There’s bias and manipulation everywhere you look. To think otherwise is blissfully naive.

I know a pair of guys who are making some kind of “temporary professional stage” in another country, being paid and accomodated by the company hiring their services.

One of them is a systems engineers and the other is a programmer. Both are knowing (and living in) different and interesting countries without being attached to their day job table.

The internet has changed it all ¡¡

The focus doesn’t have to be as big as a city either. I know of travelers that offer marketing services for hotels in exchange for free stays.

They take pictures of hotels, add them to various hotel directories and write reviews. They often get a week or two of free accommodations for a few hours of work.

Before they arrive in a country they email several hotels with their proposal and hopefully at least one will take them up on it.

“…I already have about six people who leave hateful comments on my website and probably want to murder me.”

But seriously, this approach does work. Another solution is signing up with a volunteer organization to help with the environment, and then organizing a local fundraiser (preferably involving booze) to help pay for your flight and expenses down there. My friend just did that exact thing, and now she’s off for 3 months.