How to Travel the World for Free--Part 2

Greetings Fellow Travelers!


Welcome back! It's good to see you! My name is Micaela aka the Miraclecatcher. Each week, I am sharing my secrets on traveling for free. After 25 years and 50 countries, I have a lot to talk about.  


Thank you to all the people who read my first blog post last week--readers from 26 countries united in their love of travel. WOW! I am so excited! 
This week I have added some new and exciting things to the blog. I will not only be sharing 2 new travel tips, but also highlighting one of my favorite countries, and giving specific instructions on how to take better photos. Are you ready?  Let's get rolling!!


If you like what you see, please click on this "Like" button to share on Facebook! 

Travel Secret #4


**Get a Scholarship to Study Abroad***


In 1990, I received a scholarship from the Rotary International Foundation to be an Ambassador of Goodwill for one year in Italy. The scholarship paid all of my school fees, food, lodging, and travel expenses. I am very grateful to the Rotarians that sponsored my trip, especially to the members of the Santa Barbara and Milan Rotary Clubs. Each year, thousands of dollars of scholarship money goes unused. Check out this site to view some of the many scholarships available by region and topic. http://www.studyabroadfunding.org/ 


As an exchange student in many countries, I learned so many valuable things, such as communicating in different languages, adapting to cultural differences, how to handle challenges, and that people on this planet are fundamentally the same. Most importantly, I want to emphasize that scholarship money is out there and available. So use it! Many of the students that I teach in the USA are here because of government scholarships..


What skills will you need to get a scholarship? Most importantly: a passion for learning, a specific goal, and a love of people.  When I applied for my scholarship, I wrote several essays, did a personal interview, and chose the topic I wanted to study. Whatever your passion, there is a scholarship out there for you.  But you must be willing to ASK, ASK, ASK!   
Gandhi said, you don't G-E-T, if you don't A-S-K!
 It is all about having the courage to go out there and seize the opportunities. ;-)


Travel Secret #5


**Get a Corporate Sponsor***


There are some really cool ways to travel for free with a corporate sponsor. As long as you showcase their brand, companies will pay you to move around the world and advertise for them. Cool, huh? 


Let me tell you some of the most creative ways I have seen this in action: 


Take my friend Jamie Bianchini who cycled through 81 countries. He got Panasonic and some other big companies to sponsor his ride. While traveling, he saw some amazing scenery and met some wonderful human beings who rode with him on the back of his tandem bike. Check out the map of his journey on http://peacepedalers.com/. 


Some other innovative ways I have seen are: A Range Rover jeep covered in logos traveling from Alaska to Argentina or this minivan carrying research scientists from Italy to China. Check out the their adventure: http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?cl=22684835. 


If you are riding a bike, driving a car or motorcycle, or even flying a glider plane, you can get paid for wearing/displaying a logo! After all, this strategy benefits both you and the sponsor. You get to travel for free and they get easy advertising and good press. Win-Win!! 


Travel Spot of the Week: 


***Angkor Wat, Cambodia***


Each week, I will introduce you to some of the most beautiful and miraculous places on our planet. This time, I choose Angkor Wat. What do I remember about Angkor? First, that I was there on 9/11/01. It was surreal to be in the one the most mystical places on the planet on a day of such sadness and destruction. Angkor Wat is a cluster of Hindu and Buddhist Temples built in the 12th century.  The juxtaposition of the images of smiling children who chased after my bike, chaos on CNN news, and Buddha's serene face carved in stone remain forever seared in my memory.  To learn more about Angkor, visit  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angkor_Wat.
My advice is to get to Siem Reap by truck/bus from Thailand. If you come from Phnom Pehn or Vietnam take the boat up the Mekong River, especially during the rainy season! 


