Nomadic Matt

Nomadic Matthttps://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/about/contributors/nomadic-mattNomadic Matthttps://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/travel-wiser/practical/top-travel-tips-from-an-expertAward-winning travel blogger Nomadic Matt shares how to travel well for less, meet locals, avoid mishaps, and make the most of your trip.2025-03-05T11:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/travel-wiser/practical/top-travel-tips-from-an-experthttps://www.worldnomads.com<p>It goes without saying that travel is life-changing. The more I travel, the more I feel like I understand the world, the people in it, and, often, myself. Getting off the beaten path, meeting locals, and visiting incredible sites has made my life better. And it will make your life better too, especially if you <a href="/travel-wiser/practical/12-reasons-to-travel-solo">do it solo at one point</a>. Solo travel is the greatest teacher.</p> <p>But, while you’re out there exploring the world, it’s good to know a few practical tips to make sure you save money, have a deeper travel experience, and reduce the likelihood something bad will happen to you on the road. While I go into a lot of depth in <a href="https://www.nomadicmatt.com/how-to-travel-the-world/" target="_blank">my new book on budget travel</a>, I want to share some high-impact tips.</p> <ul> <li><a href="#pack">Pack light</a></li> <li><a href="#hostels">Stay in hostels</a></li> <li><a href="#center">Always visit the local tourism information center</a></li> <li><a href="#walking">Take free walking tours</a></li> <li><a href="#ask">Ask hostel staff for information — even when you aren’t staying there</a></li> <li><a href="#lock">Always carry a lock</a></li> <li><a href="#block">Follow the “5 Block” Rule</a></li> <li><a href="#tech">Use technology to meet locals</a></li> <li><a href="#bottle">Take a reusable water bottle</a></li> <li><a href="#insurance">Consider travel insurance</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="pack">Pack light</h2> <p>Write down a list of essentials, cut it in half, and then only pack that! Take half the clothes you think you will need...you won’t need as much as you think. It’s OK to wear the same t-shirt a few days in a row.</p> <p>But bring extra socks! You’ll lose a bunch to laundry gremlins, wear and tear, and hiking so packing extra will come in handy. Take a few more than you need. Trust me on this.</p> <p><a href="https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/packing/" target="_blank">Read my post for a complete list of what I pack</a>.</p> <h2 id="hostels">Stay in hostels</h2> <p>They are cheap, they organize events, you’ll meet a lot of people, and they are just tons of fun! <a href="https://www.hostelworld.com/" target="_blank">Hostelworld</a> is the best hostel-accommodation site out there, with the largest inventory, best search interface, and highest availability. I use it for all my hostel bookings.</p> <p><a href="https://www.nomadicmatt.com/best-hostels/" target="_blank">Here's my list of all my favorite hostels around the world</a> broken down by city.</p> <h2 id="center">Always visit the local tourism information center</h2> <p>This is probably one of the most underused travel tips in the world. Tourism information centers know about everything going on in town. They can point you to free activities, special events happening during your stay, and everything in between. They are also staffed by locals who can tell you all the ins and outs of their city.</p> <p>Plus, they often offer city tourism cards that can get you into multiple attractions for one set price, saving you a lot of money if you’re going to do a lot of sightseeing. Don’t skip them!</p> <h2 id="walking">Take free walking tours</h2> <p>Besides being free, these tours will give you a good orientation and background of the city you are visiting. I love, love, love taking walking tours when I travel. You pass the time, you get to pepper the guide with questions, and you get to learn so much about where you are. They have exploded in popularity in the last few years and you can find them in pretty much any major city in the world.</p> <h2 id="ask">Ask hostel staff for information — even when you aren’t staying there</h2> <p>Hostel staff deal with budget travelers all day, every day. They know exactly where to go for cheap meals and attractions. They also tend to be locals so they know the city very well. Ask them for all sorts of information. Even if you aren't staying in one, just pop in and ask for help. They'll usually give it.