Escape Artist
  • Features
    • Interviews
    • News
    • Field Notes
    • Trending
  • Your Escape Plan
    • Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Second Citizenship
    • Events
    • Shop
  • Destinations
    • Europe
      • France
      • Germany
      • Italy
      • Portugal
      • Scandinavia
      • Spain
      • United Kingdom
      • Rest of Europe
    • Central America
      • Belize
      • Costa Rica
      • El Salvador
      • Guatemala
      • Honduras
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
    • Others
      • Africa
      • Asia
      • Australia
      • North America
      • South America
  • Travel Tips
    • Know Before You Go
    • Packing List
    • Food + Culture
    • Health + Wellness
  • Subscribe
Escape Artist
  • Features
    • Interviews
    • News
    • Field Notes
    • Trending
  • Your Escape Plan
    • Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Second Citizenship
    • Events
    • Shop
  • Destinations
    • Europe
      • France
      • Germany
      • Italy
      • Portugal
      • Scandinavia
      • Spain
      • United Kingdom
      • Rest of Europe
    • Central America
      • Belize
      • Costa Rica
      • El Salvador
      • Guatemala
      • Honduras
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
    • Others
      • Africa
      • Asia
      • Australia
      • North America
      • South America
  • Travel Tips
    • Know Before You Go
    • Packing List
    • Food + Culture
    • Health + Wellness
  • Subscribe
👤

THE NUMBER ONE SOURCE FOR EXPATS, DIGITAL NOMADS, AND DREAMERS.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  • Your Escape Plan

How To Live Abroad For Free

  • BY EA Editors
  • June 13, 2017
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0

Like many twenty-somethings of my generation, I fantasized about traveling the world, living abroad in exotic locations – fearing the concept of feeling tied down. Freedom is the ultimate commodity, more than any piece of tech or monetary sum. Entrepreneurial-minded adventurers are increasingly trading in traditional office jobs for something more adaptable to this on-the-go mentality, “alternative lifestyles,” as our parents might say.

In the age of social media and super-connectivity across the globe, young adults are putting more value on life experience than material possessions – often because we don’t have enough money to buy many possessions. So how can we satisfy our adventurous desire to live abroad and experience the world, while also being able to afford it? It turns out, there is a way.

 

Work in a Hostel

Perhaps the easiest and most convenient way to live abroad for free is to work in a hostel. As a hostel employee, you will be tasked with working the front desk (checking in guests, answering phones, etc.), daily maintenance and upkeep (cleaning the shared spaces, changing sheets, fixing minor damages), managing the books and promotions, or even leading group activities.

Regardless of your specific task, the most important thing about working in a hostel is the free housing – and the joy of sharing a bathroom with 20 strangers! In almost all cases, hostel employees are housed on the premises – some are paid in addition to this, others are viewed as “volunteers,” while others still are given free meals as a payment. In any case, working in a hostel grants you the personal freedom to live anywhere in the world, rent-free. The atmosphere is also perfect for making friends, learning about different cultures, and finding out about local events and activities.

Since hostels are geared towards tourists and backpackers on a budget, they are usually located in city centers or around other main points of interest. This means you can live abroad, for free, in some of the most prized neighborhoods on earth.  Most hostels offer working stints in chunks of a few months at a time, allowing you to live for free in a country without any long-term contracts. This makes it easy to pop over to a different country and do the same thing when you feel the urge to see somewhere new.

Some hostels offer tabs on their webpage to apply for housed positions, while others may provide a general inquiries number through which you can offer your services.

Tight on spending money? There are numerous ways to supplement your free lodging with full or part-time online work, as your hostel schedule sees fit. With a little research and persistence, working in a hostel can be your gateway to near-free international living. 

 

Teach English Overseas

One of the most popular trends in recent years for people to inexpensively live abroad is to teach English in a foreign country. The Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) concept is a win/win for the modern nomad, granting the freedom to live abroad anywhere in the world for free (or very inexpensively) while providing a public service in return.

Many of these programs offer training periods, during which you can get TEFL certified, opening up doors all over the planet for teaching opportunities. They often provide free housing for new teachers in addition to a modest salary.

What’s great about these opportunities is that they are often in exotic or off-the-beaten-path locations (remote villages in Mexico, small towns in Thailand or Japan away from tourist areas), allowing for you to experience, with full immersion, parts of the world that you never had access to before. The bond formed with your students, and the smiles on their faces, will be proof enough that you made the right choice.

 

Trade Labor for Lodging

Riding the coat tails of the boom in popularity of house-sharing companies like Airbnb, similar websites now offer the ability to trade accommodations for labor, instead of money. One of the more popular websites for this service is Workaway, a global cultural exchange company in which volunteers offer a few hours of their day towards helping the local communities in exchange for food and accommodations. “Travel cheaply and stay for free, whilst making a difference to the communities you visit. Put your existing skills to good use, or try something new you‘d never normally get to do and pick up new skills along the way.”

The great thing about trading labor for lodging is the incredible freedom and adaptability that comes with it. Projects can last anywhere from a few days to months at a time, ranging in scale from building schools and cleaning parks to painting a garage or working the front desk at a bed-and-breakfast. There is a project and duration to match anyone’s skillset and commitment levels.

