How to travel for free – we can show you!
The Travel Family Guide to get your travel costs down to (almost) free, with tactics we have personally used.
How we travel the world for free: travel, Accommodation and food.
Sounds made up, but let us show you how to get things for free or extremely reduced.
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Check our blog
Check our blog for further information on these topics, aimed to maximise the benefit to you.
Where will your points take you?
For any family, travel is a luxury and isn’t always cheap. On our site we cover day trips that are free, to give you inspiration, but with trips abroad, things can add up.
As a couple, we travelled from day 1, using the cheapest fares we could find. £1 Ryanair flights and cheap hostels. There’s still nothing wrong with this and we would still do it, if it were just the adults. However, with kids, you have to balance cost with ease. This is where we refuse to let costs rule over and battle back!
We have used rewards cards to collect points over the years and earn ‘miles’. It has helped us fly business class to Finland for our Lapland adventure, South of France, Italy and many more. This page is our way to show you how to set yourself up success.
Here’s our three key cost saving steps!
Travel for free
We have used this method to fly business class – yes, all four of us – with no real extra effort.
💳 Use Avios Points for Flights & Eurostar
One of the easiest ways to travel for (almost) free is by collecting Avios points — the rewards currency used by British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, and even the Eurostar.
How Avios Work:
- Collect points through spending on a British Airways American Express card or Avios eStore purchases
- Use Avios for:
- Flights on BA, Iberia, Aer Lingus and more
- Eurostar journeys from London to Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and beyond
- Flight upgrades, seat selection and baggage
✅ Tip: Book off-peak flights and choose “Reward Flight Saver” options to get maximum value. You’ll only pay a small fee in taxes.
👉 Need help getting started? Check our guide to Avios for Families.
👉 Sign up for a British Airways Executive Club to start collecting.
personal viewpoint on Avios
Let’s get some mythbusters to get out of the way:
- They are not accepted in any shops I use.
- FALSE: While it obviously depends on what shops you use, we use ours in: Aldi, Sainsburys, eBay, Amazon. From fuel, to weekly shop and anywhere online that uses Paypal, you can use!
- There’s a high annual fee – it’s not worth it.
- FALSE: One of our cards has a zero annual fee. Sure, there are those with fees, but there are different cards, for different people.
- Rewards card are only for high spenders.
- FALSE: a limit will be set and you can pick up flights for a few thousand points.
HomeExchange is one of the leading platforms and you need to verify your account before accepted. This gave us the peace of mind to exchange, as others will had the same checks. The most amazing thing though, the amount of interest we had. Our house is not wow, but we posted why tourists may want to visit. We average 3-4 enquiries each week!
Accommodation for free
🏡 Stay for Free with Home Exchanges
Accommodation is one of the biggest costs of any family trip — but what if you didn’t have to pay at all?
With platforms like HomeExchange, you can swap your home with another family, saving hundreds (or thousands) on hotels or rentals.
How HomeExchange Works:
- Sign up and list your home (you don’t need to live somewhere exotic!).
- Browse available homes worldwide — from Paris to the Pyrenees.
- Exchange either directly or using GuestPoints (like travel currency)
💡 Many families love this option because it comes with kitchens, toys, and space — ideal for travelling with kids.
🔗 Check out HomeExchange.com for more info.
personal viewpoint on HomeExchange
We were amazed at how many people wanted to stay at our house, but also how many places we wanted to stay!!
Let’s get some mythbusters to get out of the way:
- I don’t live anywhere interesting, nobody will want to exchange.
- FALSE: It is extremely unlikely that nobody will wat to stay. Even if you live somewhere you consider ‘boring’, others will find interest. We have had a LOT more interest that ever expected.
- It’s highly risky – it’s not worth it.
- FALSE: HomeExchange provide great support and suggestions for those concerned.
- Someone is in my house, it will be awful.
- FALSE: you are also in their house, don’t forget! Remove anything of high value or sentimental, just in case. Exchangers, have ratings, so you can see reviews on them from others users, to give extra assurance.
We have snapped up some tasty treats, with a few minutes on the app and saved £$€ as a result.
🍽️ Get Discounted or Free Food While Travelling
Even meals on the go can add up fast — but there are clever ways to eat well without spending full price.
Try These Apps & Tips:
- Too Good To Go: Rescue unsold food from bakeries, restaurants and supermarkets — for as little as £2–£5 per meal. Available across Europe.
- Olio: A community food-sharing app — neighbours and local businesses offer free surplus food.
- Markets & Bakeries: Shop just before closing time to grab heavy discounts.
- Self-Catering: Book places with a kitchen (home swaps, apartments or family-friendly hotels) to cook some meals in.
🍩 We once picked up a full bag of pastries in Paris for €3 using Too Good To Go — perfect for breakfast the next morning!
👉 Want more food savings? Visit our Budget Family Food Tips.
👉 Or check out Too Good To Go to get started.
personal viewpoint on TooGoodToGo
There is some luck about it, but you can make some serious savings!!
Let’s get some mythbusters to get out of the way:
- It’s food we won’t like.
- FALSE: Order from a restaurant or outlet you like. If you like cakes try things like Starbucks. If you prefer Italian food, try Prezzo or other local Italian restaurants.
- It’s inconvenient – it’s not worth it.
- FALSE: You get a slot to collect and save about 2/3 of the cost in doing so, allowing you to plan AND save – result!
- It’s all out of date.
- FALSE: Not at all. The app helps shops sell food before it goes to waste, usually at the end of the day. Sellers also get reviews, so will look to avoid bad reviews.
Add a free holiday to your plans!!
