Use free offline maps and navigation

In the past, using your smartphone for navigation abroad could easily cost as much as a month’s rent, but now you don’t need to pay for roaming fees and paper maps, because you can get it all free and offline. Apps like Google Maps (download the offline area you want to use in advance) and Maps.me are making the life of the traveler easier and cheaper. I’ve found that Maps.me takes less memory, works faster and has offline maps for countries where Google Maps doesn’t work well (Thailand, for example). Both apps have perfect offline navigation – I’ve used them to navigate while walking, cycling and driving.

Use Google Translate offline for free

No more will you have to spend money on a local guide only because you don’t understand the local language! Since 2016, Google Translate has been available offline for both Android and iOS. You can use it to translate text to text, speech to text, text to speech, and even draw letters or characters on the screen with your finger. The ultra-useful Word Lens lets you hold your camera over a menu, sign or other item with foreign writing and instantly read the translation (all available languages are here).

Meet a free local guide

Global Greeters is one of my favorite online platforms, offering you the chance to see the city accompanied by a local volunteer. You usually have to book a guide in advance, and it’s worth searching at least two weeks ahead to make sure you find someone who’s available. You are paired with a local based on your interests, and your guide will craft a walk around the city specifically for you. Unlike those organized free tours you see around most cities these days, no tips are expected at the end. It’s a good idea to stock up on good karma and become a volunteer guide in your home city.

Find free accommodation

There are several ways to find free accommodation around the world. One option is to use sites like Couchsurfing and Hospitality Club, where millions of hospitable users from all over the world will offer you their homes while you visit their city or village. In exchange, you give them your friendship, nice conversations and – usually – a cooked meal from your country. You can also register on one of the many home exchange, house-sitting and pet-sitting websites, which give you the chance to exchange your home for somebody else’s.

Another option: if you’re traveling from one city to another, take the night train/bus. You’ll save money on a night’s accommodation and will have more time to walk around the city the next day.

You can also swap your expertise or an item you no longer need for a night at a B&B. Every fall in Italy, during Barter Week, you can exchange goods and services for your stay in a vast number of Italian bed & breakfasts.

Join a free walking/food/cultural tour

Free tours are now available all over the world and are a great way to discover a new city and mingle with the current community of travelers there. Free walking tours are most common, but there are also free food tours, free hiking tours, free roller-blade tours, etc. Just type “free tour [city]” into Google and read the details. Although they’re labeled ‘free’, these tours usually end up with an invitation to leave a tip for the guide. Given they usually last two to three hours, we reckon that’s fair enough.

Work for free accommodation and food

This is a popular means of not only surviving but actually having the time of your life abroad. Workaway, WWOOF and many more websites offer you the opportunity to work as a volunteer in exchange for a bed and food. These programs rarely involve a 40-hour working week, so you’ll have plenty of time to explore your surroundings.

See museums for free

Almost every museum in the world has a free admission day (for example, every second Thursday of the month). Check it out and take the opportunity, if possible.

Some of the most popular attractions in the world are free. Like, always free. The Staten Island Ferry in New York is the perfect way to enjoy the panorama of Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, the Hudson River and Manhattan. The British Museum in London not only displays some of the world’s greatest treasures, but is also free and allows photography inside. The Berlin Wall Memorial in Berlin, the Berardo Museum in Lisbon (with works by Dali, Picasso and Andy Warhol), the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London are also on the list. 

>>> A list of the best free museums and galleries in London (they are more than 20!)

Since 2015, on every first Sunday of the month all public museums and galleries in Italy are free, including the Colosseum, Uffizi Gallery and Pompeii Ruins. Of course, you’ll have to wait in longer than usual lines on these free days.

Apply for exchange programs

Every country has a bunch of exchange programs that let you live (and usually study) in another country for a certain period of time without having to pay for anything. The countries of the EU, for example, have Erasmus, Erasmus Mundus, Leonardo, EVS and smaller-scale projects that can take you to any part of the world, offering decent grants to help you get by while you’re over there.

