Whenever I ask readers what stops them from traveling the most, the answer is almost always the same: money.
This is the question I hear more than any other. “Matt, I don’t know how to afford travel. Help!”
I’ve answered it in dozens of blog posts, emails, tweets, and Facebook updates. Long-time readers might even be tired of hearing about it because I talk about it so often.
But the question keeps coming up, so let’s address it once more.
The truth is, you don’t need to be rich to travel the world.
There are plenty of ways to travel on a tight budget — and even for free — if you’re willing to get creative.
Traveling with little or no money may sound impossible, but it really is possible. It won’t be glamorous or luxurious, but it works.
Of course, there are a few things you shouldn’t cut corners on (like travel insurance), but there are dozens of smart ways to keep costs extremely low or even eliminate them entirely.
In this guide, I’ll show you exactly how to travel cheap and how to travel for free.
With the right budget strategies and mindset, you can make your travel dreams happen. Even if you don’t earn much or you’re carrying debt, you can still go overseas. (I had debt when I took my first trip around the world.) The trips might not be fancy, but if traveling is important to you, you can definitely make it work.
Here are 16 practical ways to travel for cheap or free:
1. Get a Job Overseas
If your current job doesn’t pay enough or you simply don’t like it, why not find work abroad? There are opportunities everywhere if you stay open-minded. Remember, this isn’t about starting a long-term career — it’s about earning money while you travel.
Popular and easy-to-find jobs include:
- Au pair – Live with a family and help care for their children in exchange for free room, board, and a small salary.
- Bartender – Bars always need staff, and it’s often easy to find cash-under-the-table work.
- Hostel worker – Hostels have high staff turnover, so positions open up regularly. Great way to meet other travelers.
- Waiter/waitress – Seasonal restaurants in tourist areas constantly need extra hands.
- Dive instructor – If you’re certified, this lets you work in beautiful tropical locations.
- Tour guide – Perfect if you enjoy history and speaking to groups. Tips are usually paid in cash.
- Cruise ship worker – Long hours but you get to travel by sea.
- Seasonal worker at ski resorts – Plenty of roles in restaurants, hotels, and on the slopes.
- Yacht worker – Good pay and you visit amazing destinations.
- Yoga instructor – Teach classes if you have the certification and skills.
These jobs don’t require advanced degrees or years of experience. You won’t get rich, but you’ll earn enough to keep traveling and extend your trip.
2. Teach English Overseas
Teaching English is one of the best ways to fund your travels. Many people earn good money doing this — some even save thousands of dollars while working in countries like Thailand or South Korea.
You need to speak English fluently. A TEFL certificate helps (and is required in some countries), but a university degree can open even more doors.
You can also teach English online from anywhere in the world as long as you have reliable Wi-Fi. Platforms like Italki make it easy to connect with students globally.
3. Go WWOOFing and Work on a Farm
WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) connects you with farms around the world. You work a few hours a day in exchange for free accommodation and meals. You pay to get there, but once you arrive, living costs drop to almost zero.
It’s a fantastic way to experience a country deeply, spend time outdoors, and meet interesting people. Opportunities exist in over 130 countries.
4. Use the Sharing Economy
Skip traditional travel companies and use peer-to-peer platforms to save money on rides, meals, accommodation, and more. Locals often know the cheapest places to eat, shop, and explore.
Useful platforms include:
- BlaBlaCar for affordable long-distance rides
- EatWith for home-cooked meals with locals
- Turo or RVShare for renting cars or vans directly from owners
- Campspace for camping on private land
- Trusted Housesitters for free stays in exchange for pet or house sitting
5. Cook Your Own Meals
Eating out every day destroys budgets fast. Shopping at local supermarkets and cooking your own meals can save you hundreds of dollars.
Stay in hostels, Airbnb, or Couchsurfing places that have kitchens. If there’s no kitchen available, pack reusable containers and make simple sandwiches or salads on the go. You don’t need to eat restaurant food for every single meal.
6. Get Rail Passes
If you’re traveling across Europe or Japan, regional rail passes like Eurail or the JR Pass can save you a lot compared to buying individual tickets — especially if you plan to move around frequently.
Booking individual tickets in advance can also cut costs by up to 50%, but passes give you more flexibility.
7. Sleep in Large Dorms
The bigger the hostel dorm, the cheaper the bed. A 12- to 18-bed dorm is usually less expensive than a small 4-6 bed room.