 

Volunteer at a Global Organization

Want to work abroad on an organic farm in Bulgaria? Of course you do! With organizations such as WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) you can live out every little kid’s dream of watering plum trees in Zlataritsa. WWOOF connects ambitious travelers and aspiring green-thumbs with a network of agricultural opportunities across the world, exchanging the manpower for free housing and free meals. If you volunteer in Ireland, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, or Canada, personal accident/liability is covered with your WWOOF membership fee (ranging anywhere from $0-$72, depending on the country).

 

Getting There

While the above options provide some simple ways to live abroad for free (or nearly free), it doesn’t, however, address the issue of getting to these locations. While I’m yet to find a farm-to-airport website, directly trading labor for plane tickets, there are many cost-effective ways to get to your destinations abroad.

Some of the methods above can also be negotiated to cover travel expenses, but other great options include budget airlines like Ryanair and EasyJet, both of which offer incredibly cheap intercontinental flights within Europe, as well as some limited flights to-and-from North America.

 

Make it Happen

In the end, it’s all about desire. If you want to take that leap and live abroad, there are plenty of avenues to get you there. Don’t let the fear of the unknown handicap your dreams. Get out there, see the world up close – you’ll be glad you did. 

If you’re interested in buying a home abroad and want to weigh up your options, visit ECI Developments, who specialize in creating exceptional residence and resort communities across the world.

Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Previous Article
  • Africa

Jean Laffite – a Real Pirate of the Caribbean

  • BY David Steckenreiter
  • April 19, 2017
View Post
Next Article
  • Your Escape Plan

Invest in Colombia

  • BY Brooke Cobb
  • August 12, 2017
View Post
You May Also Like
Buying a Property abroad
View Post
  • Your Escape Plan
Why More Investors Are Buying Homes Offshore
  • BY EA Editorial Staff
  • October 8, 2025
Best Places to Live in Spain: A City-by-City Guide for 2025
View Post
  • Spain
Best Places to Live in Spain: A City-by-City Guide for 2025
  • BY EA Editorial Staff
  • October 8, 2025
Hungarian Citizenship by Descent Journey from Amercia
View Post
  • Second Citizenship
Our Journey from America to Hungarian Citizenship
  • BY Ethan Cohen & Learn Hungarian Anywhere
  • October 1, 2025
The Tale of the Tael - A timeless store of value across centuries
View Post
  • Finance
The Tale of the Tael’s: A Hard Lesson about Hard Money
  • BY Michael Checkan
  • September 24, 2025
Craggy cliffs and quiet harbors frame life in the Isle of Man
View Post
  • Your Escape Plan
Life and Opportunity on the Isle of Man
  • BY Aneesa Marufu
  • September 19, 2025
Central America’s strategic position is reshaping the global offshore banking map
View Post
  • Plan B
The Future of Global Finance Runs Through Central America
  • BY Luigi Wewege
  • September 17, 2025
Tokyo's infamous cherry blossoms.
View Post
  • Japan
How I Built a Life in Tokyo in 3 Months
  • BY Annie Nagel
  • September 8, 2025
Global Diversification Tips from Experts
View Post
  • Plan B
Staying in One Country Could Be Your Biggest Financial Risk
  • BY Isha Sesay
  • September 3, 2025
Trending Posts
  • 1
    • Mexico
    Top 10 Things to Know if You’re Moving to Mexico
    • September 26, 2025
  • Hungarian Citizenship by Descent Journey from Amercia 2
    • Second Citizenship
    Our Journey from America to Hungarian Citizenship
    • October 1, 2025
  • Abkhazia jewel of Soviet summer escapes 3
    • Field Notes
    Secrets of the Soviet Riviera
    • October 3, 2025
  • Summer in Lapland: Lapland’s wild landscapes glow under the endless Arctic sun 4
    • Field Notes
    Before the Snow Falls in Lapland
    • September 29, 2025
  • Onu building with flags under a blue sky in New York 5
    • News
    Latest News: Fault Lines, Flotillas & Frontiers
    • September 25, 2025
Know Before You Go
  • Best Places to Live in Spain: A City-by-City Guide for 2025 1
    • Spain
    Best Places to Live in Spain: A City-by-City Guide for 2025
    • October 8, 2025
  • Expat Child Syndrome 2
    • Wellness
    The Untold Story of Expat Kids
    • October 6, 2025
  • Abkhazia jewel of Soviet summer escapes 3
    • Field Notes
    Secrets of the Soviet Riviera
    • October 3, 2025
  • Hungarian Citizenship by Descent Journey from Amercia 4
    • Second Citizenship
    Our Journey from America to Hungarian Citizenship
    • October 1, 2025
  • Summer in Lapland: Lapland’s wild landscapes glow under the endless Arctic sun 5
    • Field Notes
    Before the Snow Falls in Lapland
    • September 29, 2025
Learn More
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
Why Subscribe

The newly imagined Escape Artist brings you fresh content with a global focus, and sharp, up-to-the-minute coverage of the joys, challenges, and opportunities of life abroad.

For a limited time, we’re offering a special discount on all subscription deals, so be sure to lock-in these incredible savings and start receiving top-notch travel and expat content today!

Sign up for the EA Newsletter

Get important news delivered directly to your inbox and stay connected!

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Escape Artist
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policy
  • Disclaimer

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

Newsletter Subscription
Our Spring Sale Has Started

You can see how this popup was set up in our step-by-step guide: https://wppopupmaker.com/guides/auto-opening-announcement-popups/