Take advantage of your birthday

Traveling on your birthday is worth it. Wherever you go, many sights of interest around the world offer special birthday discounts. For example: you can ride the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway to Table Mountain above Cape Town for free. Even if you can’t see an advertised birthday offer at the attraction you’re visiting, it’s worth asking if they can do anything to make your special day that little bit more special.

Eat for free (but pay for the drinks)

There are several places in Paris that will gladly serve your drink with free food (like couscous, fried clams or a tapas-style snack) – bar La Cordonnerie, bar Le Grenier and the oriental Le Tribal Cafe to name a few. Bars in Milan and many cities in northern Italy offer the so-called ‘aperitivo hour’ (look for the sign). Usually after 7 pm when you order a cocktail in a bar, you’ll get free access to a buffet table with bites.

Hitchhike (including on a bike)

So much has been said about hitchhiking as a free transport tool that the only relevant thing here is to point to people like Tomislav Perko (and his 50,000 km of hitchhiking around the world) as inspiration. Oh, and you might not know this: as a tourist in Amsterdam, you can hitchhike on a local’s bicycle (just look for the ‘Yellow Backie’). If you’re a newbie looking to grab a ride on the hitchhiking bandwagon, read our Beginner’s guide to hitchhiking. 

Sail for free

Register at Findacrew and browse through all the boats and yachts searching for crew members to join your next sea adventure.

>>> Discover more free things to do around the world!

Read more: 7 free travel tools you may not be using (other then Couchsurfing)

You know what else is free? Our travel quiz:

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You can use some translation and legalization compny if you need it for your trip.

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Yellow Backie is a unique possibility for visitors to experience Amsterdam through the eyes of an Amsterdammer, and for Amsterdammers to meet new people from around the globe. It’s a bit like Couchsurfing, on a bike, without the smelly socks in your living room.

As we wanted to know more about the idea, here is what Martin Luyckx from Yellow Backie shared with us:

Yellow Backie is… Amsterdam style hitchhiking. An initiative to spark some love between Amsterdam locals and its visitors with a famous Dutch custom: riding on the luggage rack of a friend s bike.

Riding on the luggage rack of a friend s bike in Amsterdam is… very common and also a lot of fun.

Locals take part because… they want to show foreigners that they are open to meeting new people, and that we are not afraid of tourists.

Hitchhiking a bike in Amsterdam is better than other transport because… it is free and your Backie Driver will provide you with information only locals know about!

What tourists usually don’t understand about Amsterdam’s cycling culture is… our bicycle lanes! Also traffic regulations are quite the same for bicycles as they are for cars. For instance, we have to wait for traffic lights, have right of way when we come from the right and are not allowed to cycle on the sidewalk.

You can get a free bike ride in Amsterdam by… shouting BACKIE! as loud as possible.

You can become a Yellow Backie driver by… sending us a good motivation through our website.

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Free Flights

You have two options when it comes to getting free flight tickets, either get a travel credit card or wait for sales and promotions from budget airlines. In the first option, you should sign up for travel credit cards and collect points for any purchase you do with those cards. Some travel credit cards offer 50,000 points when you sign up which is enough for a flight ticket. You can save up on ticket flights before even planning your trip by collecting points and miles through your regular spending on your daily needs. The second option is not totally free, but sometimes the budget airlines promote offers and deals that you will pay only the taxes of the ticket. Sign up for alerts on promotions on various budget airlines or cheap flight ticket finders and jump on the first opportunity you get.

Stay For Free

You don’t have to stay at a 5-star hotel to travel. There are many apps and websites that connect people from all over the world to stay at each other’s houses. Websites and apps such as Couchsurfing and Servas allow you to see if there are any locals willing to host you in their house for the duration of your travel. However, you need to have an adventurous soul as sometimes you will have a room, a bed, a couch, or an air mattress, but you can’t complain because they are free. You should repay your host’s kindness by taking them out and buying them a drink or cooking a delicious meal for them. Additionally, many people around the world ask for house sitters; people who will take care of their house while they are not there. You will make sure their plants are watered, no one breaks in, and other simple tasks, while having free accommodation and getting paid in the process.

