With this trick, the girl traveled around the world 'without spending a penny on transportation'

Courtney Allan, a 26-year-old Canadian tourist, traveled through 16 countries and thousands of kilometers but spent very little on transportation.

Courtney Allan had originally planned to visit the UK for three weeks in late 2023, but after finding public transport too expensive she decided to hitchhike, catching the first one near Bath.

She continued hitchhiking through Europe to Morocco and then to Cape Town in South Africa, spending less than $20 on travel across the entire African continent.

This epic journey will last approximately one year from December 2023 to December 2024, covering over 400 trips across 16 countries, covering over 12,000 km over all terrains.

Courtney Allan says she traveled from Guangzhou, China to the Russia-Mongolia border without spending a penny.

PHOTO: NV

She said she was preparing to return to South Africa, this time starting from China and now in central Russia, having traveled more than 8,000 km without spending any money thanks to hitchhiking.

Nearly 50 days into her trip this year, she said Mongolia was "a top contender for the most beautiful country I've ever been to" and "hasn't felt dangerous yet."

"I feel incredibly lucky. Hitchhiking hasn't been normal for a long time, it didn't even seem like an option. But it's becoming more popular and it's a great way to see the world for free," Courtney Allan said.

Courtney had originally planned to visit the UK for just three weeks in 2023, with return flights from her home city of Toronto in Canada to London. However, finding transport in the UK quite expensive, she decided to hitchhike from Bath and has never looked back.

"The first time I hitchhiked was with a Welsh woman," Courtney added. "She was very nice and tried to give me money. That happens a lot in the UK."

Courtney's top advice for women hitchhiking is to trust your instincts. The first three seconds can tell you a lot about the situation.

PHOTO: NV

Courtney then hitchhiked into Wales, through Cardiff and up to Snowdonia. Having enjoyed the experience of hitchhiking in the UK, she decided to continue, through Ireland and mainland Europe to Africa.

Not stopping there, she continued hitchhiking the length of Africa from Morocco to Cape Town, a distance of more than 12,000 km.

"When you hitchhike, you're staying with people who live in that country. You get to experience a unique style of travel . It's a great way to meet locals and get to see the most exciting things to do in a place that's not your home. It's also stuff you don't see in guidebooks," Courtney Allan enthuses.

She said she traveled south through 16 countries until arriving in Cape Town about a year later in December 2024. During that time, she spent less than $20 on transportation, with more than half of that spent on the single ferry ride across the Congo River.

Despite taking about 400 rides, she said she only felt physically unsafe once — but that was in a taxi, not while hitchhiking.

“People always ask what the worst thing that happened was, or if there were any injuries, but nothing bad happened,” she said, adding that the budget would have increased by thousands of dollars if she had paid for transportation.

Nearly 50 days into this year's trip, Courtney, pictured in China, says Mongolia is a top contender for the most beautiful country she's ever visited.

PHOTO: NV

Courtney is passionate about encouraging other women to enjoy the benefits of travel. Women are often afraid to venture out into the world because of the risks. But risks are everywhere, every day, no matter what you do. You can't let them get the better of you. "For me, the benefits of being able to explore the world outweigh those risks," she concluded.

The highlight of Courtney's African trip was a 200km train ride in Mauritania into the Sahara desert under the stars. Meanwhile, her favorite trip was with a woman in Guinea for a nearly 1 hour journey. While she loved her experience in Africa, Courtney's favorite place to hitchhike was Ireland.

Courtney returns home to Canada in December 2024 but then resumes her journey, this time hitchhiking from China to South Africa, starting in May 2025.

Her top advice for hitchhiking as a woman: Trust your gut. You can judge a situation in the first three seconds.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/voi-chieu-nay-co-gai-du-lich-khap-the-gioi-khong-ton-mot-xu-tien-xe-185250702145100949.htm