Comments on: International travel (for free)

By: EU_US

EU_US — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 20:03:54 +0000

Not sure if I want to travel due to a conference because this takes a few good hours each day and I wouldn’t have much tome to go sight seeing.To go to a place and sit on the beach, no way. I can do that at Lake Erie beach for free.
I see travel as sighseeing, taste local food, get the atmospher of the city, talk to locals. Little shopping for suvenirs.
I looked into many volunteer companies but all for money from you and it’s not cheap, plus you have to work for them for free.The fees that pay of those companies charge is more than I would pay to stay in a hotel plus the conditions they offer are poor.

Julie, WWOOFing is the best place I found for voluteering so far, but there in a con: the destination farm is far away from the large cities, so I don’t know if I want to drive back and forth to do sightseeings

By: tracysimplylivinginspain

tracysimplylivinginspain — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 21:57:40 +0000

My goal is to rent out our house in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona while we (me, hubby and three kids) camp all around Europe in a vintage trailer. If I can keep our costs below the rental income, I think that would qualify as international travel for free…

By: veganprimate

veganprimate — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 15:30:11 +0000

Your point about people being in one place too long is interesting. I lived in the same house in the same small town for a lot of years. I often wonder if there is a continuum from nester—->nomad, and people fall somewhere on that continuum, kinda like introversion/extraversion. And I think our society encourages and values nesting. So, just like some introverts act extraverted b/c it’s more highly valued in our culture, lots of people nest when they’d rather be roaming.

I like going to new places for the novelty of it, not b/c it’s some exotic destination. I’m working a temporary job that’s a couple hours away from the Grand Canyon, and I went to see it and wasn’t real impressed. It’s a big hole in the ground, basically. Probably b/c everything else around here is so beautiful, it didn’t stand out to me.

Contrast that with my coworker, also a traveling med tech, who wants her picture taken in front of the Arizona sign, the Utah sign, the sign that says, “Such-and-Such National Park,” to prove that she was there.

I have limited energy, and using my one day off to drive 5 hours to some state or national park is not my idea of a good time. Just being somewhere new is fun. And I read somewhere that navigating around a new town helps build connections in your brain and keeps you young.

By: JMK

JMK — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:43:48 +0000

At the moment our travel is largely geared to our children. In addition to a good solid block of time without cellphones, computers, sports or accademic commitements, we enjoy seeing the world through their eyes. We spent a month in 2008 in Italy, Greece and Germany. We did all the “must do sights” and took pictures in front of the Accopolis in Athens, the Colloseum in Rome, the leaning tower of Pisa. The most memorable parts of the trip for both kids were experiences where were able to see first hand the people or place they had leaned about in school. My son put was able turn his history lessons into something more by standing in the gas chambers and crematorium at Dachau and really soaking up the atmosphere of the place. Pictures in a book just can’t do it. My younger daughter was smitten with Venice and got her gondola ride. Since the trip though, she has repeatedly asked about the weather in that area and any new flooding concerns, and have they gotten any further on the proposal to install a gate system to prevent high tides from getting to the city and doing any more damage. All issues she hadn’t been aware of until she wandered the place and learned that so many buildings had vacant first floors because the buildings were sinking into the water.

Yes we took pictures in front of plenty of “touristy” buildings and sites, but we also made a real effort to expose the kids to some of the local issues of concern and to really slow down and see the differences in lifestyle compared to home.

They weren’t sure about going on an extended holiday at first but are now taking an active part in planning the next one. They either want to see for themselves something they’ve read about, or experience something they just can’t do at home. Looks like next up it’s camels and pyramids, or pagodas and zen gardens.

By: Festival of Frugality — Almost Frugal

Festival of Frugality — Almost Frugal — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:48:24 +0000

[...] is also a frugal traveler with International travel (for free) posted at Early Retirement [...]

By: oasis

oasis — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 09:21:48 +0000

Well another way of free travel is to get an overseas posting with your company. I went abroad in 1991, 19 years later have been to all six continents, 40 countries, most trips paid for by my company. I get $900 in per diem money for each day on the road. I would bank 70% of it. In addition I get 10k a year to purchase tickets back to the USA.

I use airmiles too resulting from the business trips, off to Goa in 2 weeks on them. Look overseas for employment is my advice.

Matt

Not every job abroad has these perks but even if you are an english teacher, they will apy your ticket home

By: Julie

Julie — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 21:40:25 +0000

For volunteer travel check out WWOOFing – Working on organic farms in exchange for room and board. You can do it all over the world. It is fun, you meet great people, you do really interesting work and learn all sorts of things.

