Think traveling the world is a pipe dream, with the exorbitant cost putting you off? Well, think again.
A server from New York has revealed how she has managed to globetrot for the past three years across 10 countries, despite earning a low salary and only working part time.
Celeste Cox, 26, reveals in one of her TikToks the secret behind her budget travel, in the form of volunteering.
She explains, while filming from Brazil: ‘I volunteer at different places. It’s a work exchange and usually I volunteer at hostels because it’s a really good way to meet people.’
The avid traveler says that at hostels, she usually works ‘five to eight hours a day, depending on the place’ and it’s generally five days a week with two days off to explore.
Celeste Cox, 26, from New York, recenelty revealed the secret behind her budget travel, in the form of volunteering
Outlining some of the perks of the arrangement, Celeste says: ‘Then they give you room and board and if you’re lucky, you also get meals.’
Along with working at hostels, her TikToks shows her volunteering at a host of other spots overseas, including a farm and a vineyard during a recent trip to Italy.
The American says she books all of her volunteering posts via an organization called Worldpackers.
Touching on the concept, she explains: ‘So you can sign up for a year and it costs $49. Each place kind of entails different things, depending on the place.
‘Sometimes I’ve done cleaning work, cleaning rooms, sometimes I’ve done childcare, other times I’ve done reception at hostels… checking in [guests], checking [them] out… things like that. It’s not that hard.’
Along with Italy, some of the other countries Celeste has visited include Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Panama, Columbia and Brazil.
She told Business Insider that she only intended to travel for a brief period after finishing college in 2021 but she quickly caught the travel bug.
To date, she has done all of her travels with less than $10,000 in her bank account and by working part time on $25 an hour at a restaurant in Brooklyn when she is back in the U.S.
The avid traveler says that at hostels, she usually works ‘five to eight hours a day, depending on the place’ and it’s usually five days a week with two days off
To save money on rent when she is home, she lives with her dad.
The content creator says signing up to Worldpackers is a ‘really easy’ and ‘really cheap’ way to travel, and it’s a good way to meet people.
On the financial side of things, she says sometimes all you need to pay for is your flights because food and housing will be covered.
Worldpackers was founded in 2013 by friends Eric Faria and Ricardo De Lima.
The website describes it as a ‘platform for travelers and hosts, made by those who live and love travel.’
For those considering following in her footsteps, Celeste highlights that there have been some tough moments along the way.
‘I’ve gotten robbed before, I’ve gotten bedbugs many times, I’ve slept on floors,’ she told the outlet.
One of her recent TikToks, which was shot in Sardinia, also shows her volunteering at a farm, where she is concerned about the health of the animals and the difficult interactions with her host.
Despite some lows, she says the overall experience has been worth it.
She concludes: ‘These travels have taught me so much about life and have really given me so much life experience.’
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk