You can travel the world for less money than you spend each month to fill up your gas tank.World travel is cheap and easy. In fact, with a little practice and effort, you can travel the world for free.The idea that travel is expensive and difficult is bullshit peddled by tour companies, hotel chains and corporate media.The tourism 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. They want your Credit Card number.The tourism industry doesn’t want me to reveal the simple secrets of free travel, but I’m going to share them with you anyway.

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.

The joy of new experience is the most wonderful thing about travel – and new experiences are free.

1. Embrace the Simple Joy of Travel

Travel frees you from the grind of daily routine. You will explore new places, meet new people, try new foods and learn things about the world – and yourself – that you never imagined were possible.

The joy of new experience is the most wonderful thing about travel – and new experiences are free. Walk the streets of a city. Stop and chat with a local. People watch in a public park. Climb to the top of a hill and watch the sun set over the ocean.

The simple joy of being in a new place is just a matter of…wait for it…going someplace new. No tour package required.

2. Keep Your Needs To A Minimum

The modern American economy is built on the false premise that people need to buy new goods and services all the time. Again, I call bullshit.

People need fresh air, healthy food, clean water, exercise, creative stimulation, companionship, self-esteem and a safe place to sleep.

All of these things are simple to obtain. Most of them are free.

For fresh air, go outside. For exercise, take a walk. For creative stimulation, go somewhere new. For companionship, make a friend. For self esteem, turn off your TV, breathe deep and open your spirit to the basic goodness of the world.

Things like food and shelter are much cheaper once you get outside the United States. See # 5 below for ways to obtain food and shelter for free.

3. Go Slow

If you live in New York and want to take a 2 week vacation to Africa, it will be very difficult (though not impossible, see number eight) to travel for free.

Indeed, as long as you believe that time is money, you will spend money all the time.

Time is not money. Time is free. You have all the time in the world.

Instead of buying a plane ticket, catch a ride out West, or remodel an old sailboat, or just hop on your bike and ride away from town. The slower you travel, the less money you will spend.

4. Leave Your Possessions and Obsessions Behind

When you travel, you don’t need to pay rent. You don’t need a car. You don’t need an oven, a washer-dryer, electricity, Cable TV, a gym membership, a sofa and loveseat or a closet full of clothes.

You don’t need a suit and tie to wear to your job because you don’t need a job. You don’t need to worry about paying the bills, because there are no bills to pay.

You are free.

5. Trust People and you will Receive Free Food and Lodging

Many people are willing to open their homes to travelers. Chip in with a few chores, and they will give you a free meal, too.

CouchSurfing and WWOOF are two phenomenal online networks that help travelers connect with local hosts. CouchSurfing members are willing to give travelers a place to sleep for a night or two. WWOOF connects travelers with organic farmers who want to trade room and board for an extra hand.

Many members of both CouchSurfing and WWOOF are seeking an alternative to high-impact consumer culture.

6. Learn a Useful Craft or Skill

If you have a skill, such as cooking, animal husbandry, massage, musical ability or basic carpentry, you can barter for free food and accommodation as you travel.

The slower you travel, the easier it will be to work out a mutually beneficial arrangement with a local community or host.

Universally appreciated skills like cooking are best, though niche skills that are in high demand, like website design, are also useful. Native English speakers can often travel the world for free by teaching language classes in each destination they visit.

The slower you travel, the easier it will be to work out a mutually beneficial arrangement with a local community or host.

7. Get Out of the City

Although it’s possible to travel for free in a big city, it’s damn difficult. Cities are built on money, and necessities like fresh air, clean water and a safe place to sleep are difficult to come by in cities.

Go to the country, where people are more relaxed, food is plentiful and there’s ample room for one traveler to lay out her sleeping bag under the stars.

8. Find A Job You Love That Entails Travel

If you need an income in order to pay off loans or support a child, find a job that calls for extensive travel. There are millions of jobs available in the global economy that demand travel.

Of course, some jobs are easier to love than others, and much work that involves travel also involves the destruction of local ecosystems and traditional ways of life. Avoid unethical work if at all possible – it is bad for your health and worse for your soul.

For job ideas, check out the Travel and Adventure jobs section here at the Traveler’s Notebook.

9. Embrace Serendipity

Traveling the world for free requires a blend of advance planning and the willingness to seize opportunities and go with the flow.

Does your new CouchSurfing friend want company for a drive across the country? Grab your pack and ride along! Does an organic farm in Thailand need a farm sitter for the rainy season? Get in touch with Christian Shearer!

As Kurt Vonnegut wrote, “Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God.”

Go Dancing.

