best travel apps nomadic matt

30 essential travel apps every traveler needs before their next trip

When it comes to planning and taking a vacation, travelers rely on their phones now more than ever.

Travel apps are a source of inspiration and are extremely useful for booking and managing logistics — even making restaurant reservations or finding a great fitness class wherever in the world you're flying next.

From apps that help with everything from day-of hotel bookings and last-minute flight changes to those that serve as guidebooks and foreign-language dictionaries, travel is infinitely easier thanks to technology.

Apps can help you navigate a new city, make currency conversions, pack a perfect suitcase and even provide on-the-ground local expertise. Whatever you need when you hit the road, there's an app for that.

We've rounded up the most-loved apps here at TPG. Some may be obvious, and others more obscure, but either way, get ready to download.

Best apps for researching and booking trips

In addition to the apps for the airlines you fly most frequently and your favorite hotel brands, these apps can help you save money on flights and accommodations.

Hopper has changed in recent years from just offering a price prediction tool for flights to being a true online travel agency. The app helps travelers find the cheapest flights, hotels and rental cars.

Of course, Hopper also still offers its signature price prediction technology to help you plan out when to book, as well as travel protection options and a price freeze to help you lock in the lowest possible price on hotels and flights.

Kiwi is used mainly to book flights, but it also helps you book hotels (using its partnership with Booking.com) and car rentals (using its partnership with RentalCars.com).

Some of the app's most interesting features include the "Deals" section, which pulls in discounted flights, and the "Travel hacks" section, which includes options for hidden city ticketing, throwaway ticketing (making one-way flights more affordable) and free price alerts.

Hotel Tonight

A dream for last-minute travelers, Hotel Tonight ( now owned by Airbnb ) lets you book stays for the same evening up to a few months in advance in thousands of cities worldwide. Available hotel rooms are categorized into sections like basic, luxe, hip, charming and solid, so you can select what works for your vibe. Take advantage of the daily drop feature, where you swipe to find a personalized deal with a special price only valid for 15 minutes after unlocked.

At TPG, we love a good loyalty program, and HT Perks, the app's nine-level reward program, is extensive. Not unlike a video game, you "level up" by reaching specific spending thresholds on the app, and you'll gain access to perks like discounts, VIP customer support and credits. Also, your levels never expire, so you can only continue to move up.

To book home rentals instead of hotels, use the Airbnb app. After entering your destination and dates, you can filter results based on the home type, price, requisite amenities and more. If you find something you like, you can book directly through the app.

The app is ideal for managing your trips while on the road — you can access all your bookings under the "Trips" tab, where you can view your reservation (and the address or directions), contact the host or change your reservation. Once you have a booking, you can also explore and book local experiences in your destination, such as wine tastings, kayak tours, hikes, shows and concerts.

We can't talk about travel apps without mentioning the TPG App. Use it to track your credit card, airline and hotel points balances; earn points and miles efficiently through using the right credit card ; and research how many points or miles you'll need to book your dream getaway. You can even curate your own news feed so you see the news and advice that matters most to you first.

The TPG App is available for download on iOS . Android users can join the waitlist here .

Related: The TPG App has arrived — here's why you should download it now

Best apps for organizing a trip

From keeping all your documents in order to perfectly packing your suitcase without forgetting a thing, these are the best apps for organizing travel plans.

TripIt declutters your itineraries and documents by keeping them organized in one place. You can set your reservations to automatically send to TripIt, which lets you view travel confirmations, flight itineraries, tickets, hotel and Airbnb booking information, rental car reservations, ferry tickets and driving directions without ever leaving the app.

TripIt also makes it simple to share your trip plans with whoever picks you up from the airport or train station or anyone else who may need to coordinate with you. TripIt Pro subscriptions cost $49 per year and include extras like real-time flight alerts, security wait times, baggage claim information and updates on your loyalty reward programs.

Roadtrippers

Perfect for organizing that epic road trip you've always wanted to take, Roadtrippers plans out your driving route and lets you book hotels and activities along the way. The app is especially useful for finding interesting and off-the-beaten-path roadside attractions, cool restaurants and can't-miss landmarks you can bookmark.

A Roadtrippers Premium membership includes offline maps, live traffic information, overnight RV parking and more for $59.99 per year. For those looking to only venture on a few road trips per year, the app also offers a Pro ($49.99 per year) and Basic ($35.99 per year) membership.

PackPoint takes all the stress out of packing . The app shows you what to bring based on the length of your trip, the weather in your destination and any activities you're planning along the way. If you have access to laundry facilities at your destination, PackPoint even allows you to account for washing your clothes and wearing them multiple times.

Just download and install the app, type in the city you're visiting and plug in your travel details. So, stop waiting until the day before your trip — or the hours before you have to leave for the airport — and start packing now.

Best apps for navigating the airport and flights

Track flights, navigate airports and find airport lounges with these apps.

LoungeBuddy

LoungeBuddy offers access to premium airport lounges around the world, regardless of the airline or class you're flying. When you create a trip in the app and type in the credit cards you currently hold, it will tell you which lounges you have access to based on the airports you'll be transiting through and how to purchase access if you don't already have it.

You can purchase access on the day you're traveling or up to two months in advance if you're the plan-ahead type. If you prefer to search by lounge or lounge program, the app will tell you exactly what is needed to use them.

Priority Pass

Priority Pass offers access to more than 1,300 lounges worldwide and provides meal vouchers at select airport restaurants across the world for an annual fee starting at $99.

Several cards, including The Platinum Card® from American Express , the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve , offer Priority Pass memberships for all cardholders (enrollment required). Otherwise, you'll have to pay an annual fee to be a member and, depending on your membership tier, a fee to enter each lounge on top of the annual fee.

To use the Priority Pass app, enter the name or code of the airport you're in, and Priority Pass will pull up the lounges or restaurants that you have access to, including photos, hours, amenities and specific location information. For more information on the Priority Pass Program and how to gain lounge access, click here . Enrollment is required for select benefits.

Related: The best credit cards for Priority Pass lounge access

FlightAware

The FlightAware app allows you to track flights online, see a live map of a flight and check on delays, cancellations and gate changes. This app is especially helpful if you have a tight connection or want to track your flight.

It's also useful when picking up friends and family at the airport, as you can track their flight and see updated landing times or delays. AvGeeks will enjoy digging into flight statistics, flight maps and community aviation discussions on the app.

Best apps to use during your flight

Timeshifter.

What better way to cure jet lag than with an app? Timeshifter actually helps you avoid jet lag long before your flight takes off and also offers inflight and post-flight suggestions. The app relies on neuroscience research about sleep and circadian rhythms to provide personalized recommendations, taking into consideration your age, gender and normal sleep patterns — as well as specifics about your trip and travel plans. Timeshifter maps out when you should avoid or seek light, take a nap or try to stay awake. It even tells you if you should consider supplementing with melatonin or caffeine.

Your first jet lag plan is free, then $9.99 per plan, or you can enjoy unlimited plans for a year for $24.99.

Flying can cause anxiety — or provide a welcome relief from constant contact with our digital devices. Either way, use travel as an opportunity to relax, meditate or listen to soothing sounds that will lull you to sleep or a deep, relaxed state. Or, perhaps, you'll simply find it helps pass the time during a long flight.

Calm offers meditations on topics such as self-awareness, calming anxiety, breathing, lowering stress levels and happiness, among others. The app also has music options for focusing, relaxing and sleeping, as well as stories for adults and content for kids.

A limited selection of meditations and music is available for free (which you can download to use when you're offline or in flight). The premium version of the app costs $14.99 per month or $69.99 annually.

OK, so Netflix isn't really a travel app, but it can be a lifesaver during a long flight on an aircraft without seatback inflight entertainment or at the airport during an unexpected flight delay or boring layover. If you have a Netflix account, the app allows you to download your favorite shows onto your device to watch offline.

Just make sure to download your shows while connected to Wi-Fi before flying and check them again preflight to make sure they haven't expired (you can usually renew any expired downloads, but you must be connected to Wi-Fi or data to do so). Monthly prices vary depending on the plan.

Another app that's not really a travel app, Spotify can still be incredibly useful during tedious travel moments — just pop in those noise-canceling headphones and listen to your favorite music, meditations, podcasts and more.

The app's Premium plans (prices vary) allow you to download all your content offline on your phone, so you'll have it during long flights or when you don't have data or Wi-Fi access. Whether you want to take a morning jog in Bali to your favorite tunes or pass the time with a podcast on the metro in Barcelona, Spotify has it all.

Best apps to use in your destination

From exchanging money and sightseeing to communicating and knowing all the local tips and tricks, you don't want to land in a foreign city for the first time without these key apps.

XE Currency Converter

The XE Currency Converter app quickly provides live, up-to-the-minute currency rates, then allows you to store and view them even when you're offline. You'll never need to wonder if you're really getting a good deal in another country if you have this app.

Google Translate

Google Translate is a translation app that allows you to do it all — translate into more than 100 languages by typing, access 59 languages offline, translate via photo, translate bilingual conversations and even use the handwriting tool to translate.

The app is simple to use, too, with icons at the top you can click on to draw, take a photo, speak or type.

Not quite sure how much to tip when traveling internationally? GlobeTips will advise you on how to tip appropriately in more than 200 countries. It also offers a tip calculator for easy math. Globe also has apps for currency conversion, unit conversion and more that may be useful for travelers.

Related: The ultimate guide to tipping while traveling

For travelers globe-trotting with friends and family members or simply splitting the cost between groups, Tricount calculates shared costs and splits bills so you don't have to think twice about who owes what. Just enter your trip and currency and invite your travel mates to join your trip.

Each time someone pays for something, you enter the amount in Tricount, and the app splits everything up. You can also snap and store photos of receipts in the app. At the end of your trip, it will show the balances of who owes who what, making it easy to settle up.

Metric Conversions

Never be baffled by Celsius temperatures or suitcase weight in kilograms again with the Metric Conversions app . Whether you're measuring flour to cook at your Airbnb, figuring out distances for your Europe road trip or deciding whether to take a sweatshirt with you during your walking tour of the Great Wall of China, this app has you covered with easy conversions in volume, weight, temperature, area and more.

Google Maps

Google Maps is essential when visiting a new city (or even for getting around your hometown). You can map locations, get directions (walking, driving, public transportation, ride-hailing services and beyond) and see how crowded your subway will be in select cities .

You can make restaurant reservations, save your favorite spots and read and write reviews of attractions, eateries, shops and more. Make sure to download specific city or area maps ahead of time for offline access if you know you'll be without internet at your destination. For obvious reasons, the app works best when your GPS is turned on.

WhatsApp is a handy messaging service for travelers abroad as it uses an internet connection to avoid SMS fees.

It works like most other messaging apps: You start by creating an account, then add your friends and family members to contact and voila! You're able to call, video chat and send messages, images, voice memos, gifs and files just as you would in, say, iMessage (but with Android users too). You can also download WhatsApp on your Windows or Mac computer.

Best apps for planning activities

Traveling is about more than just getting from point A to point B. If you're looking for activities to add to your itinerary, check out these apps.

Meetup is an app designed for interacting with locals and other travelers who have mutual interests or shared hobbies. Whether you're traveling or at home, take what you love and do more of it with Meetup.

The app shows you groups that are formed around particular interests in your city, including yoga, photography, cooking, wine tasting, hiking, cinema and other activities. You can join groups to get updates on particular events you may want to participate in. The app can even help with networking, as there are many groups dedicated to business and technology. You might even be able to join a coworking group. Travelers with kids can participate in family-friendly meetups, and it's a great way for solo travelers to make friends and connect with others.

