By Salihu Ibrahim

In some parts of the world, there is a ritual that most high school students dream of; to travel the world with just a backpack for luggage. Since these children are still probably in their teens, they rarely have any money to spend on travel or accommodation. So they are forced to find ways to live on next to nothing.

That is how the “Lonely planet Guide” for travelers on a budget came into existence. When Tony and Maureen Wheeler got married, they found that they didn’t have enough money to go on a honeymoon. They went ahead anyway,  planning to cross Europe and Asia as well as travel to Australia, on a shoe-string budget. It took them several months, but they did it. This experience inspired them to help others in the same situation, in the form of guides, the first one of which was “Across Asia on the Cheap”. Visit http://www.lonelyplanet.com/ for more information on these guides that offer advice on free or cheap accommodations and forms of conveyance.

Currently we have several methods of cheap travel including free accommodations in various countries. Global freeloaders (http://www.globalfreeloaders.com/) is an online community that bring together people who prefer to live in free accommodations when they travel. This site was created by Adam Staines, an Australian citizen who decided that in every destination, there will be hundreds of generous, kind people who would host tourists for free, even offering them food and other assistance. On this site, you can become the host and guest so that when people require accommodation, you can offer it (as a host) and when you plan to travel, you can request accommodation from others who will then host you! A true give-and-take situation. The only considerations are that the guests behave in a decent manner and that both guest and host can take as much time to become familiar before they avail of the exchange. There is no charge for this service and it is based on cross-cultural respect and an eagerness to travel and meet people in peaceful, harmonious ways.

Place2Stay ( http://www.place2stay.net/ ) is another site where we can register to find free accommodations. This site, too is free and can hook up guests and hosts together in all parts of the world. There are databases to search and tools such as Maps, currency converters and information such as holidays to consider before prepare your itinerary.

Chat rooms, forums and a FAQ will help you to get accustomed to the rules and regulations which keep these exchanges running smoothly except for occasional glitches.

Again, this site runs on nothing but the love of travel and the eagerness to blend cultures together into a seamless Universe.

Stay4Free (http://www.stay4free.com/ ) is another such site that has huge databases of people who are willing to host penniless travelers for free. Here too, you can perform home exchange, house swap between citizens in different parts of the world. You can execute vacation swaps or holiday accommodation by utilizing the vast international databases at the site.

The hospitality club is a site (http://www.hospitalityclub.org/) that brings people together and helps them find free accommodation. Membership is free and there is a huge database of people interested in traveling inexpensively.

HomeExchange.com (http://www.homeexchange.com/ ) is another website that allows exchanges between families who would like to exchange homes for vacation. This site, however, charges a fee for the same service.

Iclubs is an organization that helps people backpack through the world using online requests http://iclubs.iagora.com/europefree/index.html . This site is mainly for finding free accommodation in Europe.  This site also helps find internships and other jobs for students and young graduates. iWork, iStudy, iHotels, iTravel etc  also offer assistance to people all over the world to find study abroad programs and even job offers through this site. There are two levels of membership; free and premium categories.

Free-Stay (http://www.free-stay.com/html/how_to_find_free_accommodation.html) also helps travelers with hotel swaps, free stays and travel help in 45 countries around the world. When members request free accommodation, this site finds three suitable matches from which the member can choose. This is a secure way of finding accommodations and also allows the members to get acquainted by email before meeting face-to-face.

Yet another way of getting free accommodation is to work for rent. New Zealand website http://www.fhinz.co.nz/ assists farmers in that country to get help in their chores by allowing visitors to help around in exchange for free food and accommodation if they work 4-6 hours a day. For most jobs, you don’t need any experience, just a willingness to work hard. The jobs range from tilling the soil to babysitting children or animals.

There is also a wiki that takes us step by step on where to find free accommodations. http://www.wikihow.com/Exchange-Your-Home-for-Free-Vacation-Accommodation/  helps us to first search the internet, then narrow the list to only the countries you are interested in and ways to prepare your house for a guest who will be using it while you are away.

http://ArtofTravel.com  is another site that  helps people find hostels, hotels, private homes, campground, palapas (tents with hammocks) for use by travelers. Some countries consider travelers to be God in disguise. They believe that God comes down to earth to test whether we are good Samaritans. Some of these folks have permanent hammocks hanging inside or outside their homes which are very convenient in hot, humid climates.

There are also many study abroad programs that will enable students to get grants or loans to travel across the world or work in a country that is alien to them as a learning experience. If this study experience is part of the coursework in a reputed college, then the accommodation is usually free because it’s paid for by the university.

Peace Corps http://www.peacecorps.gov/   is a job that you can volunteer for that will enable you to travel and stay in another country. It has a minimum requirement of 27 months.  http://volunteerabroad.com also works in a similar way but has fewer rules and restrictions.

Some charity organizations (http://www.totaljobs.com/JobSeeking/job32784808.html ) recruit people to work as roaming fundraisers. They will be provided accommodation and transport for free as well as in some instances, weekly salaries! Passionate youngsters with good personalities speak to hundreds of people raising money for charities such as Oxfam, Amnesty International, WorldVision and Shelter.

Summer jobs for students http://www.summerjobs4students.co.uk/  is a site with a search engine that allows students to find jobs that in some cases offer free accommodation in UK, France, Italy or Spain.

Bon Voyage!

See related articles.

• October 24, 2011 -- How to save cash when booking a hotel room. (9)
• September 9, 2010 -- What do to in case of an emergency or crisis when you are traveling abroad. (0)
• March 31, 2009 -- How to rent lodging in foreign countries for only a few dollars a day. (0)
• June 14, 2010 -- Tips for searching and bidding for hotel rooms online. (0)