Teach English Abroad

If you speak English fluently, and sometimes you don’t have to be a native speaker, you can easily find teaching jobs overseas. To increase your chances of landing an English teaching job, it is preferable to have a TEFL degree. It can be acquired either online or in-person, and it will support you in your free traveling as you will earn money from teaching, and you won’t have to save money before traveling. English teaching is a job in high demand and employers might even cover your flight ticket expenses. If you found a job paying well, you may come back home saving thousands of dollars. The Middle East and the Far East pay well for native English teachers and most employers provide free accommodation as well.

Hitchhike All The Wa

Hitchhiking is relatively safe and common in some parts of the world. You get a free ticket to go wherever you want without paying anything or maybe share some of the gas prices with the driver which won’t be too much. However, you must check if hitchhiking is legal in the destination you are going to and plan accordingly. To increase your chances of hitchhiking a ride, you should always look presentable and use a sign that says where you want to go. The sign encourages the driver to help you if they are going to the same place. It is better to stay safe than sorry, so you should take precautions, and if you don’t feel comfortable with someone then you can ask them to drop you at the nearest stop.

While you might work to travel for free, the whole experience will let you see the culture of the country from another perspective. Traveling for free has several benefits, besides not having to spend money, such as dealing with the locals, experiencing their lifestyle, makes you a better planner, and gives you precious memories. It’s not entirely difficult to travel for free if you know how to get cheap or even free flight tickets, and how to find free accommodation.

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A friendship forged on the road

Courtesy of The Tragic Traveller

I expected my first ever hitchhiking trip to be fun and provide an interesting story, but I didn’t expect it to be life-changing. It was.

My plan was to thumb it directly from Guča festival in southern Serbia to Sofia, Bulgaria, where I was hoping to buy a cheap car and embark on a European road trip. After two luckless hours in the baking sun my patience was waning, until an unassuming hero named Vesko picked me up in his trusty (air-conditioned!) Mitsubishi steed. Vesko not only drove me all the way to Sofia, but then invited me to stay with him and his family in their beautiful house. The family fed, boozed and sheltered me, and even helped me buy the Citroen that would eventually take me to England and back.

Fast-forward seven months and I found myself standing outside the Bulgarian embassy in London, dressed in a borrowed suit and preparing to perform the best man duties at Vesko’s wedding. Now, several years on, I’ve visited Vesko and his family in Sofia too many times to count and, exactly a year from now, will become godfather to his first-born son on the day little Lubtcho turns three.

Nick Johns-Wickberg from The Tragic Traveller (Facebook)

Puppy with a catch in Slovakia

Courtesy of Girl Astray

In the summer of 2016, I was hitchhiking to a hippie festival in Slovakia when a car pulled over and offered to drive me to the next city. It was a man with the cutest puppy ever, which I got to hold on my knees for the ride. It was one of those huge white shepherd breeds – the dog was about three months old, but was growing fast! He was white and fluffy and was destined to guard his owners’ workshop when he was fully grown. There was, however, a catch to his cuteness. It was the first solo trip for the puppy and he was obviously feeling car sick: after a few hairpin bends on the road, the car filled with a putrid smell. We stopped and examined the snow-white fur, but fortunately, they were just farts. We rode the rest of the way with the windows down while the pup whined a little each time he let his noxious gas escape.

Karin from Girl Astray (Facebook/Instagram) 

Getting from Tripiti port to Ouranoupolis, Greece

Courtesy of The Magic of Traveling

Fruit and fish pick-up truck in Belize

Courtesy of Becky the Traveller

Whilst in Belize, I stayed in a cute (although a bit strange) little town called Crooked Tree. The town was 3 miles from the main bus route down a dirt track. My guesthouse had offered to drop me at the bus stop but as we were leaving decided to charge me $15 for the short journey. Since they overcharged me a kayak hire on a lake with no water, I declined to give them any extra money.

So with my heavy backpack in the middle of the day (it was about 40C/104F), I started walking to find a good hitchhiking spot. I was now thinking maybe I should have just paid! But after 10 minutes I reached the main road out of town and saw a pick-up truck. He stopped and I jumped into the back. There wasn’t much room as it was full of boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables – and some fish! But hey, it was a free lift. And the breeze was amazing as we whizzed along the bumpy dirt road.

