How To Budget For A Vacation With No Money
Budgeting for a vacation with no money can be challenging. However, if planned correctly, it can still be fun and exciting. I am going to give you a step by step system that will help you save money for your next vacation. Budgeting for a vacation can be tough. Many travelers love to do a number of different activities on their vacations, but this can add up quickly. This article discusses tips for how to budget for a vacation with no money.
You’re having a tough time settling on a place to go for a vacation, but you know you deserve it. Maybe you can’t take the days off right now; maybe the kids are too young; maybe you don’t have a lot of money saved up. But no matter what the reason, you still want to make this happen. There’s good news: it doesn’t have to be expensive to have fun and create some new memories as a family — even if you’re on a budget!
While a budget isn’t usually called for when it comes to vacation planning, the fact of the matter is, not all of us will be able to book a last minute flight to paradise. Take a look at these tips to learn how to save money while still having an amazing vacation. Why spend all your money on something you can’t enjoy right now? To have a good time when travelling, you have to make sure to limit the expenses associated with it. Lessons learned for saving money on vacation come from painful mistakes in my own personal life.
The first thing you should know is that there’s such a thing as trying too hard with money. It’s an odd paradox, but you need to try to cut costs in some ways, but ensure you don’t do so at the cost of the enjoyment you are seeking out.
This is something I hear from everyone I talk to: “Matt, I simply don’t have enough money to travel.”
This problem — and how to overcome it — is my most asked question. Over the past 14 years, I have answered this question in a plethora of posts, emails, tweets, and Facebook posts. Long-term readers might even be getting sick of me discussing this subject because it is one I talk about so much.
But I know no matter how often I address this question, it will come up again.
Since this question comes up so often, I like to constantly remind people of this fact: You do not need to be rich to travel.
Let’s repeat that: You do not need to be rich to travel.
There are plenty of ways to travel on a budget (and for free) — you just need to be willing to get creative.
How To Budget For A Vacation With No Money
Traveling the world with no money sounds like an impossible dream. But it is possible, and you can do it responsibly without breaking the bank. It should be said that there are some expenses you shouldn’t compromise on (like travel insurance) but there are tons of ways you can travel the world on a budget — including plenty of ways you can actually travel for free.
In this post, I’m going to show you two things:
- How to travel cheap
- How to travel for free
Traveling cheap is all about taking advantage of helpful apps and websites that save you money, finding ways to lower your expenses, and even making money as you travel. It’s about finding value and lowering your expenses while still being able to afford to do what you want.
Traveling for free entails taking advantage of free accommodation, transportation, and activities that are already out there, thereby reducing your cost to zero. You can also use points and miles to earn free flights and accommodation. Here, you sacrifice comfort and convenience to extend your travels as long as possible.
With the right budget and the right mindset, you can make your travel dreams a reality. Even if you don’t earn a lot or you have debt, there are still plenty of ways to go overseas (I still had debt when I went on my first trip around the world). They may not be fancy or luxurious, but if travel is your priority then you can definitely make it happen!
Ready to kick-start your budget travels and save money? Just click on either of the links below to jump directly to that section!
Table of Contents
- Getting a Job Overseas
- Teaching English Overseas
- WWOOFing and Farm Work
- Use the Sharing Economy
- Cooking Your Own Meals
- Getting a Rail Pass
- Sleeping in Large Dorm Rooms
- Student Discounts
- City Tourism Cards
- Capitalize on Your Skills
- Travel Hacking
- Finding Free Accommodation
- Hitchhiking
- Free Walking Tours
- Housesitting
- Using Your Social Network
1. Get a Job Overseas
Not making enough money at your job? Or, even worse, are you working a job you hate? Why not get a job overseas? There are plenty of opportunities in the world as long as you aren’t picky. After all, this isn’t a career you are starting — it’s just a way to earn money for travel.
Here are some popular (and easy to find) jobs you can get when you travel:
- Au pair – An au pair is a live-in caregiver who helps a host family by looking after their children and doing some basic housekeeping. In exchange, you get free room and board and a small salary. This is a great route if you’re looking to learn a new language or immerse yourself in a new culture. You can read this post for more info on being an au pair.
- Bartender – It’s always 5 o’clock somewhere, so if you have the skills then this is an easy job to move overseas. It’s also an easy job to get under the table if you decide to go that route. If you don’t have the skills to tend bar, consider being a dishwasher or busser.