用低于每月油錢的費用環游地球

環球旅行是一項省錢而簡單的事情。實際上，只需一點點行動和努力，你就可以免費環游世界。

“旅行是昂貴而復雜的”，這種看法只是旅游公司、連鎖酒店、企業媒體們的商業伎倆。旅游產業希望您購買一份巡游套裝，待在無所不包的旅游勝地享樂。他們甚至希望您選擇旅游方式的方法和您在商場里買件夾克的過程差不多，說白了，他們就是想要您的信用卡號。

盡管搞旅游的都不愿意我透露這些簡單的秘密，可我還是要在這里和大家分享免費旅游的心得。

也許你會因為只有樂觀主義與良好愿望而不敢冒險旅行，但是個人的自由正始于這份信念的跨越。

1.擁抱旅行的簡單愉悅

旅游把你從繁瑣的日常工作中解脫出來。你可以探索新的地方，結交新的朋友，嘗試新的食物，了解這個世界的新事物，甚至重新審視自我。這些都是你從未想過的。體驗新鮮要算是旅游的最大樂趣了。徜徉在一座陌生城市的街道上，走走停停，和當地的人們閑聊，在公共公園里看人們行走在景色中，登高望遠眺海上日出，一切都是新鮮的，更是免費的。最大的快樂莫過于來到一個從未走過的地方，再沒有旅游團的兜售。

2. 縮減你的需求

當代美國經濟是建立在錯誤的前提下的，那就是人民永遠需要購買新的產品和服務，這完全是謬論。

人需要的是什么呢？是新鮮的空氣，健康的食物，清潔的飲水，需要運動，靈感，伴侶，自我，以及一個安全的休憩之地。

所有這些事情是多么容易實現，而它們中的大部分都是免費的。新鮮的空氣和運動只需外出散散步就可以獲得，靈感的激發到一個新的地方自會出現。交朋友自會獲得伴侶，關掉電視深呼吸，打開心靈面對世上的真善美，就會找到真正的自我了。

如果你在美國之外旅游的話，食物和房屋立刻變得便宜了不少，下面的第五條就會告訴你如何得到免費的食物和住處。

3.放慢行走的腳步

如果你住在紐約，想用兩周的假期到非洲旅游，要想免費就實在不是件易事（盡管不是完全不可能，比如第八條我會提到）。

實際上，只要你相信時間就是金錢，那么你就一直在花錢。時間并不是金錢，時間是免費的，你擁有世界上的一切時間。

不買機票，而騎馬穿越西部；或者改造一條舊船，或者干脆騎上你的單車出外遠行。你走的越慢，花的錢也就越少。

4.扔下一切負擔

旅游的時候，你不需要付房租，不需要汽車和微波爐，不需要洗衣機，不需要用電和有線電視，或者是健身會員卡、沙發或者裝滿衣服的衣柜。你也不需要工作時的西裝領帶，因為你已經不再工作了。不必擔心因此花錢，因為根本沒有需要花錢的地方。

一切都是自由的而免費的。

5.相信別人，你會得到免費的食宿

很多人渴望打開家門迎接旅游的朋友們。自己掏錢添麻煩，他們還會給你免費的午餐。

CouchSurfing和WWOOF是兩個在線的熱門網站，驢友這可以通過它聯系到當地的接待家庭。couchSurfing的用戶都希望給旅行者一個可以睡一兩天的住處。WWOOF會聯系驢友，當地的有機農場的農民愿意以超低價把房子租給你。很多這兩個網站的會員都希望尋找一種可以替代受高度影響的消費文化的新的生活方式。

6.學會一種有用的技能

如果你有一技之長，比如烹飪、飼養動物，按摩，音樂才能活著一些基本的木工活，你就可以拿這些來換免費的食物和住處了。

大家普遍公認的技能里，烹飪最受歡迎。盡管一些像網頁設計這樣的高級技能也很有用。母語是英語的旅游者可以通過教英語來獲得免費的旅游機會。

你走的越慢，你就越容易找出可以和當地社會或主人互利互益的方法。

7.到郊區去

盡管你可以在一座大城市免費旅行，但是這相比更困難些。城市是由財富建起來的，新鮮的空氣、純凈的水和安全的住處，在大城市都是難得一見的。

到鄉村去，那里的人們過著輕松的生活，有著充足的食物和寬敞的房間給旅行者享用，你甚至可以把睡袋放在星空下面入睡。

8.找份需要旅行的工作

如果你需要一筆收入來支付貸款，養孩子，那就找份工作來付這份額外的旅行吧。有數以百萬的工作需要環球旅行。

當然，有些工作會讓你更容易愛上它，當然這些包括旅游的工作也同樣帶來了當地生態系統和傳統生活方式的破壞。盡量避免做那些不道德的工作，它們不利于你的身心健康。

關于工作想法，你可以查看這本旅游手冊的“旅游和探險工作”部分.

9.擁抱新發現

免費的環球旅行需要提前策劃、以及隨遇而安抓住一切機會的愿望。

你在couchSurfing上的新好友是不是想要一個駕車旅行的同伴？背上行囊立即出發吧！泰國有機農場是否需要一個雨季的農場看管員呢？到Christian Shearer網站看看去吧！

庫爾特•馮內古特寫過：“獨特的旅行建議是上帝給我們的舞蹈課”。

讓我們跳起來吧！