</p> <h2 id="lock">Always carry a lock</h2> <p>Carry a small combination lock with you when you travel. They come in handy, especially when you stay in dorms. Most hostels use lockers, so budget travelers need to provide their own travel lock to keep stuff secured. While you can usually rent or buy them at hostels, it's much cheaper just to buy one before you go. (Just don't use one with keys because if you lose the keys, you're screwed!)</p> <h2 id="block">Follow the “5 Block” Rule</h2> <p>Don’t eat within five blocks of a major tourist attraction or area! Walk in any direction and search for a place to eat when you hit five blocks. There’s an invisible line at five blocks and most tourists don’t go past it. Once you do, all of a sudden you’ll notice that the crowds are gone, the menus stop being listed in multiple languages, and the prices come down.</p> <p>Sure, you might find a good meal in a tourist area, but you’ll find a better, cheaper meal outside it. Go where the menus aren’t in multiple languages. Go to those little, tiny <a href="/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/participation/eat-like-a-local-when-you-travel">hole-in-the-wall places</a> that you are unsure about. The meal might not knock your socks off every time but it will be a memorable and more local experience.</p> <h2 id="tech">Use technology to meet locals</h2> <p>Use sharing-economy websites to connect with the locals. The sharing economy has changed the way people travel, allowing you to make new friends, get off the tourist trail, and save mega money by going directly to the people. It's a triple win – and I use these resources all the time when I travel. Some of my favorite companies are Couchsurfing, Find a Travel Buddy Facebook Group, BlaBlaCar, and EatWith.</p> <h2 id="bottle">Take a reusable water bottle</h2> <p>Single-use plastics are common in a lot of countries around the world. They're also <a href="/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/planet/how-to-reduce-plastic-use-while-you-travel">polluting our oceans and destroying the environment</a>. Drink from the tap when you can – you’ll save money and help the environment. If you're going somewhere where you can't drink the water, be sure to get a water bottle with a filter. <a href="https://lifestraw.com/" target="_blank">LifeStraw</a> is my favorite company for this.</p> <h2 id="insurance">Consider travel insurance</h2> <p>Travel insurance is the most important thing to get that you never want to use. If something goes wrong, you don’t want to be out thousands of dollars in bills. Travel insurance can help cover you if you <a href="/travel-insurance/whats-covered/baggage">get robbed</a>, your<a href="/travel-insurance/whats-covered/cancellation"> flights get canceled</a>, you <a href="/travel-insurance/whats-covered/overseas-medical">get sick or injured</a>, or <a href="/travel-insurance/whats-covered/medical-repatriation">have to be sent home</a>. For just a few dollars a day, it’s one of the best investments you can make for a trip.</p> <p>You may think you’re superman/woman but so did my friend who broke her arm, didn't have insurance, and had to pay thousands out of pocket. Insurance was there when I had to replace my camera and when I popped an eardrum scuba diving! You should definitely consider it.</p> <p>If you’re traveling multiple times a year, be sure to look into an <a href="/usa/travel-insurance/whats-covered/annual-multi-trip">annual travel insurance plan</a>. They often cost less compared to buying multiple plans, let you be more spontaneous, and you don’t have to remember to always buy insurance before heading out.</p> <p style="text-align: center;">* * * *</p> <p>By following these rules, you’ll navigate the road better. You’ll save money, get off the beaten path, meet locals, and stay safer.</p> <p><em>Matthew Kepnes didn’t take his first trip overseas until he was twenty-three, but a trip to Costa Rica got him hooked on traveling. In 2005, a trip to Thailand inspired him to come home, quit his job, and backpack around the world for a year. He liked it so much he never stopped. In 2008, he started his website, <a href="https://www.nomadicmatt.com/" target="_blank">Nomadic Matt</a>, to help others travel better, cheaper, and longer and has helped millions of people a year realize their own travel dreams. He can be found at his website as well as on Instagram at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nomadicmatt/" target="_blank">@nomadicmatt</a>.</em></p> <p><em>His new book, </em><a href="https://www.nomadicmatt.com/how-to-travel-the-world/" target="_blank">How to Travel the World on $75 a Day</a><em>, is out now.</em></p>Nomadic Matt 0 Nomadic Matt

