Weird but Effective Ways to Travel for Free (No Surveys or Cash Back Sites)

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Have you ever wanted to travel for free?

Surprisingly, traveling for free is not as hard as you may think. Even better, you can travel for free without signing up for credit cards or using cash back (I am so sick of seeing those as suggestions!). Check out the huge list of ideas below to get started…

Travel for FREE with these weird but effective ideas…

Stay with a relative or on a stranger’s couch

When is the last time you have paid a visit to your long lost cousin or great aunt who would love to squeeze your cheeks, even after all these years? Social media makes staying connected easier than ever. With a little Facebook research, you may discover relatives in amazing places!

Not so chummy with your relatives? No worries! You still have options if you don’t mind sleeping on a stranger’s couch with sites like the following:

• Couch Surf
• Global Freeloaders
• Hospitality Club

Go way back with your relatives and explore your home country if you have roots elsewhere:

• ReConnect Hungary
• Heritage Greece
• Birthright Armenia
• Birthright Israel
• Love Boat Study Program for people of Taiwanese & Chinese descent

Volunteer Abroad and Travel for Free

Tip: Only sign up to do volunteer work that you are interested in and passionate about. Otherwise, you will possibly not feel like you are truly on vacation. Below are a few links to get you started:

• Workaway
• Peace Corps
• WWOOF
• The United Nations
• Help Exchange
• Worldpackers

Religious Volunteer Work: 

• Monastaries, Churches (see numbers 17-18)

Live in a Different House

Sign up to House Sit: Stay for FREE at houses all around the world in exchange for taking care of pets, watering plants or other house chores:

• TrustedHousesitters.com
• House Sitters America
• HouseCareers.com

Ditch your house for the weekend:

• House Swap

Do you travel in big groups? Plan the trip for a paid vacation…

• YMT Vacations
• Grand Circle Travel Cruises
• Select International Tours
• All Aboard Travel

Use your perks to travel for free when you can…

Students! Snag these travel benefits while you can…

• Apply for scholarships to study abroad
  • GoOverseas.com

Teachers can travel for free when hosting student groups and travel for FREE with just six students:

• CHA Tours
• EFT Tours
• Explorica

Work in Another Country for a while:

• Teach English
  • ciee.org
  • eslcafe.com
  • Diverbo
  • TEFL.com

• Work on a cruise ship
  • Find a Crew
• Adventure Jobs
• Nurses: Work 8-26 weeks and get paid up to $10,000 per month + free housing and food:
  • TravelNursing.org
• Aupair:
  • Aupairworld.com
  • Aupair.com

Sources:

• I Like to Dabble
• The City Sidewalks
• The Crazy Tourist
• ChooseAmazing.com
• Forbes.com
• GaminTraveler.com

More travel articles to explore:

• Hotel Travel Savings You Should Not Be Afraid to Try
• Five Florida Destinations that are a Tropical Paradise