How To Travel Around The World - Almost For Free

These tips are a must-read if you are looking to trot through the globe

The author in Macchu Picchu, Peru. (Photo courtesy: Sachin Bhandary)

I’d left my home in Mumbai to fulfill my dream of taking up challenges and travelling around the world. A little over a year later, as I look back, I am grateful for having led this life. Despite my fair share of ups and downs, it has been no less than a dream.

My journey began with riding non-stop on 25 trains in 25 days in India, followed by Thailand where I learnt rock climbing. From there to visit ex-war sites in Northern Sri Lanka and then to Brazil to explore a mystical religion called Candomble. And that’s not all - I celebrated Christmas by participating in a fighting festival high up in the mountains of Peru. It is certainly the weirdest cultural event I have ever been to.  

A glimpse of the Lost City in Colombia (Photo courtesy: Sachin Bhandary)

When people listen to my stories, they assume that I have really deep pockets. The fact is quite to the contrary. I just employed a few innovative ways to make it happen.

Here are some tips to help you live your dreams!

The Chapada Diamantina in Bahia, Brazil (Photo courtesy: Sachin Bhandary)

Host Some Traveller Dosts!

A few months before I left home, I started hosting travellers at my own apartment. Slowly, it started getting busy with like-minded travellers. My mother agreed to continue to host them and that helped start off my journey.

I managed the technical details and who we accepted as guests, while my mother played the gracious host.

In the first five months of 2016 itself, we managed to earn more than Rs 1.2 lakh through our listing on host sites - an average of around Rs 25, 000 per month, which in turn provided fuel for most of my travel.

A glimpse of Quito, Ecuador (Photo courtesy: Sachin Bhandary)

Build A Travellers’ Network

Apart from the money, hosting travelers from different countries like China, USA, Colombia, Mexico and others, helped me train myself for a long term trip. I also made friends all over the world who shared my passion for travel. These friends connected me to their friends in other countries and I always knew someone before I arrived in a city as a stranger.

The incomparable Machu Pichu (Photo courtesy: Sachin Bhandary)

For anyone who has extra space available in their house (or even an extra home) and are willing to meet travellers from across the globe, this is a great way to generate income while traveling.

Hosting was the single biggest factor that made my trip possible. Living with locals was also a great way to travel at a reasonable cost and garner great experiences.

Living with locals also is a great way to travel at a reasonable cost and to get great experiences.

A storm breaks over Railay in Southern Thailand. (Photo: Sachin Bhandary)

Be A Wordsmith

One of my deepest passions is to narrate unique stories. And this is probably the reason why I travel to places and experience things that people usually do not consider. So it just made sense to dabble in freelance travel writing.

Sure, becoming a freelance writer is easier said than done. Sourcing contacts, pitching ideas and getting articles commissioned are no easy tasks.  

Also payments can vary wildly per word, but it does give you some income and the opportunity to work on bigger collaborations. And after one year of being regularly published, the satisfaction trumps the hard work.

A breathtaking sunset in Railay (Photo courtesy: Sachin Bhandary)

Work On the Go

Even with hosting and writing, it would have been impossible to fund my travels if I wasn’t leading a frugal lifestyle. My monthly budget of Rs 40,000 (which included food, travel and expenses for experiences) helped me keep my expenses in check.

I only bought things which were absolutely necessary, cooked wherever possible and helped others in exchange for money (like giving private English lessons in Brazil). Apart from this, there are thousands of young people who are working while traveling, volunteering on farms using Wwoofing (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms), and others are using their skills and passion like cooking or creating art to make money on the road.  

Like they say, where there is a will, there is way. The question is whether you are going to find a way, or an excuse. I’d rather have you find a way, so we can meet somewhere on the road.

The author at Tonsai, Thailand (Photo courtesy: Sachin Bhandary)

(The author is an ex-PR professional who quit his job to travel the world and take up challenges. You can follow his eccentric experiences on Facebook, Twitter and on www.eccentrips.com)