The Best Things in Life are Free!

In everyday life we all seem to get so caught up in material things. Whether that be the latest style in shoes, eating at the most popular restaurant or staying in an amazing hotel while holidaying in the current ‘must-see’ location. Yes sometimes having the best, most expensive things in life is really nice. For me, I would love to fly business class on a long-haul flight. The food, the seats, the vip treatment….. but, I digress.

What I have discovered most in my travels is that the best things in life free! There are so many opportunities to take advantage of wherever you are in the world, and experience mind-blowing, fun, amazing things spending very little, if any money at all!

City Walking Tours

I have written about many of the walking tours I’ve been on during my travels and they are an absolute must for me whenever I arrive in a new city. Usually advertised in hostels and known amongst the backpacker community, when I first started travelling I was shocked at how great they were, how only backpackers knew about them and that almost all were free. Usually lasting anywhere from 2 – 5 hours, walking tours are led by an often charismatic guide who has an in-depth knowledge of the city and a great way of delivering historical facts and information in a way that is engaging and fun. During these tours it is very easy to meet and talk with other travellers, often with the tours ending in a lunch or dinner location where those interested can sit down for a meal and discuss their lives, current and future travel plans. As a solo traveller I met many travel buddies on these tours and we ended up spending more days and doing other activities together (Balls of the World I’m looking directly at you!)

At the beginning of the tour the guide will usually introduces themselves, let you know they are not paid by the tour company but are volunteers, the tour does not cost any money, but a tip at the end is appreciated if you feel the guide was worth it. As someone who has very little sense of direction and lives in a perpetual state of lost, walking tours give me an introduction to a new city in a very safe and fun way.

These are some of the best walking tours I’ve done around the world:

• Sandemans New Europe operate walking tours around the world including Paris, Dublin and New York
• Real City Tours in Medellin are so popular you must book for the free walking tour before arrive
• Tour Me Out in Valencia and Barcelona offer both free walking tours, as well as pub crawls and bicycle tours

Museum and Art Gallery Tickets

I’m a lover of art. Having the opportunity to visit some of the major art galleries and museums around the world was something I really looked forward to when I first started travelling. However, often many of the top-end galleries have astronomical entry ticket prices, especially for a backpacker on a budget like me. So I needed to find an alternate way in.

I discovered that many of the largest and most popular galleries around the world offer free or heavily discounted entry on certain days of the week or month, at certain times or, especially in Europe, if you have a student card! Through these offers I have been able to access locations such as Musee D’Orsay in Paris, the MOMA and Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the British Museum in London to name a few.

As an extra tip, if you arrive and notice that there is a ‘Suggested Entry Price’ displayed like at the MET in New York City be aware that this is not the required price. The museum actually gives entry on a donation, which can be whatever amount you like. Last time I visited I paid $5, as a backpacker that’s what I could afford. However the decision of how much to pay is entirely up to you!

Breakfast

I know breakfast might not seem that exciting for some, but when travelling breakfast can be a highly social, enjoyable experience whilst also being free! Many hostels offer free breakfast to their guests and the great ones have a social dining area with one or two large tables for everyone to sit around, encouraging discussion. I’ve lingered over breakfast in many locations discussing my travel path, other places to visit, places to stay, given recommendations and organised activities for later that day with the people I met at breakfast. Not only do you get to fill up your stomach with a (hopefully) nutritious meal, but you also get to enjoy one of the best parts of travelling – meeting others and sharing experiences. This is an element of travel that those who spend all their time staying in hotels miss out on as hotel breakfast is usually not free and is an isolated and lonely time of day if you’re on your own.

Movie Tickets

Coming from Australia, going to the movies is an expensive excursion. Tickets to the big cinema complexes of Hoyts or Event Cinemas cost $20 per person just for the ticket. If we then want to buy popcorn or a drink, two people wanting to visit the movies can easily spend $70 between them. However I’ve discovered that this pricing is not consistent around the world. Going to the movies in other countries is not only more affordable, it is a completely different experience than what we have in Australia. I’ve watched films in the USA, Mexico, Canada, Vietnam, and here in Ecuador for as little as $4 per person. Many international cinemas offer hot food such as pizza, hot dogs and nachos as well as a range of sugary snacks, sodas and sweet tea!

So whilst not ‘free’ as a movie lover the chance to visit the cinema whilst travelling for such a small cost is something so ‘normal’ and yet so exciting. Gathering a group of hostel people together to see the latest film that everyone has been wanting to see anyway is an awesome way to meet friends and have some inexpensive fun. Additionally most cinemas in non-native English speaking countries almost always offer the film in it’s original English language with subtitles, as well as sessions dubbed in the local language.

Theatre Rush Seats

If you are visiting the theatre cities of London or New York and want to see a few broadway shows but can’t afford the $100+ ticket prices, rush seats are for you. Sold at the theatre hosting the performance, you can visit in the morning to buy tickets for a show either that afternoon or night for a significantly reduced price. Usually the rush seats offered are known as ‘partial views’ meaning there may be a pole in the way, or you are in the first or second rows looking directly up at the stage. Do not let this deter you! As most shows run 6 days a week the theatre is very rarely completely sold out. Therefore buy your tickets at a reduced price of $30 – $50 each, take your seat, look around you and see which seats are empty and as the lights dim get up and move. I have seen Pippin, Mathilda and Wicked in New York and London with rush tickets saving hundreds of dollars.

Some of the most popular shows are now also offering their rush tickets through a lottery. The Book of Mormon is almost sold out for almost every performance, so instead of selling rush tickets they run a lottery to deal with the many people looking for an inexpensive way to see the show. The front row seats are specially reserved for lottery ticket winners and as the stage is set back from the seats they are fantastic and not partial view at all! We were lucky enough to win the Book of Mormon lottery on our last visit the NYC. The win allowed us to purchase two front row centre seats for $30 per person, as apposed to the seats behind us which sold for $320 per person! Whilst again this is not a free activity, being able to afford the experience of visiting the theatre whilst in the places known best for live performance is part of the reason to visit in the first place!