I spent several days visiting all the temples at Angkor, riding on the back of a young teenage boy's moped.  Hire one driver for the whole time you are there to support the local economy. The moped bikes look sketchy, but to experience Cambodia, you've got to live a little. Life is short--riding on ancient dirt roads full of potholes during a thunderstorm is an adventure in and of itself.  You can also get some pretty interesting motion shots ;-) 
Here are some of my pictures from Cambodia. Enjoy!





www.miraclecatcher.com




Photo Tip of the Week:


***The Best Shot is Behind You, Below You or Above You.***


Most people stand in front of a famous building, shoot from the front with their own eye-view, then walk away. What are they missing? Perspective!!!  In photography, it is all about perspective, i.e., the angle in which you view the subject.  I advise turning around. Shoot what is behind you, not what is in front. Or even better, get down low on your elbows, or climb up higher to shoot down to change your perspective. This will make your pictures much more creative and interesting. My personal favorite is using the macro lens to get up close and personal. People often ask me what kind of camera I recommend. So, here below, I have showcased the cameras I use. Next week, I will share more photo tips. Stay tuned!


I look forward to hearing your travel stories. Below in the comment section, you can share your favorite travel story. Remember that the best comment in November wins a 2011 Miraclecatcher Photography Calendar shot by yours truly.


Well, that's all for now. Thanks for stopping by. Have a great week! 


 Peace, MM. 


    

How to Travel the World for Free--Part 1

My name is Micaela Bellopede aka the Miraclecatcher.
Over the last 25 years, I have been to about 50 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, Central America, North America, Oceania, the Middle East, and the Caribbean.  People always ask me how I travel to so many places for free.  Well, here's how.  Each week, I will be sharing my travel secrets with you.  Are you ready??  Let's go!!!


Travel Secret #1:


***Get someone else to pay your expenses***


In 2001-2002, I traveled to 12 counties in Asia and Oceania on $5000 USD. Even better,  I got the whole thing paid for by someone else!! Here's how I did it...
On www.eslcafe.com, I found a job to teach English in Korea for one month. For these jobs, you need to be a native English speaker and have a B.A. degree in any subject. The compensation included salary, travel, food, and a suite in a 5 star hotel! Since I did not have any expenses while there, I was able to use all of my salary toward traveling. Thus, one month of teaching paid for 6 months of travel, food, and expenses throughout South East Asia, where on average I spent $5 US dollars per day. After the first 6 months of traveling around Asia, I flew back to Korea for another month of teaching which paid for the next 6 months of travel through Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. 10 months of beaches, 2 months of work--what a wonderful life!
Next week, I will share more about jobs around the world that include free travel. Stay tuned! 
You can see my pictures at www.miraclecatcher.com 

Travel Secret #2:


***Buy Around the World Travel Passes***

Since many Asian companies will pay for half of your airfare expenses if you come to teach English for them, I suggest that you ask the company to give cash for your flight and purchase a "Circle Asia" or "Around the World" pass instead. This way you can use your ticket to fly to anywhere between 4-10 countries over the course of one year. So when you are done teaching, you can take the long, unbeaten path home. 

"Circle Asia" passes are cheaper than "Around the World" passes because they allow fewer stops. These passes are usually sold by "consolidators" or "airline brokers". Try looking in the LA Times Travel Section in the back where the ads are. 

Travel Secret #3:



***Frequent Flier Miles, Baby!***
All I can say is: enroll, enroll, enroll!! I am in every airline frequent flier program under the sun!  When you travel, you rack up enough miles so that your next flight is free. How do you enroll? Go to the airline website and click on "Miles Program". Always keep your boarding pass stubs to get credit. On average I earn at least 2 or 3 free flights per year.  An easy tip: keep your frequent flier numbers saved in your phone so can access them quickly at the airport. I will discuss how to generate more frequent flier miles in my next blog post. Stay tuned.


P.S. If you are not using your miles, please consider donating them to charity. Go to "donate miles" on your airline website. You can help children in need like the ones at  
The Good Hope School in Uganda. www.goodhopeschool.net See video of my trip below. 
If you would like to donate or volunteer at the school, please contact: miraclecatcher.foundation@gmail.com



Would you like to sponsor a Good Hope student?