How to Travel for (Almost) Nothing

by Honor Baldry
(Leeds, United Kingdom)

There's apparently no such thing as a free lunch – so if that’s the case, is there such a thing as free travel? Well, you might still need a credit card on hand, but it is possible to see the world without having to spend a small fortune. Here’s how:

Teaching English abroad

Want to spend 6-12 months getting paid to spend time in amazing places around the globe? Sounds a little far fetched, but there’s a massive demand for certified TEFL teachers around the world. You’ll need to spend a few hundred dollars getting a TEFL certificate, but after that there are thousands of TEFL jobs out there for the taking.

Contrary to popular opinion, you don’t need any teaching experience, a degree or the ability to speak another language. You will still need to pay for flights and vaccinations, however some schools will reimburse you the costs of your flights when you finish your contract. So, with a little bit of penny-watching you could come home with money in the bank. Get all the details of how to make it happen by downloading your free copy of TEFL Uncovered: How to Teach Your Way Abroad with TEFL: http://www.onlinetefl.com/contact-tefl-team/tefl-ebook.html

Working holiday in Australia

OK, so this is hardly free – flights to Australia will set you back a fair amount of cash, but once you’re there you can keep your costs down by working as you go. Luckily the Aussie economy hasn’t suffered as badly as the US’s in the recession, so there are still plenty of jobs around. Most people who get a year-long working holiday visa spend six months or so working in one of the big cities then another six months traveling around the country spending all the money they’ve earnt. So, not free, but certainly a blast. For more details check out http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/working-holiday/.

Volunteering on a farm

If you’re hankering after the simple life, how about working on an organic farm? WWOOF (http://www.wwoof.org/) sets people up with farmers around the world and your hard labour (generally around 4-6 hours/day) pays for bed and board. The experience isn’t always trouble-free: some farms are very remote and it’s generally a surprise as to where you'll end up, but it can make for a very fulfilling and relaxing experience. Again, it’s not exactly free: you have to pay for a list of farms in the country you want to visit, flights and vaccinations.

Hitching a ride on a yacht

Do you know your port from starboard, your mainsail from spinnaker? Probably not, but even without knowing one end of a boat from another you may be able to hitch a free ride in return for cooking, cleaning or deck-handing on a yacht. Check out websites like Crewseekers (http://www.crewseekers.net/) for details of jobs.