Volunteering Through Institutions
It is a very safe, but also demanding way for comprehensive exploring a chosen country. In Poland there is a great deal of institutions involved in foreign voluntary work. Generally, most of costs connected with a travel, accommodation, board and insurance cover a chosen institution, and it also happens that participants receive pocket money. Voluntary works last from 2 months even to several years and include a few work hours in weekdays (so, do not be afraid that you will be short of time for sightseeing or entertainment). The biggest advantage is a quite comprehensive learning a culture of a given country and its language. However, a quantity and differentiation of programmes makes that everyone who is willing certainly finds something accessible for him. So, if you only have an opportunity to leave a country for a few months, a touch of altruism in your heart and you are not afraid of challenges – do not hesitate to experience an adventure of your life and find a voluntary work appropriate for you.
- Volunteering – Individual Trip
A barter exchange between private persons. Briefly: in exchange of your work, you receive food, accommodation, and sometime even pocket money. From institutionalised voluntary works it differs that in the contract between two persons there is no intermediary. So, contract conditions, its period, length and safety issues depend only on you and your host… The most popular and the most safe party, allowing for such types of contacts is http://www.workaway.info web service. You can find there thousands of offers from hosts from all around the world who willingly accept volunteers in exchange of doing specific works (e.g. gardening, babysitting, help in renovation, etc.). A service allows for correspondence with chosen hosts, which is a crucial stage of scheduling a travel. The biggest advantage of this type of voluntary work is a complete lack of limitations and conditions which you are to fulfil – all of that is a matter of negotiations with a chosen host.
- Hitch-hiking – SoMany Advantages for So Little
However, if do not want to be dependant so much from third parties and you decide to organise your free holidays on your own there are three basic things you have to take care about: transport, accommodation, food. First of them seems to be problematic: travelling around the world by hitch-hiking is a popular, effective, and generally free of charge method. It is the simplest to hitch-hike across Europe and North America where it is popular, and a view of the backpacker with a thumb up is unmistakably interpreted and kindly accepted. The greatest advantage of hitch-hiking? Getting to know local inhabitants: invitations for a meal or even for anovernight stay in the driver’s home, it is a common, nice surprise, encountering every hitch-hiker. Practical guidelines can be found on the hitch-hikers forums (e.g. http://www.autostopem.net/).
- By Bike or on Food – Without Hidden Costs
If you feel capable, you can literally take a travel on your shoulders. Travelling by bike or on food is free of charge. However, you must be 100% sure that you physically capable. If only travelling on food is wearisome, time consuming and despite of that it has a limited range, by bike you can travel a big part of the world! It is a particular good method, if you want to explore peripheral areas, far from big cities, with a poor infrastructure. By bike you can go everywhere! Take a tent with you and enjoy your full independence during a travel!
- Couchsurfing – Free Accommodation
When you reach a target destination of your travel, the most important issue is to find an accommodation. Is it possible to manage without money? Certainly! Couchsurfing is almost as popular as hitch-hiking, and its principle of operation is very similar: you contact with a chosen people and ask to ensure an accommodation. You can use couchsurfing web sites, from which the most popular and safe are: http://www.hospitalityclub.org andhttp://joomla.servas.org. How does it work? You sign up, chose a location to which you aim and look for hosts who are ready to give you anovernight stay in the chosen term. A selection of hosts is provided on the basis of recommendation of other users and by corresponding with a host, during which you are to determine conditions of the stay. Very often hosts ensure their guests full board. Couchsurfing community is large, and hosts willing to be hospitable to you can be found nearly in each corner of the world!
- House Exchange
It is a variation of the couchsurfing, in particular convenient for families with children or bigger groups of friends. The best web services which help in finding partners to exchange are: https://www.homeexchange.com/en/ andhttp://us.intervac-homeexchange.com/. It is rather a complex agreement and usually requires to sign up a contract determining conditions of exchange. A house for a larger group of people (Your family or friends) in the interesting place, practically for free – it is perfect! You can have a first-hand experience how it is to live at the other end of the world and fully enjoy your independency. But your guests, will be a free a free security company for a left for a longer period of time house and caregivers for plants and pets.
- Tent – Wherever You Want
Travelling with a tent in the backpack is by far the most independent and mobile way of exploring the world. You can put Your small house wherever you want. Unnecessarily it must be chargeable camping areas or camp grounds – it is only important to reasonable select places. In the seaside resorts you can put up a tent on the beach itself (it is important to fold it at dawn) and enjoy a window with a sea view, and in Scandinavia you can count on the invitation to the private gardens and a treat. Requirements: a little bit of good equipment and an experienced company, at least, during Your first travel. If you only do not put up a tent in the city park, you have no reason to worry about police, quite on the contrary – we recommend consulting with them, where to localise your small house therefore you could feel fully safely.
- Free meals – It Is Easier Than You Think
Possible? Yes, but it is very difficult. The greatest chances of success are when you use couchsurfing. It is worth to check up on the above mentioned web sites if there are any strictly food offers in the location chosen by you because sometimes hosts have no conditions to accommodate you but they are willing to invite you for a lunch. Such invitations are also relatively given to hitch-hikers from the convivial drivers or backpackers, kindly hosted by local people. In some cultures, tourists are highly respected and being invited to local home is not a single stroke of luck, but a very popular situation. If there are any cultural events, festivals, openings, etc. in your travel destination – you can frequently count on a free meal.
- Free sightseeing? Yes, it is possible!
This what is the most beautiful you can generally see for free: nature, landscapes, architecture, atmosphere of the local culture, people and their dresses… Certainly, there are flagship tourist attractions which costs a great deal and it is not possible to visit them for free, but this time you can put on the “alternative world exploring”. To do this chose museums, galleries, churches and other historical treasures with a free admission. There is a lot of them! Remember also, that many institutions provides free sightseeing in a given weekday so be sure to include it in your travel schedule! Before going to a specific place invest in a travel guide in which one can find information of this type, and you will save a lot. It is also worth to preview guidebooks, blogs and forums in the Internet dealing with free sightseeing of specific places – because travellers willingly share their experiences, you should find something helpful for you.
Are you ready for a travel for a song? Remember that a knowledge and good planning are the greatest savings. Train your capabilities of free sightseeing for a smaller scale – drop in to Cracow for a weekend and check out if you can manage to see it for a song. Soon, “Cracow for free” guidebook will help you in this undertaking.
