My first trip without spending money in the country itself was to Cyprus. I booked a flight there and traveled after that for free in Cyprus.
Why did I choose Cyprus for my first attempt?
After a short trip in Eastern Europe, I had some vacation days left. The flights to Cyprus were quite cheap, so we decided to fly there. Plus, there weren’t many Covid restrictions at that time, which made the decision even easier.
Cyprus is an island and part of the EU. This means that the bins, where we look for discarded items, would likely be clean. We also hoped to find fruit trees. Since it was just a four-day trip, we were okay with some challenges, even if we didn’t find much.
How was the trip?
When we arrived in Paphos at night, we tried to get a ride by hitchhiking, but it didn’t work. So, we walked from the airport to the main road, which was a few kilometers away. It wasn’t too bad because there weren’t many cars, but we were tired and wanted to sleep.
On the main road, we checked out the first supermarket and found some dragon fruits, which was a great start. We tried hitchhiking again to find a place to sleep. We aimed for the beach and a kind person gave us a ride there. We chatted a bit and then went to sleep. We slept on an air mattress in one of the lifeguard watchtowers, which was quite nice.
In the morning, we swam and had breakfast with the fruits we found in the trash. We hitchhiked around the country to another coast without a clear plan, just going with the flow.
At a supermarket, we found enough food for all four nights! We found many pastries like chocolate croissants, some bread, and fruits. We realized the trip might not be so difficult after all. Hitchhiking was simple in Cyprus since it’s an island, and usually, hitchhiking works well on islands.
Locals picked us up, invited us in, and shared their local food and fresh fruits from their gardens. They also told us about their lives and conflicts with Turkey.
We mostly spoke English with the locals. Due to the UK having a part of Cyprus, some British visitors were around, and even some people from South Africa. It was interesting to see people from different places helping us.
How were the nights?
The nights were quite good. The second night, we slept in our sleeping bags in a tipi at a campground under construction. It was interesting and cool. We left quickly in the morning since we weren’t allowed to be there.
The third night, we hung our hammock under some walnut trees and camped there. We collected so many walnuts that we even brought some back to Germany. We also collected dates from a tree, but it turned out they weren’t for public use.
The fourth night, we stayed in the same place as the first night. This time, the person who gave us a ride made yogurt and cheese for work. He shared some with us, and it tasted amazing. I was really happy about that gift!
Was it easy?
Compared to other countries where I tried not spending any money, Cyprus was one of the easier ones. It was partly because of the time of year. You didn’t have to search in supermarket trash for food; you could just pick it from trees everywhere.
When the trees don’t have fruits, it might be trickier, especially for food. Transportation and accommodation are super easy, in my opinion.
What do you need to know before visiting Cyprus without spending money?
Check the time of year. We went in October, which was fine. Other times might be too hot and no fruits would be available. Learn when the best time for certain fruits is and how available they’ll be.
Hitchhiking and camping are very easy in Cyprus, so you won’t have problems with those. Locals were nice and welcoming. The main challenge is finding food since dumpster diving doesn’t work as well. We tried it often but only succeeded once. It’s not a guarantee for free food.
Summary
It’s definitely possible to travel for free in Cyprus, as we showed. But it might be harder in certain times of the year, and water can also be a challenge. You can ask for water anywhere, but finding fresh water sources is tougher than you’d think. Cyprus is an island surrounded by saltwater. Get informed before you try this, and remember that some countries are even more challenging than Cyprus, while others are easier.
