How to Travel the World Stress-Free

Traveling is great, but the harsh reality is that it’s not for everyone. After all, it’s time-consuming, difficult, and so expensive as to only be truly available to the financial elite. Right? That excuse still checks out, right?

Not at all. Thanks to technology and the ever-decreasing price of travel, the world is getting smaller every year, and with it shrink your excuses for not seeing the parts you’ve always dreamed about. Just ask Matt Kepnes, also known as “Nomadic Matt,” who’s managed to travel the world on next-to-no cash and even get paid to do it. Some of his tips include:

Finances

One of the smartest ways to tactically travel is by signing up for the right credit card. If you check out NerdWallet.com, you can see that a lot of cards give you special bonus points for spending money on travel, or even allow you to spend those points on travel at a discount rate. Some cards, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve, do both.

You can also look into perks for frequent travelers like the Round The World ticket or Workaway. Then there are all the cheap flight deal notifications you can sign up for, like Scott’s Cheap Flights, Travelocity, or CheapFlights.com.

Staying Safe

Safety isn’t just a priority because it’s, you know, your life we’re talking about -- it’s also a financial concern. It’s not just injuries and robberies we’re talking about, because even though those can end a trip prematurely, you can also spend yourself into an early flight home by being unprepared for a trip’s built-in dangers, and panic-spending your way through your budget.

Research where you’re going. Don’t carry huge piles of cash. Learn skills for relating to other people in your hostel, or on your tour. Research the places you’re visiting ahead of time to make sure you’re prepared. And watch your back!

Figure Out Where You Actually Want to Go

This seems like obvious advice, but it’s more useful than you think: If you know why you’re going somewhere, you won’t waste time seeing stuff “just to see it.” You’ll only see what you want. And you’ll see it quickly.

These tips and more can all be found in Stress Free Budget Travel with Matt Kepnes, available in our store for just $14.99 (that’s 50% off the budget price of $29.99)