Bring earplugs and a sleep mask. If noise is still an issue, use a white-noise app like Rain Rain or Spotify playlists to help you sleep soundly.
8. Use Student and Other Discount Cards
If you’re a student, get an International Student Identity Card (ISIC) for discounts on attractions, transport, and more. Even if you’re not a student, look for youth, senior, or teacher cards that many countries offer.
9. Get City Tourist Cards
Many cities sell tourist passes that give you free or discounted entry to museums, public transport, and attractions for a set number of days. These cards often pay for themselves after just a couple of visits.
10. Capitalize on Your Skills
Turn your existing talents into income while traveling. Offer photography workshops, language lessons, music performances, graphic design services, or anything else you’re good at. Many travelers make decent money this way on the road.
11. Get Free Flights
Use credit card points, airline miles, and travel rewards programs to book flights for free or at huge discounts. Sign up for the right cards, meet the spending requirements, and watch your points add up quickly.
12. Stay for Free
Couchsurfing lets you stay with locals for free. You can also use platforms that connect travelers with spare rooms or free stays in exchange for conversation or light help around the house.
13. Hitchhike
Hitchhiking is still a safe and common way to travel in many parts of the world. It costs nothing and often leads to great conversations and local insights. Always use common sense and check safety information for the region.
14. Take Free Walking Tours
Most major cities offer free walking tours run by local guides who work for tips. You get an excellent introduction to the city without spending money on guided tours. Tip what you can afford at the end.
15. House Sitting and Pet Sitting
Sign up with house-sitting platforms and look after someone’s home and pets while they’re away. You get free accommodation (sometimes in beautiful houses) for days or even weeks at a time.
16. Use Your Social Network
Tell friends, family, and people you meet that you’re traveling. You’ll be surprised how many offers for free stays, meals, or local advice come your way when people know you’re on the road.
How to Travel the World on $75 a Day
By combining these strategies — cooking your own food, staying in hostels or free accommodations, using public transport, and taking advantage of free or low-cost activities — it’s realistic to travel the world for around $75 per day or less in most destinations.
The key is planning ahead, staying flexible, and being willing to live simply while you explore.
You don’t need a huge bank account to travel. You just need creativity, the right mindset, and the willingness to try new things. Start small, save where you can, and take that first step. The world is waiting.
Whenever I ask readers what stops them from traveling the most, the answer is almost always the same: money.
This is the question I hear more than any other. “Matt, I don’t know how to afford travel. Help!”
I’ve answered it in dozens of blog posts, emails, tweets, and Facebook updates. Long-time readers might even be tired of hearing about it because I talk about it so often.
But the question keeps coming up, so let’s address it once more.
The truth is, you don’t need to be rich to travel the world.
There are plenty of ways to travel on a tight budget — and even for free — if you’re willing to get creative.
Traveling with little or no money may sound impossible, but it really is possible. It won’t be glamorous or luxurious, but it works.
Of course, there are a few things you shouldn’t cut corners on (like travel insurance), but there are dozens of smart ways to keep costs extremely low or even eliminate them entirely.
In this guide, I’ll show you exactly how to travel cheap and how to travel for free.
With the right budget strategies and mindset, you can make your travel dreams happen. Even if you don’t earn much or you’re carrying debt, you can still go overseas. (I had debt when I took my first trip around the world.) The trips might not be fancy, but if traveling is important to you, you can definitely make it work.
Here are 16 practical ways to travel for cheap or free:
1. Get a Job Overseas
If your current job doesn’t pay enough or you simply don’t like it, why not find work abroad? There are opportunities everywhere if you stay open-minded. Remember, this isn’t about starting a long-term career — it’s about earning money while you travel.
Popular and easy-to-find jobs include:
- Au pair – Live with a family and help care for their children in exchange for free room, board, and a small salary.
- Bartender – Bars always need staff, and it’s often easy to find cash-under-the-table work.
- Hostel worker – Hostels have high staff turnover, so positions open up regularly. Great way to meet other travelers.
- Waiter/waitress – Seasonal restaurants in tourist areas constantly need extra hands.
- Dive instructor – If you’re certified, this lets you work in beautiful tropical locations.
- Tour guide – Perfect if you enjoy history and speaking to groups. Tips are usually paid in cash.
- Cruise ship worker – Long hours but you get to travel by sea.
- Seasonal worker at ski resorts – Plenty of roles in restaurants, hotels, and on the slopes.
- Yacht worker – Good pay and you visit amazing destinations.
- Yoga instructor – Teach classes if you have the certification and skills.
