Find out some of the practical ideas that will allow you to travel for free or at least cut down your travel expenses.
Traveling is such an enriching experience that most of us would not mind
saving up and spending just to visit the places that we love. But wouldn't
it be nice to travel for free or at least get huge savings on our travel
expenses? Well, the good news is there are ways to do it. You just need to
plan things out well or be extra alert when there are promos.
7 Practical Ideas On How You Can Travel For Free (Or For Less)
Anyway, here are some more tangible examples on how you can reduce your travel
expenses:
1. Wait for seat sales
This is probably the most common method to score airfare at a much lower
rate. You just have to be diligent in waiting for announcements and you have
to be fast in booking a ticket because they run out quite fast.
What you can do is you can sign up for newsletters so you get first dibs on
promos right in your inbox. You can also follow the social media channels of
airlines because seat sales are always announced on social media.
2. Take advantage of rewards program
There are many rewards programs out there like GetGo or Mabuhay Miles that
allow users to accumulate points or miles whenever they book a flight or buy
from partner merchants like restaurants, apparel, and even baby essentials.
Depending on the points that you will accumulate, you can use these to take
advantage of flight discounts or even free flights. It’s really easy and
rewarding.
Earning miles or points usually come with using a credit card with partner
merchants, which is practical because you will be using your credit card for
purchases anyway.
3. Join contests and giveaways
Contests and giveaways are also great ways to win free flights, tour packages,
and accommodations. What’s good about these contests and giveaways is that
they give out both local or international destinations as prizes.
These can be as easy as sharing or commenting on social media posts and
writing blog posts. They require minimal effort and investment but the results can be rewarding.
I once won a free tour package with accommodation in Caramoan from a blog
writing contest launched by a now-defunct online travel booking site.
Unfortunately, I had to forego my slot because of work.
4. Join a volunteer program
One of the best ways to travel is to join a volunteer program. You may not
enjoy 100% free travel but you are at least assured of food and accommodation
at no cost.
What’s good about volunteering is the experience of meeting
diverse people and learning new cultures, and the fulfillment of being able to help out
others by sharing your time and knowledge.
5. Choose a career that will allow you to travel
This is a surefire way to travel for free. If your career involves a lot of traveling, such as if you are a journalist or a flight attendant, your travel
expenses and a little pocket money will be shouldered by your company.
6. Be a travel blogger
Travel blogging can also be your ticket to securing free travels through
collaborations with tourism boards, hotel, resorts, and other brands and
establishments related to tourism.
Just a warning though, travel blogging is not an easy way to earn free travel
privileges. You have to build your authority and readership over time. You
have to have the right numbers in terms of traffic and social media following.
On the other hand, brands have varying terms in employing the services of
travel bloggers.
You have to genuinely love your job as a travel blogger because it’s not all
the time that you will secure partnerships. Otherwise, if you’re doing it just
for the money and the freebies, you will end up frustrated most of the
time.
7. Use a bike for traveling
Not all people might realize it but using a bike is a good idea to travel for
free. You will be surprised at how much you can achieve just with your bike if
you put your heart and mind into it.
There are other people who were able to travel around the Philippines just by
using a bike. If they can do it, so can you. You just have to make an initial
investment on a good quality bike and safety gears.
You can also buy a good quality and lightweight backpack for storing your
clothes and other essential items. Once you have the basics, you can go on
your epic biking journey wherever and whenever you want to.
Epilogue
These are just a few ideas that you can follow if you want to travel for free
or at least significantly save up on your travel expenses. I’m sure there are
a lot more that you can do. If you feel a bit generous, I hope you can share
your tips in the comments section below.
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Also read: 6 Ways Traveling Can Change Your Life
