By Patricia Magaña, USA TODAY
“Free.” It’s everyone’s favorite four-letter word, and one especially dear to travelers the world over. Want to get something for nothing? Check out these 10 no-strings-attached travel offers.
Mountains right and left throughout the nation have “Kids Ski Free” promotions. (Photo: Wojciech Gajda, Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Third-day free at Universal Studios
Buy a two-day Universal Studios admission ticket and get an extra day out of the deal—gratis. Book either the two-day single-park ticket for $136 (choose between Universal Studios Florida or Universal’s Islands of Adventure) or the two-day two-park admission ticket (entrance into both parks is granted) for $176; in both cases, you’ll get an extra day’s ticket at no extra cost.
The offer is available to U.S. and Canadian residents and must be purchased online by June 7, 2015. The offer’s blackout window prohibits travel between Dec. 26 and Jan. 3.
Free admission to national parks
Enjoy free entry into any of the United States’ 401 national parks. For 2015, the nine fee-free dates align with a few of the country’s national holidays and key National Park Service anniversaries: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Jan. 19), Presidents’ Day weekend (Feb. 14–16), National Park Week’s opening weekend (April 18 and 19), the National Park Service’s 99th birthday (Aug. 25), National Public Lands Day (Sept. 26) and Veterans Day (Nov. 11).
Additionally, admission to federal recreation sites, including national parks, forests, grasslands, wildlife refuges and other federal lands (more than 2,000 in all), is free to current military personnel and their families and to those with permanent disabilities.
Kids ski free
Kids have a way of sucking the life out of their parents’ wallets, so whenever the word “free” pops up, parents take notice. Get them started early, mom and dad, because mountains right and left throughout the nation have “Kids Ski Free” promotions.
Park City’s Children Ski Free deal is one of note. Seven resorts list varying offers: For example, the Park City Mountain Resort allows kids six and under to ski for free, and tweens receive reduced rates. Every little bit helps.
Free ground transport
If you’re not yet on the Uber bandwagon, simply knowing someone who is may net you $30 in Uber credit. And by sharing the referral code, you can get your friends the same bonus credit.
Free international calls
Don’t bother getting an international calling plan when traveling abroad. Instead, make fee-free phone calls via a Wi-Fi connection. Google Voice, Skype and even Facebook’s Video Calling are all free whenever connected; and don’t forget your iPhone’s FaceTime feature, which works like a Skype session.
T-Mobile is another good option for travelers, as data and messaging back home is free from more than 120 countries with the Simple Choice plan. Don’t have T-Mobile? No problem, because apps like WhatsApp and HeyWire let you exchange messages with others who employ the free-to-download-and-use apps.
Pro tip: If you return from a trip to find you’ve accidentally racked up an exorbitant bill, immediately contact your mobile phone company and ask them to retroactively insert a calling plan with a starting date prior to your trip. The charges won’t go away, but they’ll be drastically reduced, and you can cancel the international-calls addendum from your plan a month later.
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