Becky Angell from Becky the Traveller (Facebook/Instagram) 

A truck roller coaster experience in Cambodia

Courtesy of Curls and Coconuts Blog

A hot summer day. Or since it is Cambodia and the summer is eternal I should just say: a regular tropical day. Me and him standing on the road – sunburned faces licked by the heat, scarfs around heads, a big sign reading “Rattanakiri” in my hands. We drew it 5 minutes ago with the watercolor pencils whose main purpose is always the same – to create hitchhiking signs.

15 minutes on the side of the quiet road and there it is – the first vehicle. A huge, roaring truck. As trucks usually do, it stops in the middle of the Cambodian heat to take the weird looking boy and girl. On the front seats – three men and a woman. Wide smiley faces. They know no English and we know no Khmer. But one thing is clear – they like the watercolor sign and they are going to our destination. Moreover, they have space for 30 hitchhikers in the carriage on the back of the truck. Before we know it we are enjoying a free roller coaster experience, conveniently hidden from the noon sun.

This hitchhiking trip was one to remember – starting with travelling in an open-air carriage and ending with a lunch stop with our friendly hosts at a local restaurant. A fresh coconut, please!

Maria from Curls and Coconuts (Facebook)

Canada is not as big as you think

Hitchhiking in the Rockies | Courtesy of A Broken Backpack

I’ve accumulated many cool hitchhiking stories over the years! But my favorite by far was in the Canadian Rockies. My friend and I were pretty keen on going to Calgary Stampede. An old man picked us up. He was going all the way to Calgary, so it was a win-win. He told us about his wife and how they fell in love. This man was lovely and super interesting. He asked us what was our plan in Calgary and we told him about the stampede, which is a big rodeo event. It turned out his wife had free tickets that she wasn’t planning on using. He said he could actually go home to pick up the tickets and then drive us to the stampede.

Normally I would have said no, but we had a good feeling about this. We met his wife, we had a snack at their place and then we left for the stampede with free tickets in our hands. He was a bit worried we wouldn’t be able to find a ride back later on that night and gave us his business card so we could call him if we were desperate for a lift later, but in the end we didn’t need to call him. However, the best part of this experience was still to come!

Two weeks later, we were hitchhiking in another direction altogether. We were in the middle of a pretty remote town in British Columbia when an old lady started yelling at us. We were wondering what was going on and then she ran in our direction to talk to us. It was his wife. She recognized us and they invited us for lunch. What were the chances of seeing them again in another Canadian province! Bless them!

Melissa Giroux from A Broken Backpack (Facebook/Instagram)

The hitchhiking grannies in Bulgaria

Hitchhiking in the mountains of Bulgaria | ©Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

As much as I love hitchhiking, I also enjoy earning good karma by picking up hitchhikers when I’m driving. One of my favorite such stories happened when I was in a small town in the mountains of Bulgaria, struggling to find the road to a nearby mountain lodge.

While I was wondering whom to ask for directions, I saw three grannies waving by the roadside. I stopped to ask them, only to realize that they were actually hitchhiking, not waving, and in mere seconds all of them had already crammed into my car. It turned out they owned potato fields high in the mountains and they hitchhiked every single day to get there and take care of the crop. One of them took a particular shining to me and spent the whole journey trying to set me up with her grandson – with the aim of marrying me off to him, of course!

When I stopped to let them out, another threw a banknote into the car and dashed away. At my perplexed look, the third granny explained that the runaway hitchhiker had just received news of a newborn grand-grandson that morning and wanted me to drink a coffee to his health. So I did. Then I called my mom and told her that obviously hitchhiking is not as dangerous as she thinks – after all, these three ladies do it every day and they’ve reached a ripe old age!