These jobs don’t require advanced degrees or years of experience. You won’t get rich, but you’ll earn enough to keep traveling and extend your trip.
2. Teach English Overseas
Teaching English is one of the best ways to fund your travels. Many people earn good money doing this — some even save thousands of dollars while working in countries like Thailand or South Korea.
You need to speak English fluently. A TEFL certificate helps (and is required in some countries), but a university degree can open even more doors.
You can also teach English online from anywhere in the world as long as you have reliable Wi-Fi. Platforms like Italki make it easy to connect with students globally.
3. Go WWOOFing and Work on a Farm
WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) connects you with farms around the world. You work a few hours a day in exchange for free accommodation and meals. You pay to get there, but once you arrive, living costs drop to almost zero.
It’s a fantastic way to experience a country deeply, spend time outdoors, and meet interesting people. Opportunities exist in over 130 countries.
4. Use the Sharing Economy
Skip traditional travel companies and use peer-to-peer platforms to save money on rides, meals, accommodation, and more. Locals often know the cheapest places to eat, shop, and explore.
Useful platforms include:
- BlaBlaCar for affordable long-distance rides
- EatWith for home-cooked meals with locals
- Turo or RVShare for renting cars or vans directly from owners
- Campspace for camping on private land
- Trusted Housesitters for free stays in exchange for pet or house sitting
5. Cook Your Own Meals
Eating out every day destroys budgets fast. Shopping at local supermarkets and cooking your own meals can save you hundreds of dollars.
Stay in hostels, Airbnb, or Couchsurfing places that have kitchens. If there’s no kitchen available, pack reusable containers and make simple sandwiches or salads on the go. You don’t need to eat restaurant food for every single meal.
6. Get Rail Passes
If you’re traveling across Europe or Japan, regional rail passes like Eurail or the JR Pass can save you a lot compared to buying individual tickets — especially if you plan to move around frequently.
Booking individual tickets in advance can also cut costs by up to 50%, but passes give you more flexibility.
7. Sleep in Large Dorms
The bigger the hostel dorm, the cheaper the bed. A 12- to 18-bed dorm is usually less expensive than a small 4-6 bed room.
Bring earplugs and a sleep mask. If noise is still an issue, use a white-noise app like Rain Rain or Spotify playlists to help you sleep soundly.
8. Use Student and Other Discount Cards
If you’re a student, get an International Student Identity Card (ISIC) for discounts on attractions, transport, and more. Even if you’re not a student, look for youth, senior, or teacher cards that many countries offer.
9. Get City Tourist Cards
Many cities sell tourist passes that give you free or discounted entry to museums, public transport, and attractions for a set number of days. These cards often pay for themselves after just a couple of visits.
10. Capitalize on Your Skills
Turn your existing talents into income while traveling. Offer photography workshops, language lessons, music performances, graphic design services, or anything else you’re good at. Many travelers make decent money this way on the road.
11. Get Free Flights
Use credit card points, airline miles, and travel rewards programs to book flights for free or at huge discounts. Sign up for the right cards, meet the spending requirements, and watch your points add up quickly.
12. Stay for Free
Couchsurfing lets you stay with locals for free. You can also use platforms that connect travelers with spare rooms or free stays in exchange for conversation or light help around the house.
13. Hitchhike
Hitchhiking is still a safe and common way to travel in many parts of the world. It costs nothing and often leads to great conversations and local insights. Always use common sense and check safety information for the region.
14. Take Free Walking Tours
Most major cities offer free walking tours run by local guides who work for tips. You get an excellent introduction to the city without spending money on guided tours. Tip what you can afford at the end.
15. House Sitting and Pet Sitting
Sign up with house-sitting platforms and look after someone’s home and pets while they’re away. You get free accommodation (sometimes in beautiful houses) for days or even weeks at a time.
16. Use Your Social Network
Tell friends, family, and people you meet that you’re traveling. You’ll be surprised how many offers for free stays, meals, or local advice come your way when people know you’re on the road.
How to Travel the World on $75 a Day
By combining these strategies — cooking your own food, staying in hostels or free accommodations, using public transport, and taking advantage of free or low-cost activities — it’s realistic to travel the world for around $75 per day or less in most destinations.
The key is planning ahead, staying flexible, and being willing to live simply while you explore.
You don’t need a huge bank account to travel. You just need creativity, the right mindset, and the willingness to try new things. Start small, save where you can, and take that first step. The world is waiting.
