Traveling is on everyone’s dream list right? But often it is unavailable to many because of budget restrictions. At least on a regular basis. People save for years to take their once-in-a-lifetime dream trip. Let’s explore some tips so you can travel for free or at reduced rates in 2020! How do you save money when you travel with free or reduced rates?
There are some tips and tricks that will allow you to see the world more often if you are willing to think outside the box.
Everyone is doing it?
Travel hacking is the new buzzword out there on how to get free or reduced rate travel, lodging, and other benefits. It started with Influencers who were offered free stuff in exchange for them mentioning the brand on social media. Think Kardashians …..
I personally started a travel and lifestyle blog, Born to be Boomers, to be able to write about my travels, that would appeal to the over 50-crowd. It has since turned into a business I love!
Frankly, it is starting to get a little annoying. Everyone and their brother is calling resorts and other favorite locations trying to gain access for free by offering a social media post on their Instagram. It never works that way.
The process to get free travel this way can be lucrative but it often takes years of hard work and sacrifice to get to a point where this can happen.
Typically bloggers work long hours and put in their own money to get started. It is like any other business. It takes hard work and capital to make it work. Blogging is not a get-rich-quick scheme by any means. Several humanitarian causes exist all over the world, like the story of Mikey to build and equip IT classrooms in Africa.
So How Can You Get Started Looking for Free or Reduced Travel?
There are a few ways to get free accommodations and reduced travel rates if you are willing to think outside of the box. They also may involve you working while overseas.
You can often find part-time work that allows you to still feel like you are on vacation even though you are serving others. Let’s go over them below!
Credit card points can get you there!
Tips for Free or Reduced Travel
- Pet Sitting Services – Trustedhousesitters.com and Rover.com are the two most popular ones. This innovative idea brings travelers and animal lovers together to solve one big problem. I want to travel but who do I find that I can trust to watch my pet. By signing up and these sites everyone wins! The pet owner saves money on expensive boarding costs with a vetted pet sitter. The pet sitter gets to travel to a new place that they want to visit.
- Credit card points – Now this one can be a little trickier, but essentially you can search out which travel cards offer the most points. This changes on a regular basis. You need to be careful though as opening and closing cards will affect your credit. Make sure you go to one of the many credit reporting sites. Check what will happen to your score if you open a new card. This tactic is for those who are mature enough not to run up a bunch of debt to get points and are able to pay it off immediately. Sorry, the banker in me is coming out! There are tons of articles out there showing you which travel cards have the best offerings. You will need to do some research but if it means getting tickets to Europe for free it is worth your time!
Always check the hotel or airline’s website before you book and see if they are running any promotions that can earn you bonus points or miles. To track all of your points look into Award Wallet. This is a very slow way to get free travel but I know people who put EVERYTHING on their card they can to garner points! You will get there! - Volunteer – This option is a little less luxurious but gives you all the feel-good emotions. Many lives are transformed after volunteering overseas. The two best organizations for this are the Peace Corps and International Volunteer Headquarters or IVHQ.
Stay with a Host Family at Workaway.Info. Building a sharing community of global travelers who genuinely want to see the world while contributing to the places they visit. - Teach English overseas – TEFL is an organization that facilitates your certification and has a job board as well. Although it is easier to get work with a degree it is not a deal-breaker!
- Next Vacay is how you get discounted flights. This is a new service that was started to be able to scan the different travel sites looking for the best pricing on flights. I have seen airfare as low as a few hundred dollars to Europe. In exchange to access the software, you pay a very nominal fee of $25.00 per year.
- Travel Zoo is another great source for the lowest prices on great travel and there are no annual membership fees!!
- Matrix -ITA Software is something I just learned about. Recently purchased by Google it shows you the lowest fares on a calendar. No more guessing which is the best day to leave. Check out their website here. Just one last tip! When searching for airline tickets search incognito! Your cookies will prevent you from seeing cheap fares more than once. A little trick the airlines use to get you to book right away.
PIN IT for later!
Wrapping it up!
There are many options to get free or heavily-reduced travel. I even saw where a wealthy family was willing to pay someone to travel with them for a year….. If they were willing to help with the kids. Not my cup of tea …. but it could be yours!
Be sure to let me know if you have other great ways to travel for free or next to nothing! I would love to hear about your experiences in the comments!
Before you go be sure to look at Don’t Make These 5 Travel Mistakes!
Hello everyone, I am the main writer for SIND Canada. I’ve been writing articles for more than 10 years and I like sharing my knowledge. I’m currently writing for many websites and newspaper. All my ideas come from my very active lifestyle. I always keep myself very informed to give you the best information. You can contact me on our contact page or by email at: [email protected].