Is there a way in these grim economic times to still have a holiday without putting your hand in your pocket?
Once, a free holiday was as predictable as picking up the phone during dinner, when a timeshare salesman or questionable club would try to inspire you along to a meeting with the promise of free accommodation.
But can you score a free holiday or something close to it in these days of belt tightening?
The obvious
Of course you can use your frequent flyer points, stay with friends and do free activities when visiting a new country. You can also take advantage of the large number of specials being touted by the travel industry at the moment including two for ones, stay three nights get your fourth night free.
Think outside the box
In order to find yourself a truly free trip, there are options to choose from. You can house swap or if you don't own a house why not visit some of the internet free forums which connect travelers to people who are happy to open their homes for free. People who open their homes for free are often wanting to make connections for places they wish to visit in the future.
Get paid to travel
Find a job that offers free travel. There are plenty of whining business travellers who travel the world on their companies expense account. Perhaps you would like to become a travel writer or a travel agent where you can travel the world for free. Some cruises and tours will allow you to travel free if you organise a large group of people to join.
Sign up as a crew member for chartered sailing trips or entertaining aboard a cruise ship. If you want to travel at sea for free, you could become a Red Cross First Aid instructor. Once you have your certificate, contact cruise lines and commercial cargo carriers and offer your services in exchange for free travel. If you can provide a dummy and basic materials for crew members to learn on, even better. These skills are valuable in a number of holiday companies such as resorts, dive companies and adventure companies.
The world is your oyster, you just need to think laterally and you could find yourself cruising the Bahamas and perhaps even getting paid for it.
if you think working aboard a cruise ship is a holiday - think again! Some jobs require HARD work, far from a paid holiday as most ppl think who have never done it.
Very informative and interesting but some ideas are a little bit risky
This took time from my day that I will not get back! As for the credibility of Yahoo news, the overall effect that trash articles like this have is very damaging. You should consider more than just 'knocking something out' when you write, consider who you are writing for.