TheFork is one of the most useful resources for making restaurant reservations in Europe. Similar to OpenTable or Resy, the app lets you browse different restaurants by category and make reservations. TheFork features more than 60,000 restaurants in cities like London, Madrid and Geneva, as well as spots outside of Europe like Sydney, Australia.

The biggest perk is that many restaurant reservations come with discounts — in some cases, you can get up to 50% off your meal just by reserving a table through TheFork. Since we here at TPG are always down for earning rewards, make sure to monitor your YUMS — TheFork's reward system. You'll earn YUMS with each reservation, and when you hit 1,000, you receive a discount on your bill. Foodie travelers should also consider downloading these apps , too.

Happy Cow helps vegan and vegetarian eaters locate more than 180,000 restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, farmers markets and grocery stores in over 180 countries around the world. The app allows you to filter by not only vegan and vegetarian but also gluten-free and cuisine types. You can also read reviews and get recipes on the app as well.

The app does cost $3.99, but it's a one-time expense.

TripAdvisor

Besides reading reviews of restaurants, hotels and attractions, you can book almost anything on TripAdvisor, from vacation rentals and restaurant reservations to tours and tickets.

The app has grown to include almost all things travel, allowing you to search by destination or interest (like the outdoors, food and drink, family or by the water, for example), which can give you inspiration for a trip or help you get your activities, meals and accommodations organized before traveling or on the fly.

With over 400,000 curated trails, AllTrails can help you find the hike or walk perfect for you and your group. It's not just mountain trails — AllTrails offers city walks, too, like easy meanders through the Marais district in Paris or peaceful strolls through Bangkok's Lumpini Park in Thailand.

See photos, updated weather predictions and key information about each route and connect with other travelers through reviews and forums. Access to AllTrails+ is $35.99 per year, which offers perks like offline maps and wrong turn alerts.

Best apps for staying safe

Use these apps to stay safe when traveling.

Smart Traveler

Smart Traveler is a free service that offers tips and information specifically for U.S. travelers. You can see what visas and vaccines you'll need before traveling and where to find help if you need it during your trip.

Register your trip on the app, which gives your information to local embassies and consulates in your destination. If there's any kind of disaster or tragedy, the local embassy can contact you to see if you need help.

TripWhistle

Another app dedicated to keeping you safe, TripWhistle maps your location and allows you to easily text or send your GPS coordinates or location. It also provides emergency numbers for firefighters, medical personnel and police in nearly 200 countries. After all, 911 is only for U.S.-based emergencies: Each country has its own specific emergency number.

Yes, Uber (or any local ride-hailing service app) is convenient, but it may also keep you safe. Using this app when traveling means you'll never get stuck wandering around in an unfamiliar area late at night or have to deal with unscrupulous taxi drivers trying to scam you. Uber also has in-app safety features such as an emergency assistance button which will allow you to call local emergency services right in the app.

Nomadic Matt's Travel Site

Travel Better, Cheaper, Longer

Travel Insurance: Everything You Need to Know

Travel insurance is something you will need on the road. It’s the MOST IMPORTANT thing you need . You never know what could happen, and most health insurance plans don’t cover you when you travel. Not only does travel insurance cover any injuries or illnesses but it also covers the stuff you take on the road, any accidents that might happen, or trip cancellations that might occur. It’s not just about being able to see a doctor on the road — it’s about making sure that if you fall into an ocean (like I did), your camera can get replaced at no cost. Here is why I never leave home without travel insurance:

• It covers you when you get sick and need to see a doctor.
• It covers you if you need to get helicoptered out of somewhere.
• It covers you if you need to be sent home.
• It covers electronics that break or stolen.
• It covers if you have to cancel your trip.
• It covers you if your goods are stolen.
• It is affordable and offers peace of mind!
• It is easy to get (and renew online).
• It is a no brainer – because if something goes wrong, it saves you thousands!

For only a few dollars per day, making sure you won’t be out extra money when something goes wrong is the smart and frugal move. After all, a good budget traveler is a smart budget traveler. Don’t be penny wise and pound foolish. I once had a friend break her arm and had to pay thousands of dollars because she didn’t buy insurance. Don’t let that happen to you!

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Book your insurance now, get my best stuff sent straight to you, pin it on pinterest.

An Interview with Nomadic Matt (Budget Travel)

The budget travel guy? That’s Matt Kepnes, from Nomadic Matt. I’m so happy he’s accepted this interview to talk about his journey and his future projects.

Throughout the years, he’s been a real inspiration for travelers and bloggers alike. And of course my family.

Matt has built a solid reputation based on his budget travel experience, and today, his expertise is uncontested.

Some of his resources include an excellent blog filled with budget travel tips and his best-selling book How to Travel the world on 50 $ a day .

I’ve been going on his site forever, not only for budget travel ideas but also for valuable information.

Read the interview and learn more about the guy behind Nomadic Matt, and get inspired to budget travel!

What are some of the most important decisions you’ve made to achieve your success? What qualities do you have that set you apart? Did you always want to budget travel?

For starters, I think the decision to take the plunge and learn how to start a travel blog was probably the biggest one.

After meeting some long-term budget travelers when I was backpacking Thailand , I decided that I wanted to take a long-term trip myself.

Not surprisingly, the more I traveled, the more I realized I wanted to keep traveling — and that meant I needed to make more money.

I decided to teach English overseas to spend more time backpacking Southeast Asia while still making an income. I also used that experience to start a travel blog.

I had hoped that I could get a job with Lonely Planet which would let me write and travel the world.

That was my dream job. Of course, that never worked out, but I could still grow my blog and eventually make a living from it.

And that would never have happened if I didn’t take the leap and start a blog! I didn’t know what I was doing, but I knew I wanted to travel more, so I learned the skills to make that happen.

On top of that, I think a couple of things that have set me apart from other bloggers is that I treated my blog like a business. I knew that if I wanted to succeed, I needed to make smart decisions and plan accordingly.

I couldn’t just sit around relaxing. I had to work hard — like any other business owner. That mindset helped get me ahead.

Lastly, I read. A lot.

Reading is such a great way to learn new skills and I think that reading so much has been such a huge help when it comes to growing and maintaining my business.

There is always something new to learn, so if you’re not reading often you’re missing out on all that knowledge!

As a respected member of the travel industry, do you have anything specific you wish you could improve on?

I think there is always room for improvement — it’s only when we stop trying to improve ourselves that we lose our edge.

I’m constantly networking, reading, and learning new skills because I believe there are always things I can be doing better.

My job is to help people travel better, cheaper, and longer so I’m always looking for ways I can offer more value to my readers.

On a more practical level, earlier this year we held our first-ever travel conference, TravelCon . It was a huge success, but I definitely learned a lot (often by trial and error) so I’m looking forward to making tons of improvements for next year’s conference.

No matter your profession, I think it’s important to always be willing to learn and develop — but especially in the travel industry!

Travel itself is a great tool for personal development, so I think it’s important we embrace that mindset and also apply it to our jobs.

What major turning points in your travel blogging journey significantly changed things for you? And how did you apply what you learned?

One of my first big breaks was when I was able to get featured in The New York Times.

I saw a post on Twitter looking to interview bloggers and I replied immediately. I was backpacking New Zealand at the time, but I rushed to a payphone to do the interview. Before you knew it, my website was overwhelmed with traffic — literally!

My server actually crashed from all the traffic, which was a huge disappointment. But that interview put me on the map and was a huge stepping stone.

I learned a few things from that experience, but the two most important things were:

• Always have more server space than you need — you never know when that big break will come !
• Opportunities are everywhere. It’s just a matter of keeping your eyes peeled and getting lucky!

Besides budget travel and blogging, what is the one thing you’d be happy doing every day for years to come?

Reading! While travel has made me a bit more extroverted, I’m still an introvert at heart.

I enjoy my peace and quiet, and I love to sit down with a good book.

If I could just travel the world and read, I’d be more than content! Whether it’s travel books or non-travel books, it doesn’t matter to me — I just like to read!

What achievements are you most proud of and what do they relate to?

I think if I had to pick one thing, it would be FLYTE , the charity I started back in 2015. Travel is a huge privilege, so I started FLYTE as a way to give back.

Every year, we send a class of high school students from an underserved community on a trip abroad.

Travel is such a transformative tool, I wanted to make sure that everyone has a chance to experience it. So far we’ve sent students to Ecuador, Mexico, Cuba, and Guatemala. I’m excited to see how we can grow the program and include more students from around the country.

Travel is such an eye-opening experience and by helping these students see the world we’re giving them a chance to build cultural bridges and learn about themselves and the world at large.

You’re a professional travel blogger and have a great deal of proven success. From your blog to guides to books to Travel Con and so much more. How has this changed you as a person?

It’s probably changed me in more ways than I know! But one thing that has changed is that I’m much more extroverted now.

Traveling the world and sharing my thoughts on my blog has forced me to be more open and communicative, which I think is a huge plus.

I’ve also learned a ton of amazing business and life skills that have changed my perspective.

Being an entrepreneur is a challenging path, so you have to learn all sorts of skills to keep you from burning out and working yourself to death.

I think I’ve become more flexible, more adaptable, and more patient over this journey. Because, to be honest, there are always problems to deal with and fires to put out.

But it’s a rewarding job because you have so much freedom, so I definitely wouldn’t trade it for the world!

Without a doubt, your travel journey has been an inspiration to so many people. Who has been an inspiration for you?

I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of meeting so many amazing, inspirational people over the years. But if I had to narrow it down, it would be the group of backpackers I met on my first trip backpacking Thailand.

I had never really thought about long-term travel before and didn’t really know that a “gap year” was an option. Meeting those backpackers in Chiang Mai was an eye-opener . They showed me that budget travel could be more than just a vacation – it could be a lifestyle.

Those backpackers inspired me to change my life, and without them, I likely would never have become “Nomadic Matt.”

Today traveling has become so much easier, but many interesting places suffer from tourism overload. How do you feel about this and how can we contribute to changing this trend?

With so many cheap flights available these days, we are seeing more and more people being able to afford to travel the world — which is great!

However, it is leading to more environmental damage and overtourism , which is a growing concern. It’s something a lot of people are talking about, though, which I think is an important first step.

If you want to avoid contributing to overtourism, there are plenty of things you can do to help.

First off, instead of visiting the same old destinations, try going somewhere new and less busy. Instead of Prague, go to Brno. Instead of Barcelona, try Northern Spain.

Every country has its tourist hotspots, but they also have plenty of other destinations you can visit that are just as good – if not better!

Another thing you can do is avoid the high season. Visiting during the shoulder season is a great way to not only avoid the crowds but you can also find cheaper prices.

Lastly, avoid renting Airbnb homes. A room in a place on Airbnb is totally fine, as you get to meet and interact with locals. But lots of places are renting out entire homes, which forces out the locals and drives up the cost of living.

Skip places like that and only stay with locals who actually live there.

There is a lot that we, as travelers, can do to help this growing issue. Hopefully, if we all put in some effort we can help diminish the consequences of over-tourism.

If you found a genie lamp and could be granted 3 wishes… What would they be?

• World peace, equality, and an end to poverty (I can fit all that into 1 wish, right?) Absolutely 🙂
• To learn all languages
• To be able to teleport – because then I wouldn’t have to worry about flights!

As an avid traveler and single mom, I’ve always taken my kids everywhere in spite of other people’s reactions and judgments.  Have you ever had a negative experience during a trip related to the way people interacted with you? And how did you handle it?

I think negative experiences are inevitable — just like they are at home. No matter where you go, there will always be someone who wants to ruin your day.

I try not to let it get to me and make the most out of my travels. You just have to live your life and not let the bad attitudes of other people impact you (which is easier said than done, of course!).

One place where I had some challenging experiences was when I was backpacking in Vietnam . I found that I was constantly getting scammed and ripped off — right to my face.

