Travel is one of the most revered experiences of life. Most first-world countries have made it possible for their citizens to enjoy and appreciate travel at the lowest cost possible.
Notably using the internet through sharing paltforms and companies that service travel.
Worldwide, we see this trend in people traveling the world while sharing their experiences on YouTube and other platforms. This way, they get funding to sustain their mobility while bringing the world closer for those who cannot afford to travel.
Below are 6 pocket-friendly means to travel that would not work in Uganda.
1. Hitchhiking
This is a means of getting transportation by asking strangers for a lifet in their car or any other vehicle. The universal symbol of hitchhiking is raising a thumbs up. This method is common in the United States, Canada and the Middle East.
It is impossible to find hitchhikers in Uganda because it is not a culture here. People are weary of strangers let alone being locked in a moving vehicle with one even around populated towns.
2. Working for transportation
Getting employment in exchange for transport is only heard of among hostesses, and working for companies that offer it as an incentive. But working solely for travel, for example, on ships, trains, buses and other means, is hard if not impossible.
3. Car relocation
In developed countries, rental companies offer fuel to have their cars relocated. This level of trust is hard to give anyone who is not under employment. For example, in Australia, you can travel in a relocation rental for as low as Shs3,700 through a platform called imoova.
4. Home exchange
People meet over an exchange platform and swap homes for a given period of time for free. For people looking to visit other places and maintain their privacy this is the perfect opportunity.
This kind of lifestyle is hard if not impossible outside of AirBnB and that is one-sided. There are no regulations, and consequently trust, to sustain this method.
5. Housesitting
Individuals rely on familiar people to take care of their homes, pets and plants when they travel for extended periods of time.
Travelling house-sitter is even a wilder concept in Uganda, let alone in some parts of the continent.
6. Couchsurfing
This means of travel centres around temporarily staying in a series of other people's homes by sleeping on their couches or chairs.
In Uganda, this is called being a roommate. Otherwise it rare to find someone who is willing to indulge this lifestyle, more so because it is free.