You are a true ‘travelholic’ but you feel you are always short of money? There is no need to panic. As long as time flexibility and destinations are not a problem for you, there are a bunch of options to find accommodation and transportation for free, or almost for free. These are some of travel experts’ best kept secrets.
Car relocation
Very few people know that car rental companies offer free one-way rental cars and campervans. But there is a good reason behind it. Car rental companies often face the problem that some of their branches run out of cars or, just the opposite, get so many that they cannot manage them owing to the simple fact that some routes are just more popular than others. To solve this unbalanced distribution of their fleet, companies offer drivers to relocate their cars at specific drop-off points for free, resulting in a win-win deal. Although this service is available all over the world, it is especially popular in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
House-sitting & Pet-sitting
Another win-win option for both owners and adventurers is that known as house-sitting or pet-sitting when it comes to accommodation. There are a number of online platforms where homeowners offer their properties for free while they are away in exchange of some little maintenance and, in some cases, taking care of their beloved pets. You will only need to register in one of the websites offering the service, complete a brief introduction of yourself and find the stay that best fits your plans in terms of dates and destination.
Couchsurfing
If you are not looking for medium to long-term stays as it is the case of most house-sitting and pet-sitting deals, then you might be more keen on a homestay. The platform and social networking site Couchsurfing brings together hosts offering their couches for free and travelers looking for a place to stay. This offers an excellent opportunity to both save money and meet people from all over the world, thus turning an ordinary trip into a much more stimulating and enriching experience.
WWOOFing
From planting seeds in Austria to making cheese in Canada to feeding sheeps in New Zealand. These are just a few examples of volunteering works you can do for accommodation and board all managed and monitored by the platform WorldWide Opportunities on Organic Farms. WWOOF aims to promote sustainable farming through these field-based cultural and educational exchanges. Volunteers usually work from 5 to 6 hours a day and the duration of the program usually depends on the requirements of the volunteer as well as the hosting farm.
Free walking tours
As well as transportation and accommodation, it is also possible to find free guided tours in a variety of languages in almost every city around the globe. You will just have to google your target destination plus the keywords ‘free tour’ and book the time slot that best adapts your journey plan. The traveller will never be asked to pay any preset fees, but rather tour guides will be open to get any voluntary contributions after the tour.
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