People would even laugh at me because of it, which was frustrating. But you just have to brush it off and keep doing your best to enjoy your travels and your life.

What would you consider to be the most important quality for a new travel blogger writing about budget travel? What would be the most important action needed to create success?

Patience. This isn’t a ‘get rich quick industry — it takes time to build and grow a travel website.

If you want to start a blog, just know that there are a ton of skills you need to learn, and it will be a slow (and often tedious) process. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

If you just want to make money, this isn’t the industry for you. But if you want to help people travel better while running your own business, then travel blogging can be a rewarding career. But you have to have the patience and discipline to see it through!

Thanks so much, Matt for the interview! I really appreciate you sharing with our readers your story and budget travel as well. Thanks for being so generous with your content.

For more excellent budget travel advice and gorgeous photos check Matt’s Facebook and Instagram.

Thanks again, Matt !

Safe Budget Travels.

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TravelKiwis

How to travel smarter, an interview with nomadic matt.

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Nomadic Matt (Matthew Kepnes) is a New York Times bestselling author who has been roaming the world for over a decade.

Every month over 1,000,000 people visit his site and use his advice to travel better, cheaper, and smarter.

But Nomadic Matt also provides a fantastic resource for bloggers with his course Superstar Bloggers.

We have been part of Matt’s Superstar Bloggers program, where Matt and his team provide training and advice to travel bloggers.

So, we wanted to find out a little more about his incredible travel adventures; we reached out to the Superstar Blogger program for an interview with Matt.

And we’re so excited we had the opportunity to chat with him about his amazing travel lifestyle.

An Interview with Nomadic Matt

When we first started travelling, Nomadic Matt was one of our inspirations. We followed your advice on setting up our travel blog website TravelKiwis .

1. Matt, who has been inspirational to you, not just at the start of your travel life, but along the journey?

There are definitely too many people to list! But a couple of people I’ve found inspiring over the years are Rolf Potts (the author of the backpacker bible Vagabonding), Bill Bryson (the famous travel writer), Anthony Bourdain, and even the movie character Indiana Jones have all inspired me.

But beyond the “famous” inspirational people, I’ve also met countless regular travellers whose stories, experiences, and perspectives kept me inspired and passionate about life and travel.

2. What was it that inspired you to begin your travel life? And did you intend to become full-time at that stage?

It wasn’t until I actually met some full-time backpackers that I really thought about long-term travel .

For me, and most Americans, travel is usually done in short bursts; longer trips aren’t the norm. So it didn’t really cross my mind until I met some backpackers in Thailand doing it. That really opened up a new realm of possibilities. After that, long-term travel was my goal.

I went back to work and started saving everything I could so that, one day, I could be just like those backpackers in Thailand: travelling the globe without a care in the world!

3. What are the biggest barriers to living a full-time travel lifestyle? And how can people overcome those barriers?

The two most common barriers are money and fear.

People are afraid of shaking things up, of ditching their old life in exchange for something new — even if that new life is something they’ve always dreamed of!

Usually, people in that situation don’t have support, either. And without support from family and friends, it’s hard to take that risk. When everyone in your life is telling you it’s not worth the risk and that you should stay home, you’ll likely end up believing them and giving in to that fear.

On top of that, people think that long-term travel is expensive. But it’s not! Most of the time, it’s actually cheaper than staying home!

Without bills to worry about, you can focus on simple things. It’s easy to save money when you travel because there are so many various ways to save money on the road via hostels, the sharing economy, Couchsurfing, job opportunities, etc.

4. We have been house-sitting for two years.  Have you tried house-sitting ?

I’ve never actually tried house-sitting. It wasn’t that common when I was first travelling, and now that it is popular, I’m usually too busy reviewing hostels or bouncing around the map that staying in one place isn’t feasible.

But it’s definitely on my radar whenever I need a place to stay for a longer period of time!

5. Travel helped Terry overcome his fear of heights.

What fears have you confronted while travelling.

I hate heights, and I hate flying, so I can definitely relate!

I’m a very nervous flyer, so I’ve gone out of my way to read books about planes and talk to pilots to get a better understanding of how aeroplanes actually work (I even went to the Boeing factory to see them get built and I got to fly a flight simulator too).

Knowledge is a great tool to use against fear because you can rely on that knowledge to convince yourself, to walk yourself through the precise details in a manner that will help those fears subside.

It doesn’t always work, but it helps!

How Travel Helped Me Overcome My Fear of Heights

When we first travelled to Europe, we spent 60 days trying to see as much as possible. We saw a lot but didn’t remember much. We now find we enjoy slow travel by spending longer in each place.

6. Do you have similar learning from your own experience?

During my earlier travels, I did the same thing. I hurried around from place to place, trying to see this and that, focusing on quantity over quality. It wasn’t until I started to get exhausted that I realized I needed to change things up.

One of the best travel advice I’ve ever received was just to slow down . Focus on quality over quantity.

I still share that advice with travellers to this day because I see a lot of new travellers making that same mistake. So if you’re planning a trip, don’t rush it. Slow down. Stop and smell the roses.

It’s not a race, after all!

7. We have always travelled as a couple, sometimes with groups, but we have never travelled solo.

What do you do to manage loneliness while travelling solo.

I’m an introvert, so I’m perfectly comfortable being alone. I never get tired of reading or writing. And even if I do, I’ve always got work to do! But for anyone who is worried about being lonely on the road, it’s never actually been easier to meet people.

Hang out in your hostel dorm or sign up for events at your hostel.

Beyond that, use apps like Couchsurfing Hangouts or Meetup.com to find locals with shared interests. You can also use social media. If you have a passion for, say, swing dancing, you can see if there are any local swing groups on Facebook. The same goes for any sort of passion.

Chances are there will be some people in the area who share your interest, so look for groups or events centred around that interest, and you’ll be bound to meet some people!

8. What are three things you always take with you on your travels?

1) A towel for beaches or picnics or to use as a pillow if I need one. 2) A notebook for jotting down any ideas or notes. 3) My phone, for maps and translation and anything else I want!

9. What has been the most useless item you have taken on a trip?

A money belt. They stand out so easily and mark you as a tourist. I never bother with them anymore.

10. Have you had an experience you would call life-changing?

When it comes to travel, quitting my job and selling my stuff to travel the world was a life-changing experience. It seems like a lifetime ago, but I remember all the anxiety and excitement like yesterday.

There were so many variables, so many questions I had…but I also knew I had to do it. I was compelled to.

You see, people do it all the time now on social media, but when it’s you, it’s a whole other feeling. Kicking off a journey like that, with the world at your feet…there’s nothing like it. That changed my life, and I think it changes the lives of anyone willing to take the plunge and do it themselves.

11. How do you choose the next place you want to explore?

I usually just go wherever the cheap flights take me or wherever I can meet up with some friends. I don’t really have a bucket list or specific places I want to go— I just follow the budget flights. They haven’t let me down yet!

12. How much of your upcoming trips are planned vs going with the moment?

Most of my trips are a fair balance between the two.

I love planning, so I always make an outline and figure things out in advance. But, once I get on the ground, I often throw my plan out the window and go with the flow.

I don’t plan nearly as much as I used to because you never know what opportunities will come your way if you keep yourself open.

Obviously, shorter trips will need more planning so you can get the most out of your time. But for a longer trip? Throw those plans out the window!

13. What places do you repeatedly return to? What is their attraction?

Bangkok , Amsterdam , Paris , London , and Stockholm are some of my most-visited places.

They are just cities that I really enjoy, the cities that I vibe with. I’ve spent enough time in each to get under the skin, so these days I just feel at home when I arrive. They are great cities for newbie travellers but also for the experienced.

They have great activities, awesome food, fun nightlife, and enough history to keep anyone busy. In short, they all offer something for everyone. You couldn’t get bored in these cities even if you tried!

14. Which country would you suggest to someone who has never travelled to give them a wonderful first travel experience?

While there are many great possibilities here, Thailand is usually my go-to answer.

The country has a well-worn tourist trail, so it’s easy to get around without mastering the language. There are beaches and jungles, incredible dive sites, lots of temples and history, amazing food and a non-stop nightlife.

It’s got everything you need to have an amazing trip. Plus, it’s safe and cheap, making it a perfect destination for the newbie traveller.

15. If someone is reading this and considering beginning a travel adventure, what advice would you offer?

I would tell them that they need to make a plan. Figure out how much money you have, and figure out where you want to go and for how long.

Be specific and set a realistic goal.

Don’t make a broad goal like “I want to travel.” Be specific. “I want to spend one month in Paris in 2019”, or “I want to start a 1-year backpacking trip starting January 2019.”

Get precise. Make your plan.

And then do something every day that will get you there. Slowly but surely, you’ll get there, and before you know it, you’ll be sitting on the plane.

Lessons from Nomadic Matt

We would like to thank Matt for taking the time to chat with us.

We have been truly inspired by his travel adventures for many years, and we hope you will get the same inspiration to venture out into the world.

If you are thinking of starting up a Travel Blog, we can highly recommend joining Nomadic Matt’s course, The Business of Travel Blogging.

The course provides a step-by-step process, and the 10-week program will help you:

• Start your blog
• Master the technical skills you need
• Create a lasting brand
• Write content people want to read and share
• Optimize your website and rank high in search engines
• Crush it on social media
• Get press coverage
• And make money to support yourself

Listening and taking action from a fellow traveller is one of the best ways to enjoy your travel blog.

Ten Years a Nomad: A Q&A with travel blogger Nomadic Matt

Nomadic Matt needs no introduction. The blogger , adventurer and New York Times bestselling author is not just a legend, but also a dear friend of Intrepid’s. (Seriously, he’s been to Madagascar , Patagonia , Morocco , Jordan and more with us!)

Oh, and he’s just published a new book entitled Ten Years a Nomad .

In honor of this exciting milestone we sat down with (well, emailed) the man himself. We talked about his time on the road, approach to sustainable travel, fave Intrepid trip, and so much more. Buckle up… and be sure to pick yourself up a copy !

Congrats on visiting 100 countries! Tell us some of your top picks!

This is a hard one to answer since there are so many great countries out there, all offering something unique. Picking your favorite is like picking your favorite kid! You love them all equally but for different reasons. But if I had to narrow the list down and pick a few, here’s what I’d choose:

For the landscapes…

I think  Iceland  and  New Zealand  are two of the most breathtaking destinations in the world. The landscapes are truly out of this world. From the rocky terrain of the Icelandic interior to the rugged volcanic mountains of New Zealand, both destinations are home to unique and diverse scenery. They both offer challenging hikes, adrenaline activities, and tons outdoor activities such as whale watching and glacier trekking in Iceland and skydiving, white water rafting, and bungee jumping in New Zealand. If you’re the outdoorsy type, these are two countries you need to visit!

VISIT ICELAND WITH INTREPID TRAVEL VISIT NEW ZEALAND WITH INTREPID TRAVEL

Icelandic landscapes (and selfies!)

For the cities…

Some of my favorites are New York , Paris , Bangkok , and Hong Kong . I love giant metropolises. There are always so many people around, a wide variety of food, activities, and events. You can’t be bored in these places and as someone who likes to be busy, I like these places.

For the food…

I’d probably say Thailand has my favorite food. I love the street food there. There’s something wonderful about sitting in a plastic stool eating a delicious bowl of noodles. Thai food is spicy, fragrant, and full of texture and flavor. It’s so complex and delicious. I can’t get enough.

LOVE THAI FOOD? INTREPID’S 8-DAY FOOD TRIP IS PERFECT FOR YOU

For the people…

I really love the people of Cambodia . The people here really blew me away on my first visit with their kindness and generosity. Even with its heartbreaking recent history, the people here were always friendly and inviting.

