Ways to Get Free Lodging When Traveling on a Budget

Gas, lodging, and food - those are the three essentials while road-tripping. And lodging is easily the most expensive of the three.

Even campgrounds, which are supposed to be cheap, now often charge $30 or $40 a night! That adds up really fast when you’re traveling on a small budget.

Luckily, there are a few ways to see the country without having to pay for lodging, especially if you have a flexible schedule or are willing to put in a little work.

As a quick note, these methods really only apply to couples or solo road-trippers. If you’re traveling as a family, most likely none of these options will work for you.

Work Exchange Programs

The first way to get free lodging is through work exchange programs. It’s not as bad as it sounds—and there are a lot of different opportunities out there.

For example, you could be a ‘workamper,’ which is someone who works part-time at a campground in exchange for a free site. (And sometimes additional pay.) During my road trips, I’ve met workamping couples who actually live in campgrounds all year round. They typically stay in each campground for a few weeks or months before moving on. While that might not sound too appealing for tent campers, it can be a pretty nice arrangement if you have an RV!

If you’re interested in becoming a workamper, check out the job listings on the Workamper News website.

Worldpackers is another website where you can find all sorts of volunteer opportunities in exchange for free lodging. Sometimes free meals are included too, which is really helpful if you’re traveling on a budget. You can find all sorts of work on Worldpackers - from hospitality jobs at a hostel to farming work to remodeling a house. It’s a great alternative to workamping if you like to have a roof over your head.

example job listings on Worldpackers

House Sitting

Work exchange programs are a great way to get free lodging when you’re traveling on a budget, but they involve, well—a lot of work!

If you want to have more time on your hands for sightseeing, house sitting is another way to get lodging for free. You will need to start by setting up a profile on Trusted Housesitters or another house sitting job site. Once you’re verified, you can start looking for house sitting jobs in locations you want to visit. Many house sitting jobs include pet sitting as well, so you will have more options if you like caring for pets.

House sitting can be pretty competitive though, so it can be tough to find a sit that works for your trip timeframe. It also takes time to build credibility and add to your profile. So this is a really hit or miss method.

Van Camping/Car Camping

Finally, for those who don’t mind sleeping in parking lots and pull-offs, there’s always car camping.

As someone who has spent a month living out of a minivan, I can say it definitely offers the most flexibility. You’re not tied down to a part-time job at a campground, or a pet you have to care for while house-sitting.

Car camping is also completely free…if you’re fine with sleeping at rest areas, gas stations, and Walmart parking lots. When I’m traveling, rest areas are my go-to home away from home—with bathrooms, vending machines, and sometimes wifi and free coffee. In many of the western states, you can also camp for free on BLM land.

When van/car camping, you can park and sleep pretty much anywhere, as long as you make sure it’s a safe location. But you have to be able to deal with living out of a very small space. Even if you have room for an air mattress in the back of your van, it’s still going to be cramped.

If none of these options work for you, there are still other ways to minimize your lodging costs! For example, hostels are not as popular in the United States as they are in other countries, but some cities and major destinations still have cheap hostels nearby. Of course, if you don’t mind primitive camping, there are many free dispersed camping areas spread throughout the country. Always take the time to research available lodging options before you take off on a road trip, and you might find an opportunity that works for you!