Traveling Without Money: The 5 Tricks of Survival Artists
We'll show you ways to get by on your journey with little money.
Hey, of course, you’ve saved for your trip. And of course, you know how to handle money. But on a trip, a whole bunch of unexpected costs can come your way. Even with perfect planning.
Oh dear! What now?
To ensure that your work and travel trip doesn’t end much, much earlier than planned, we want to share with you what’s financially in store and how to cleverly manage your savings.
Additionally, you’ll get the best (self-tested) ways from us to travel without money. Yep, you read that right: completely for free. Whooop!
Let’s go!
Intro
Way too stingy...
Haha, well, at the beginning of our adventure, we were actually way too stingy with our money. And that often backfired.
Favorite example:
Nils wanted to save the expenses for bus & train (about 4 Euros) and walk every route on foot. The result was that we walked marathon distances every day and were always completely exhausted when we arrived at our destination.
Nils’ reaction:
“Uhm, isn’t it cool like this, or what?”
Anna’s reaction:
“Are you f***ing kidding me?”
Well, later we took the bus too.
Step 1 - Calculate Budget
An overview of how much money you should save for your adventure can be found in our Cost Estimate. However, after your arrival, you should check how much money you actually have to get by with. Here are some tips.
Prices in New Zealand
In general, prices in New Zealand are about a third higher than in Germany. Especially alcohol, dairy products, and good bread are noticeably more expensive. And really good bread is generally hard to find.
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Show Price Comparison
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Show Cost of Living Calculator
Calculate Weekly Budget
Since prices in New Zealand are about a third higher than in Germany, you can simply take your weekly food expenses in Germany and add a third. If you want to avoid the calculations, here are two suggestions from our experience. Hope this helps!
Suggestion 1 - 115 € (per week)
Live Sparingly: With 115 € (approx. $200 NZ) per week, you can get by in New Zealand. But visits to cafes are mostly out of the question.
Suggestion 2 - 200 € (per week)
Live Well: With 200 € (approx. $350 NZ) per week, you can eat quite well in New Zealand. And a visit to the cafe is also doable. Yay!
Okay, now you have an idea of what to expect financially on your trip. That’s important because if traveling without money doesn’t work out, you now have a detailed Plan B.
Step 2 - Plan Expenses
Also extremely helpful to get by with little money while traveling: Think in advance about which larger expenses will come your way. Buying your own car or your planned whale-watching tour can be planned directly. The same applies to accommodations and means of transport: For example, you can often save a lot of money by reserving a place to sleep in advance.
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Tip 1 - Use Cash
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Tip 2 - Cook for Yourself
Step 3 - Travel for Free
First, let’s see what options there are to travel for free within a country from A to B. It’s not that easy because classic options like own car or a bus pass are out.
Option 1 - Hitchhiking
You let other drivers take you from A to B. Important: You have to be aware that hitchhiking always involves a risk.
Option 2 - Vehicle Relocation
You transport a car from A to B and may use it for a few extra days in return. We think: Definitely worth a try.
Experiences and Alternatives
Although we don’t want to generally recommend it: hitchhiking worked really well for us. We’ve heard good things about vehicle relocation from the KiwiQuest community but haven’t tried it ourselves yet. If you have experiences with it, please write them in the comments.
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Alternative 1 - Cycling
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Alternative 2 - Hiking
Step 4 - Free Accommodation
Great, now onto the topic of accommodation: How can you find a place to stay for free while traveling? Not easy, as hotels and hostels are off the table and sleeping under a bridge isn't appealing.
Option 1 - Woofing
With Woofing, you stay in a household or farm. Meals are usually included. In return, you work about 5 hours on weekdays.
Option 2 - Couchsurfing
As long as you aren't bothered by sleeping on a stranger's couch, Couchsurfing is an especially great way to stay for free.
Experiences and Alternatives
We had great experiences with both Wwoofing and Couchsurfing on our journey. The only drawback is that you need to plan extra time for preparation because you have to apply for places with both. If you have more tips on free accommodation, please write them in the comments.
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Alternative 1 - House & Pet Sitting
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Alternative 2 - Hostel Volunteering
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Alternative 3 - Camping
Step 5 - Free Food
Phew, almost done! Now the most challenging topic: How can you eat and drink for free while traveling? Super tough, because it's important to us that health doesn't take a backseat.
Option 1 - Supermarkets
Actually quite simple, but it requires some effort: In many supermarkets, you can just ask if you can take food that would otherwise be thrown away.
Option 2 - Free Food Map
In New Zealand, there's the "Free Food Map". On the Google map, you'll find all the places where food is available for free. For example, wild-grown fruits or vegetables.
Experiences and Alternatives
Eating for free is definitely the biggest challenge when traveling without money. We could only implement this occasionally successfully. If you have any tips and tricks on this topic, please let us know. We’ll gladly include your report in this article.
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Alternative 1 - Samples at Weekly Markets
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Alternative 2 - Free Meals in Hostels
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Alternative 3 - Dumpster Diving
Other - Experiments
Experiment 1 - Life Straw
Pretty much the coolest gadget we've found and tested in recent years. With it, you can drink from any puddle just like that. Seriously! And the water tastes completely normal. We love it!
Other - Self-Control
Well, besides all these options, before and during your trip you should occasionally ask yourself:
Do I really need this?
This question can save you a bunch of useless things and an empty wallet. For instance, before the trip: Do I really need this beautiful new sweater for my trip? Or would it just take up space in my backpack?
Frequently Asked Questions
What other KiwiQuesters wanted to know...
User question:
Is it cheaper to book hostels on site (rather than online)?
What else is there?
We wish you an amazing adventure!
Welcome to Team KiwiQuest!
Team KiwiQuest