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/create/learn/writing/travel-writing-tips-how-to-monetize-your-blogAre you a travel blogger trying to earn an income from your blog? Travel blogger Nomadic Matt shares his secrets to monetization success. 2021-09-03T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/create/learn/writing/travel-writing-tips-how-to-monetize-your-bloghttps://www.worldnomads.com<ul> <li><a href="#affiliates">Affiliate Marketing </a></li> <li><a href="#ads"> Ads </a></li> <li><a href="#products"> Creating and selling products </a></li> <li><a href="#tours"> Running tours </a></li> <li><a href="#sponsor"> Sponsored content </a></li> <li><a href="#patreon"> Patreon </a></li> </ul> <p>After over a decade of <a href="/explore">traveling</a> and blogging my way around the world, one of the most common questions I get is, “How do you afford to travel so much?”.</p> <p>Everyone assumes I’m either a trust fund kid or that I get all kinds of free trips from travel companies.</p> <p>Neither of those could be further from the truth.</p> <p>When I started blogging, more than 13 years ago, it was simply a way for me to showcase my <a href="/create/learn/writing">writing</a> while keeping friends and family informed about my round-the-world adventure (paid for by working as much overtime as I could for an entire year). My goal was to get a job as a traditional <a href="/create/learn/travel-writing/pitching-for-online">travel writer</a>. I figured that would be the best way to achieve my goal, which, at 27, was simply to afford one more day on the road.</p> <p>It wasn’t until I had been blogging for more than a year that I realized that there was potential for a business. At the time, I was teaching English in Asia as my regular 9-to-5. Blogging was just a side hustle.</p> <p>Until it wasn’t.</p> <p>By acquiring some new skills, reading a lot about marketing and business, and fumbling my way through learning HTML, I was able to eventually earn a few hundred dollars a month from my travel blog. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. And that’s all I needed.</p> <p>Fast-forward to today. My website generates seven figures in revenue annually. I have a team that helps me keep everything running smoothly. I have written a<span> </span><a href="https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-tips/how-to-travel-the-world-on-50-usd/"><em>New York Times</em><span> </span>best-selling book</a>, I’ve created a travel conference and a charity, and I have continued to travel the world — all because of my travel blog.</p> <p>So, how do I do it? Is there something special about me or my situation?</p> <p>Absolutely not.<span> </span><a href="https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/become-successful-travel-blogger/">You can do this too</a>. I wasn’t a great writer when I started. I knew nothing about the tech side of things and was far from an expert on business and marketing.</p> <p>But I learned. I put in the work. And now I have a successful travel business.</p> <p>In fact, it’s never been easier to make money as a blogger. Today, there are tons of ways you can monetize your business – both passively and actively – so you can achieve the financial freedom you deserve. You won’t get rich quickly, but if you’re committed to long-term success, then this might be the industry for you.</p> <p>Here are the best ways to make money as a travel blogger:</p> <h2 id="affiliates">Affiliate marketing</h2> <p>Affiliate marketing is one of the first (and easiest) ways bloggers can make money. It entails signing up with a website that has an affiliate program (such as Amazon, World Nomads, or Booking.com) and then adding their links to your site whenever you mention those companies. As your readership grows, more and more people will see these links and click on them, slowly building your passive income.</p> <p>Then when someone clicks on the affiliate link from your site and purchases something, you get a small commission from that sale at no extra cost to your reader. It’s a win-win!</p> <p>There are many travel companies with affiliate programs, from outdoor clothing companies to accommodation platforms like Hostelworld and Hotels.com to online courses for teaching English. The list goes on.</p> <p>Of course, you should only promote companies you can personally vouch for. If you love a company and use its product, see if it has an affiliate program.</p> <p>While the payouts will be small at first (you won’t have a huge audience overnight, remember), it’s definitely possible to make a full-time income<span> </span><em>just<span> </span></em>from affiliates<em>.</em><span> </span>This is how most bloggers begin to monetize their sites.</p> <h2 id="ads">Advertising</h2> <p>In recent years, as blogging has become a mainstream business, ad networks have popped up to help bloggers better monetize their websites. You sign up for an ad network, they put ads on your website, and you get a commission based on how many people see those ads. Pretty straightforward.