To travel the world and get paid is a dream coming true, but I don’t forget where I came from. I want to travel the world, where do I start? Be careful! Asking yourself this question can lead to a new lifestyle. Are you ready for it?
The world is getting smaller and more and more people discover that there is more than the bubble in where they live in. The internet is bringing us amazing content from around the world in whatever you are interested in. If you want to swim with whales in Tonga, go backcountry skiing in the Himalayas, get up close and personal with the last remaining gorillas in Africa or travel to the end of the world and set foot on Antarctica, whatever you are looking for you can find inspiration online. This makes us all want to grab our bags but there is often one probable: money! So how to travel the world on a budget… keep on reading!
8 Tips to travel the world for cheap
If you have read my article How I Afford To Travel you found out that I did have some money to get me started when I decided to explore our globe. I would of course highly suggest that you first save up some money but I also know that this is not always an option and some people are looking for the cheapest way to travel around the world. How is that even possible? Everything is possible! I always left home with a good amount of money, but because I wanted to stay away for as long as possible I know how to travel the world on a budget. Lets say you are on a very tight budget of only a couple hundred bucks a month lets say $15 a day.
1. Travel to cheap countries
On a tight budget you have to choose your destinations wisely. Yes I would love to see killerwhales in the Fjords in Norway too, but any idea how expensive that country is? What about buying a motorbike and crossing through India? First check what is possible within your budget and then choose your country. It is no secret that Asia is a fantastic playground and going here is probably the cheapest way to travel around the world. Countries like Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and China give you great value for your money. Another hidden gem for budget travelers is Central America with fantastic destinations that wont hurt your wallet like Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador. Read all about it in my guide to cheap places to travel the world. Read here how much a trip to Thailand cost or get an inside in how much you will spend if you travel to Bali on a budget.
Turkey is another surprisingly cheap country!
2. Find a job abroad
If you are able to work while you travel there is nothing that holds you back anymore. Working abroad is the best way to travel the world and get paid. You make money at your desired destination; you save some extra and move on to the next one. Obviously this is not as easy as it may sound and that is why people keep on asking how to travel the world for cheap. Finding a temporary job while traveling is pretty hard. Being a digital nomad is the new thing but you need to have some specific computer skills and for a lot of other jobs there are these annoying things like visas and work permits. But there are definitely ways around! Take a look at my article How To Earn Money While Traveling Without A Computer, in where I give you a list of jobs that nor require an internet connection nor an official work permit, some that make you travel abroad for free.
Beginning of 2017 I worked in Sydney for a couple months, read how that was in: The Australian Dream!
3. Try Woofing
There is also a thing called woofing. That sounds expensive, right? Think again it is something like working in exchange for accommodation and food. World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms is a huge international organization that brings farmers looking for labor together with travelers that are willing to work a couple hours in exchange for lodging and food. You will have to sign up at the WWOOF website for $40 but then the opportunities are endless with farmers in more than 100 countries looking for motivated travelers willing to get their hands dirty. This is a great way to save money on accommodation and one of the best ways on how to travel abroad for free. This is a great way to explore expensive countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, USA and Europe where the costs of living are pretty steep. A friend of mine even got offered a car on his days off to go on roadtrips. Join this informal family and learn how to travel the world for cheap.
Working on a tea plantation in Sri Lanka.
4. Stay with locals
A couple years ago Couchsurfing was a hot item and a lot of travelers used it to get free accommodation and still do. This concept makes it possible to crash on a strangers couch (often a spare bed) just because of the generosity of a kind stranger. This is one of the most popular ways on how to travel the world on a budget. Travelers connect through couchsurfing.com and find likeminded people who are offering their place for free. It is not only about the free accommodation, this is also the best way to connect with a local and aren’t those the ones that know a destination the best? Couchsurfing is still used widely but I see a shifting towards using your own social network rather than the official Couchsurfing website. As our generation is all about social media you would be surprised to find out the power of this network when you are traveling. You will be amazed how many times you know someone who knows someone and who is willing to help you out. Sometimes all it takes is to simply ask a question. Ask to crash on someone’s couch and it might lead to great things like ending up in a pool party on a rooftop overlooking Los Angeles. Life is full of surprises, chase them!
