free (Or At Least Really Darned Cheap!)

Advertiser Disclosure ▾

This page contains affiliate links from which we receive a compensation. Like many publications Wise Bread is supported by affiliate commission from partner companies whose products appear on our site. This may influence which products we write about and the location and order in which products appear. We aren't able to cover every product in the marketplace.

Wise Bread Picks

• Travel Rewards Credit Cards
• Cash Back Credit Cards
• 0% Balance Transfer Credit Cards

How would you like to get out and "see the world"? Visit the Carthage Ruins or spend a week just hiking across Europe. Paris, Italy or maybe the Bahamas... there's really just no end to the places you can go.

Now, I know what you're saying - those places cost money and technically you'd be right. While traveling is certainly one of the more exciting ways to spend your time, airfare and hotel rooms can add up quickly and with the economy the way it is... well, it looks like Aunt Tessie's farm is about all the traveling you'll be doing anytime soon.

But there are ways to get around those big travel expenses without sacrificing your fun. In fact, with these tips you might just find that your trips become all the more adventurous!

1. House Swap - Seriously. Swap your house with someone else for a week, a month or how ever long the two of you agree to do so. House swapping is actually a pretty popular way to travel and it has quite a few advantages to staying in a hotel. For starters, most house swappers make their various amenities available to you so you'll have a functional kitchen which means you can save money by buying a few groceries and eating in and you won't go home with a big bag of dirty laundry because you can wash your clothes before you go. Those "amenities" also often include a car, jet skis, boats and other cool things that you'd have to rent otherwise. Another advantage is that while you're manning the ship in their house, they'll be watching over yours as well which means that your property isn't left vacant and theives are less likely to try to venture in. No more packing up your valuables when you leave and no more vacating the room so that the cleaning staff can change your sheets. And instead of those goofy connecting rooms for the kids, you can keep your family under one roof for the entire trip. To learn more about house swapping, check out InterVac or The International Home Exchange Network.
2. Cruise For Free. Yes, free! Those big cruise liners take pride in providing a variety of entertainment and activities for their paying guests. Provide some of that entertainment or activity and you could sail the seas for free. Traditional entertainment includes singing, dancing and of course acrobatics but don't think for a minute that the list stops there. Magicians are very popular on cruises as well as comedians and jugglers. But again, the list doesn't stop there. Don't let a lack of artistic talent keep you off that boat - cruise lines are also looking for a variety of "enrichment" instructors, meaning those who can teach something fun and/or enriching such as arts and crafts, painting, yoga or even how to trace a family tree. The idea is to come up with something that's inexpensive for you (you'll have to provide any necessary supplies) while giving the passengers a unique opportunity to learn something new. Teach them to mambo or jitterbug. Give them a crash course in Spanish or French. Show them how to write a best-selling novel or how to meditate properly to gain eternal peace. Whatever your niche, think about how you could share your knowledge and turn it into a class for others. Then market that course to the cruise lines. You can also check out Cruise Ship Jobs to help you get the most from your efforts.
3. Study For Free, Live Abroad. Universities tend to believe that an education obtained abroad is one of the most enlightening ways to learn and our government tends to agree. As a result, there are a number of grants and scholarships available for students that want to study in a foreign country. If you want to tap into government funding, you'll have to find a school that has a domestic branch in the States as any credits you obtain must be able to count here at home as well. That said, there are also work-study programs that don't come with those restrictions so if you don't need the government funding, you're pretty much free to go anywhere you like. Check out American Institute for Foreign Study for more information.

And there you have it. Three creative ways to seriously cut your travel expenses and tap into the vast opportunities that await you when you see the world. Granted, these ideas aren't as conventional as just booking your own hotel room but then let's be honest... life without a little adventure isn't really "life" at all, now is it?