Traveling for free. It’s the ultimate dream, right?
It might sound impossible — but it’s not.
Combine some travel points with a dose of seasonal jobs, a sprinkle of creativity and voila: You really could travel for free.
I know because I did it for many years.
For the better part of a decade, I trotted the globe using frequent flyer miles, teaching English abroad, volunteering in several countries and working a variety of seasonal adventure jobs.
All these strategies allowed me to travel for much less money than you can imagine — and often, for free.
Because I want all of you to experience the magic of exploring somewhere you’ve never been, here’s how to travel the world for free.
1. Play With Polar Bears
Due to retreating sea ice, polar bears have become classified as a threatened species.
Though we’ll hopefully figure out ways to reduce climate change and bring their numbers back up, now is still the time to see these beautiful animals in their natural habitat.
And if you spend the summer working at Deadhorse Camp in Alaska’s arctic, you’ll get to do it for free.
In addition to an hourly wage, you’ll get free lodging, three meals a day and a $1,000 end-of-season bonus to cover the costs of your plane tickets.
2. Move to Antarctica
Want to live in one of the most remote corners of the planet?
Get a job in Antarctica.
You’ll get free housing and food — plus a decent income — for spending months on the bottom of the world.
Because you won’t have anywhere to spend the money during your stint, you’ll also leave with a significant chunk of change…
Not only that, but Antarctic employers also pay for your transportation to the continent.
Because you can still use your own frequent flyer account, these round-trip flights will earn you enough miles for a free ticket to a different destination during the off-season.
3. Cuddle With Baby Goats
This is a real thing that exists. Trust me, I’ve done it.
Through World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF), you can get free room and board in exchange for four to six hours of work per day. Gigs range from crushing grapes in New Zealand to cuddling goats in North Carolina.
And WWOOF is far from your only option; there are several more types of work exchanges that’ll help you travel for free.
4. Get Free Plane Tickets
Transportation is one of the most expensive parts of travel.
Without a doubt, the quickest and easiest way to get free flights is to rack up points with a rewards credit card.
We’ve got a whole list of some of the best rewards credit cards right here. None of them come with annual fees and they all have sign-up bonuses.
What I like to do is just put my regular purchases on the card each month (groceries, gas, and everything else) and then save the cash-back up until the end of the year. I’m usually able to save about $1,000, which I can use to cover the cost of 2-3 plane tickets.
We advocate responsible credit card use — so, please, only get a credit card if you’ll pay the bill off in full each month.
No rewards are worth going into debt over.
5. Hoard Points
Have you heard of MyPoints? It’s a cash-back site that lets you earn rewards by shopping online and printing coupons.
I use it all time because it’s an instant way to save on everything you buy, including travel accommodations.
For example, it gives you up to six points for every dollar you spend on Expedia. Later, you can redeem those points for cash.
But, enough about that, here’s how to get a free $10 Amazon gift card that you can use to buy travel supplies (or anything for that matter):
- Sign up for MyPoints here using your email address (it’s free).
- Use the MyPoints portal the next time you need to shop online (it’s connected to thousands of stores including Walmart, Amazon, and Target).
- As long as you spend $10 at any of those stores, MyPoints will reward you with 1,750 bonus points which you can redeem for a free $10 Amazon gift card.
6. Join the Cartel
Traveling for free takes a lot of work — otherwise everyone would do it. So sometimes it’s smart to get help from the experts.
Chris Guillebeau, one of my personal heroes, has visited every country in the world. Lucky for us mortals, he shares his secrets through the Travel Hacking Cartel.
As a Cartel member, you’ll receive several emails each week with promotions and tips to help you earn more travel rewards.
Membership only costs $1 for the first 14 days, and $15 to $39 per month after that. It also comes with a unique guarantee: Earn 100,000 miles — enough for four plane tickets — in your first year of membership, or get your money back.
I’d say that’s a bet worth taking!
7. Eat Out at Restaurants
Cooking at home is an excellent way to save money, but sometimes you just can’t be bothered.
If you do decide to eat out, make sure you sign up for travel rewards programs first.
Major airlines such as United, Delta and American all have dining programs that give you miles when you eat at one of their affiliated restaurants. And, oftentimes, you can get a bonus just for signing up.
8. Set Sail
Is there any better way to see the world than by boat?
Probably not.
But #yachtlife is never gonna happen for me, unless I happen to marry a millionaire.
Since that’s looking fairly unlikely, I’ve often considered joining the crew for a sailboat or cruise ship. These travel jobs cover room and board and allow you to see many different locations within a single season.
Don’t be like the countless people who wish they could go places — but don’t want to put in the effort travel hacking requires.
From experience, I can tell you: It’s a lot of work, but it’s so worth it.
Instead of sitting around wishing you could travel, follow these tips, and explore the world for free.
9. Earn Amazon Gift Cards When You Stay in Hotels
If you’re booking hotels and not earning some sort of reward for doing so, you’re doing it wrong. There are tons of programs that’ll reward you for booking rooms.
One is Rocketmiles. The hotel-booking website allows wanderers to book hotels all over the world and earn Amazon Gift Cards back — up to $100 per night, every night. The site is free to use; you just have to be sure to book your reservations through Rocketmiles.
You can even book for other people and still earn gift cards.
Plus, if you book your first hotel on Rocketmiles by July 31, you’ll automatically earn a bonus $15 Amazon Gift Card.
You’re welcome.
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Susan Shain, senior writer for The Penny Hoarder, is always seeking adventure on a budget. Visit her blog at susanshain.com, or say hi on Twitter @susan_shain.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, one of the largest personal finance websites. We help millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. In 2016, Inc. 500 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the No. 1 fastest-growing private media company in the U.S.
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