A Cambodian local at an Intrepid trip homestay

How has the way we travel changed in the past 10 years?

When I first started traveling back in 2004, there were no apps, smartphones, wifi, or social media to guide you along. It was like the Stone Age of the Internet (and it wasn’t even that long ago).

And I think that is really the biggest change. The why of travel never changes. What drives people 100 years ago continues to drive people today.

But the how of travel is constantly changing. And right now the biggest change is how technology has changed things.

The good old days of maps and guide books

Tell us a memorable story from the road!

One of my favorite travel memories occurred way back in 2006, when I was a few months into my first long-term trip around the world. I got an email from another traveler I was supposed to meet that she was stuck on an island called Ko Lipe . She loved it too much to move so she wasn’t going to be able to meet me as planned but that I should come meet her.

And I ended up staying for a month. It was paradise. There were few people on the island, electricity for only a few hours day, deserted beaches, and great snorkeling right off the island. Plus, it was super cheap so you could afford to live there well on little.

For the next month, I relaxed and lounged and swam and drank with a small group of friends. To this day, my time on Ko Lipe is my version of “the beach”, that place of travel perfection where time melts away and you don’t have a care in the world.

INTREPID IS MATT’S GO-TO TOUR COMPANY; SEE WHAT OTHER RESOURCES HE RECOMMENDS 

For those looking for budget destinations, where would you recommend visiting?

Southeast Asia is probably the best place to start. It’s cheap and has tons of amazing things to see and do. Beaches, temples, food, nightlife, diving — the list goes on. Plus, it’s incredibly affordable so you can get around on a budget for well under $50 a day!

You can’t go wrong with Southeast Asia!

WHERE TO TRAVEL IN SOUTHEAST ASIA, ACCORDING TO INTREPID LOCAL LEADERS

Eastern Europe is another great choice and the most underrated part of the continent. Romania , Ukraine , and Bulgaria all have tons of history, medieval towns, fewer crowds, huge national parks, and delicious food all for a fraction of what you would pay in Western Europe.

EXPLORE EUROPE WITH INTREPID TRAVEL

Tell us an interesting or unexpected obstacle you faced being on the road so much.

I think one of the challenges of being on the road so much is just maintaining the desire to do so. There’s always logistical challenges: language, figuring out transit systems, and finding places to eat. Every day you have a thousand decisions to make in a place you know nothing about. That can be pretty taxing.

The desire to travel is a battery not an unlimited wellspring and it needs to be recharged every so often. Learning that lesson is something you never really think about. I mean who says, “Travel is going to be boring!”

Like-minded friends make travel even more exciting

How do you keep sustainability and the environment front of mind when traveling?

I travel with a reusable water bottle to keep the plastic use to a minimum (I use lifestraw ) and I never say no to taking the train for shorter distances. As a foodie, I’m always looking for delicious local food and drinks, which are much more sustainable than imported or processed foods.

BRUSH UP ON INTREPID’S RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL POLICIES

I think it’s always important to just try to do the little things as often as possible: take public transportation, don’t eat a lot of imported food, use travel companies that take care of the environment, avoid plastics, and turn the lights out when you leave a place. Every little bit helps!

Matt on an environmentally-conscious Patagonia trip with Intrepid

You’ve taken a few Intrepid trips in the last 10 years – what was your favourite and why? 

Madagascar was a special trip, in part because it’s such a rarely-visited destination. With under 400,000 tourists every year, Madagascar is relatively untouched from a tourism perspective. It’s also an isolated, diverse island nation and I wanted to see what the country was like with my own eyes.

It can be hard to travel as a solo backpacker, so a tour seemed perfect. While the poverty was jarring at times, the people we so warm and always happy to say hello. The landscapes were stunning as well, and some of my favorite photos are from that very trip!

Magical Madagascar landscapes

READ MORE ABOUT MATT’S MADAGASCAR ADVENTURE WITH INTREPID

What destination could you return to again and again – and why?

Thailand is a country I could return to again and again and never get bored. Bangkok, in particular, is a city that I could always go back to. I lived there years ago so it holds a special place in my heart. I love the chaos of that city.

Paris would be high on the list as well. I recently spent a few months living in Paris, but I would go back in a heartbeat. The food, the history, the architecture, the café culture – I love it all.

Where haven’t you been yet and still want to visit?

Bhutan. It looks absolutely gorgeous. The remoteness of the country is very appealing, as it has been relatively unspoiled by overtourism . I’ve seen the picture-perfect mountains and monasteries all over social media for a couple years now so I think it’s finally time I go and see the country for myself. (Maybe that will be my next Intrepid tour !)

BEAT MATT TO IT AND BOOK A SMALL GROUP TOUR IN BHUTAN!

For those who want to take the leap to travel but are scared – what would your advice be?

I remember how anxious and nervous I was when I first started traveling, so don’t worry — those feelings are natural. It’s never been easier to start traveling as there are countless blogs and guides and websites to arm you with the tools that you need. Plus, there are Facebook groups you can join for tips and support, as well as apps you can use to connect with locals. The tools are out there — you just need to be willing to use them.

The first steps will be daunting. You may feel uncomfortable or awkward or even scared. But action begets actions. All you need to do is take that first step out the door. Everything gets easier after that first step.

LOOKING FOR INSPO? CHECK OUT INTREPID TRAVEL’S TOP TRIPS AND DESTINATIONS

What’s next for Nomadic Matt?

A book tour! For the next two months, I’ll be traveling all around the US and Canada hosting book readings about my recently released  new book, Ten Years a Nomad . It’s a travel memoir about my ten years traveling around the world, highlighting the lessons I learned as well as my advice on being a better traveler. The book features stories I’ve never told on the blog and goes deeper into my philosophy on travel.

This book explores the emotional journey of a trip around the world: getting the bug, the planning, setting off, the highs, the lows, the friends, what happens when you come back — and the lessons and advice that come with all that.

Where can we buy your new book?

My new book is available at your local independent bookstore as well as on Amazon and Barnes and Noble . Really, anywhere books are sold!

Learn more about Nomadic Matt’s NEW book here .

Feeling inspired?

Intrepid Travel

Intrepid has been leading small group adventures for over 30 years. We’re a certified B Corp, which means we want to be the best travel company not just in the world, but for the world. To create positive change through the joy of travel. You can read our latest adventures right here.

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Interview With Budget Travel Expert Nomadic Matt

Many know him, some might not. Perhaps some of you follow his blog or have at least seen it.

I remember when I heard about this Nomadic Matt guy back when I was starting out and I kept hearing about him for years without really ever interacting with him. Last summer I finally met him in person and since then, we’ve hung out a couple of times, most recently at the end of May while at the TBEX (Travel Bloggers Exchange) conference in Spain.

Here’s the deal. Matt has been blogging and has been involved with travel for a long time. He’s worked on numerous projects, written books and is even working on creating a charity organization called FLYTE that will help underprivileged youth experience the benefits of travel. Travel is his life.

His book “ How to Travel the World on $50 a Day ” had its second edition released this year, and for $8 bucks on Amazon, it’s a solid investment for anyone looking to really cut costs while traveling.

So, back in May at that conference, while eating some sandwiches at a food truck in Lloret de Mar, Spain (yes, they were so good that we each had to eat more than one), Matt and I got to talking and because we both focus on budget travel for the most part, we agreed to put up a little interview with him on my site.

It’s just a quick, light and hopefully useful chat…

Interview with Nomadic Matt

Who are you, sir.

My name is Matt Kepnes and I’m known as Nomadic Matt. I’ve been traveling the world since 2006. I grew up in Boston and worked in health care after college. Fun fact: I’m also a certified high school history teacher! After a trip to Costa Rica in 2004, I fell in love with travel. I never traveled a lot growing up so I didn’t know how great it was until this trip. I loved the freedom travel enabled me to have. Every day was Saturday. The following year I took a trip to Thailand and after meeting five backpackers one day during that trip, I became very jealous of their lifestyle. But meeting them showed me that I didn’t have to be tied down to my job and that I didn’t need to be rich to travel.

After that trip, I went home again, finished my MBA, quit my cubicle job, and, in July 2006, set out on an adventure around the world.

My round-the-world trip was supposed to last a year but I didn’t come home until eighteen months later. Realizing I absolutely loved travel, I decided to head overseas again and that’s when I started my website, Nomadic Matt. I’ve been traveling and writing ever since.

So budget travel expert…what regions of the world offer the best value?

I think the best overall budget region in the world is Southeast Asia. You get amazing value for your money there. Everything is relatively inexpensive. Some other good places for budget travel: India, South Korea, Eastern Europe, and Central America. If you are budget traveler and low on funds, those would be the best places to go.

Earl: Southeast Asia is great and of course, I’m a huge Eastern Europe fan too!

Name a mistake that you think new travelers tend to make…

Most new travelers over plan and mis-budget their money. When you are new to the road, you tend to plan out your route in great detail and pre-book hostels, hotels, and flights. And that makes sense. When you’re home thinking about your trip, planning it out makes it seem more real but in travel, less is more and it is far better to just go with the flow. Pick a general route but leave the details to work themselves out along the way. You’re going to change your plans when you hit the ground, I can guarantee it, and learn what you like and don’t like as you go.

In addition, I’m always amazed at how often travelers run out of money. There’s so much price information online now that you can find out how much everything costs. Do a little research beforehand and get an idea of the costs you’ll face and then create your budget. Don’t go in blind.

Earl: It’s definitely difficult to avoid planning when you first start out. But if you talk to as many long-term travelers as you can, I think you’ll find that almost all of them will advise against planning too much. It’s something you learn very quickly once you begin.

What’s your biggest budgeting mistake that others can learn from?

I make mistakes all the time but I would say my biggest mistake, one I never made twice, was not factoring in currency changes into my budget. Currencies move up and down all the time and I should have been smarter about this when I first started out with my around the world trip in 2006. I made Australia my last country on that trip and when I was doing my pre-trip budgeting, one US dollar got you 1.30 Australian dollars and I calculated my budget based on that. By the time I actually got to Australia, their dollar was on par with the US dollar. I had 30% less money because of this and, with no wiggle room in my budget, had to cut a lot of activities out of my trip.

Earl: Good lesson. I now set up alerts on my phone for any countries I plan to visit in the near future in order to keep track of the exchange rates to avoid such a situation.

Any memorable experience that puts a smile on your face every time you think about it?

After ten years of travel, I’ve had a lot of great adventures. My days are often filled with so many activities and experiences that are definitely memorable. I would say my favorite was when I spent a month on an island in Thailand back in 2006. A small group of travelers and I spent a month on Ko Lipe, which back then was very off the beaten path. I lost my flip flops the first day I was there so just went barefoot for an entire month. I loved every day I was there and it is by far my favorite travel experience. I know it’s not a crazy story. I’ve kept my travels pretty tame but this was such a memorable time.

Earl: It’s always amazing to me how being isolated on a tropical island, with very little in terms of possessions or signs of the modern world or even money, is such an enjoyable experience. Some of my own favorite experiences also involve being on remote islands. It’s proof that a simple life can certainly bring about real happiness.

What’s the most frightening incident you’ve experienced while traveling?

I almost drowned in Fiji. I was learning to scuba dive and on my second dive, my dive partner kicked the regulator out of my mouth. We were far under and I panicked a bit but I was able to put the regulator back in and breathe. I sat there for a while breathing in and out and calming down before I surfaced. To the credit of my instructor, he was on top of the situation very quickly and made sure I was safe.

Earl: While that doesn’t sound enjoyable at all, I do like to point out that rarely does someone’s ‘worst experience’ involve something that couldn’t happen anywhere. I always stand by my belief that the world is actually much safer than we tend to believe!

Any countries you don’t have a desire to visit again?

