Hey Steemians,
First, if you're here thinking "no way you can travel on just $10 a day!", I'm glad you're here, because I'm going to explain how it's done! π And if you're thinking "but my hotel in the Bahamas is already $300 a night.." this post is probably not for you, sorry π
I've been travelling for over a year (without rich parents, credit cards or sugar daddies), and there are a few important things that have made this possible:
1: Work exchange
Work exchange basically involves you working for 15-25 hours a week in exchange for free accommodation and some or all food provided. This leaves you able to spend zero or virtually zero on accomodation and food, which can often be the greatest day to day expenses. This arrangement is usually organised online through the sites mentioned below, and these all allow hosts and volunteers to review one another at the end. This is important for us volunteers to get an idea of what the hosts are like and their expectations, and avoid arriving at an awful work exchange! Here are the sites:
- Workaway: My personal favourite site due to the easy-to-use layout, and the ability to message previous workawayers as well as hosts, if you'd like more of their feedback on a project. This site has a diverse range of projects, including child care, hostel/cleaning work, language help/teaching, working with animals, building/construction and much more. If you are signing up as a new user, please consider using the link below; it will give me an extra 3 months subscription to the site I depend on as I travel at no extra cost to you :) https://www.workaway.info/invite/CB5BE6EA
- Helpx: Quite similar to workaway, Helpx probably has the most diverse volunteering options, with similar jobs as on workaway, plus more cafe/restaurant work, and farm/rural opportunities. The site is easy to navigate, and organized by the country the projects are in.
- WWOOF: "World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms", or, "Willing Workers on Organic Farms", is purely for farm/rural work, on properties who practice organic farming, or are striving to become 100% organic. Accessing wwoof.net will take you through to the appropriate site for the country you are looking to do WWOOFing in!
There are more sites which sell "voluntourism" where you can pay hundreds to help plant trees, but I'm mentioning these 3 because once you have paid the yearly subscription (about $25), they are completely free to use!
*No offense if you wanna go plant trees
2: Couchsurfing
Couchsurfing is a magical website that connects travellers to locals that are happy to host them in a spare room, floor, or couch space for a few nights! No money should be paid, as this works on the premise of a cultural exchange; swapping stories, travel tips, and learning about the county you are in from a local!
It is polite to bring your host a small gift (chocolate, wine, a local food or gift, or something from your country for example), or offer to cook them something (maybe from your home country!) to say thank you. Some hosts will be busy with work while you stay with them, where others may be free to show you around town; this depends on the host, but you can get an idea of if they will be free a lot, and what they are like to stay with from the reviews written by previous guests.
Always remember, this person is trusting you in their home! Please be as tidy and polite as possible to keep couchsurfing alive! It isn't just a free place to crash π
3: Camping
If the idea of staying in a stranger's home isn't for you, or you prefer to be out of the city in the bush, jungle, or forests; go to Decathlon right now and get yourself a tent!! Seriously, for $20-50, getting yourself a simple tent will save soo much on accommodation costs, and gives you the freedom to set up and stay anywhere you like; that isolated beach, on top of this mountain, or the highway you're now stranded on (it happens)!
You don't need to go crazy on camping gear either; I myself just have a tent and thin foam mat. If you are in a cooler area, consider investing in a good sleeping bag, or the nights will suck! A small camping stove is handy if you will need to cook food a lot, but I've just made a small fire until now and that works fine too. The only important thing I'd consider for choosing your tent is to make sure it comes with a separate fly (the second layer that goes over the base of your tent), or your tent will be useless in the rain! Other than that, go for cheap, and enjoy waking up to beautiful views!! πβΊ
4: Hitchhiking
If the idea of hitchhiking makes you think of a horror film waiting to happen, don't panic!! I have hitchhiked in Japan, Malaysia, and Turkey so far, with no problems worse than getting bad, speeding drivers! And it's helped me save so much money on bus and train fares!
Obviously there is always a small risk you take when getting into a stranger's car, but there are some ways to minimise this:
- Don't hitchhike alone if possible, and if you are female, try to find a guy buddy or more girls to come along (I know, it sucks).
