In American society trading things is mostly for kids. Here in the USA we mostly use cash to pay for goods and services. But – its not always the case that you need currency to get things when you’re traveling.
If you’ve got the magic touch negotiating touch, you might consider going back to basics. That’s right – good old fashioned barter. For those adventurous individuals, there are a number of things you might consider trading to supplement your travel experience and improve your bottom line.
Some of the skills you might consider trading are:
English Lessons – English is still a dominate language for trade and culture.
Yoga Lessons – Helps to be more advanced or certified as well.
Exercise – General fitness trainer, cardio, volleyball, etc.
Cooking Lessons – For example, think of teaching how to make comfort foods or the like.
Labor – we have a good friend Levi who planted trees and picked fruit in exchange for free accommodations in Australia.
Transporting Drugs – On second thought – don’t do this. It’s a good way to end up jail.
For longer term travel you can also try things that are related to your field of work. For instance, one of James’ moms is a doctor and traveled the world for a year tapping into work with local clinics. Once you’ve been an area longer, it might also be feasible to give tours of things you know folks would be interested in. For example, some anthropologists have given tours of indigenous persons villages in exchange for free travel.
We admit his option won’t be for those folks who aren’t willing to step out on a limb and go for it. If you want a vacation without a lot of fuss, go spend the money and work when you are back home. However, if you want some adventure, bartering to supplement your costs might be right for you. Also if you’re looking for an unconventional way to meet people while traveling, this is a terrific idea.
Good luck with all and we’d love to hear if folks have had success with trades in the past.
Safe travels!
Miel
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