Sleeping bags and roasted marshmallows never sound as attractive as Egyptian cotton sheets and room service gelato. But when it comes to saving money and extending your travels for a few extra months, international camping can be far more appealing than you think.
From the most basic tent-in-the-woods experience, to “glamping” (camping with a few more comfortable, glamorous amenities), there are almost no spaces in the world where you can’t sleep outdoors for a night or two. Don’t stress about the quality of your quick-drying towel or your lack of a portable cooking stove. When it comes to international camping, all you really need is a bit of creativity and a willingness to explore the world around you.
Follow this broke girls’ guide for tips on how to camp your way around the globe:
- Find free camping sites. Before you book into an expensive, private campground, find out what free camp sites are available in the area. It’s called “freedom camping” in New Zealand and Australia, a nationally-recognized mode of long-term travel that promotes the use of public conservation areas. In the United States, free locations can be found on Bureau of Land Management land and in some state parks. Resources for free camping abound online: Free Campsites covers North America, while Furgo VW‘s online community maps places all over Europe.
- Buy an annual/seasonal parks pass. In many countries, staying overnight in a national park will cost you twice: once for a camp site and once for park entrance fees. If you’re planning on staying in more than one national park, buy an annual or seasonal pass. Use it every day for a month, or once a month for a year: in the long run, the one-off cost will be sufficiently less than paying per visit.
- Become a camp host. These work-for-accommodation positions require a few hours of help a day in exchange for a camp site. You may be expected to collect site fees from other campers, monitor campground rules and regulations, or even do a bit of bathroom cleaning. While retired couples and ‘mature age’ adults are often preferred as hosts, the job really just requires a good work ethic and willingness to stay in one spot for a few months. Best part? You’ll be the most famous person in the campground.
- Become a camp club member.
The road is your kingdom if you freedom camp around a country. But there are benefits in pulling up to a private site: running water, electricity, a generous neighbor with extra s’more ingredients. It’s a good idea to mix up your camp sites between wild and organized, so you can make the most of that shower block. Joining a camp club – like The Camping and Caravanning Club (United Kingdom) or The Happy Camper Club (the USA and Canada) – promises discount camp site fees, access to special resources and a guaranteed community of other long-term campers.
- Book relocation vehicles. Car and camper rental vehicles are often driven from one end of the country and left at an airport on the other end. In order to get their vehicles back, rental companies offer ridiculously low fares – $1 or $5 a day – and will throw in extras, like ferry passes or fuel credits, to entice drivers to return them. Usually available for a limited number of days, this is a super cheap option for covering big distances quickly. Imoova lists updated deals in New Zealand, Australia, the USA and Canada.
- Share sites, meals and gear. Campers tend to be friendly folk, prone to “Hello’s” that lead to dinner invitations or three-hour conversations over a fire. Whenever possible, save funds by sharing meals and food with others. In places where fees are determined by the number of sites you book and not the number of people on a site, share a patch of ground. Don’t go into debt buying unnecessary gear, but ask to borrow a fishing rod if you’re hungry, or a deck of cards if you’re bored. Sharing can save you funds and lead to new friendships.
- Take advantage of free bins. “Beggars can’t be choosers,” as the saying goes; so, put your pride aside and make the most of free bins. Hostels, rental companies and national parks will have a box of goods that are lost, donated or left behind. Cooking implements, travel gear, literature and maps, even condiments and dry goods turn these into a lucky grab-bag for those willing to have a dig.
- What advice would you give the broke girl going international camping?
~ Until the next adventure! ~ Kelli