It goes without saying that travelling broadens the mind. While travelling we can see and learn a lot of things that we can never learn staying at home and watching TV. Our modern world is huge and there are some places which are really far away from us so we often think that it’s just impossible to visit them one day. It’s a very common opinion among many people that travelling is a luxury and that just a few can afford it. These people are very wrong because there is nothing impossible in the modern world and travelling is certainly one on the easiest things a person can do if they know a few little secrets.
The idea that travel is expensive and difficult is spread by tourist agencies, hotel chains and the media. The tourist industry wants you to buy cruise packages and stay at all-inclusive resorts. They want you to choose a travel experience the same way you would choose a new jacket at the mall. To cut a long story short, they just want your credit card number. So it’s obviously cheaper to travel without any agencies involved. It can be scary to venture into the world with nothing more than optimism and good will, but personal freedom begins with a leap of faith. So first of all you should do some research on the Internet and be flexible with your preferences, dates etc.
STEPS TO TAKE
The first step is to choose a mode of travel that fits within your budget and which you are comfortable with. There are some popular modes of modern traveling: hitchhiking, train hoping (a slightly dangerous and risky way but still some people use it), going by bus or a train, bicycle rides, motorcycle (if you have one it’s just about the cheapest way to send yourself over long distances) and of course, driving. If you go by plane you should do some research beforehand and buy the tickets from low-cost companies. Such companies have special discounts and sometimes it’s incredibly cheap to fly from one county to another via these companies.
The second step is to decide where you are going to sleep. Even if you don’t have friends you can stay with, there are a few ways to get around that: 1) Ask everyone you know or even anyone you chat with throughout the day if they know of anyone you can stay with. Ask in your network profiles. 2) Go to a special web-site and find someone who’s offering up their couch. The website has a vouching system so you shouldn’t worry about safety. 3) House-sitting is a good method of obtaining free shelter, though it comes with responsibilities. Some websites list house-sitting opportunities for free, and others will charge you. 4) If you live in a city or region where others want to travel, you can arrange a temporary home-swap with people who live wherever you’d like to stay. It can be coordinated through special web resources. 5) Go camping. In various states and national parks in the US, for example, campsites are often cheap, or even free. 6) Look for hostels. This dorm-style lodging is usually cheaper than hotels. Plus there will be plenty of young people from all over the world.
The third step is to plan your eating pattern. Do some research again before you go anywhere so you can find some cheap restaurants and cafes which are not for tourists but just normal ones for local inhabitants, and not in the centre of the city. If you travel not to a city but to some wild and picturesque surroundings, you can bring some food in you backpack so you don’t need to spend money on it.
The fourth step is to elaborate all your activities in detail. The Web will help you again. Most major cities have all types of free entertainment and services which can be found, on sites, depending on where you live: 1) Museums are free on certain days of the month or if you have a student ID and 2) You can sign up for free coupon offers and take the coupons with you on your trip.
So as you can see travelling really can be cheap, you just need to leave you obsessions behind and be flexible and ready to do some things which may seem a little risky at first, but in fact aren’t — you just need to check everything several times and prepare.
The joy of new experiences is the most wonderful thing about travel, and new experiences can definitley be free. Walk the streets of a city. Stop and chat with a local. Watch people in a public park. Climb to the top of a hill and watch the sunset over the ocean. The simple joy of being in a new place is just a matter of going somewhere new. No tour package required.
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Maria T
My major is theoretical and applied linguistics. That's why foreign languages have always been my greatest passion. Currently based in Riga, I travel a lot around the world to learn new charms of this wonderful planet.