- Don't get into a car when the person seems weird or you get a bad vibe! It's always ok to decline an offer even if they stop for you. Other cars will come :)
- If you are alone or feeling unsure, sit in the back seat
- Try not to hitchhike after dark when there are fewer cars and people around to help if something did happen.
And of course, the most important rule; have fun!! You will meet so many different people when hitchhiking, and this means learning more about a country from a local, hearing some great or terrible local music, and having lots of interesting chats (or spending the half hour repeating that you still can't speak Turkish). And of course offline maps are a hitchhiker's best friend to work out when you need to get out, or which is the most direct route to your destination.
So how do you travel on $10 a day? By combining these tips to pay nothing for accommodation or transport wherever possible! This, plus having most or all food provided by your work exchange, means that all you need to pay for is a meal here and there on your day off, plus any fun stuff you choose to do!
Do you do work exchange or camping, or travel by hitchhiking to save some money? Tell me about your experiences below! And if you enjoyed this, please upvote or follow for more travel info and inspiration π
Hi :) Thank you for the tips on work exchange websites! I haven't used their services yet, but I have done everything else you mentioned :) I always travel on a very tight budget and I have to say that because of it I met so many amazing people that I wouldn't have the chance to know sleeping in a hotel room or driving my own car :) Not everyone understands it that way but I am happy there are people like you out there which also think its awesome :)) Cheers!
I discovered this guy @caminante while looking for Japan post and saw his post on hitchhiking.
Linking him to both of you to follow, if you like :)
Thank you! π
Nice to meet you @caminante
Thanks @best-trip-eva! I couldn't agree more, this style of travel has led to so many adventures with so many amazing people π
Thanks for this super helpful guide! I'm going to be travelling solo for 5 months on a limited budget soon so i'm definitely gonna refer back to this guide to try and keep my costs down. Though i'm not sure I could hitchhike as a solo female... I tried hitchhiking once with a male friend and it was great (aside from the 7 hour wait in the cold and wind for a ride).
Have you personally encountered any problems before when hitchhiking? Or has it always been smooth sailing?
First of all, great name!! ππ
No, I've never had any serious problems/felt uncomfortable in a car, aside from language barrier, and once having someone a bit weird who was driving around the city dropping off commercial deliveries, not actually going to the area I needed to go to so I just asked to get out again. Safety in numbers though, so if can meet people in your hostel or in Facebook groups that are going the same way as you, it might be more comfortable and it'll definitely be more fun when you're waiting for the next car!
And yep, how you long you wait can vary a lot! I'm in Turkey atm and hitchhiking is soo easy here! As soon as I've waited 20 minutes I start to think, damn this is taking long!! Totally spoiled after being here a while! I've heard a lot of Europe is more difficult and you can wait for hours. Japan was similar sometimes. I guess it depends on if hitchhiking is common/known there and the attitude of locals.
Good luck for you trip and have an amazing time!! Where will you go? Feel free to ask anything else anytime :)
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Love this post! Definitely gave me a lot to consider in my future travels. It takes a unique spirit to travel this way and I think its just simply amazing.
Thanks @intuitvwandrlust! For me it's definitely worth travelling this way and being able to travel for longer and have some new experiences :)
So far I have tried camping and couch surfing. Hitchhiking, no because I was too scared. Work exchange that is something that sounds really appealing. Though I am not sure yet how could that with my family. Great post!
It sounds like we travel in a similar way @lymepoet!
Some workaways are definitely family friendly; where I am at the moment we had a lady stay with her 5 year old daughter! It just depends on the place but I'm sure you could find something that works for you and your family π
All the best for your future travels,
Jess
We're a bit fan of voluntourism, but we haven't done it in three/four years! On our holidays, we like to do something locally and help the communities, but sometimes it's just not possible with the time we have.
There are some great tips here to keep your budget low whilst traveling for a long time. We haven't couch surfed nor have we hitch hiked, but we will try the former in the future. Thanks @jessbear for this post! We saw it on Travel Feed π
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Thanks @travelling-two!! I think it's great that you try to help out local communities as you travel!! I'm always cautious as some benefit locals more than others (but I'm sure you know this too :) ) but there are definitely some great organisations out there!
Good luck for your future couchsurfing adventures!
Jess