hitchhiking; traveling without money
Refers to traveling without spending money, often by hitchhiking or relying on the kindness of others. The term is somewhat dated; modern Japanese more commonly uses ヒッチハイク for hitchhiking.
He traveled around Japan by hitchhiking.
ヒッチハイク is the modern, common loanword for hitchhiking, while 無銭旅行 is a more literary or old-fashioned term emphasizing traveling without money.
Compound of 無銭 (musen, 'without money') and 旅行 (ryokō, 'travel'). The exact origin is uncertain, but it likely emerged in the early 20th century to describe budget travel or hitchhiking.