By Tom Thumb, Posted Dec 03, 2006
Sections: Travel Free Intro Hobo Tactics Tao of the Broke Traveler Sleeping in Nature Sleeping Rough in Towns and Cities
No money, no worries
It’s not always easy but travelers from Jesus to Jack Kerouac did it.
Millennia before the Lonely Planet claimed to show travelers how to ‘travel on a shoestring’, people had long been hitting the road with barely enough bread for that day. Whilst we now live in the age of consumer travel, the greater part of travel has always been hand-to-mouth and, in fact, continues to be so – ask any immigrant who just jumped the fence into the First World.
If it’s true that the best things in life come for free, it’s even more to the point that the best things in life can’t be sold. And if no one’s making a buck from passing on the info, you often won’t get to hear about it. Thus, leave it to the good-hearted folk at Road Junky to tell you how to travel for free.
We ought to point out, however, that whilst it is possible to travel the world without any money, it’s not necessarily all that much fun. There will be hard times and you’ll find yourself wondering just what you’re going to eat later that day. At the same time, once you hit rock bottom there’s a certain comfort in knowing that things can’t get much worse.
In fact, once you’ve got into the swing of traveling with no money, you may run the risk of becoming too proud. You’ll have crossed the barrier of fear that keeps most backpackers with one eye on their dwindling budget and only one eye for the road.
But hand to mouth travel is no better or worse than any other way of getting around the planet and you’ll have totally missed the point if you end up feeling superior about what a hardcore traveler you’ve become. Traveling without money is a humility trip.
We once heard that the best way to travel for free was to be a woman. That way everyone invited you to do stuff for free everywhere. The trick of course was to avoid the anticipated sex afterwards. Apparently the trick was to travel with another guy who could be a fake boyfriend when required.
Remember that travel is about give and take. If you travel hand to mouth then you will be receiving a lot of help and kindness from people along the way. Do your best to make sure you have something to give also, be it a song, a story or just lots of really positive energy.
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