Posted: 03/18/20 | March 18th, 2020
Since mid-February, the coronavirus has spread uncontrollably around the world. Many countries are on complete lockdown. People are quarantined in their homes. We have an unprecedented shutdown of human movement around the world.
This is a “black swan” event, an unpredictable turn of events that will undoubtedly change the world. It’s going to leave a mark on society and reshape how we interact, work, and conduct ourselves (maybe people will finally start washing their hands more).
One of the (many) direct consequences of this rapid spread to pandemic levels is that it has shut down the entire travel industry, one that relies specifically on the movement of people to exist.
Right now, no one should travel. We need to flatten the curve, reduce the transmission of this disease, and ensure that we do not overwhelm our healthcare systems.
No country can afford to repeat Italy’s experience. We must all do our part, no matter how hard it is.
The world will be waiting for us when this is all over.
Like everyone else in travel, we here have been hit really hard.
I know it doesn’t always seem like it but this website is not just me. We have 5 staff (one with two kids) as well as freelancers we hire and pay. I’m not just sitting on a small stack of money asking for more.
Like everyone else in the industry, we are a small business trying to keep the lights on, pay our freelancers, bills, and employee salaries.
We turn to you, our beloved community, especially as a number of you have asked how you can support the site during this time of uncertainty. We had been working on this for some time and moving towards more community related events and projects and this only spurred us to do it quicker.
Today, we are launching a Patreon!
A Patreon is a members-only subscription service where you’ll get exclusive perks and content, such as:
- Monthly Q&As
- Signed books
- Access to all our events
- Planning calls with me
- Calls with the team
- Postcards
- Private Instagram postings and blog posts
This is a way to get more out of your “Nomadic Matt experience”. You’ll get behind-the-scenes access and content exclusive to you every month. Plenty of this site will remain free and open to everyone. But, if you want to get more from the community and the website, this is how you can do it.
Just go to our new Patreon page, pick your subscription level, and you’re in!
We’ll start sending messages and arranging everything next week. (And yes, we’ll keep this going even after the crisis has subsided.)
Situations like this make you look at things differently. We were already moving toward a more community-centric model with our events. The coronavirus is just expediting that process, and this new membership program is the next phase of that.
The team and I really appreciate anything you can do to help us ride out the storm. We’re going keep trucking on and creating content that you can use for when we can travel again.
Thank you so much for everything and for helping us get through this weird period!
– Nomadic Matt
Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks
Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines, because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned.
Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the largest inventory. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com, as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels. I use them all the time.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it, as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:
- World Nomads (for everyone below 70)
- Insure My Trip (for those 70 and over)
Looking for the best companies to save money with?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all those I use — and they’ll save you time and money too!
Lisa Porter
Good luck Matthew.
Barun Mishra
Hi Matt!
Long time lurker here and I live in Japan and I had a flight to Osaka in couple of hours. The flight tickets and everything was so cheap and yet I was feeling very conflicted traveling at a time like this. Thanks to your post I was able to make the right decision and cancel it just before I was about to head off to the airport.
Please take care!
Carol
Thanks for sharing your story, thanks for isolating yourself,
Rest and take care of yourself,
Jose
Hi Matt,
I am sorry to hear you have coronavirus. That must suck! 🙁
One thing I am a bit confused about though is that last year I saw articles your wrote where you said you make 7 figures from your blog and now your asking for donations? That just seems weird to me…
And you do realize that practically everyone is hurting financially right now with millions of jobs being lost? You’re not the only one affected by this.
Anyway, I appreciate your website but I am just shocked that you would be asking for donation at this delicate time in the world.
Jose
Rodrigo
Where did Matt say he had coronavirus?
But you’re right, this is not a good look for Matt. He is completely out of touch with reality.
salim
he sent an email.
when/where did he state he was getting over a million just on this?
“inquiring minds wanna know”..
salim
“jose, can you see?”-) [for the non-americans, this is a mirthy take on The Star Spangled Banner;-] (full disclosure, i’m latino also;-)
kidding aside, where/when did matt stated about the ‘7 figures’?
you wanna make a serious allegation, so have to be prepared to back it up..
Kevin
The business might generate 7 figures in revenue but that is not the same as profit.
If they also SPEND 7 figures (he has like 5 staff members, for example) then it’s possible to make 7 figures but generate little or no profit.
And Patreon is not for donations. It’s not a Go Fund Me type platform. It’s a platform for creators to share content and get support directly from their community.
NomadicMatt
I know it doesn’t always seem like it but this website is not just me. We have 5 staff (one with two kids) as well as freelancers we hire and pay. I’m not just sitting on a small stack of money asking for more.
Like everyone else in the industry, we are a small business trying to keep the lights on.
Like everyone else, we don’t keep a lot of cash around. It gets reinvested in our business, charity, and employees.
We have zero income. Pretty soon, we too will be the ones that will end up unemployed too.
Kathy Sadler
I love Nomadic Matt and have bought a couple of his books and have learned so much about inexpensive ways to travel on my tight , tight budget and am sorry he is laid up with the virus! THank you, Matt, from Kathy in Canada! ?
Jeroen Vogel
Is it weird, Matt, that people respond this way? The tone of this article is one in which a business owner, who elsewhere boasts about his mouthwatering revenue, now seeks financial help in a time where millions are a struggling. There’s nothing wrong with setting up a Patreon account, but it might’ve been better to present it as an option for your readers to get more out of their ‘Nomadic Matt experience.’ It’s really just the tone of this article, victimizing oneself, that’s the problem. You might want to change that.
NomadicMatt
While revenue does not equal income, that is fair criticism on the wording of the post. I’ll give it a reread.
Jeroen
It’s up to you what you do with it. Being Dutch, my own wording in English comes across harsher than its meant to. I mean well, constructively. You’re a lot braver than I am: I feel a lot more secure being on a payroll beside my (Dutch) travel writing.
Dorsey
Matt, I appreciate the content as I am in the beginning stages of really traveling more. For the concerned citizens who think it’s absurd for Matt to ask for donations, STAY OFF HIS PAGE! Is it now OK for us to enjoy everything without cost?! I will be donating! Matt, is a blessing to travelers all around this world. Godspeed Matt!
Matt
Hey Matt,
Great initiative, I hope it works out! Looking into this right now, as your Patreon is very affordable and offers perks!
Take care,
Matt