There are plenty of ways to cut traveling expenses and stretch your budget. Saving a chunk of change to live off of is one way, but in order to sustain your status as savvy world traveler you may need to reach out beyond a savings account. Keep reading to find out how you can travel the world for cheap(er).
Saving Money Abroad
Room and board can take up a huge slice of traveling budgets depending on where you are jet setting. Spending even $10-50 on lodging every night adds up in a big way! Volunteering is one way to trade your time and skills in for room and board. There are several volunteer programs around the world that can link you up with hosts in need. My personal experience lies with Workaway.
The site features tens of thousands of hosts from all around the world. You can enter search terms like “marketing” or “beach” or “scuba,” and sure enough you will find dive shops in Mexico, hostels in Vietnam or white sandy beach bungalows of the Caribbean searching for volunteers.
Do Your Research
When I searched for places to volunteer back in 2010, it took months of searching and sending emails to find a host family and location of my dreams. I probably sent out 40 emails, with replies from maybe 10. Each host lays out what they expect and what you can expect, so reading full bios is a must before reaching out (having a complete bio of your own is also critical when starting out). It was quite a bit of leg work at the time, but patience paid off and I met the Bitterwolf family in the Virgin Islands.
After a few skype calls and several emails, I booked a flight, turned 18, and set off to paradise. I stayed and volunteered for the family for 2 months. It was nothing short of bliss and the work was so reasonable and rewarding! Hosts will lay out beforehand what is expected of you while you stay, and you will likely know of the amenities provided before you set off.
While volunteering to cover my room and board, I was able to pick up an extra job to make some cash on the side (some hosts offer wages to volunteer). I also met some awesome people and ended up coming back to St. Thomas and working after returning to Montana for the winter. (side note* I had just graduated high school when planning this adventure so I ended up spending most of my savings on this trip. I later learned how to budget for traveling which you can read about here)
What are you waiting for?
Traveling to a place by yourself (or with a partner) can be intimidating at first but when you have a local host family to show you around, you will find your groove in no time. It was so great watching cruise ship tourists come and go while I got to experience the Virgin Islands like a local, finding hidden gems off the beaten track.
You can read countless books, forums and articles about a place before you travel there, but nothing gets you in quite like a local connection. Not only are you saving money by volunteering for room and board, you are really immersing yourself into the new world outside of your comfort zone. What more could you ask for?
Find your next adventure at workaway.info
