10 Ways To Start Traveling NOW
Even with no money saved up, there are ways to quickly get you out your front door and exploring the world. No money? There are jobs that will pay you travel. Looking for accommodation abroad? You can volunteer in exchange for that, no problem! Can’t afford a flight? Welcome to the wonderful world of travel hacking with credit card points. If you want to make it happen, there is a way to start traveling now. Not when you retire, not a few years from now but in the immediate future!
1. Travel Hacking
For those who haven’t heard the term “travel hacking” before, it means getting free flights by signing up for a travel rewards credit card with a large sign up bonus.
Totally free flights!!
Seriously people, this is the GOLD MINE of free travel. I can’t tell you how many flights I got for free in the last year by “travel hacking.” Wait, actually I can. It was 7. SEVEN free round trip flights!!!
Here’s what you need to do:
Sign up for a card. Reach the minimum spending amount (usually $1,000-$3,000) in the first 3 months, then use the points for free flights.
It’s literally that easy. What I personally do is put EVERYTHING on my travel cards. Then pay it off immediately from the app on my phone. I never fall into debt and treat my credit card like a debit card. (One that gives me free flights though!)
Get creative with it!
I’ve paid my rent, health insurance and phone bill with my cards to ensure I hit my minimum spending amount.
Here are two great ones to start with:
Delta Sky Miles Card – One free checked bag anytime you fly with Delta and the $95 fee is waived the first year! I have managed to book several free flights with the points from this card in the last year! I used it to book my very first flight to Arizona when I first began traveling.
The Citi AAdvantage Platinum This one is awesome because of it’s huge sign up bonus! I used the points from this card to book my flight to Bali in August!
2. Sign up for a hotel credit card
Just like the flights, you can earn totally free stays at hotels around the world. I have personally stayed in a Hilton in London for free with my points and the Tropicana in Las Vegas (we even got upgraded to a suite here!)
My favorite hotel card is the Hilton Honors American Express Card. You can sign up here!
3. Find Jobs Abroad
Bar tender, Flight attendant, Au Pair, Hospitality Worker, Tour Guide, Destination Rep for a Travel Company…
I’m about to write lots of blog posts on this so tune in! But until then, let me just say there are incredible job opportunities in every city and country of the world you want to visit. You just need to be savvy and find them. Every tour company that exists needs tour leaders. Every city with a decent nightlife needs pub crawl leaders. And every massive festival that happens abroad needs people helping to set it up and run it! The possibilities are endless.
Apply to work on cruise ships, luxury sleeper trains or work a season in Alaska!
Read: TRAVEL JOBS: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO FINDING PAID WORK AROUND THE WORLD
Read: 12 COMPANIES THAT PAY YOU TO TRAVEL- APPLY HERE FOR A TRAVEL JOB!
4. Workaway
Get your accommodation covered in exchange for volunteering at some epic locations all over the world!
Want to work for a short time at a reindeer farm in Sweden? At an elephant sanctuary in Thailand? Teach English in Morocco? A bed and breakfast in Ireland? A hostel in Amsterdam? A surf camp in Ibiza?
Workaway has thousands of insanely cool opportunities in just about every country of the world!
If you plan on going on a long term trip- this is an incredible way to have most of your costs covered as you travel across the world.
Check it out here!
5. Couchsurfing
Basically free Airbnb!
It’s a network of travelers who let people stay in their home for free purely because they want to help other travelers! While a lot of people are skeptical about this, I can personally say I’ve couch surfed in London, Paris, Istanbul, Germany, South Carolina and Texas.
Each time was an incredible experience and I had so much more than just a couch. In London, I had my own bedroom and key at an adorable flat. In Texas, my hosts were gone in Italy most of the time and let me have the whole house to myself – including the master bedroom!
You can’t beat free if you’re on a budget.
Read: Couchsurfing: Is It Safe? & How I Use Couchsurfing to Meet Locals & Couchsurfing in Paris
6. Volunteer as a native english-speaker in Europe
Volunteer for an English exchange program! For one week, you donate your time by talking with people who are trying to improve their English. It’s literally an all inclusive free trip in Europe! Plus you’ll meet incredible people from all over the world. No prior teaching experience is required.
Full blog post on my time with Diverbo here.
If you do multiple stays with the company Angloville, you can use their sponsorship to become a certified teacher in weeks! Check out their TEFL program here.
Be sure to check out Angloville and Speak.
7. Teach English Abroad
Teaching English abroad can be an incredible way to pay off student loans, travel, save money and build your resume.
Countries like Japan, Saudi Arabi, The United Arab Emirates, China, Vietnam, Taiwan and South Korea pay a pretty penny for native English speakers to teach in their classrooms!
Teaching experience isn’t a requirement and some places don’t even require a TEFL Certification.
Your travel expenses and apartment will typically be covered and depending on the country, most salaries are quite high- you can easily save up several thousand dollars to travel around the world after.
8. House Sitting
Imagine sitting in a luxury villa in Spain… you’ve just woken up in a comfortable bed with a great view of the ocean, you have the whole day to explore the area…. Your only responsibility today is to walk the border collie of the family who lives in this beautiful home. That my friends, is house sitting abroad.
I especially recommend house sitting if you’re an animal lover.
With websites like Trusted House Sitters, you can find homes to stay in for free!
9. Travel like a local, not a tourist.
Stop thinking of travel as just luxury vacations … Real people live in all these destinations and don’t spend extravagant amounts of money to stay there. Start thinking of yourself as a local.
Instead of eating out the entire time you’re traveling, go to a grocery store and get food for a picnic.
I spent just a few euros for an incredible picnic in front of the Colosseum.
It turned out to be one of my favorite afternoons in Rome- much better than sitting in another restaurant!
Instead of paying for guided tours, attend free walking tours. They offer them in most major cities! Or use the Rick Steve’s Audio Europe Guide for a free walking tour in any major European city. Full blog post on it here.
Thinking of yourself as a local and not a tourist is one of the easiest way to get yourself out the door and traveling now!
10. Travel to countries where your currency is strong and cost of living is low
If you don’t have a lot of money saved up to begin traveling with, the best thing you can do is travel to a country where the cost of living is low.
A hotel and nice dinner in Canada is going to cost you a lot more than accommodation and food in Sri Lanka.
Countries like India, Thailand, Indonesia and Columbia are so affordable, you could spend as little as $15-$30 a day.
Places like Iceland, Switzerland and Norway are going to burn through your budget much faster.
When you’re deciding where to travel, consider picking one of these amazing destinations.
When we traveled to Egypt, we booked a budget trip on TourRadar and paid less than $500 for a week long trip.
Read: HOW TO TRAVEL EGYPT ON A BUDGET – 8 DAY GUIDED TOUR WITH TOURRADAR
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Emily!!! This is incredible!!! Your photos are amazing and I have often wondered how you can afford to travel so much! Thank you for sharing this!!
Ahh thank you so much!! I hope you find it helpful 🙂
Great post! Some these were definitely new to me! I will be looking into house sitting for sure!
Definitely check out house sitting- I’m sure you’d love it!