Vietnam. I just didn’t like it there. I know lots of people who love it but I had a horrible time. I thought the people were abrasive, rude, and always tried to scam me and my friends. I have no desire or plan to ever go back.

But that’s just my experience. I know people who hate Paris (I think they are crazy. Paris is amazing.) so I would never say don’t go somewhere. Always check it out for yourself first because we all have different experiences of course.

Earl: Good thing you added that last paragraph. I wouldn’t have put this interview up if you didn’t mention that!

In your book, you talk about traveling for $50 per day. That number – $50 – seems high. Why do you focus on that amount?

A lot of people get stuck on that number. Depending on your point of view, it’s either too much or too little. But the first thing to remember is that it is a daily average over a year long trip and it includes pre-trip expenses such as gear and insurance as well as flights. I think when you look at it that way, the number is not so high at all. You aren’t going to spend $50 a day every day – some days will be more, most will be less and it will depend on where you are going. If you are going to Norway, $50 is a good number. If you are going to India, that’s way more than you’ll need!

But more than being just a number, it’s a philosophy. The book is designed to be a guide to budget travel but it is full of real tips and tricks that are actually useful for travel on any budget.

Earl: Like you said, advice on how to budget your travels can always apply to anyone. We are always looking to save money, no matter how much we can afford or want to spend. If I can travel to a country and spend $800 for a month, I’d of course also be interested in learning how to have the same experience for $600 if possible.

What is the simplest method you know for travelers to save money?

I think the best thing people can do to save money when they travel is to be flexible. The difference of a day can mean the difference of hundreds of dollars. When you are flexible with time and place, you can capture the best deals that come up. For most people, they can’t be flexible on both so be flexible on at least one because if you have to go to Paris on a certain day, you are paying whatever the listed price is. There’s no magic bullet in travel and there are only so many ways to lower expenses. Sometimes the price is the price.

So I recommend people be flexible when they can. If you’re dead set on Paris, go when it is cheapest. If you can only travel during two weeks in June, go to where it is cheapest. This approach can really save a ton of money in the end.

Earl: This is exactly what I would have said too and I think many long-term travelers agree with this. The more you plan, the more you’re stuck in those plans, and when a different experience or better deal pops up, you’re not able to take advantage of it. It’s okay to plan a little but as you travel, I think most people realize just how important being flexible truly can be.

When it comes to saving money on travel, what’s the biggest difference between when you started and today?

It’s a lot easier to find good deals today. When I started, information was scarce. Now, there are so many blogs, deal-finding websites and travel apps, that travel has never been easier or more accessible. When I started researching my first trip back in 2006, I remember finding one website on backpacking Europe that helped me plan my trip. Now, there are hundreds of websites about every country in Europe that can help plan your trip. Before, if you wanted to find a good flight deal, you would have to spend hours searching routes and carriers. Now, there are websites like holidaypirates.com , theflightdeal.com and airfarewatchdog.com that alert you about deals. They have teams of people doing all the work so you don’t have to do anything but see what deals exist every day. It’s really never been a better time to travel because of all these deals and all of the information that you can find so easily, all of which will help you save money in ways that travelers couldn’t before.

Earl: Ever since I signed up for theflightdeal.com, I’ve wanted to book flights almost every week. For those living in the US, there are some unbelievable deals out there that you probably won’t hear about without an alert from this website. A good example from the alert email I received today: $555 USD roundtrip from Chicago to St. Petersburg, Russia. Who’s coming with me?

For those who aren’t familiar with Matt’s stuff, you can find him here: NomadicMatt.com How to Travel the World on $50 a Day FLYTE (Matt’s new charity)

Any other money-saving tips you’ve picked up on your own travels? Any questions for Matt or about saving money while wandering the world?

New blog posts, honest updates from my 21 years of constant travel, personal recommendations and the best of travel from around the world.

40 Comments

I think one of the biggest financial mistakes you can make, while travelling, is not getting the right cards and bank account before you go. When I left for my three year (!) trip, I left in a bit of a hurry and a flap as my relationship had just ended. I didn’t have time to sort all this kinda thing out. I ended up paying a lot of money that first year on bank fees. I’d totally recommend getting all this sort of thing sorted before you go, so you’re not bartering here, but then spending loads of money over there.

Great interview, I guess Matt has been a great inspiration for many of us 🙂

I actually stumbled upon your blog because I came your blog on Nomadic Matt.

I was shocked about Vietnam because everybody seems to be loving it but as Matt said it all depends on individual experience.

Im not a great planner/organiser when it comes to travel and I tend to go with the flow because every time I organise it just doesn’t work out for me.

[…] to pack when traveling. Not only does it help you organize, it also keeps your possessions safe. If a knockout post should be exposed to the elements on the tarmac, the contents of your bag will stay […]

Love the “not over planning” advice. My best trip to date was a two week jaunt around Belize with my best friend using this method. Using this technique allowed us to get a personalized tour of Chan Chich Lodge, bar hopping in San Ignacio with Belize’s Chief of Police, catching the first game of the Belize Premier League Championships, and staying overnight in a Mayan Village about 45 minutes Northeast of Punta Gorda.

None of this would happened had we stuck to a strict itinerary! Definitely “go with the flow” if you can, especially in less visited countries. You never know the opportunities that may arise coming from this!

Hi Earl! Have you ever been in Peru?

Hey Fernanda – I haven’t been to Peru yet.

Hey Earl- great interview. I definitely agree with you and Matt. I was flexible with my travel plan in the balkan region/Europe. I used different flight path destinations in Europe and ended up saving loads of money in airline fee. Good advice!

Figure out what means the most to you and spend liberally in that area … in the areas that don’t matter as much, find every way possible to save money.

Matt is a great guy. I often read his articles and he presents some great information. His blog helped me a lot during my travels!

Hey Earl, a buddy and I are currently traveling the US. We packed up a few items and just headed out with rough plans. I started in Colorado and he started doing the John Muir trail. Now we have made our way to the Northeast, went through as much as we could and are working at a winery in Maine. We plan on continuing our trip overseas next year, maybe sooner. Any advice about some unknowns we may run into? We plan on doing France first, not sure where. Thanks!

Hey Jon – There will be plenty of unknowns out there but it’s different for everyone…you just need to start the adventure and see where it leads! At the end of the day, if you managed this US trip of yours, you’ll have no problem overseas as well.

Hey Earl, very cool you got to hang out with another fellow travel enthusiast and blogger. One question, did you ever worry about just picking up and leaving? I would love to travel more, but I’m also afraid of leaving behind a steady job and not saving money for things like retirement. Did it ever feel like you weren’t being responsible? And not having benefits? Were these things ever a concern for you? I want to see the world so badly, but this concern is always in the back of my mind.

Hey Megan – Well, for me, I never really had that steady job before I left. I went overseas on a post-graduation trip and the plan was to go home after 3 months and begin my career. But I never went home in the end. So it really comes down to making a personal decision as to what you are looking for in life and what path will be the most fulfilling for you. And just because you travel, doesn’t mean you aren’t saving money for retirement.

I am definitely saving money for retirement. I save money every single month and I pay for health insurance as well. So it’s not much different than if I was working at home somewhere.

Agree on Central America being cheap, although I got a bit stung in Costa Rica last year! I’m dying to see Asia so will definitely start south east and work my way around. It’s nice to see you both still have your love of travel. I only really discovered mine in the last few years, but it has taken over my life! I’ve loved blogging my way around some weird and wonderful parts of the world!

What a nice surprise for a interview since I know many of us read both your blogs all the time. Awesome!!

First of all I been following earl since long time and all blog r very inspiring. Thank u for all this.

I have one question, what u guys do for accomadation?? How u find it in other countries???

Hey Veel – Thanks for commenting and for following the site! For accommodation, I generally use a combination of hostelworld.com, airbnb.com and then getting recommendations from other travelers/bloggers that I find online. But for budget travel, hostelworld.com is the way to go. They list hostels and other budget accommodation in just about every town and city on the planet it seems!

Airbnb is great, but Hostelworld isn’t as great as you make it sound. A lot of hostels no longer use it because they keep on raising their booking fees since they got bought by a big investment company, and you often pay more if you book through them. Hostelz.com is a bigger and better free hostel listing service that really does list all hostels in every town.

He said that because he had bad experiences and he’s not the first one I hear saying that about Vietnam… in some places it seems like your a walking ATM. That and also the fact he is american maybe doesn’t help (not sure about how french people are perceived in Vietnam).

Interesting interview! I’ve been following you both for a long time now so good to see what similarities you both have about your travel. I was at TBEX in Spain as well and remember those food trucks! We also spent a LOT of time chatting around those. Great memories!

Not factoring currency exchanges was indeed my biggest travel mistake so far. It’s impressive how much it can fly away from your hands in commissions, fees, etc! Quite surprised to see Vietnam as a disappointing experience for Matt, I can’t wait to go there!

You are the two bloggers that have been inspiring to me the most, both as traveller and a travel blogger. Keep up the great work!

Lol, I feel a bit sad when I saw “….best overall budget region in the world is Southeast Asia”.

I have visited most countries in Asia and would like to visit the other way round, i.e. England, Ireland, Europe etc. I want to start from London to Ireland then probably Europe (Switzerland a must for me). I am still waiting for a cheaper flight for me to travel from Brunei or any neighbour countries to probably London anytime from now to December. As I come from tropical country I don’t know how I can overcome the coldness if the cheap ticket is available during the cold winter 🙂

There are a lot of cheap tickets from UK to Asia but not the other way round now.

If I follow a 10 nights tour package, it would cost me at least USD3,500.00 for a short trip and I dislike timed-tour.

I can only wait.

I have had bad experiences in many developing countries. Ukraine I had people begging me on the train from Simferopol to Odessa, all they could say in English was “give me money” constantly…weren’t aggressive just annoying. I got overcharged big time in Bangkok going from one bus terminal to another, I asked how much? Driver said 100, I clarified in writing on my mobile and when got to other teimal he said 1000baht and tried to get another two cabbies on me to give him the amount he wanted…cons everywhere. I got a guy in the street of Suva Fiji trying to trick me into buying an ornament by asking me my name then he started to engrave it but straight away I knew what was happening and walked away. I also had a bad experience in omotepe Nicaragua where the owner of a hotel served me and fellow travellers dinner, I paid mine and he mysteriously forgot to give me the $30 equivalent change and was difficult about giving it back saying i hadn’t paid him as much as I had…raaaaa!!! And the worst of all is when I came from panama to Costa Rica and crossed the border by foot but the costa ricabcustoms official said i needed an onwards ticket as proof i was leaving the country, but I had an airline ticket from mexico to uk only a month later which wasnt outside the valid time I could stay there as uk nationals can stay for up to 90 days. I protested and he got some handcuffs and started making calls and threatened to get police to interrogate me…so I ended up getting the tika bus that he said i had to get for 25$ and everything was fine after that…definitely some dodgy business going on with the tika bus company and the border officials. When I entered from Nicaragua there was no problem what so ever…no onwards proof required!

Ron, We travel in Central America a lot and have learned about the problem with making change. We go to our bank in December and stock up on new American bills especially small denominations. I bring 200 $1 bills, great for tips and for making the right change. I also bring $5 and $10 bills. You are far better off to give the correct amount of money rather than wait for change. A lot of people will try to cheat you on change. Sometimes it is not getting cheated but convenience, give a big bill and the waitress has to go across the street to the bank to get change! While you wait. Bring lots of small bills and all this becomes a very minor inconvenience, just part of the “never a dull moment” vibe of these places.

Hi Earl I am following your blog for long time. I am yet to work up the courage to travel alone. I am from India and I have just started to visit different places in my country. Most of the times I am cancelling my plans because being a women I am worried about travelling alone and all the risks that accompanies with it.