- Hostel worker – Hostel workers rarely stick around for long, which means there is always a demand for new help. It’s a great way to meet other travelers while adjusting to a new location. You can usually also start off as a volunteer (in exchange for a free room) to avoid visa complications. Three websites that can help you find hostels to volunteer at are Worldpackers, Workaway, and HelpX.
- Waitress/waiter – There are tons of seasonal restaurants around the world (and around the US) that need extra help during the busy tourist months. If you have experience, this is an easy job to find abroad.
- Farm worker – While hardly glamorous, if you don’t mind the hard work this is a great way to make a lot of money in a short period of time (as you won’t have time to spend your money because you’ll be farming out in the middle of nowhere!). This job is very popular in Australia and New Zealand.
- Dive instructor – If you have your certification, this is an easy job to travel with as dive instructors are needed everywhwere. Best of all, these jobs are usually in picturesque tropical locations!
- Tour guide – If you’ve got a knack for history and don’t mind speaking in front of groups, this is the perfect job for you. It’s also usually a cash job, which means you get your tips directly.
- Cruise ship worker – This is a much more formal position than the ones above, but it’s a great way to travel. The hours are long, but there’s something to be said about living at sea!
- Casino worker – While this might require some training, if you’re a night owl and don’t mind the casino scene this is a fun job to work abroad.
- Seasonal worker at ski resorts – Instructors, restaurant staff, hotel staff, lifeguards — ski resorts need all sorts of staff to keep things moving, making this a goldmine for the overseas traveler (as long as you don’t mind the snow!).
- Yacht worker – While the hours can be long, you can make great money working for the rich and famous on their yachts. Best of all, you’re usually in some pretty amazing destinations!
- Yoga instructor – If you have the skills (and certification), teaching yoga abroad is an easy way to make some spending money. While you might need to know the language, there are yoga studios in pretty much every city in the world.
Working overseas often gets discounted as an option because it seems hard to do. It’s not. Just be open. These jobs don’t require advanced degrees or a lot of work experience either.
Are you going to get a high-paying office job? No.
Will you get a shitty, low-wage job that will pay all your travel bills? Yep!
I’ve met people from all walks of life, both from Western and non-Western countries, funding their travels this way. It’s an easy, fun way to lengthen your travels, deepen your experience, and make a little money so you can keep on traveling.
READ MORE ABOUT WORKING OVERSEAS: 15 Ways to Find a Job and Work Overseas
2. Teach English Overseas
One of the best ways to make money for travel is to teach English overseas. You can make a lot of money teaching — I replenished my travel funds while working in Thailand, and I have had friends leave South Korea with tens of thousands of dollars in the bank.
All you need is the ability to speak English fluently and a TEFL degree, depending on the country you work in. The world is yearning for teachers, and this is a job in high demand; many companies in Asia will even pay for your flight over.
If you have a college or university degree you’ll be able to make more money and apply for better positions though it’s not necessary for many countries.
Additionally, there are many websites and services out there that allow you to teach virtually. As long as you have a great Wi-Fi connection, you can help people learn English from anywhere in the world!
Some places you can teach online are:
READ MORE ABOUT TEACHING OVERSEAS:
- The Best TEFL Courses for Teaching English Abroad
- Discover How to Get an English Teaching Job Overseas
- The 9 Best Places to Teach English Overseas
3. Do WWOOFing and Work on a Farm
WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. It’s a platform that allows you to work on a farm in exchange for free room and board. It’s a great way to see a destination in-depth while allowing you to commune with the great outdoors. You have to pay to get to the farm, but once you are there, everything else is covered! It definitely will help you travel cheap as well as have a unique experience and meet lots of cool people.
WWOOF has opportunities available in 130 countries around the world, with over 12,000 hosts and 100,000 WWOOFers. Some of the most popular destinations for WWOOFers are Portugal, France, Italy, Costa Rica, Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii.
4. Use the Sharing Economy
Use the sharing economy to find cheaper accommodation, quirky tour guides, rideshare options, and home-cooked meals with local chefs. You can bypass the traditional travel industry with sharing economy websites and gain access to locals using their own assets and skills to become small tourism companies with cheaper prices. Moreover, locals know where to find deals. They know which supermarket is cheapest, which stores offer the best sales, and where to find the hole-in-the-wall restaurants and bars with the tastiest food at the lowest prices. Talking directly to them gives you access to that knowledge.
These websites have changed the travel game and made travel more accessible for everyone.