If you’re keen to travel, but money is not on your side, then you may be looking for how to get a free holiday.  While at first thought this might seem like an out-of-reach request, there are actually a few savvy ways to bag yourself a free holiday, depending on your circumstances, or you can at least get a free holiday for a family member.  

No matter whether you love the thrill of a skiing holiday, a UK staycation, travelling to multiple destinations or prefer to be at one with nature, there is a way to travel for free that should suit your unique preferences.

Intrigued?  Read on to learn how you could potentially save hundreds, if not thousands, with these free holiday ideas.

Volunteer

While it might not be the dreamy, relaxing holiday you had in mind, you can still travel and see new parts of the world as a volunteer and do something good while away!  

Completely free places will be limited to those with the relevant skill set and will be a more formal arrangement, often with longer durations and even training.  A well-known organisation in the US, for example, would be the Peace Corps.

Another possibility for completely free volunteering abroad with all travel expenses paid could also be as a missionary for your local church.

Get free accommodation (and sometimes food) as a workaway or wwoofer

If you can pay for your travel costs to arrive at a destination, then a great way to get free accommodation, sometimes free food, and to meet new people and learn new skills, is to offer your assistance as a “workaway” or as a “wwoofer”.

Workaway, and many other similar online platforms such as World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF), exist to connect volunteers with hosts that offer lodging in exchange for help on their farm, land or property.

As an example, my brother-in-law regularly used these types of platforms to offer accommodation to people in exchange for their help with building, gardening and other labour as he turned an old stone building in Portugal into an off-grid home and wellness retreat. 

Again, like the volunteering idea, it’s not totally a free holiday as you will be required to work, but with both of these ideas, you will often only work half days or have free days to explore and satisfy your wanderlust!

Free ski holiday places as a group organiser

If you love organising holidays and you love skiing, then it is possible to get some free holiday places for large group bookings.  Many ski resorts and chalets offer a free place per 8 or 10 paying guests.  This is often aimed at group organisers as their incentive for planning a large group booking.  For example, I previously discovered on the ski holiday website sno.co.uk a deal for not just one, but up to two free places for group bookings at Chalet Ammonite. They share many other deals like this, and their experts can help you find a great group deal for your ski party.   

House swap

If you don’t mind strangers in your home, and ideally if you live in an interesting area that people would like to visit, then you could arrange a house swap to enjoy accommodation completely for free.  This is a really affordable way to see another part of the country you live in.  As the name suggests, you swap your house with someone else’s for a holiday!

Even The Guardian has a house swap service where you can sign up to list your home and arrange a swap with someone else on the platform.

While I’m not sure which platform she used, my sister-in-law once took part in a house swap, swapping her home in the Cotswolds with someone in Wales for a week rather than paying for a holiday home.  We only discovered this when we turned up with a birthday present as a surprise, and a complete stranger answered her door, confusing us very much!

Pet sitting

If you are a pet lover, services such as TrustedHousesitters can connect you with pet owners offering their home as accommodation while they are away, in exchange for looking after their pets while they are gone.

You will be responsible for the pets and the home in the owner's absence, however, your free time will be to do as you please.  It can be a great way to travel and see new places on a budget if you are good with animals and dependable.

Kids go free

OK, not totally a free holiday, but often your kids can go on holiday for free!  Many popular package holiday websites offer deals to entice you to book with them, such as free places for children when booking so many adult tickets.

Gran’s go free

Again, a similar offer, but this time “Gran’s” go free!  The offer I’ve seen with Easyjet allows one senior per booking to travel free on a family holiday.  A great way to give the older generation in your life a free holiday, and perhaps some free childcare for you while away, so long as you get along!

Win a holiday

Perhaps the most obvious way to get a free holiday would be to win a holiday in a free prize draw.  This is possibly the only way to get a completely free holiday that would cover all the costs.  Look out for an all-expenses-paid free holiday when entering competitions and giveaways.

Some giveaways may offer parts of a holiday or travel experience for free.  For example, in our Lylia Rose giveaways, we have previously collaborated with travel brands and given away prizes such as a free ski lodge holiday, and in another competition, the prize was a free ferry return ticket. 

Pick a travel-related career

If you love to explore new places, then why not combine your career with your passion for travel?  There are lots of jobs that offer perks such as free holidays or at least heavily discounted rates.  Some examples include:

• Travel agent: Some travel agents will offer staff free holidays so they can familiarise themselves with areas and holidays so they are competent at selling these holidays to customers, having first hand knowledge.

• Travel rep: A travel rep is an obvious choice for being able to live in popular holiday resort locations around the world while getting paid and working.

• Travel journalist: As a part of their job, travel journalists will often be invited on press trips in exchange for media coverage of hotels and other accommodation.  Those working for publications may also have their expenses and other travel bookings paid for by their employer to enable them to write about various travel experiences.

• Travel blogger or influencer: Popular and well-established travel bloggers and travel influencers will also be offered the opportunity to attend some press trips in exchange for coverage on their platforms.  Similarly to journalists, they may also be offered free travel experiences directly with brands in exchange for honest reviews.

• Flight attendant: Working in the flight industry as an attendant can often mean long days flying and in some cases, stopovers. Hotels and meals are often covered as expenses, and while it’s not quite a holiday, it offers the chance to experience new hotels and destinations as part of the job.

There are many other ways to make money and travel too, such as working on a cruise ship, teaching English abroad as a foreign language, being an au pair, or taking seasonal jobs in holiday resorts, ski chalets or summer camps around the world.

Have a real staycation

The term staycation is now widely used to have a holiday in your home country, but for a real “stay”cation, why not stay put?  Be a tourist for a week in your own town, pretend you are on holiday, visit the places you have never been before but always walk or drive past… but stay in your own home!

Camp in your garden

Sticking with this “real” staycation theme, how about pitching up a tent in your own back garden?  Don’t have a garden?  Pop up a tent in your living room!  If you have kids and they love camping and you can’t afford a holiday, then bring the camping holiday to them instead!  

Check out my other tips for how to save money camping!

Wild camp for free

This one will depend on where you plan to camp, as you are not legally allowed to wild camp in England and Wales, but it is permitted in Scotland.  Many European countries are also more relaxed with wild camping and the “right to roam”, so just check the rules for where you plan to visit.

Stay in your camper for free (if you buy a meal)

There’s a growing trend of country pubs with car parks in the UK that allow campervans to stay for free in their car park for a night, provided they buy at least one meal at their establishment.  This is a great deal for campervan owners who plan on buying a pub-style meal anyway on their travels, as they then get a night’s worth of camping for free. 

Resources like The Campervan Bible can help you easily find such locations.

Family Holiday Charity

If you’ve never been on holiday before and you’re a low-income family who cannot afford such an experience with your children, then you may be able to receive a free holiday thanks to the Family Holiday Charity.  Simply apply on their website for a funded break in the UK, which may include travel, accommodation, and basic spending money, depending on your circumstances.

Think outside the box for your next free holiday

As you can begin to see, there are many ways you can get a free holiday, a heavily discounted travel experience, or even ways you can turn your love for travel into a paid career choice.

So, if you want to see as much of the world as possible and experience new places, save this blog post and don’t miss the chance to bag yourself a free adventure!