Free accommodation and flights in life —— The ways I traveled without spending too much money in those years

Text and photos by /Homebody Who Loves to Travel – Hi, I’m 57

Writing a blog has always been a habit. Looking back, I realized I’ve written more and more about travel, which reminded me that my life—whether during school or work—has always been connected to traveling. I also managed to save some travel expenses through these means. Though not the most practical, looking back, it’s quite interesting. So here I am, sharing the reasons why I could save money on these trips in my life.

1. Student Privilege: Working Holiday is the Most Cost-Effective Way to Travel the U.S.

During my sophomore and senior years, I went on working holiday programs at U.S. national parks and amusement parks. This method isn’t the cheapest, as you have to cover airfare, agency fees, insurance, etc., which added up to nearly NT$100,000 before departure.

But that NT$100,000 got me three months of life abroad. The money I earned during those three months allowed me to explore and enjoy myself in the last month (many people do a full U.S. road trip, but I did the East Coast first and then the West Coast). It was really worth it.

Of course, many factors come into play—like the type of job, living costs, spending habits, etc. Take my time at Yellowstone as an example: once inside the park, accommodation cost $15 USD per week, and meals were $75 USD for all-you-can-eat buffet, both deducted directly from my paycheck. So for three months, I barely had to worry about expenses—I just lived my life. The total earnings over three months were around NT$120,000. Though similar to the initial expenses, I usually used that money to explore the U.S. properly.

After my first job: Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco
After my second job: New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Boston, Orlando

Working holiday is a travel style I’d recommend to anyone for life—but only students can apply (graduate students too!). Though called “travel,” it’s actually a wayto experience life abroadwith lower accommodation and living costs. That’s what I think is the best and most beautiful part of W&T.

2. Work Exchange: Not Just Physical Labor, But Also Free Accommodation

After graduation, I worked at a hostel in Taipei for a while. Back then, I met many friends who came to do work exchange with us. Aside from helping with bedding, we also offered skill-based exchanges—for example, if you could draw, you could spend four hours a day in the lobby sketching for guests and chatting, which would get you free accommodation for two weeks to a month.

I found this idea really fun, so during a career transition, I found a hostel in Hong Kong. After talking with the owner, we decided I’d plan a party for the hostel and handle all the photography and video editing.In exchange, I got about a month’s worth of accommodation..

The event was a success. Many hostel owners are travelers themselves, open to new ideas and love making friends. Though July in Hong Kong was scorching, I got to experience life there, try the food, visit lots of small islands, meet many friends, and endure the rush-hour crowds—it was a blast.

This exchange saved me a month’s accommodation. A bed in a Hong Kong hostel typically costsNT$1000 per night,so 30 days saved quite a bit. Though I paid for my own flights and daily expenses, ifyou want to stay somewhere long-term, work exchange is a great option.Just in Taiwan, many hostels are always hiring. When I went to Kenting, I even became good friends with the local work-exchange helpers (they assist with water sports in exchange for accommodation and even get to hang out and eat with the boss—super fun).

3. Being a Flight Attendant Isn’t Necessarily a Dream Job, But It Does Let You Travel a Lot

I worked as a flight attendant for a year and a half. At the time, I really wanted to give it a try. Was the exam hard? Well, it did require preparation—it was more formal than a regular job interview. The English oral test wasn’t difficult, but since I didn’t speak English often, I had to put in some effort (the kind of chatting you do at a hostel is nothing like answering questions from examiners~~).

Being a flight attendant definitely saved me money on airfare.I took advantage of layovers to explore different places.But this kind of travel happened between work shifts.Some flights didn’t even leave enough time to sleep, so I’d just rest. People often ask whether short-haul or long-haul flights are better. The two major Taiwanese airlines offer both after hiring, with about two to three long-haul flights a month, mostly to the U.S.

The best part, in my opinion:
You get to visitplaces you wouldn’t normally buy tickets to go to.For example, Houston or Surabaya. As a flight attendant, you don’t have much free time, so when you get there, you just follow the senior crew to “must-do” spots—like visiting the NASA museum or riding horses near volcanoes in Surabaya. After a few more flights, you can start suggesting new spots. I never got to experience the cool benefits of booking flights or flying to super unique destinations, but I did save a lot on airfare. That said, for short-haul routes, budget airlines are now so cheap that long-haul flights are more worthwhile.

