Free Vacations – Try Couch Surfing, Volunteering

WWOOF, Trade Organic Farm Work for Room and Board

May 6, 2009

Traveling on a budget is not only possible, but fun. In fact, trying these free techniques can be significantly more rewarding than traditional travel.

Opportunities that encompass organic farming volunteer vacations and hospitality exchanges have opened many doors for the budget traveler.

Free travel sounds too good to be true. According to Peter Morici in Online Journal, (March 20, 2009), the U.S. deficit is currently at over $730 billion dollars and millions of jobs have been lost. This leaves little opportunity for people to spend money on luxuries like travel. New venues and ideas have sprouted, though. There are viable ways people can travel for free, or for very little money.

Not only does traveling give a mental, spiritual, physical, and psychological break from mundane living, but the creative travel suggestions presented below offer prospects that expose people to new faces, new ways of thinking, and even new ways of living. These opportunities like farming-specific volunteer exchanges and "Couch Surfing," which relies on the hospitality of others in exceptional ways, open the doors to free travel.

This is, unfortunately, an often missed focal point of travel. Too many people are just focusing on one small aspect of traveling or their particular destination. There is a limited amount of gratification in routine vacations consisting of little more than mainstream amusement parks and overspending to try to escape reality. This leads to an unfulfilling experience and the traveler returns home feeling like they're heading back to the daily grind.

Couch Surfing

This is arguably the greatest asset to enter the travel scene since credit cards. The concept is simple. A database can be searched for people who are willing letting others come and stay in their homes for a few nights. All the details, ratings, and comments for these people are available. Each couch surfer will tell you how many nights are acceptable, what kind of space (couch, extra bed, spot on the floor) is available, and some of their particular habits and interests. Visitors to the site can offer their place too, but it's not mandatory.

There are currently over one million couch surfers listed, in 231 countries. Imagine all the new people and new places one could see! Couch Surfing is truly a wonderful tool for those who can look beyond preconceived, prepackaged travel notions, and start living.

Organic Farming Vacations

World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, or WWOOF, is a excellent resource for planning vacations that make an impact. Their slogan is "living, learning, sharing organic lifestyles." WWOOF is basically an exchange situation. Volunteer work is traded for food and accommodations. However, the volunteer receives so much more, in the way of experience and hands on learning opportunities, not to mention the joy of volunteering. There are organic farms that are looking for volunteers all over the world. This is a unique resource for travelers looking to grow from their vacations, and return home as a changed person.

No matter how poor statistics say the economy is, there are never limits to human creativity and ingenuity. When applied to travel, these characteristics are they key to enjoying thrilling travel, even on a budget.

The copyright of the article Free Vacations – Try Couch Surfing, Volunteering in Budget Accommodations is owned by Dianna Griffis. Permission to republish Free Vacations – Try Couch Surfing, Volunteering in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.