I stayed with locals in Kashmir.
5. Housesitting
Ever heard of this phenomenon? House sitting literally means that you take care of people’s houses around the world whenever they are away. Just like Woofing and Couchsurfing this is an amazing way on how to travel the world for cheap. These kind of free accommodation and can be found online through a bunch of website like for example: Trustedhousesitters, Aussie House Sitters, Mindmyhouse. Don’t think you sign up and the next day you will find this awesome gig somewhere in the hills in South Africa overlooking a winery. Yes these housesitting jobs exist but obviously you will need to build up your reputation and get references from around the world. Let your mates or family get you your first references. Are you an animal lover and miss your dog? Perfect! A lot of houses require that you take care of their pets! :)
One of the most experience Housesitters are actual friends of mine: The Travelling Weasels, check out their complete guide on how to become a professional housesitter.
6. Live sober
The reason I was able to travel around the world for 4 years and not working a single day is that I consider myself a master in spending money wisely. If you want to travel the world on a budget you need to learn how to spend money! This sounds easy, but how many people do you know who are paying off their debts every month? Accept that some things are out of your league! Yes I would love to party hard in Vegas every day, but unfortunately I can’t afford it. Although I had the money to stay longer in Hawaii I only stayed for 5 days, simply too expensive for my travel lifestyle. Want to know my recommendations for the cheapest countries in the world to travel.
Make traveling your first priority, get to see amazing places, take cool pictures and create memories for a lifetime! Long-term travelers will all admit that their trip is far from a holiday. Don’t get carried away, stay disciplined and simply don’t f*ck up spending money on things that don’t matter. It all comes down to how much you are you willing to sacrifice for living the dream and travel the world? Work for your travels and with that I mean nothing is easy. If you are asking yourself I want to travel the world, where do I start, that is here! Your mindset is something very important, if you can do that everything is possible.
Click on the link to read my article: How I Afford To Travel!
7. Choose free activities
Everywhere you go you can find free things to do and these things are vital if you are looking the cheapest way to travel around the world. Just Google: ‘free things to do in …’, and you will be surprised with how many amazing things you can fill your day that cost you nothing. Walking tours through cities, hiking to viewpoints, visiting religious buildings, picnics in park, playing sports with locals, watching sunsets. Locals often would love to improve their English or another foreign language and will therefore invite you to have a coffee or meal with them simply just to have a chat for a couple hours. Be creative if you want to travel abroad for free.
Hiking in the mountains in Lombok.
8. Try a Van-life
This is still topping my bucketlist: buying a van and driving around Europe, Australia, New Zealand or the US. This basically is what traveling is all about for me: freedom! Leave everything behind and search for the unknown. Living a van life solves a lot issues and combines accommodation and transportation. This is the perfect way to travel the world on a budget!
Feeling free as a kid on a swing in Koh Samui, Thailand.
Travel the world and get paid
Many years I have traveled the world for cheap just because I want to stay on the road for as long as possible. I sacrificed a lot, slept in airports, bus stations, always ate street food and used other possibilities to save money. Traveling was always my number one priority and I never though it would be possible to travel the world and get paid, but here I am. Nowadays my travel lifestyle changed and my brand Traveltomtom gets associated with luxury and adventure travel, but as you have read I still know where I came from. To travel the world and get paid is not something you can apply for, it takes a lot of work and an even stronger dedication to make things happen. My first trip as a travelblogger was to the World Tourism Forum in Istanbul, read how that was.
I want to travel the world where do I start?
We all want to travel the world and get paid, but that is not reality. In my article how I afford to travel I will tell you how I was able to travel around the world for 4 years without working. There are many different ways to travel and I have friends that are die-hard low budget travelers and know exactly how to travel the world for free. If you are into that kind of travel then you should definitely check out this article: 28 ways to sleep for free!
How to travel the world on a budget
As you have read there are many ways to travel abroad for free. Couchsurfing, woofing, hitchhiking and using your social network can get you really far. We are all dreaming of seeing the Eiffel Tower and roaming through Paris, but in the end of the day this is actually free, it simply comes down how creative you are and how much you are willing to sacrifice to get there!