I want to travel lot and can you give few tips to us girls on how to be a safe while travelling. Also can you recommend few places that I can visit with minimal budget from India.

I noticed your reply. While I cannot help with the cheap destinations from India (I’ll let Earl or Matt tackle that for you), I am a solo female traveller. Over the years I’ve done various trips on my own and now I’m traveling for 5 months from Milan to Bangkok – my wok in the US also requires that I travel the country quite extensively, often on my own.

I have never had an issue on any of my trips. What I would say is this: – Take the normal precautions you would at home – for me, that means I don’t walk down dark alleys by myself, for example. This also means I would never smoke a pipe with a group of men by myself (sorry Earl, that story was fascinating, but as a female, not a situation I would ever get myself into). – I make sure that my lodging is close to other places or if it’s not, there are other travelers staying there. Fellow travelers are your friends, even if you don’t end up being that social, if you pick a place with lots of them, you’ll be fine. – Trust your instinct – my gut never fails me. I get a sense of a situation or a person pretty quickly. If I feel something is up, I move on…simple as that.

But, I can’t emphasize this enough, the world is not as scary for women as others make it out to be. I hope you do make some plans for a solo trip – even just a weekend out of town, it can be quite liberating.

Hey Hyma – Thanks for writing. First, you’ll have to check online to see which countries you can visit without a visa and then you can see which ones are the least expensive to visit and travel around. As for females traveling, the world is much safer than we imagine and if you ask solo female travelers who have been traveling for a long time, they will always say that common sense is what keeps them safe. If they use the same common sense they would use at home, the chance of anything happening while traveling is about the same…very low.

Earl/Matt Great interview. I’ve traveled with Earl, know Anil from Foxnomad and have bought Matt’s book which I found vert helpful. All three of you are great inspirations to all would be and current travelers. Many thanks for all the useful information. I really have noticed the common thread of “not over planning”. Sounds good to me! Cheers, Dan

Hey Dan – Thanks for commenting here. As you can tell even with my tour, over planning is not something I like to do at all! Keep it simple, see how things turn out and go from there…much better idea to me. Hope you’re well as always!

Great advice in here, especially about the changing currencies, the flexibility options (where you go or when you go), and all of the sites for finding cheap flights. Earl, you said you get alerts when currencies change; what app or site do you use for this?

Hey Gillian – I just have the standard currency app built in to my android phone. I have a screen that has a few currencies listed and is constantly being updated. But I know many people use the xe.com app.

Wandering Earl, Nomadic Matt, Fox Nomad are among the first blogs I have ever followed. They have always provided great inspiration and tips to travel. I must say I have made the mistake of over planning long term trips but thankfully I realised soon enough that there was no need to do so and then I did go with the flow! Thank you for this nice exchange 🙂

Always go with the flow. Truly makes you stress free in all the planning and making things perfect. I always put in mind too that to expect the unexpected 🙂 I always take it as a challenge.

Someday, you’ll both Want to interview me.

That’s what I’m thinking…… 😉

It is truly an inspiring interview, both you and Matt are just two awesome individual that I followed to get me more motivated for my travel dream.

Keep it up!

To each their own. I’ve been to Paris twice and both times the people were very helpful and very nice. London on the other hand … I think the nicest people I’ve encountered traveling (and I haven’t been to a lot of places) were in Turkey. That’s my favorite place so far. I also want to say that I agree about being flexible. I am going in my third trip and I’m just figuring this out so its funny to read it. Good interview.

Great article, very informative.

Count me in on those who do not like Paris, well…Parisians…I find them abrasive, rude, etc. The city is beautiful. Also was surprised about Vietnam, as I have heard different stories.

Thank you Earl and Matt for your advice and insights!

I’m one of the crazy people that don’t like Paris, but being French, I think I can 😀 Had the same issue about currencies, between the Euro and the UAE Dirham (where I live now), making me almost ending up in court (No one jokes about bouncing cheques here!).

Still very curious about Vietnam, surprised about what you said as everyone seem to love it.

Question: you’ve been on the road for 10 years almost, any plans of settling down? Also, I really have issues budgeting and sticking to it, any recommendations in terms of methods/apps?

Thanks and happy travels to both of you!

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Nomadic Matt's Travel Site

nomadicmatt.com

Review: nomadic matt, what is nomadic matt is nomadic matt a travel blog.

Nomadic Matt is a travel blog created by American blogger Matthew Kepnes. He started traveling in 2004 at the age of 25 and began blogging about his experiences a few years later. Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, he hadn’t left the country up till that point. His first international trip, he went to Costa Rica; it was such a life changing event for him. Another trip to Thailand further convinced him to quit his job, complete his MBA, and put everything into traveling and blogging. He has now visited over a hundred countries and territories and in that time has learned new languages, tried new foods, and made some amazing lifelong friends.

Matt’s website helps people travel further for less and answers questions like where to find the best travel deals, how to maximize your time at a destination, and even how to save money on flights – all of which is based on his firsthand travel experiences. His system on smarter travel has proven to be so effective that it’s been featured on sites such as BBC, The New York Times, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, Forbes, and other prominent agencies.

This website review is going to take an in-depth look at his blog, Nomadic Matt’s Travel Site, and dig into what the website offers, how effective it is, and how beneficial it is to its visitors.

How easy is it to use the Nomadic Matt website?

At first glance, the Nomadic Matt website seems to be filled with useful information and travel tips. The site is laid out in a very user-friendly and easy to follow manner. As soon as you enter, you’ll find a website search engine, links to social media accounts, and a menu with links to the following:

The search engine on the main home page asks where you want to go and lets you search nomadicmatt.com. It also suggests popular searches such as Southeast Asia, Europe, or terms such as insurance or travel hacking. It’s a great place to start if you’re in search of something particular and know exactly what kind of information you’re seeking.

Scrolling down the homepage, you’ll find a link to sign up for emails and newsletters, the latest blog posts, a quick read about Matthew Kepnes, and links to his most popular travel advice. Further down, there are descriptions of his publications, the benefits of being a Nomadic Matt Plus Member, and more.

Conclusively, all of the most essential information and links to it can be found directly on the home page and the website proves to be extremely easy to follow.

How informative is the Nomadic Matt blog?

There are over a thousand posts on the Nomadic Matt travel blog and combined, they cover an immense array of topics. It’s listed from the latest published blog posts and goes back, but if you hover over the blog link on the navigation menu, there’s also a link to Nomadic Matt’s most popular posts (if you’d prefer browsing those).

I delved into some of his most popular posts such as ‘The Ultimate Guide to Traveling Cheap’ and ‘Why There’s a Perfect Time to Travel’ and found them to be extremely easy to read/ comprehend and full of useful information. For example, in ‘The Ultimate Guide to Traveling Cheap,’ Matt identifies that the number one reason most people say holds them back from travel is money.

The rest of his blog post then outlines ways to solve that particular problem and gives tips on how to travel on a budget or even for free in some cases. If traveling on a budget, he suggests tips such as finding ways to lower your expenses, taking advantage of helpful apps and websites that save you money, and even identifying ways you can make money while traveling. If you want to travel for free, Nomadic Matt delves into ways you can take advantage of free transportation, accommodation, and activities to make the most of your trip.

The blog post has additional content to support the topic with sections on cooking your own meals while traveling, the benefits of getting a rail pass, how to find student discounts, and using your social network to your advantage.

All of this goes to show that Nomadic Matt’s blog posts are well outlined, informative, and not only address the topic at hand but also give you suggestions and solutions you can actually apply. Furthermore, it’s very well written and the content is formatted in an easy-to-follow layout that holds your attention.

Here are a couple of his most popular posts for you to get an idea of what kind of topics Nomadic Matt’s blog covers:

• How to Use Body Language Cues to Be a Better Traveler
• Travel Tips from a Local
• Tips for Traveling with Children
• Finding the Best Time to Travel

And interviews and discussions with fellow travelers, authors, and more. You can spend hours reading his blog posts and gathering useful information you can implement the next time you travel.

What kind of travel tips can you find on the Nomadic Matt website?

The Nomadic Matt website has a dedicated section for travel tips. Some of the topics that are covered include:

It’s a great resource to use when planning your next adventure because it can be hard and or overwhelming to know where to start. The Travel Tips section of the website makes it easy to plan your next getaway, no matter if it’s for solo travel, couples, families, local, international, or even a short or long trip. The curated list of articles related to planning your perfect trip is easy to navigate, and you’ll find yourself with a travel plan in no time.

What can you expect in Nomadic Matt’s travel guides?

The travel guides on the Nomadic Matt website give you constantly-updated information on major travel destinations around the world. You will find budget tips, useful advice, and tons of recommendations on places to stay, things to see and do, and where to eat. These destination guides are packed with all the information you need to make your travel experience better, cheaper, and last longer. It’s very easy to use and you can search for a particular travel destination or pick a country/ region from the interactive map on the website.

What kind of resources can I find on the Nomadic Matt travel site?

There are tons of helpful resources you can find on Nomadic Matt’s website. Popular resources include:

How can I make use of the Community section on the Nomadic Matt website?

There are several aspects of the Nomadic Matt Community such as:

Book Club – A monthly book club where you get four or five Matt-approved book suggestions that will inspire your travels.

Blog School – Nomadic Matt has built one of the biggest travel websites in the world but he doesn’t gatekeep! Use this resource to learn how to build your own successful blog, gain followers, and make money.

Virtual Events – Connect with other members for workshops, discussions, clubs, and even in-person meetups.

Forums – Meet fellow travelers, share tips, ask for suggestions, and more in The Nomadic Network.

Has Nomadic Matt published any books?

Nomadic Matt has also published three books about his experiences and things he’s learned over the years. He published “How to Travel the World on $50 a Day: Travel Cheaper, Longer, Smarter” in 2013 and an eBook, “Nomadic Matt’s Guide to Backpacking Europe” in 2018. A year later, he came out with “Ten Years a Nomad: A Traveler’s Journey Home” – Kepner’s published memoir.

There is even a shop where you can purchase books, eBooks, and destination guidebooks that are updated constantly. Some of his best guidebooks include Nomadic Matt’s Guide to Backpacking Europe, Amsterdam, Paris, New York City, and more.

Is there a Premium Membership for Nomadic Matt’s website?

There is! Nomadic Matt Plus gives members access to exclusive content, special member-only books, and even more discounts and tips that let you travel better (and further) for less. The exclusive community brings travelers togethers and is full of perks – even free stuff! There are even events where you can meet fellow Nomadic Matt Plus travelers, make new friends, and even create group travel plans.

How do you contact someone at Nomadic Matt?

You can contact a member of Nomadic Matt’s team using his contact page. There are some guidelines to follow before emailing them (such as not asking about visa questions!) but they do list different points of contact for different reasons. Furthermore, you can also connect with Nomadic Matt and his team via their social media platforms – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Overall, I found the Nomadic Matt website to be extremely useful and user-friendly. It is well designed and functional and is full of up-to-date quality content that you can actually utilize in your future travels.

You might like to look to is the travel blog, Ordinary Traveler . And maybe read some popular guides travel like Japan vs China! Which is best to travel?

I am a professional travel writer and travel enthusiast who traveled the world twice, so I am sharing my firsthand knowledge about everything related to travel and spending time abroad.

