Server reveals her budget travel hack for exploring the world on a low income after visiting 10 countries in just three years

Do you think that traveling the world is a pipe dream, and that the exorbitant costs scare you off? Think again.

A New York waitress has revealed how she has travelled the world, visiting 10 countries, over the past three years despite earning a low salary and only working part-time.

Celeste Cox, 26, reveals in one of her TikToks the secret behind her budget travel, in the form of volunteer work.

She explains, 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 she usually works “five to eight hours a day, depending on the location” in hostels and that she generally works five days a week, with two days off to explore the area.

Celeste Cox, 26, from New York, recently revealed the secret behind her budget travel, in the form of volunteer work

Celeste lists some of the benefits of the arrangement: ‘You also get shelter and food, and if you’re lucky, you get food too.’

In addition to her work in hostels, TikTok shows her volunteering in a variety of other places abroad, including on a farm and in a vineyard during a recent trip to Italy.

The American says she books all her volunteer work through an organization called World Packers.

She touches on the concept and explains, “So you can sign up for a year and it costs $49. Every place has different things going for it, depending on the place.

‘Sometimes I’ve done cleaning work, cleaning rooms, sometimes I’ve done childcare, other times I’ve done reception work in hostels… checking in [guests]check [them] out… that kind of stuff. It’s not that hard.’

Besides Italy, Celeste has also visited Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Colombia and Brazil.

She said Business insider that she had only planned to travel for a short period after graduating in 2021, but that she quickly caught the travel bug.

So far, she has done all of her traveling with less than $10,000 in her bank account, working part-time for $25 an hour in a Brooklyn restaurant when she gets back to the US.

The avid traveler says she usually works “five to eight hours a day depending on the location” in hostels and that it’s usually five days a week with two days off.

To save money on rent when she is home, she lives with her father.

According to the content creator, signing up with Worldpackers is a “really easy” and “really cheap” way to travel, and it’s a great way to meet people.

In terms of finances, she says that sometimes you only have to pay for the flight, as food and accommodation are also 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 people who love to travel.”

For those considering following in her footsteps, Celeste emphasizes that she has also experienced difficult moments along the way.

“I’ve been robbed before, I’ve had bedbugs multiple times, and I’ve slept on the floor,” she told the newspaper.

One of her recent TikToks, made in Sardinia, also shows her volunteering on a farm, where she worries about the health of the animals and the difficult interactions with her host.

Despite some down moments, she says the overall experience was worth it.

She concludes: ‘These trips have taught me so much about life and have really given me a lot of life experience.’