I want to travel all over the world. Honestly traveling and trying new things are my only real hobby. After a while I get sick and tired of being at home or not trying new things. I get bored doing the same thing over and over again.
Is there any way to travel for cheaper? Besides living in hostels? Is there anyway to get cheaper airlines or anything like that? I wish I knew more people so that I can sleep on their couches to save up on money.
Is there a way to travel for cheap besides using hostels?
byu/fuckloggin inFrugal
Posted by fuckloggin
7 Comments
Camping, bicycle touring with a tent
Camping, couch surfing. Also, you could be a house sitter.
I’ve just bought a tent to slap on the back of my bike, as campsites cost SO much less than hostels
Wwoof typically offers some pretty cool opportunities if you’re willing to do some work for your stay.
i prefer my rv, but that is likely the incorrect answer. once you own it, travel can be pretty cheap though. i lived in mine full-time 2023-25
Understand the pricing algorithm on booking sites. Look hard enough and you can find inconsistencies if you are flexible, though it can be time consuming.
Use a VPN, different affiliate links, different dates, etc and occasionally you can get you widely different prices.
I just booked a place in HCOL Seoul. Played around with different referring links and then changed the date by 1 day(for a multiple week booking) and the average $/night dropped almost in half. No logic to it. So I saved hundreds of dollars.
I’ve done this many times, sometimes too successfully where the apartment/hotel canceled my booking, so YMMV.
the long game could be developing a niche / applying for programs and positions that get other people to pay for your travel! i applied for a US state department immersive language scholarship program that sent me to china for a summer (they offered an academic year scholarship too that some of my friends also earned but i didnt feel like planning for that) and then after i graduated from college i earned a fulbright english teaching assistant award that sent me to work in taiwan for a full year. i didnt pay for a single flight throughout any of these processes but of course the deal is that you have to apply for these positions and then… actually do work once you get there hahaha . i still remember watching one of my peers in the high school program skipping our language classes to do god knows what because he was 16 years old in a foreign country where he didnt speak the language ?? and when he was forced to spend extra time after school to catch up on what he missed and take his oral exams, he would get annoyed at me and my friends for laughing and chatting too loudly nearby … life in taiwan was not bad though 🙂 i work well with children and i enjoy teaching so it was a program that was a good fit for me. these specific opportunities are specific to US citizens but other countries might also have their own kinds of cultural exchange programs.
i was also lined up to work as a chaperone for high school students studying abroad over the summer through CIEE and they paid for round trip flights, lodging, and tourist activities, in addition to a small stipend for the job, but again, the work is being in responsible and in charge of 24 teenagers trying to skirt the rules in a foreign country to go clubbing and get drunk and hook up with random strangers so … if thats not appealing to you then its hell … i didnt go through with the job due to scheduling issues but my friend did it and enjoyed the traveling part but not the chaperoning part (but she also hates teenagers so it was never really a great fit hahaha)