Whenever I ask my readers what is stopping them from traveling, the answer is almost always the same: money.

People ask me most often about this problem and how to solve it.

Since this is a common question, I like to keep telling people that you don’t have to be rich to travel.

Let’s say that again: You don’t have to be rich to go on a trip.

There are many ways to travel cheaply or even for free. You just have to be willing to think outside the box.

It seems impossible to travel the world without any money. But it is possible, and you can do it safely and without going broke. There are some costs you shouldn’t skimp on, like travel insurance, but there are a lot of ways to travel the world on a budget, and there are even a lot of ways to travel for free.

You can make your travel dreams come true if you have enough money and the right attitude. Even if you don’t make much money or have a lot of debt, there are still many ways to travel abroad (I still had debt when I went on my first trip around the world). They may not be fancy or luxurious, but if you want to travel, you can make them work.

Here’s how to have a cheap, memorable vacation no matter how much money you make.

Don’t listen to “travel experts” who say that to get the best deals, you have to fly on a certain day, look for other routes, compare search engines, book months in advance, etc. No one has time for a headache like this, and looking through hundreds of sites is stressful. Even though there are some general rules (like it being cheaper to fly on a Saturday night), the real key to finding cheap flights is to be flexible. If you leave at 6 a.m., you’ll pay less than if you leave during rush hour. Sunday is a much more expensive day to fly back than Tuesday. Google.com/flights is a great place to check prices because it posts prices every day of the month in real time, so you can see every low fare for your route on their monthly calendar (with cheapest fares highlighted). Also, don’t go looking for cheap tickets. Sign up for airline mailing lists and internet price alerts (like AirfareWatchDog.com), which announce not just the lowest flights for destinations you wish but also last-minute fare bargains that would never be reported.

Not getting paid enough at your job? Or, what’s even worse, do you hate your job? Why not find work abroad? As long as you aren’t picky, there are plenty of chances in the world. After all, you’re not starting a career; you’re just making money to travel.

People don’t often think about working abroad because it seems hard. It isn’t. Just be willing. You don’t need a college degree or a lot of work experience to get these jobs.

Are you going to get a job in an office that pays well? No.

Will you get a lousy job with a low wage that will cover all of your travel costs? Yep!

People from all walks of life and from both Western and non-Western countries have used this method to pay for their trips. It’s a simple and fun way to extend your trip, learn more, and make some money so you can keep traveling.

Every year, the value of miles goes down because frequent-flier programs change and airlines merge. There’s no point in saving up frequent-flier miles because airlines are only making it harder to get from A to B. For example, American Airlines’ new mileage program update makes it take 32,500 one-way miles to fly to Asia, up from 25,000 last year. First class went from 62,500 to 80,000 miles. Not enough miles to get you to Asia? Short-haul flights are available from a lot of airlines. Delta gives out awards of 5,000 miles on certain routes, and American Airlines charges 7,500 miles for nonstop economy flights on routes less than 500 miles long that don’t make any stops. To get the most out of your miles, you should always earn them with one alliance (Skyteam, OneWorld, Star Alliance).

Teaching English overseas is one of the best ways to make money for travel. If you teach, you can make a lot of money. Depending on where you work, all you need is to be able to speak English well and have a TEFL degree. Teachers are in high demand around the world, and many companies in Asia will even pay for your flight there.

Even though it’s not required in many countries, a college or university degree will help you make more money and get better jobs.

There are also a lot of websites and services out there that let you teach online. It doesn’t matter where you are in the globe, if you have a reliable internet connection, you can assist others in learning English.

Most of the time, it’s cheaper to fly on Monday or Tuesday instead of Thursday or Friday, and the second flight of the day is cheaper than the first.

Use the sharing economy to find cheaper places to stay, unique tour guides, rideshare options, and local chefs who will cook you a meal at their home. With sharing economy websites, you can avoid the traditional travel industry and connect with locals who use their own assets and skills to start small tourism businesses that charge less. Locals also know where to find good deals. They know which supermarket is the cheapest, which stores have the best sales, and where to find the best, cheapest food at hole-in-the-wall restaurants and bars. You can get this information from them if you talk to them directly.