• Based on years of personal travel
• Has visited over a hundred countries and territories and shares his experiences
• Easy-to-use website with important info and links directly on the home page
• Blog has over a thousand posts covering an array of topics
• Blog is well outlined, informative, and provides solutions you can apply; very well written and formatted in an easy-to-follow layout that holds your attention
• Dedicated Travel Tips section that covers important topics and curate a list of related articles that is a great resource when planning your next adventure
• Travel guides are up to date and full of budget tips, useful advice, and tons of recommendations on places to stay, things to see and do, and where to eat
• Featured on BBC, The New York Times, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, and Forbes
• Easy to navigate and quickly find what you’re looking for by using the search bar at the top
• Each blog post neatly laid out and containing useful information on travelling
• Comments section below allows readers to add their own thoughts on the blog post
• Contains a ride range of categories, including ‘Solo Female Traveler’ advice
• They are not a travel agency and do not help you actually book trips
• The website does not offer services to plan personalized itineraries; you can use what’s there but that’s it
• While there are suggestions and links to companies for travel insurance, credit card companies, etc., you can’t purchase any of this directly on the website
• Quality of writing not the same as publish newspaper or magazine
• Website contains lots of ads promoting products

12+ Alternative Sites to Nomadic Matt's Travel Site

Nomadic Matt!

Hi! My name is Matthew Kepnes aka Nomadic Matt. I help people travel on a budget and have more unique cultural experiences. If that's the type of travel you love, subscribe to my newsletter and I'll help see you more for less.

Nomadic Matt's Travel Tuesday

Did you know some credit cards can actually help you get out of debt faster? Find a card with a “0% intro APR" period for balance transfers. No interest means you could pay off the debt faster. Check out the full list of cards you can use to do this here .

*NEW* UPCOMING WEBINARS

1. LOOKING TO MAKE MORE MONEY WITH YOUR BLOG? I'm hosting a webinar on affiliate marketing for intermediate bloggers who are already making money. I'm going to go into a lot more detail on the advanced tactics you can use to increase your conversions. The event is on October 24th. ​ You can learn more and sign up for the webinar here! ​

2. WANT TO EARN MORE FREE FLIGHTS? On October 5th, we're hosting a Travel Hacking 101 webinar . We're going to go over the basics of travel hacking, goal setting, earning and redeeming points, and so much more.

If you're ready to master points and miles and start traveling for free, click here to learn more about the event and sign up .

3. ARE YOU A BLOGGER OR ONLINE CREATOR? I'm hosting a free webinar with ConvertKit all about growing your newsletter. Newsletters are the backbone of every business and in this webinar, you'll learn how to master email marketing and how you can use newsletters to boost your brand to make more money.

The webinar takes place on October 11th. You can sign up here .

TRAVELCON IS RETURNING!!!!!

After a brief hiatus, TravelCon is coming back! After being approached by some friends in the conference space, it's been decided that TravelCon will come back in the spring of 2024. There are still a lot of moving parts: we are still working out a date, location, and format.

But it's coming back in its glorious form! If you work in travel, sign up here for updates. We'll have a lot of announcements over the coming months!

COOL STORIES FROM AROUND THE WEB

1. I Spent 4 Days Exploring the LGBTQ+ Scene in Medellín, Colombia — Here's Where to Go - My friend Adam wrote a cool article on the LGBTQ scene in Medellin.

2. Meet Airbnb’s Official Party Pooper, Who Reduced Partying By 55% in Two Years - A neat look at how Airbnb has fought back against partying travelers.

3. Brazil to Reinstate Visa Requirement for U.S. Travelers - Starting next year, U.S., Canadians, and Australians will need an e-visa to enter Brazil.

4. Is This the Summer of Bad Tourists? - Are travelers today actually worse, or are we just hearing more about them?

NEW BLOG POSTS

​ The Best Walking Tours in Seville ​

Walking tours, food tours, ghost tours — Seville has it all! Here's a list of my favorite tours in Seville to help you plan your next visit there.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Do you really want to look back on your life and see how wonderful it could have been had you not been afraid to live it?” - Caroline Myss

As always, if you have any questions, reply to this email. I'll be happy to help.

Nomadic Matt

My Favorite Travel Planning Resources

Reader, I know a lot of people are dreaming of winter trips (I'm planning a trip to Thailand). To help you plan those trips, I wanted to re-share some helpful trip-planning blogs and a list of my recommended companies. These resources will ensure you have fun, stay safe, and save money! TRAVEL PLANNING BLOG POSTS First, here are a few blog posts worth checking out. They have tons of practical tips as well as suggestions for where to go if you're on a budget: 16 Easy Steps for Planning a Trip...

Nomadic Matt’s Travel Tuesday

Reader, Greetings from NYC! How are we already over 1/3rd of the way through September? Wasn't it just August last week? Lately, I feel like time is just flying by. Or is it just me? In two weeks I'm heading to Europe for a bit. This will be my first pure personal trip all year. A lot of my travels in the last couple of years have been work-related: tours, conferences, destination partnerships. Japan was supposed to be a fun personal trip but then I got sick so I spent most of my trip in a...

How to Get Free Flights & Hotels

Reader, As the summer travel season comes to an end and we start dreaming of fall travel, I wanted to send some updated resources on travel hacking. Travel hacking is the art of collecting points and miles for free travel. (It works predominately in the US, Canada, and the UK so if you're not in one of those places, I'm sorry. Just skip this email!) Collecting points and miles is pretty easy these days and there are two new tools that make using your points an easy process too. These travel...

Inside the Success of NomadicMatt

I became “Nomadic Matt” by accident. After getting bit by the travel bug after traveling around Thailand , I decided to quit my job and travel the world for about eighteen months. When I came home, I sat back down in a cubicle and hated it. It was boring and made me feel like the previous eighteen months hadn’t happened.

So I decided to travel again.

Initially, I decided to start a travel blog just as a way to keep track of my travels and to have something of a portfolio to show to editors when I was writing articles. I pictured myself becoming a travel writer, pitching articles and writing guides for Lonely Planet as a way to make money to keep traveling. I wanted to be something of a mix between Bill Bryson and Anthony Bourdain, traveling the world in search of stories and adventures. However, my blog slowly began to grow and become popular. After a while, I realized I could just focus on my own blog and try to turn that into a business.

All those years later, here I am!

You’ve been blogging for over a decade now. How has blogging changed since you first started?

Pretty much everything about blogging has changed since I started back in 2008. Back then, you didn’t need to know much about SEO. There was no social media to worry about, and you could pretty much just write whatever you wanted to. There was only a handful of people back then so it was really easy to find other blogs and writers. And, chances are, if someone found someone else, they also found you.

Blogging today is much more focused and professional. There are a lot of skills to learn and it takes a lot more time and effort to be heard above the crowd. You really need to approach the whole endeavor like you would any business.

There are also a lot more blogs today. And while that may mean there is more competition, the fact is, most bloggers don’t last. They get impatient and quit when they realize that working online is not as fun or glamorous as social media makes it out to be. There are a ton of blogs out there with terrible writing too, so you’ll definitely want to make sure you learn how to improve your writing skills if you want to break through the noise and grow your audience.

At the end of the day, blogging is a marathon, not a sprint , so you really need to be ready to play the long game and take it slow. No one gets rich as a blogger or travel writer overnight. It’s all about the little wins and progressing step by step.

Do you think there are too many blogs these days?

I don’t think there are too many quality blogs , no. Sure, there are a ton of blogs out there but that doesn’t mean there are a ton of good blogs out there. And it’s not even just blogs anymore. You have YouTubers and Instagrammers too. There are a lot of content creators out there. But most of them aren’t good . There is always room for new, unique, fresh content and perspectives. Think of it like the restaurant industry. There’s always lots of restaurants out there – but there’s always room for another great one !

What are some common mistakes new bloggers and writers make?

A lot of new bloggers focus too much time on social media. While social media is important for your brand, you’re not going to get a lot of traffic from it. Aside from Pinterest, the traffic you get from social media pales in comparison to what you’ll get from search engines. For that reason, focusing more on SEO is a much better investment in the long run than focusing on social media.

I also see a lot of new bloggers not spending enough time on their writing. Poor writing really stands out, and bloggers need to up their game if they want to last . Using apps like Grammarly or the Hemingway are great tools to keep your writing on track, but you’ll always want to make sure you’re constantly reading too. Spend some time reading the best travel books and articles every week. The vocabulary and style will slowly seep into your own writing, giving you an edge and making your writing more engaging and captivating.

What advice do you give to bloggers who are just starting out?

Gone are the days where you can just write about anything travel related. People want experts . So go niche. What are you an expert in? Or, what will you become an expert in? There are billons of people online these days. SOMEONE is going to want to read about the topic you’re writing about. Go narrow, go deep . Don’t just do yet another backpacking blog. Be something really specific .

Also, invest in yourself. Spend time learning the skills you’ll need to succeed. Join Facebook groups, take an online course, network with people in the industry. Treat this like you would any business. The more you invest in yourself, the smoother your journey will become.

Lastly, read! Self-improvement books, travel writing books , business books, marketing books. There is a TON of knowledge out there that you can benefit from. Spend some time reading every day so you can make the most from it. One of the reasons I’ve been able to last so long in this industry is because I’m always reading, always trying to learn something new. It’s how to get ahead and how you stay relevant. Read often!

What’s one thing you wish you did differently when you first started blogging?

I wish I started an email list sooner. I kept putting it off to focus on writing new content ( and traveling ) because it just didn’t seem necessary. However, when one of my posts went viral and my site started to really get a lot of traffic I missed out on collecting emails. That was thousands of potential emails lost because I kept putting the task off.

Emails are the best way to stay connected with your readers. It’s the best way to go about marketing new content as well as new products. If you’re going to be making money from your blog in the future, you’re going to need an email list .

Speaking of books, you’ve got a book coming out this month. Tell us about it!

My next book is called Ten Years a Nomad . It chronicles all of my travels and adventures since I started this whole crazy journey over a decade ago. I share lots of stories I have never shared before , and go into much more detail about stories and experiences I have shared. It’s part memoir, part reflection on the whole art of travel itself. It was a massive undertaking but I’m really proud of how it turned out and I’m excited to share it with everyone.

Why did you want to write this book?

I wanted to write a travel memoir that not only shares my stories and misadventures, but explores why we even travel in the first place. While you can do that on a blog, it’s much easier to do that in a book where you have more space and freedom to untangle your thoughts, feelings, and reflections. Most of my writing is service based. It’s the nuts and bolts of how to travel the world and do it on a budget. Do this, see that, stay here kind of stuff. I wanted my next book to be something more story-focused. I wanted something more inspirational. I wanted to describe what life is like on the road and show people that it’s not as hard as you think to travel.

What advice do you have for writers looking to one day write their own travel book?

I’ve spent the past 2 years working on Ten Years a Nomad. Writing a book is a long, slow process. The sooner you can start, the sooner you can start piecing everything together. You need to time not only to edit and write but to think over the flow of your book and how you want to arrange it. So, the more time you can spend on that the better.

It also helps to have tons of notes to reference, whether that be blog posts I’ve written in the past or things I’ve written in my travel journals. If you think you want to maybe write a book one day, make sure you take tons of notes while you travel. That way, you’ll be able to lean on those notes in your writing, making the process much easier when you finally get down to it.

I have a terrible memory so I’m glad I had the blog as well as my original journals to help me really get the details, characters, and emotions down accurately. I don’t think I could have written this book without them. It really helped jog my memory and the conversations I had with people.

Finally, any parting words of wisdom?

Practice, practice, practice! The key to becoming a better writer is to work on your craft as often as possible. Nobody is born an amazing writer. It’s a skill. The more time you spend sharpening it, the better you’ll get. Invest in yourself . Read regularly. And read books about writing, too. Yes, pitching and marketing and SEO are all important, but at the end of the day it all comes down to your writing. That’s what will get you ahead and differentiate you from the crowd.

• NomadicMatt
• Travel Blogging

Related Links:

• Matt's Book: Ten Years a Nomad: A Traveler's Journey Home .
• Matt's Course: The Business of Blogging

Related Articles:

Great interview Trisha, and excellent answers and advice, Matt. To stand out these days, bloggers & writers need to write well, keep learning & improving, and carve out a distinctive niche, instead of the standard backpacking blogs we are inundated with. Right on!

