Last year I wrote a post about how to do your Ibiza trip on a budget. However, the thrifty budget traveller in me knew that I could go one better -this year, I made it my goal to write a post about how to do 3 nights in Ibiza for free!
I must forewarn you – this is not going to be a luxury 4-star, all inclusive experience. However, neither is it going to be a dirty hell hole affair. This post talks you through how I took 3 spare nights and turned them into a last-minute budget island vacation. Be ready to put in some graft, and let the adventure begin. Already got your tickets? Check out my post about the most unusual and cool things to do in Ibiza.
Step 1 – Make some free cash
3 words – Car. Boot. Sale. You didn’t think you were going to get 3 nights in Ibiza for free without some kind of effort, did you? You will not believe the utter junk people buy at these things – in fact, the junkier, the better! I once witness a friend sell two old, dog hair-covered cushions for £1!
I took to social media to beg for junk. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram – I was shameless. Most people are quite happy to let you take their unwanted goods if it means they don’t even need to walk out their front door. I was very honest about what I was doing and where the funds would be going. I’ve seen other bloggers do similar things, with some making it more appealing by offering to donate 10% to a charity.
A pitch hire at the local car boot was £15. I shared with a friend to make our ‘wares’ look more exciting. Don’t expect a lot for each item and be prepared for people to try and haggle to utterly nonsense prices.
Profits after pitch costs = £91
Flights to Ibiza
Flights to Ibiza over the premium party season (May-September) are hard to come by at low prices – although I did find some for £40 in June! The best time to find cheap flights (that’ll still fall into the good weather period) is at the end of May.
Skyscanner’s monthly chart listings are my ‘go to’ site for finding a dirt cheap deal. In this case, I found one for £38 – leaving Edinburgh on the Sunday and returning on the Wednesday (3 nights). I took nothing but hand luggage, so no baggage fees! Sorry girls and boys, free travel isn’t going to give you a catwalk opportunity either.
Flight Cost – £38
£91 Car boot sale total – £38 = £57
Ibiza accommodation
Two words: Couch Surfing. Essentially, couch surfing is like Airbnb (but free), with hosts offering out spare space to fellow budget travellers. Ibiza hotels can be one of the largest expenses when visiting the island, so dodge that bullet and find yourself a free stay!
Couchsurfing is a great way of building relationships with people all over the world, and in this case, we had previously hosted a girl who lived in Ibiza when she visited Scotland. The friendship built from our hosting means that we are now able to stay with our Ibiza friend for free every time we visit. Again, this method of free travel takes a good amount of ground work, but I’ve now built up a healthy number of friends offering free accommodation all over the world!
Update: From 2020 Couchsurfing.com now charges users a joining fee after a bid to eliminate a growing number of ‘dodgy’ accommodation offerings. It’s a site I no longer use.
Ibiza Car Hire
For a lot of people, the car rental pages on budget airline sites are an untapped resource. I can’t champion them enough! For as little as £4 a day, you can get a small, but decent, little car to go whizzing around the island in. It was super easy for us to collect it – most of these budget rental places have an airport pick-up shuttle to take you straight to your car. That’s airport transfers covered!
Use your car to explore some of the lesser know, alternative things to do in Ibiza. Ibiza tourism is very heavily focused on the club scene that picks up in the high season, but there’s so much more on the island to explore!
Car hire – £12
Petrol – £10
£57 – £22 = £35
Food & Drink in Ibiza
You’ve got yourself to Ibiza. You have your car and your accommodation covered. You’ve got £32 left, burning a hole in your pocket. Where are you eating? LIDL! There’s a Lidl in both San Antonio and Ibiza Town. With beers for as little as 30 cents a can, we filled our boots and stocked up on fresh breads, budget pastas and canned veg.
On around 11 Euros each day, we ate cereal breakfasts and took our budget beers and picnic lunches out to the beaches (check out my post about some of Ibiza best beaches for inspiration). We cooked pasta dishes in the evenings from scratch and hauled our budget beers along to the main sunset spots for chilled out evenings.
£32 divided by 11 Euros a day (remember the pound gives us a slightly better exchange)
Free budget blown!
The extra blag …
It’s amazing what you’ll get from strangers if you talk to them. I will chat to pretty much anyone who’s willing: in the street, on the airport transfer, at the grocery store. I am repeatedly told to stop talking to people on the London tube (I’m told it makes you the weirdo on the tube).
On this particular trip, my conversation with a group of men on their stag party led me to the ultimate freebie: free guest list for 11 people to Pacha’s Monday night Flower Power club night! Freebie tickets which should have cost 41 Euros a head!! Most hotels will offer free passes to clubs for guests, however, a lot of people don’t make use of the deals. Most of those visiting Ibiza for the club scene tend to have a strict pre-planned itinerary. Make friends with these people and blag yourself a free club night in one of Ibiza’s famous super clubs!
So now you know how to visit Ibiza without the horrible holiday costs. I hope this little guide has been helpful and has saved you money from small areas, if not inspired you to try do the same full, free Ibiza holiday yourself? Remember to check out my alternative Ibiza guide and (as always), I’d love to hear your comments below.
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