Do you think that traveling the world is an unrealistic dream and that the exorbitant cost puts you off? Well, think again.
A New York waitress has revealed how she managed to travel the world for the past three years to 10 countries, despite working a low salary and part-time job.
Celeste Cox, 26, reveals in one of her TikToks the secret of his low-budget trip, in the form of volunteering.
She explains, while filming from Brazil:”I volunteer in different places. It's a work exchange and I usually volunteer in hostels because it's a really good way to meet people.”
The avid traveler says that at hostels she typically works “five to eight hours a day, depending on the location” and that’s usually five days a week with two days off to explore.
Celeste Cox, 26, from New York, recently revealed the secret to her budget-friendly travel, which comes in the form of volunteering.
Celeste describes some of the benefits of this arrangement: “Then they give you room and board and, if you’re lucky, you get meals too.”
In addition to working at hostels, her TikToks show her volunteering in many other locations abroad, including at a farm and vineyard during a recent trip to Italy.
The American says she books all her volunteer positions through an organization called The Worldpackers.
Discussing the concept, she explains: “You can sign up for a year and it costs $49. Each place involves different things, depending on the location.
“Sometimes I did housekeeping, I cleaned rooms, sometimes I did babysitting, other times I did reception in hostels… I did check-in (of guests), check-out… things like that. It's not that hard.”
Besides Italy, Celeste also visited Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Colombia and Brazil.
She said Business Insider that she only intended to travel for a brief period after finishing her studies in 2021, but quickly caught the travel bug.
To date, she has completed all of her travels with less than $10,000 in her bank account and working part-time for $25 an hour at a Brooklyn restaurant when she returns to the United States.
The avid traveler says that at hostels she typically works “five to eight hours a day, depending on the location” and that’s usually five days a week with two days off.
To save on rent when she is at home, she lives with her father.
The content creator says signing up to Worldpackers is a “really easy” and “really cheap” way to travel, and it’s a great way to meet people.
On the financial side, she said, sometimes it's enough to pay for plane tickets, because food and lodging 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, created by those who live and love to travel.”
For those considering following in her footsteps, Celeste points out that there were some difficult moments along the way.
“I've been burglarized before, I've had bedbugs a few times, I've slept on the floor,” she told the outlet.
One of her recent TikToks, filmed in Sardinia, also shows her volunteering on a farm, where she cares about the health of the animals and the difficult interactions with her host.
Despite a few low points, she says the overall experience was worth it.
She concludes: “These trips have taught me a lot about life and have really given me a lot of life experience.”
