Matt Kepnes, perhaps best known by his social media handles as Nomadic Matt, has built a reputation for himself as the guy who knows how to travel the world on $50 a day. That was more or less the title of his first book, published in 2013 and now, an update has been released. Titled How to Travel the World on $75 a Day the new tome is, unsurprisingly, adjusted for inflation, but also for how travel has changed, including for Kepnes personally.
It makes sense, as he’s not the same backpacker traveling around Thailand that he was when the first book was released. “I still stick to budget travel, though I don’t do hostile dorms,” says Kepnes. “When you’re 25, dorms are one thing. When you’re 43, it’s another.” But he’s still as comfortable eating soup on the side of the road in Thailand as he is at a Michelin-starred restaurant. And pinching pennies is not only an artful way to travel more, but ultimately the type of travel he loves best. “I like budget travel because it keeps you closer to the ground—you’re going to food markets and street stalls and grocery stories,” says Kepnes. “You’re kind of involved in the day-to-day life of the place you’re in.”
After over a decade of honing the art of affordable travel, Kepnes let us pick his brain on his tried-and-true tips and tricks. Below are just some of the pointers you’ll find in his new book—though many more await within—so you, too, can travel the world for less than $75 a day.
1. Live like a local
“Don’t travel like a local. Travel like you live wherever you are. People live the same way. They wake up, they go to breakfast, they take their kids to school, and they go to their office. When they come home, they pick up laundry, they make dinner, they go to bed. If you emulate how you live, anywhere you go, you’re going to be living like locals which already will save you money.”
2. Find lesser-known places to visit
“The most popular destinations are often going to be the more expensive ones, but try finding somewhere lesser-known to international travelers. If you look at a map, look for big cities that you’ve never heard of. Because if it’s a big- or medium-sized city, it’s gonna have a lot of people, and there’s gonna be stuff to do. In this age of the internet you can also search for things that other countries are famous for. So if I want to go to Mexico, and I know Mexico is famous for its food and beaches, search for the best food cities in Mexico, for example, and that may give you a list of towns you haven’t heard of. You can use the internet to narrow that down. If you find great flights to Spain in August, but it’s going to be super hot or crowded in the main cities, you can Google something as simple as “not-hot places in Spain” and follow that trail. Knowing what you want from a trip is one of the most important things. Once you know what you want, you can easily find the places that match. It’s when you aren’t sure that you end up having unexpected costs.”
3. Consider the hostel
“If I want to meet people, I still might say a hostel, but I’ll book a private room that has its own bathroom. Hostels are not what we imagine from Euro trips in the 70s; they’re no longer some gymnasium full of creaky metal beds. Most dorms are like pod hotels now. Households with private rooms are another option: You can also use Airbnb’s rooms feature and stay with somebody in their guest room, the way Airbnb used to be. Staying with a local can also lead to really good experiences. Booking.com is also a great place to find guest houses, and traditional B & B experiences, particularly in Asia.”
4. Trust the tourism office
“Go to the local tourism office and ask, what’s going on? Their job is to tell you what’s happening, so they will know what attractions have free days or free entrance or discounts, what markets there are, what art galleries might have free expositions, or if there’s a fair or festival going on. They get fed all this information. But more importantly, they are people that live there. So they can tell you little hacks about life in a place, they can tell where they go when they get off work. The same goes for staff at a hotel, or your taxi driver. If you ask ‘What should I do?’ they think of tourist attractions, but if you ask ‘What do you do Where do you go after work?’ you’re going to get a very different answer. And it’s probably the answer you’re looking for.”
5. Don’t overlook tourist cards
“People will say that tourist discount cards are a waste of money, but if they save you $1 I think that they’re valuable, because they often allow you to skip lines as well. So if you add up what you want to see versus the price of the ticket, if you can save even a buck, it can be worth it. They often come with free public transportation, 9 times out of 10, so that’s all worth it. Your time is valuable, and you can even order them online these days.”