By: DiaryofADink

DiaryofADink — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 06:24:03 +0000

Thanks FF!

Hadn’t heard about those ideas. I’ll keep my eyes open for such opportunities. We’re enjoying tourism for now but would like to do longer volunteer trips once we have more time and are closer to “retirement.”

By: firefighter

firefighter — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:47:01 +0000

DoAD,

Having a needed skill does help, but
there are many other ways to get free
travel and compensation while
volunteering.

My dentist goes on a couple of dental
clinic missions trips a year.

While most of the people he takes with
him are dentists and hygienists, he does
take along some admin volunteers, too. No
compensation, but airfare and everything
else is included.

As another example, my wife traveled
extensively while volunteering to teach
English abroad. She did get a small
stipend, room, board, and travel.
The minimum commitment for her organization
was ten months, but that is still quite
a bit shorter than the peace corps’ two
years (I think). I would guess there
are other ESoL organizations that need help
that have shorter minimum commitments.

Other good places to look include churches
and Red Cross/ Salvation Army type
organizations. You are correct in that
these gigs typically do not “pay”, but
airfare, meals, and lodging is frequently
included.

It seems to me that carpentry,
medical, and instructional skills
are most helpful in making these trips
pan out.

-FF

By: DiaryofADink

DiaryofADink — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 06:26:17 +0000

I agree with the above posters and was going to ask the same question– WHERE could you possibly be paid to volunteer besides peace corps which is a pretty long-term commitment??? The volunteer opportunities I’ve seen have all required the volunteer to contribute to the organization AND pay their own airfare. I’ve seen very few “volunteer trips” where volunteers were paid or even compensated for their airfare and travel there.

Would be really interested in more specifics about where these opportunities exist…

By: Big Winner

Big Winner — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:38:22 +0000

There’s couch surfing too. While I’ve never tried it, there have been good results and reviews in lots of countries.

By: tedj

tedj — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:21:59 +0000

Number 4 is essentially the ‘permanent tourist’ idea…3 or 5 flags theory

By: Jacob

Jacob — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:29:03 +0000

@Jason – sorry, can’t give you any specifics, but have you looked into longer term appointments like 6 months or so? My guess is that skill level plays a role as does commitment. For instance, when I have relocated for career purposes, I have been reimbursed for the relocation.

By: Jason

Jason — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 23:05:40 +0000

I have done some volunteer traveling, but have always had to pay to do so. I did not know that this exists! Can you enlighten me as to where? How?

Thanks!

By: matt g

matt g — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 21:36:35 +0000

I agree a bit with Lise… Travel with a purpose (or a specialized interest) rocks. Paris is a great city if you have a big nerdy interest in the right kind of art, but it’s probably a big pain in the butt if you could care less. When you do it that way, travel is sort of an extension of what you like to do at home, and it’s going to be something that will stick with you. Any vacation you have to research (the culture, not the hotels) is bound to be a good one.

What gets me most is “travelers” who want to go to a foreign country to shop in the same stores that they can shop at in their home city. A Coach in Hawaii is (probably) the same as a Coach in NYC. Yowza…

Anyway, enough of my ranting. I’m interested in #3 – volunteering, and I wonder if anyone out there has some good organizations to go through, or good stories to tell. Everyone in the U.S. has heard of Peace Corps, but i’m sure there are other groups out there doing good work… Any tips?

By: Lise

Lise — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:55:05 +0000

I’m of your opinion on the tourism variety of travel. While there are a few “sites” I’ve wanted to see, I’m more than content to sit in the hotel room reading a book. Guess I don’t need to travel across the country and come back exhausted for that.

To me, if you’re traveling, you should be traveling for a purpose other than “to look around” – to go to a convention, to visit relatives, to eat awesome food, etc, etc. For example, this week my husband and I are going to Kiawah Island, off the coast of SC, for a vacation with his parents. We had to pay for the airfare, but other than that, the trip is free to us – every year my mother-and-law’s company holds a conference at this resort, and families are invited. Since I actually enjoy the company of my in-laws more than my actual blood relatives, this is exactly the kind of vacation I want. I’m going to sit on the beach, read, and swim, and someone else is going to pay for most of it.

I also like the idea of traveling to study. I want to do an immersive month-long Spanish course in Argentina, for example, because I love languages. That, however, will have to wait on a time when my employment situation is different.