Maria from 203challenges.com (Facebook/Pinterest)

Warm meeting during the cold winter in Sorrento

Winter. It was getting dark. My husband and I were near the railway station of Sorrento, Italy, not even on the outskirts of the city, trying to catch a ride to Naples. My hands were buried in warm black gloves and nobody could see I was hitchhiking, so I decided to take them off. But then my hands turned blue from the cold, like a real-life Facebook “like” button. We spent more than an hour waiting in the cold, until finally an elderly couple stopped and picked us and immediately offered us some candies. They spoke only Italian, while we didn’t speak a word, so our conversation consisted entirely of gestures and mimicry. When we reached our destination, we took their address and later sent a small present to our saviors.

Ivalina from 203challenges.com (Facebook/Pinterest)

Hitchhiking with my mom

Hitchhiking with my mom | 203challenges.com

My mom and I were on a vacation in a small village in the Rhodopes Mountains in Bulgaria and had to get to a bigger town, Smolyan, 30 mi (50 km away). It was Saturday and there were no public buses running to our destination, so we hopped on a bus to the next village where, the locals swore, there was some kind of transport going to our destination. After having arrived in this other village, we were approached by a local elderly man who informed us that there were actually no buses for the next few hours. “So, let’s hitchhike,” my mom said (my mom is not the kind of person who would usually say this, so I was pretty surprised and amused). She raised a thumb by the road while I was taking photos of her. No car stopped. Then we swapped roles and I managed to stop the local bread delivery truck. It turned out that the driver had seen us in the first village and, with a slightly offended tone, asked us why we didn’t ask him to give us a lift. All the way I was holding a box of eggs so they didn’t break. The best part: when we hopped out of the truck, our suitcases smelled like freshly baked bread!

Marina from 203challenges.com (Facebook/Pinterest)

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We had a chat with him about his journey. Here is what he told us:

Who is Tomislav Perko and what does he dream of?

I’m just a regular, everyday, normal guy who did something unusual and extraordinary – I traveled the world, with almost no money. I am 32, people tell me that I am a travel writer and a public speaker, and I dream of many, many things. And they keep changing. But the most important thing is to follow them, no matter what they are.

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On the other hand, if you plan to hitchhike in Sicily you’re in for a few helpful hints!

#1 Sometimes, hitchhiking is your only choice

As two girls, we weren’t planning to hitchhike in Sicily. Of course, we hadn’t taken into consideration the fact that in Italy, the term “national holiday” usually means “no trains”*. If you don’t have a car but you have an overwhelming desire to get from the town of Noto to Modica – the chocolate capital of Sicily – your fate is predestined and you’ll soon find yourself by the roadside.

* “No trains” is a collective term for “no trains, no buses, and nowhere to even rent a motorbike”.

#2 Nobody hitchhikes in Sicily, but that shouldn’t put you off

The first thing you’ll realize is that there aren’t any other hitchhikers on the side of the road in Sicily. In fact, many locals told us not to hitchhike because it was dangerous. This was perfect. On one hand, we are fearless in the face of the danger. On the other hand, our livers are already damaged beyond repair, so we doubted that anyone would risk much to take them from us…

#3 Sicilian roads aren’t as direct as you might expect

Sicily has just a few major roads, and many of the island’s towns are connected only by a spiderweb of secondary roads. That means instead of straight stretches, you’ll probably have to hitchhike in sections. We were standing by the road, the epitome of perfect hitchhikers (wide smiles, freshly showered etc.), and every fifth car stopped, but unfortunately nobody was going to our destination (only 25 miles away). Some cars even broke traffic rules to come and see if they could help. Others offered to take us to other destinations, but there’s not much you can say to take a woman’s mind off chocolate!

#4 Sometimes you have to change your plan

At the end of the day, hitchhiking is all about luck. After 30 minutes baking in the sun, we finally decided that we would swim naked in chocolate fountains some other time. Instead, we decided to head for the beach 6 miles away and swim there, rather than spending the day by the road.

