There are many ways to travel virtually for free. The best ways I’ve found are by volunteering or doing a work exchange where you get free accommodation and food. This is great for travelers or backpackers planning on traveling long term since you can really stretch your budget this way.
You can volunteer through programs like Angloville in Europe (there are other programs, this is just one that I’ve done) or Worldpackers and Workaway.
Worldpackers and Workaway have a yearly fee but the work exchanges are free and you usually get free housing and accommodation. I have a $10 off $49 promotional code for Worldpackers since I volunteered with them in February 2022. The code is HUTRAVELSTHEWORLD or you can use this link: worldpackers
Angloville:
In July 2021, I did 3 weeks of traveling Europe for free, volunteering with a program called Angloville. Angloville is an English volunteer program that is in many other countries in Europe. I did 3 sessions for a week each, all in Poland and it included accommodation and meals.
I loved Angloville because you can really immerse yourself in a country and the culture (for me, it was Poland) while talking to locals. One of the best parts is that while you’re teaching and speaking in English, you can also learn a little in the language the participants speak so I learned a few Polish phrases too!
I didn’t know what to expect before going but it really exceeded expectations.
The program is a 5 or 6 day camp where a bus will pick you up from a major city and take you to a hotel for the week. I had 2 sessions leave out of Krakow and 1 leave out of Warsaw. There are also many different age groups. I volunteered with adults, teenagers, and families. For the adults and families, you are allowed to drink after the activities for the day are over.
Here is a preview of what a week looks like: 
There are multiple conversations scheduled every day which are one on one with a participant and then they will have group activities that you might have to participate in and you also have a few breaks each day and free time at night. Most hotels also have a pool or hot tub to enjoy.
It’s also a great way to make friends from other countries since you become really close with the other volunteers of all ages. 
One a week, there is also a fun activity for the participants. For the teenagers, there was a candy making workshop that the volunteers can participate in as well. 
If you’re worried about the food and accommodation, we stayed at hotels every week and the food was traditional Polish food that was pretty good.
Worldpackers/Workaway:
These are websites where you can find opportunities to volunteer and do work exchanges. The most common one that people do is volunteer at a hostel. You can volunteer for a few hours a day and you receive free housing and food. This is probably the cheapest way to stretch your budget while traveling. I haven’t volunteered at a hostel yet but I’ve met so many people who have and they all loved it.
