Hi, I’m Nomadic Matt, a New York Times best-selling author of How to Travel the World on $50 a Day and Ten Years a Nomad, as well as the founder of this website! Have you ever said to yourself one of the following?:
“How do I find the money to travel? It seems too expensive for me.”
“Where do I find the best travel deals?”
“How do I save money on flights, accommodation, and other big expenses?”
“How do I plan my trip?”
“How do I stay safe and healthy?”
“How do I maximize my time?”
“I want to travel more, but I don’t know the first step.”
You are not alone. Since I started this blog in 2008, I’ve helped tens of millions of people answer those questions and travel more for less with time-tested and proven tips and advice. By using this website, you can spend less time searching the internet and being overwhelmed with information and more time doing the one thing you want to do: travel.
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- 17-Step Planning Checklist
- 61 Travel Tips for Mastering Travel
- My Suggested Packing List
- A Guide to Getting Free Flights
- The Best Travel Companies for Finding Deals
FROM CUBICLE WORKER TO TRAVEL WRITER
Growing up in Boston, I was never a big traveler. It just wasn’t something my friends or family did. I didn’t take my first trip overseas until I was 23. After college, I got a job and the standard American two-weeks-a-year vacation. For that first trip in 2004, I went to Costa Rica. The experience changed my life. It opened me up to all the possibilities the world had to offer. There, I experienced another culture, wildlife I had only read about in books, and new foods; got lost in a jungle; saw conservation projects in action; and met people from around the world.
I was the captain of my own ship, and every day was new and different.
From that moment on, I was hooked on travel.
The following year, a trip to Thailand opened my eyes even more.
There, in the wonderful city of Chiang Mai, I met five backpackers who showed me that I didn’t have to be tied down to my job or be rich to travel. They were five people who were living my dream of traveling full-time. I wanted in. I wanted to do what they were doing.
After that trip, I flew home, finished my MBA, quit my cubicle job, and, in July 2006, set out on an adventure around the world that continues to this day.
Since then, I’ve traveled to over 100 countries and territories, traveled hundreds of thousands of miles, slept in over a thousand hostels, tried weird food (including fried maggots), made lifelong friends, learned multiple languages, and, most importantly, made it my mission now to help travelers like YOURSELF to realize YOUR travel dreams the same way those five backpackers helped me realize mine.
This website has been featured on major media sites time and time again because it’s the best budget advice out there. Our system works. We’re going to make you a smarter traveler.
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- 17-Step Planning Checklist
- 61 Travel Tips for Mastering Travel
- My Suggested Packing List
- A Guide to Getting Free Flights
- The Best Travel Companies for Finding Deals
What You’ll Learn Here
If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to travel cheaper, experience a destination’s authentic side, and turn your dream trip into a reality, you are in the right place. This website will give you road-tested tips, advice, and suggestions so you can see and do more for less.
On this website, you will find:
- Tested travel tips from years of experience
- Interviews with other travel experts
- Case studies and profiles of other travelers from various backgrounds, genders, colors, and nationalities
- A community of supportive travelers to help encourage you to keep going
- Detailed cost breakdowns to help you better budget for your trip
- Travel tips that can be applied to any destination in the world
- In-depth reporting that lets you know which sites really do help you save money!
Every day I wake up with one goal in mind: “How can I help other people travel better for less?” The mission here is to be more comprehensive than any other website out there.
Unlike many other travel websites, you won’t find sponsored content or paid trips here. Every hostel, restaurant, or attraction has been personally visited by me (or one of my guest columnists) and we pay our own way.
We sleep in dorms and budget hotels, wait hours for buses, try those roadside street stalls, and test travel passes to see if they really do save you money. We do it just like you would — because, like you, we’re real travelers looking to see the world.
Also, every company recommended is here because they are useful and used in our day-to-day travels — not ones that have paid us for advertising.
This website is about showing you what it’s really like on the road — not some glossy ad for a travel brand.
So come, read, learn, and send a postcard from the road! 🙂
WHAT PEOPLE LIKE YOU SAY ABOUT THIS WEBSITE
I am a prior Marine and current film student. I started following your blog a year or so ago, and it has since then motivated me to chase my dreams on a level I never thought possible. It was while following your site that I decided to go around the world and film my first documentary. I will be filming in seven different countries over the course of 100 days. I just wanted to say thank you and keep doing what you are doing. — Adrian B
I am a 63-year-old woman who just completed a four-month solo trip to Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The information in your book was invaluable. I learned about several discounts I had no idea existed and the best way of traveling in Eastern Europe. The budgeting information was also very useful. Your book gave me the confidence to travel on my own for an extended period of time. — Terry S
My husband Az and I have always dreamt of traveling the world, but it seemed so expensive that we thought it would always be just a dream. This blog opened up a whole new world of possibilities for us. We are on a year off to travel with our backpacks. I am currently writing this email you from Quito, after having spent an amazing week in the Galápagos Islands. So thank you for inspiring us! — Nabila
Matt and his website have really helped me in numerous ways. I just recently used Matt’s site to plan my upcoming trip to Fiji, and his tips saved me a lot of money! His recommendation to reconsider “wants vs. needs” really put things in perspective. This advice has helped me maintain a nomadic life for the past five years and inspired me to start my own travel blog! — Michael(For more testimonials for readers, visit this page and see how this site has helped them.)
Click an image below to start planning your next excellent adventure:
Get these free planning guides sent to your inbox and start planning your next trip like a pro!!
- 17-Step Planning Checklist
- 61 Travel Tips for Mastering Travel
- My Suggested Packing List
- A Guide to Getting Free Flights
- The Best Travel Companies for Finding Deals
Want more stuff? Well, we do a lot!
We have a lot of exciting projects designed to help you travel cheaper, smarter, and longer:
Like books? Check out our monthly book club and our author sessions.
Want to meet other travelers in real life? Check out our meetup & events program!
Want to start a career in travel? Check out our blogging course, our travel writing course, and our yearly conference!
Thanks for visiting this website, and I look forward to helping you travel more.
Sincerely,
Nomadic Matt
P.S. – If you still want to know more, I wrote this blog with 20 interesting facts about me!