Social media is abuzz with Richard Tilney-Bassett, a British photographer who offers his services to international clients through his photographs, in exchange for providing him with free lodging and free tours. CNN has once published his story and how he inspires travelers with the way he curates his photo collection.

He leads an internationally-acclaimed project known as “The Glass Passport.” It is a photography collection that features images from various countries around the world.

Some of the countries featured in the collection were Uganda, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Kenya and other places where sceneries provided perfect backdrops for photographers like him.

The official website of “The Glass Passport” said that the project has a mission to visit every continent in the world without spending a single dime, which Tilney-Bassett has apparently been successful with.

How he started

Tilney-Bassett told CNN how he started in his career when he still had a few experiences in photography. He said he did not have a portfolio and a network of prospects. Before landing on to this dream career, his first assignments came from his closest friends, and sometimes they were even sourced from other people’s referrals.

Today, he has covered various travel-related events such as the Uganda International Marathon and took shots from the yoga classes in Germany. He also takes photos of the landscapes and mountains, as he captures the histories of every country that he visits.

Many of his greatest masterpieces and photographs are also posted on the official Facebook page of the photo collection.

Friendly clients

When asked to discuss challenges of finding projects that are for free, he told CNN that everything has been successful so far.

All the clients that agreed to the deal provide him with the necessary perks.

He said there are no difficult rules as long as they can “make it happen and it’s not coming out” of his own pocket. Trust is definitely a major factor involved in creating his projects.

He said that in all the stints that he has been into, many of the partnerships have turned into lasting friendships not to mention the moments when he would say inside the homes of people he just first met.

Since the exchange deals do not have any money involved, Tilney-Bassett makes sure that each photograph will be great and memorable.

He has told several stories with his craft, capturing not just places but people, tradition, culture, and way of life. The project has garnered several followers since it started, inspiring people from across the world that Traveling can be possible even without money in their pockets.