There are ways to travel to exotic and expensive places without the usual high prices. If you think outside the box and are willing to try an adventure, there are ways to vacation for less.
One cheaper way to be on the coast or in a great city is to house sit, or even care take. House sitting is usually only for a short time up to a few weeks; caretaking is more long term. But, you can use someone else’s house in return for simply looking after the utilities or for more labor-intense reasons from handiwork to garden care to pet sitting. Check out mindmyhouse.com and Caretaker Gazette.
House exchanges are also a great way to vacation for less. You stay at my place while I stay at yours and save thousands of dollars. You can also see the vacation spot from a local point of view and have neighbors that can point out places of interest. This vacation option is popular for long stays as well as for weekends, and exchanges can go international. Check out HomeExchange.com.
You don’t always have to travel alone. When you share vacation expenses, it gets cheaper. There are lots of costs to share: the rent, food, babysitting, and even equipment like skis and kayaks. Think about several families in one house with kids who are friends. You might even get some down time with your spouse while your kids play with their friends and their parents look after them for a half day. Check out homeaway.com.
Don’t forget that you can sell yourself—well, at least your services, as a trade off for travel. Nurses could accompany an expedition in South America, personal trainers or hairdressers could work on cruises, teachers might teach or tutor abroad. Check with your professional trade organization for forums or tips on free travel in exchange for your services.
The newest trend in travel is farm-related travel, and it gets you places you’d never think you could afford. Yes, it can be taxing physical labor, but you also get down time. There are participating farms all over the world. You can also think about staying on on your own time to work neighboring farms or find other jobs in the area. Check out World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms at wwoof.org.
There are ways to see the world. It takes a little imagination so it will cost you less cash.