“Free” and “cheap” seem to be the theme of the site this week, which is probably a reflection of the pitiful state of my bank account (do airlines really need to charge for their tickets?). There are plenty of options for cheap travel, from hostels, street food and just plain mooching, but there are also plenty of better alternatives.

Budget Travel, staying true to their name, has 9 tips for traveling free, including such far-flung proposals such as: #7 — helping out at a farm (depends on what type of farm don’t you think? Is this a quaint, cheese-producing, quirky neighbor-type farm in the South of France or is this a manure farm in Missouri? Big difference), # 2 — volunteering at a hiking trail, or #1, 3, and 6 — crash at someone else’s pad (couchsurfing.com, “Home Swapping,” and sister-city exchanges). The last couchsurfers that stayed at my house gave me a bottle of ice wine, some homemade jam, and an invitation to stay at their — probably much nicer — place any time. What better way to travel?