(image credit: Flickr user sharkbait)
Melissa
When I was in college, several people I knew got a lot of free air travel by being couriers. Courier services needed things delivered and would pay someone to fly with them on a commercial airliner and see that they are delivered safe and sound and quickly. Most of the time, they didn’t even have to deliver it to a special location, someone would be waiting at the airport to sign for it. Then the couriers would be free to enjoy the day (or often the weekend)in wherever they were before they had to catch their free flight back home. It’s the kind of thing that would have been fun for a young single college kid. Just getting a random day trip or overnighter to someplace else. I wanted to do it myself and was looking into it, but then I got married. I didn’t want to travel without my hubby and the courier services doesn’t need two people to deliver the same item.
That was over a decade ago,though. I don’t know if in the Post-9-11 age anyone still uses couriers like that or not or if maybe even if they do all the extra security makes it so that it has to be more of a permanent job type thing than just a weekend here and there kind of thing or if the security might just in general make it too big a hassle to be worth the while nowdays. But it might still be worth looking into for some folks.
Max
I’m willing to do just about anything … well… except joining the military.
star4589
I’d love to travel for free to Panama! So far, I’ve just found low airfares via Kayak.com. I’ve heard you can get paid to deliver packages for ‘courier services’ – anyone know the best way to get a gig with them?
Christophe
In the navy
Yes, you can sail the seven seas…
Traveling by cargo is quite cheap and something different too.
JustinButNotTHATJustin
Be under no illusion that sailing abroad is free. There are many many costs, least of all fresh water, emptying sewage tanks, and docking costs. Some Asian ports require a month’s notice before you can dock there and the daily rate for foreigners is out of this world. I’ve heard many horror stories about people not being able to make landfall in a country because the paperwork clearing them hadn’t gone through yet resulting in thousands of dollars in fines.
Luckily my state as many hidden treasures to discover with excellent water-ways and barrier islands. And for my fellow eastcoasters, the IntraCoastal Waterway kicks serious booty.. and it’s FREE!!!
gasser
hey all well i am an egyptian college student and i’m a 19 years old very enthused and willing to travel the world as it’s one of my dreams having the thinking of the world as a very small village and all those people living in it as one family but a bit large enthuses me more and more but i really can’t afford payin gfor that so i’m searching for these free programs and can’t really find any that suits my age,nationality or being free so can anybody please help me with information thanks so so much =]
RyeChasm
The military is no vacation period. You’re the little guy getting yelled at and peeling that potato in the freak-in corner for years. Traveling isn’t cheap or free. You pretty much living on shit fume and in shit-holes. If you’re smart enough, lucky enough, or brave enough to find good fortune for the moment, its not gonna last. Enjoy what good fortune that do come and plan ahead. You’re gonna experience things that’s out of this world and things you probably wouldn’t wish on anyone. When all is done and you’re alive and healthy, we call that experiencing the world. Life is full of the good and the bad. The one who is experienced is the one you goes through enough of the shit-holes and come out alive to tell the story. Not everyone is that lucky people. Most American kids aren’t taught or train to survive shit let alone the real world. So it’s probably a good idea to plan, have some emergency money and most importantly, go with someone who had some experience in this kind of stuff. It is fun be on believe and worth it in every way if you come back in one healthy piece in the end. Have fun, be cautious and good luck.
lance sonson
To travel is my dream to see the world. But for me it’s not that easy. I live on the island of st.john in the u.s.v.i. where things are harder then they should.I have lived on the island all my life and i have gone nowhere . So i am asking for help and advise on to get started and on my trip around the world plaese . THANK YOU
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