Travel Freebies – Find a Free Place to Stay

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What keeps people from traveling? To travel means to discover, see, and feel unique and challenging things you’d otherwise never experience. So why not? Two words: time and money. Sometimes it’s just money, but as the common phrase goes: Time IS money.

I’ve driven across the country by myself and stayed for months in Europe. If you grew up on the East coast, a visit to the dry, desert West is like another world. If you grew up in the flat Midwest, a mountain drive in Oregon or California is really breathtaking. Life is short, folks… and you only get one shot.

So I’m here to show you three websites that will hopefully blow away some barriers to your adventures beyond the comfort zone:

CouchSurfing.org – Click and take a peak. What do you see? No sales pitches, no discount banner ads, and no touched up palm tree resorts. What you actually see are real people, who are members of the couch surfing community. Essentially, CouchSurfing.org serves as a networking hub for people to host and/or be guests at private residences – instead of paying for pricey, sterile hotel rooms off a free way. If safety is your concern, Courch Surfing uses credit card verification and implements a comprehensive feedback system. They boast 1.3 million members. Browse the site to read FAQs, testimonials, and stories. Membership is free!

HomeExchange.com – Home Exchange is a bit more structured. You pay a yearly membership fee. With this, you can literally swap “residences” with other members. How about a home for a yacht or letting someone travel in your RV while you relax at their Italian villa? These are real examples. Normally when you travel, you pay for lodging while your permanent residence remains unused. With Home Exchange, you can radically alter your experience. Imagine the cost of a hotel for a week in Europe compared to staying for months in someone’s urban condo or country villa for free!

Intervacus.com – Intervac is another home swapping service similar to HomeExchange.com. They boast being the oldest and most trustworthy service (founded 1953). They also claim their exchange listings are of a higher quality and more true to the residence-for-a-residence. They feature rentals in their listing, but focus strongly on real ‘home for a home’ exchanges. I have a particular liking for searching their results. I can easily hover over to view photo galleries of homes inside and out all around the globe.

With respect to Home Exchange versus Intervac, it will come down to personal preference. Both are very good, but some may only list their residence in one or the other. Since both charge a yearly membership fee, compare them according to your own preference. The fee is still chump change compared to traditional lodging costs.

So, I hope you’ve learned new ways to travel when budget issues would otherwise stop you. Focus less on the $, and more on the life-changing, adventurous, spiritually renewing journeys across the globe!