#5 (For hitchhiking girls) Sicilian men may seem pushy, but they aren’t disrespectful

Two lads – local lemon farmers – picked us up and drove us to the beach. They went out of their way to take us there, even though it was a work day for them and they were heading to the plantation. One of them was happy to socialize (Why are you in Sicily? Why do you hitchhike? Where do you sleep? Don’t you want me to host you – I have soooo much space and my mamma will cook a feast for you…). At the last offer my friend dialed the number of the police on her phone and prepared to call it if necessary. No, we have a hotel room and no, we don’t know if we’ll be free tonight. Although the guys tried their chances, they weren’t disrespectful or intimidating in any way. When we reached the coast they still offered to come and pick us up from the beach in the afternoon, seeing as there were no buses or taxis to take us home. We thanked them politely and got out of the car. But, of course, we told the boys to thank their hospitable mothers for their generous offers!

# Extra tip: stick to the basics

Sticking to the universal rules of hitchhiking works in Sicily: smile, be neat, and choose spots where the drivers can conveniently pull over. If you are girls in dresses, like us, don’t forget to bring your backpacks so you don’t get mistaken for ladies of, let’s say, another profession …

Read more: 9 real hitchhiking stories that will make you laugh and cry

7 unusual things to do in Sicily

Featured image: © Maria Angelova/ 203challenges

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“The core of man’s spirit comes from new experiences.”

― Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild

So here you are… striding by an empty road, weighed-down by a heavy backpack, with one thumb up and the promise of adventure in the air. It’s the kind of trip with no certain destination, a journey of its own. Though not for the faint-hearted, hitchhiking is a glorious way to experience the essence of wandering. For traveling is not only the act of changing location and reaching point B from point A, but also a process of learning, experimenting and sharing.

Why hitchhike?

1. It’s free – the first argument which comes to mind and also one of the main reasons why many prefer this form of transport. Remember how you always complain about being too broke to ever afford a journey. Well, it’s time you put an end to such flimsy excuses. Hitchhiking is not only budget-friendly but it also saves you a lot of worrying about timetables, fares and catching the wrong train.

2. It’s all about socializing – with hitchhiking you can never be sure what kind of people you may stumble upon but that’s what makes it even more charming. You hop on the car and come face to face with a retired musician, a hippie couple in their 60’s, a mother of triplets, or maybe with an eccentric playwright, who’s looking for inspiration and fresh ideas. Brought together in the enclosed space of the vehicle, the driver and you have simultaneously everything and nothing in common – two complete strangers sharing the same direction. So why don’t you make the most of the trip? Exchange experiences, thoughts and stories with your new companions, get to know them. You’ll be surprised how much you can learn!

3. It’s way more exciting – as opposed to relying on the conventional means of transportation, hitchhiking enables you to add some nuance to your trip, to make it less predictable and more memorable. After all, what are you more likely to forget – a tedious trip with a punctual train or a thrilling ride with a marriage lawyer, who also let’s say happens to practice Tibetan throat singing?

How to do it?

1. Choose the right spot – make sure you’re in a place in which drivers can see you from a distance. This means you shouldn’t wait right after turns or tunnels. There should also be enough space for cars to pull over safely.

2. Hold a sign – you’re more likely to be picked up if you have a sign with a desired destination or direction. You can either use a cardboard or erasable white boards.

3. Look decent – always wear respectful clothing in colors that make you more noticeable. A smile works wonders too!

4. Stay safe – hitchhiking comes with risks so choose your drivers carefully and rely on your instincts. If, for some reason, you don’t feel like getting into a car, just don’t do it. Travel with a friend and avoid being completely on your own. If you do happen to hitchhike alone, make sure to carry a pepper spray. You know, just in case.

Did you know that…

• Hitchhiking originated in the USA and then spread into Europe.
• Many European universities organize annual hitchhiking races for their students.
• In Cuba, picking up hitchhikers is mandatory for government vehicles, due to the lack of cars.
• The record for the longest ride with one car belongs to the Belorussian hitchhiker Aliosha Yazylets, who in 2015 hitchhiked over 12,000 km in one lift from Tadjikistan, via China, Mongolia and Moscow in Russia, all the way to Lvov in Western Ukraine.
• In order to raise money for charity in 2016, two female students successfully hitchhiked from Turkey to Vienna while carrying a red sofa.

So what’s your excuse? 

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