02 Apr 3 Ways To Travel For Free!
Last year was a big year for me when it comes to travel! As you may see in the video above, I was able to travel to many places at “low cost”. The best highlights are probably the 4 trips I was able to get for FREE (well, all expenses paid)! My friends kept on asking me how I was able to pull it off. In this article, I will cover how to make it possible. (if you stumbled upon this article after my blog post about Istanbul… well, WELCOME!)
I just want to start by saying that traveling for free is not really a thing unless you won a contest!
Press Trips
Press trips are ways for a tourism board or a PR Firm to generate a buzz online and offline about the featured destination. They often cover the airfare, hotels, meals, and activities. They usually invite journalists, bloggers, and influencers to be part of the experience. However, this may sound like a dream but the dream ain’t free! Usually, for a press trip, you have to work on getting the news out either by writing a blog, making videos and more! I personally went to 2 press trips! My first one was in Mexico in collaboration with Interjet. They were looking to bring local influencers from Montreal to talk about the flight experience with Interjet and to document their experience in Cancun. I had a blast!
My second press trip was in Halifax for GM/Chevrolet. This experience was amazing as well, I went with my friend Richard and we did a road trip from Moncton to Halifax. I had to make a vlog for Narcity and you can see it there! Both press trips were great experiences and demanded some work on my end.
Now you may ask, how am I able to get a free press trip? I personally don’t have the perfect answer for this ( or else I would be traveling all year long!) but I know that you need to be credible, an authority in your field and that you fit with the brand image. In fact, it is not only travel bloggers that get invited for these press trips. If you are a car enthusiast, you might get invited to Chevrolet next press trip! Also, foodies and wine lovers get often invited to travel the world to discover new wineries! One thing for sure, you must have influence!
See my vlogs in Mexico here! (with Interjet)
Read more about my experience in Halifax Here! (With GM/ Chevrolet; Narcity Canada)
For Work
It might some obvious but traveling for work is definitely a thing! I remember going to Toronto for my previous job, they would take care of all my expenses for me to meet a client or to attend a conference. However, my trip to Chicago and in Lisbon was for work as well. As you may know, I used to work closely with the American Software App Swishlinks and they would fly me in Chicago when it was important for me to meet with the team! Then Lisbon was for the Web Summit, the best and largest technology conference on the planet. Unfortunately, there’s not much glamor when you have to travel for a conference (if you want to make the best out of it).
When I was at Web Summit for Swishlinks, my mandate was to be a brand ambassador and a networker. I had to talk and spread out the word about Swishlinks to as many people that I could. The first year was a great experience because we were 4. However, the second year, I was exhausted because we were 2 and we didn’t want to take a break! It was our only chance to network with professionals from all over the world during these 3 days and we definitely put in work! (shoutout to my friend Ali!). There are many jobs that will make you travel, just do your research and know that it is not as glamorous that you may think!
Volunteer Opportunities
If you want to travel for free, there are different programs that will bring you places as long as you are willing to work for free. Companies like WWOOF, Turtle Teams, Help Exchange and more could be the one holding your next plane tickets. I personally have no experience in this but feel free to visit CNN website to know more!
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