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See Nic Wander

Budget Travel Tips With Expert Nomadic Matt

Updated: September 12, 2023

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If you’ve ever searched for budget travel tips , there’s a good chance you’ve found yourself on the popular travel blog, Nomadic Matt . Nomadic Matt has been one of the biggest names in the travel blogging industry for years and his inspiring blog is one of the reasons I wanted to start a travel blog of my own.

So you can imagine my excitement when, by a stroke of good fortune and what I can only assume was me earning tons of good karma in a past life, I got the chance to interview Matt and chat about his best budget travel tips!

Matt Kepnes is a wildly successful blogger and  a New York Times Bestselling author .  But he is also, first and foremost, a traveler. He is one of us. He understands the traveler highs and lows we all go through – the euphoria of finding a deal on that perfect plane ticket, the horror of discovering that some guy in your hostel is “learning to play guitar,” and everything in between.

In this interview, Matt explains how he got started and shares his best tips for how you can travel longer without breaking the bank!

You’re known as being a travel expert and the go-to source for seeing the world on a budget. How did it all start?

It all started rather accidentally, to be honest. I started my travel blog a decade ago as a way to catalog my travels for friends and family, but also to get my foot in the door when it came to travel writing.

I was tired of working the 9-5 and wanted a way to support myself as I traveled the world. Learning how to become a travel writer seemed like the perfect option. I could see the world, writing amazing stories, and make money. What could be better?

My original hope was to work for Lonely Planet, using my travel blog as a resume that would showcase my skill. That didn’t exactly work out as I imagined.

After a while, my blog actually started to become popular in its own right. More and more people were looking for budget travel tips online, and so I decided I would focus on my own blog.

With a lot of hard work and trial and error, I eventually turned my blog from a haphazard resume to the online business and budget travel resource that it is today. I never ended up writing for Lonely Planet, but instead created my own travel guides and books. So it all worked out for the best!

When in your travels did you “crack the code” to budget travel?

I wouldn’t say I cracked the code of budget travel, but rather found the sweet spot of balancing being cheap with being frugal. There have been budget backpackers traveling the world on far less than $50 per day for decades . But not everyone wants to live off pennies a day. Yet not everyone wants to spend thousands and thousands of dollars on their vacation either.

So I knew there had to be a balance, a way that let people travel the world for cheap but that didn’t require them to be penniless vagabonds or luxury travelers.

After backpacking the world for a few years, the $50 a day number seemed to be the best fit. It balances cheap accommodation and frugal transportation with local experiences and a few activities.

It’s the Goldilocks number that seems to cover the majority of budget travel experiences, without being too cheap or too frugal. It’s flexible depending on which budget destinations you go to, covering both cheap destinations as well as more expensive ones.

In short, $50 per day is a great reference point to help anyone plan their long-term trip around the world. It’s not perfect and won’t work for everyone, but I think it will cover the needs of most budget travelers — which is good enough for me!

Even as a budget traveler, is there anything you always splurge on while traveling?

For me, food is always something I budget extra money for. I don’t mind sleeping in hostels and taking public buses, because food and drinks are my priority; that’s how I connect with a destination.

For other people, activities might be their personal preference when it comes to blowing the budget, and for others still, it might be accommodation or transportation. To each their own!

I think what is important is that everyone recognizes that, when you’re planning a trip, you need to budget extra money for the things you love. After all, what’s the point of traveling the world if you’re not going to enjoy yourself?

Another important expense I always budget for is travel insurance. I’ve been injured a few times over the years while traveling, so these days I never travel anywhere without insurance.

It’s not a fun or sexy way to spend money, but buying travel insurance is a worthwhile investment. Delayed flights, injuries, and lost or damaged electronics are things we don’t plan for but they are things we should prepare for.

For that reason, spending a few bucks a day on travel insurance is a worthwhile expense if you ask me! I’ve been personally using World Nomads for years but there are lots of good companies!

What are some ways you’ve found to land affordable or better yet, free accommodation?

Accommodation can eat up as much as 30% of your travel budget. Along with transportation, it’s usually your biggest expense. Naturally, saving money on accommodation is one of the best ways to increase your time on the road. While staying in hostels or camping are obvious ways to lower your accommodation expenses, there are plenty of other non-traditional ways to find cheap or free accommodation.

For starters, you can use sharing economy apps like Couchsurfing to stay with locals for free. Not only will you get free accommodation but you’ll get to spend time with a local and pick their brain about the destination – which is an invaluable resource!

Another great option is house sitting . Pet owners travel too, but they often don’t travel with their pets. Signing up for a house-sitting website will let you find free places to stay all around the world in exchange for you looking after their furry family members.

Another way of finding free accommodation is by exchanging work for room and board. WWOOF is a great platform for this. In exchange for helping out on a farm, you’ll get a free place to stay as well as free food (and sometimes other perks). If you don’t mind working outdoors, this is a great way to lower your costs while getting to experience a more unique travel perspective.

With so many awesome travel websites out there, finding cheap or free accommodation has never been easier. All you need to do is know where to look!

Related Post: How to start house sitting and traveling for free!

Nomadic Matt is one of the most successful travel websites out there. How long did it take for your blog to go from hobby to business?

I spent a few years blogging before I was making an income I could live off. It was a lot of work, constantly grinding away at my computer writing, networking, and learning new skills. People have this image that bloggers and “digital nomads” just spend their days living at the beach. I can assure you that that is not the case!

Blogging is a business. Like all businesses, it takes hard work. It wasn’t until 3 years of working on my blog that I was making a living income. 3 years of working more or less full-time on the website, too. It was a grind.

But it was worth it, because now I’m my own boss and have the freedom to work on the projects I want to work on and travel wherever I want to travel. But it didn’t happen overnight, so if you’re looking to get into the travel industry just keep that in mind. This is a great field to work in, but it’s not a place to ‘get rich quick.’ Blogging is a marathon, not a sprint.

Related Post: Step by Step Guide to Starting a Travel Blog

What are some other jobs people can do while traveling in order to travel longer?

There are tons of jobs or ways to save money traveling that can be helpful if you’re looking to extend your long-term travels. From housesitting and WWOOFing as I mentioned earlier, to teaching English in person, teaching English online , or working remotely if you have a marketable skill that can be done from a laptop (such as graphic design, accounting, social media, etc.).

On top of that, you can use websites like helpx.net or workaway.info to find jobs at hostels around the world. While you won’t make money, you will save money, which is just as good.

Additionally, there are plenty of countries that offer working holiday visas. These are designed for young travelers, to give them a chance to both work and travel in the country (usually for 1 year).

At the end of the day, it all comes down to what skills you have. What are you good at that can benefit other people? How can you use those skills to make money abroad?

If you have landscaping experience, offer to help your hostel out in exchange for a free room. If you’re a great photographer, offer to take a bunch of awesome photos for your Airbnb host in exchange for another free night.

Everyone is good at something. Find your something and then use that to help you travel longer.

You taught ESL abroad! Where did you teach and how did that experience help you as a traveler?

I taught English in Thailand and Taiwan, and both experiences were incredibly helpful in showing me how to get beneath the skin of a destination. When you spend months (or years) in a destination you get a much more nuanced perspective of the location. You understand more of the culture, the food, the history, and the people.

That knowledge helps you be a better ambassador for that place because you can share a much more in-depth overview of it. You get beyond the superficial, beyond the tourist traps, and into the heart of the culture. While you might never truly be a local, you get a lot deeper as an expat than you would as just a traveler. That depth will show you things no traveler will ever get to see or experience.

And it also teaches you a lot about your own culture, because you become the outsider. You get to look at your own culture from the outside in, which is an incredibly valuable perspective to experience. I think everyone would benefit from being an expat at least once.

I can think of no faster way to bring people together and show them that, deep down, we’re all a lot more similar than we have ever imagined. 

How do you balance your time between travel and working online as a digital nomad?

I used to try to balance my work while I was on the road, but it is exhausting! These days, when I’m on the road I make sure to limit the amount of work I do. I keep up on my emails and social media, but everything else waits.

I don’t write new blog posts while I’m traveling and I hit pause on any new projects. That way, I don’t need to juggle both work and my travels. I can enjoy my destination as just a traveler and not a blogger.

Sure, I’ll take notes and be thinking of what I want to write about, but the amount of work I do is limited. Because I don’t want my travels to be exhausting. I learned that lesson the hard way, always trying to work and travel but never really enjoying either. These days, I actively work to have a better work/life balance. It’s not easy, because I’m a bit of a workaholic, but I do my best!

What three pieces of advice do you have for people who want to start traveling long-term?

1. figure out your goals..

Are you looking to start traveling this year? Next year? Approximately how long are you hoping to travel? What’s your rough budget? Get specific. I want to travel around Europe and Asia for 6 months starting July 2019. The more specific you can make your goal, the more likely you will reach it. Figure out your plan so you have something to work toward.

2. Start today.

What can you do today that will get you closer to that goal? Can you apply for a new travel credit or open a new savings account? Can you buy a new travel guide or join an online Facebook group about travel? Start taking concrete actions because these will make the trip feel more real, more attainable. You’ll start to build momentum, making your travels much more likely to happen when you want them to.

3. Start travel hacking .

If you live in the USA, you have access to the best travel hacking credit cards in the world. These can give you free flights and free hotel stays, as well as other awesome travel perks. Travel hacking is the easiest way to earn free flights, so if long-term travel is something you’re serious about then start travel hacking as soon as you can. I’ve earned tons of free flights and hotel stays over the years. Don’t miss out on these!

Final Thoughts: Budget Travel Tips With Nomadic Matt

A huge thank you to Matt for taking the time to share his expert advice! If you want to learn more from Matt, make sure to check out his awesome online courses for Travel Bloggers, Photographers, Videographers, and Writers.

I learned so much from this interview with Nomadic Matt. If you learned a valuable new travel tip, make sure to pin and share this post!

Looking for more Budget Travel Tips? Check out these blog posts :

• How To Travel The World On A Budget
• How To Save Money Traveling Europe
• Here’s How I Saved $3000+ For Travel
• Skyscanner Tips: Find Cheap Flights Anywhere

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About the Author

Hi! I'm Nic. Let's chat about remote work and ways to incorporate more travel into your life. Whether you're here to find an online job or need some tips for planning your next trip, I've got you covered! More about me

9 thoughts on “Budget Travel Tips With Expert Nomadic Matt”

I like the questions you asked Matt. Very well planned and delivered! Congrats 🙂

Thanks!! It’s always great to get first-hand advice from such an expert in the biz! 🙂

As an older person who travels for the most part vicariously through your blogs, I know I’ll never be a long-term traveler. I don’t even know what a travel hacker is. But I enjoyed the expansive look into what, apparently, is a whole host of lucky folks out there who travel and eat and play and work for the thrill of learning and raising their horizons. Thanks for broadening the vistas for the rest of us.

What an awesome interview! Lots of really useful information and excellent questions. It is always good to hear more from the king of budget travel, and I loved hearing it from your perspective.

Thank you! It’s always great to hear personal tips like these! I definitely need to look into travel hacking 🙂

Great interview! Matt is my travel hero too, I’ve been following him for years and finally met him at TravelCon this year. It’s always great to learn more information from him. I keep saying I’m going to learn this travel hacking thing and then feel overwhelmed. I need to just dive in and figure it out. 🙂

Agreed! Travel Hacking is definitely on my list of things to learn in 2019! 🙂

Great questions! How cool to interview your travel blog hero!!

I know!!! It was very cool getting to meet him in person at TravelCon too! 🙂

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