Travel Without Money? Adventure? Pt 1

Travel without money poses challenges that make holidays more fun, or so says Mark Boyle. Whatda ya reckon? Could you attempt one of these ways of lessening costs and maximising resources?
A sense of adventure will pay your way to
interesting
places while meeting inspiring people

How to live a cashless life without starving
My year of living without money

Limit your ecological footprint, without padding the pockets of the airlines.

Mark writes, "To say that travel is the luxury – and not necessity – of the fossil fuel generation is an over-simplification. Globalisation has rapidly scattered close family and friends across the world, and the increasingly stressful jobs we seem to create for ourselves often mean we "need" to get away from it all, regularly. These holidays are often paid for on credit, resulting in even more stress once the fun is over, perpetuating the need for more temporary freedom and debt in the future.

Although this is all very understandable, our collective contribution to climate change through the way we travel is astronomical. Travel does not have to cost the Earth – or even money. There are two main expenses: getting somewhere, and staying there. To save yourself both of these, the only prerequisite is a sense of adventure.

If you are happy to holiday in the fantastic countryside between big cities, walking and cycling are fantastic options. They'll keep you fit and, ironically, ensure you return home more energised than when you left. And if you keep up the habit, they'll also save on a gym fee into the bargain. I have friends who drive to the gym and get on a bicycle machine for 45 mintues before driving home! I often joke that they should save themselves the gym fee, the cost of the fuel, car tax and insurance, MoTs and just cycle to the gym and back without going in.

To make walking not just cheap, but not completely free, you're going to have to make your own footwear. My favourite are flip-flops made from old car tyres, used bicycle tubes and organically grown hemp. To make cycling free, pick up used parts (that are destined for landfill but are still usuable) from your nearest bike store, and get someone from your local Freeconomy Community to show you how to fix it for free. I use a dynamo to save the cost of batteries to both my pocket and the planet, and puncture-proof tyres to make sure I'll never need disposable repair kits again. Getting yourself some panniers will save you a sweaty back and make it much more enjoyable.

You rarely see people hitch-hiking these days, but it's such a fantastic way to journey: you get to meet the most interesting characters, you reduce your carbon footprint, get lots of fascinating local knowledge the guidebooks will never divulge, and you don't have to spend a single penny on transport. Almost all of my favourite times adventuring have involved hitch-hiking, and I'd often end up having the most incredible experiences in places I'd never even intended on going. If this sounds a bit too risky (in terms of time and personal safety), then go online for some formalised hitching, by using schemes such as LiftShare and CarShare. I cycle lots and my observations while on the road reveal that around seven out of every 10 cars that pass me have only one person inside. This isn't just ecological lunacy, it's idiotic organisation.

Check back tomorrow for accommodation options or go to Mark's article at The Guardian.

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