I was in a conversation the other day with someone that made the following statement: “I will finally travel when I feel like I can afford it.” If I am in a room full of people when a comment like that is made, I typically see heads all over the room nodding. One of the most unchallenged assumptions of travel is that it has to be expensive. I get it. The idea of travel is so inviting, but feels out of reach for most people because of this unchallenged assumption.

In the Fall of 2015 I wanted to take a trip up to Alaska to visit my son, who earlier that year was stationed at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska with the U.S. Army (Hooah!). I had been to Alaska when I was in college and fell in love with this amazing state. I knew that if I was going to be able to pull this off, I had to do it on the cheap because we had a daughter in college and our cash flow was pretty much zeroed in on that financial commitment.

Here’s what I had going for me:

• I was able to pay for my flights with miles. By doing one-way tickets with two different carriers I was able to get to and from Alaska for not a lot of miles. In order to make it work, I had to buy on ticket from Fairbanks to Anchorage to catch my return flight. Ravn Air (www.flyravn.com) is a great alternative to hop around Alaska for cheap (plus they gave me a homemade cookie…what’s not to love!).
• I was able to get a bed in a hostel by the airport called Bent Prop Inn & Hostel (www.bentpropinn.com) for about $30 for the night.
• I booked a shuttle from Anchorage to Fairbanks with Alaska/Yukon Trails (www.alaskashuttle.com) for $99. This is a great way to see Alaska! The bonus is that the Bent Prop Hostel is one of the pickup points in Anchorage.

These three things put me at $230 invested into the trip. I got an freakin awesome deal on a rental car once I got up to Fairbanks that my son and I were going to use to get around Alaska. Our plan was to camp along the road, which is free for lost areas in Alaska. Here was the problem: I needed someplace to stay before my son was able to check out for the four days we would be camping. Solution: Couchsurfing!

There are a ton of blogs out there that have covered the best advice for couchsurfing, but I wanted to give three pieces of advice for those of you that may be new to the idea of couchsurfing to help you jump into this amazing world as a way to save money and make travel even more exciting as you meet people.

First-don’t think of couchsurfing as something that is only for the outgoing and adventurous. It is for everyone. Couchsurfing is about taking a step to make new friends and discover the places you want to visit through the eyes of a local. Your goal is that you want to travel, and couchsurfing provides a way to drastically reduce the cost of travel. Let your desire to travel help motivate you to try this.

Second-don’t set your heart on just one potential host. Reach out to a few people in the area that you’re looking to stay. The more people that you start the conversation with, the greater the potential of finding someone to stay with.

And third-be willing to share as much about who you are as you are comfortable with. This person is potentially willing to allow you into their home. Give them something to work with to get a sense on whether or not you’d be a good houseguest. You get the opportunity to read reviews about them from others, so be willing to let them get to know you as well.

I ended up staying with a guy who is a pilot and flies all over Alaska. I had a great time getting to know him and heard some amazing stories about his perspective of Alaska as someone who flies in and out of the back country of Alaska. As a bonus, he brought me to a pretty fantastic coffee house in Fairbanks (it’s called College Coffeehouse if you’re curious). All in all, it was a great way to meet a local and save some money. I call that a travel win!

Sooo…I would be remiss if I didn’t add two amazing food stops to this Fairbanks adventure. First, of you’re in Fairbanks and you’re in the mood for Mediterranean, then Pita Place is the place for you (www.pitasite.com). There’s been a line every time I’ve stopped to eat here (always a good sign), and the falafel is freakin amazing!

And then what’s a visit to Alaska without eating some amazing crepes?!? I stumbled on The Crepery as I was walking around downtown on 2nd Street. What can I say about this place? It was mind blowing and delicious! This is a popular place for tour busses, so drop in early. As an added bonus, their coffee is good too.