The decent parts:
Except that sometimes the job is so exhausting you don’t feel like going out (sometimes it’s like rushing to play after work, then having to go back to work right after), and you have limited free time. Your schedule is set by the company, shift swaps aren’t always successful, annual leave isn’t very generous and needs advance planning, plus you have to coordinate with family, friends, or partners.You can only choose flights based on time, not on flexible, money-saving options.

Places I visited for the first time as a flight attendant:Houston, London, Guam, Surabaya, Toronto

4. The Tourism Industry Doesn’t Offer Free Flights, But It Does Have Travel Leave—and Crazy Colleagues

After quitting my flight attendant job, I joineda travel startup.We only sold tour packages, not flights. Back then, the office was always full of different people because everyone took turns traveling.

After joining this company, I dove headfirst into hunting for cheap flights. The one I checked most often wasTaiwan’s Low-Cost Airline Welfare Society.Even if I didn’t check online, colleagues would tap my shoulder: “Hey, flights to Okinawa tomorrow are only NT$2000 round-trip!”

So that year or two became my peak period for buying international flights. I traveled with friends, with my partner, and with family. Here are some of the flights I bought back then (all taxes included; Tokyo and Okinawa included baggage). By the way, colleagues got even cheaper deals—they were amazing. Busan NT$2839, Tokyo NT$6500, Okinawa NT$4000, Bangkok NT$3830, Fukuoka NT$1200. The Fukuoka NT$1200 ticket was from Tigerair, sent in a limited email to repeat customers—so cheap it brought tears to my eyes.

Most importantly, because it was a travel company, the atmosphere was vibrant, and the company alsooffered extra travel leave.Taking leave to travel was more lenient than at other companies, though you still had to finish your work and find a replacement.

Though it might not seem like a huge perk,the flexibility in timing let us snag super cheap flights.Sometimes we could even use employee rates to experience overseas tours. In that year and a half, I traveled abroad ten times, spending a total of NT$31,069 on flights (all within Asia). It was quite the fun experience.

5. Entering Travel Competitions Seems Hard? Yeah, It Really Is

In my junior year, I entered a travel competition hosted by Feida Travel:“European Train Explorer.”The top three prizes were European flights + train tickets. The process involved writing a proposal first, then an interview. I remember writing pages and pages, using Photoshop for the first time after tons of research. When I made the preliminary cut, I almost screamed in class.

Later came the interview. I was with two other girls from the Communications Department—one a sophomore, the other a senior. They’d both made videos and created beautifully designed PTTs. Everyone was super serious and dedicated. I didn’t make the top three, but the competition left a deep impression on me. I spent many nights planning itineraries, exploring unknown Europe online, and using my skills to define a theme that made my proposal stand out.

Later, when I worked at a travel company as a trial-tour participant and even became a judge, I screened hundreds of applicants through short videos, conducted interviews, and even hosted dinners to chat with the selected participants. Everyone was incredibly talented and unique. That’s when I truly realized how tough travel competitions are.

Usually, competition organizers wantpromotional value and the resultingcontent and benefits—like articles, videos, social media exposure, etc.—but they also consider personal traits, communication skills, and many other factors. So the selection process is really challenging.

Once selected as a trial-tour participant, the perks are pretty good—you getfree flights, accommodation, and itineraries.KKday offers unique experiences worldwide: wearing kimonos, making kimchi, riding helicopters, horseback riding, seeing the aurora—basically anything cool you can think of doing abroad. The third edition just wrapped up, and more are likely to come. Follow their social media for updates. Up, up, up.
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This post feels like a life résumé. I’ve quit all the jobs mentioned above. I’m now a freelance photographer & video editor. I’ll share more about the ups and downs of working abroad later (it’s not as fun as you’d think—more like ups and downs and tears).

Life has many phases. Some phases you want to save money, some you just want to go to unexplored places no matter the cost, and some you just want to be with someone you like, no matter where you are.Travel is one way to do that. What you want to get out of it varies from person to person. No one else’s journey is yours. As long as you know and believe in the value that motivates you to go, that’s what matters.All the methods I mentioned above, I actually loved them all because they were all parts of my life’s journey. I’m also grateful I saw the world in so many different ways. I’ll keep doing it, and I hope you find the travel style that suits you best.

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