</p> <p>The obvious downside to this is that it makes your website look less sleek and slows it down. Some ads aren’t very user-friendly either. I avoided putting ads on my site for over a decade for those reasons. However, since everyone is used to seeing ads on blogs, I finally bit the bullet and added them.</p> <p>There are three main ad platforms that bloggers use these days:</p> <ul> <li><strong>AdSense</strong><span> </span>– AdSense is the most common platform for new bloggers, as there is no minimum traffic required to join. However, because of this, the payouts aren’t great. The ads aren’t very sleek either.</li> <li><strong>Mediavine<span> </span></strong>– this is the go-to for most travel bloggers. They previously required 25,000 monthly views to join; however, that has been bumped up to 50,000. Mediavine pays you 75% of the ad revenue they earn from your site. On average, Mediavine clients can expect $10-25 USD per thousand page views.</li> <li><strong>AdThrive<span> </span></strong>– this is the ad platform I use. It requires 100,000 monthly views before you can join. While <a href="https://www.mediavine.com/">Mediavine</a> is excellent, I found that <a href="https://adthrive.com/home-publishers/">AdThrive</a> was a better fit for what I was looking for, as it offered higher payouts and catered to larger websites. You can’t go wrong with either, though!</li> </ul> <p>As a new blogger, I would aim to join Mediavine once you hit 50,000 views. Until then, skip the ads. That will give you time to focus on writing great content, affiliate marketing, and growing your audience. After all, you don’t monetize a website — you monetize an audience. </p> <h2 id="products">Creating and selling products</h2> <p>The best way to earn money from your online business is to create and sell your own product<strong>.<span> </span></strong><strong>If you want to be truly financially successful, you need your own product(s).<span> </span></strong>Whether that is an e-book, an online course paid itineraries, lightroom presets, or merch, having a product will increase your revenue and make you less beholden to anyone else.</p> <p>People read your blog because they want your information, so why not sell some premium information or tips people can’t normally get on your site?</p> <p>This is where most bloggers go wrong – they don’t have products. If you are making the most of your money through sponsored content, ads, or press trips, you are beholden to someone else. You don’t own your income. You can’t test it to improve it. You can’t convert more readers. You don’t create brand loyalty. And when marketing trends change or the algorithm changes, you could lose out because you’re not independent.</p> <p><strong>Creating your own product<span> </span></strong>is the key to financial success and building brand loyalty because you are giving people a way to directly support what you do. Your readers want to support you – you have to give them a way to do so.</p> <h2 id="tours">Running tours</h2> <p>Running <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/explore/south-america/bolivia/adventure-tourism">tours</a> is a natural extension of most travel blogs and something a lot of big travel bloggers do to supplement their income and connect directly with their readers. I ran tours for a few years (and we have plans to bring them back in the future). And while they are very time-consuming, they are also a straightforward way to provide a service to your audience.</p> <p>There are essentially two ways to go about running tours: working with an established tour company or doing everything yourself. Working with a tour company means you get access to their guides, expertise, and itineraries to get things started. You’re essentially just tacking your name onto an existing tour company’s offering. While it’s much easier and requires less planning and paperwork, you’ll also make less money, since the tour company needs to be paid.</p> <p>The more time-consuming option is to do it all yourself. You plan the itinerary, you make all the bookings and transportation arrangements, you lead the tour, etc. This is what I did when I ran tours. It took much more time and energy, but I was able to customize everything along the way — and make more money in the process.</p> <p>Both options have their pros and cons so spend some time thinking about which would be best for you and your business.</p> <h2 id="sponsor">Sponsored content</h2> <p>Sponsored content is an umbrella term that covers a lot of different things, but here I’m referring to paid posts, free trips and tours, and paid social media content. This is the realm of the influencer – and it’s one I encourage you to avoid.</p> <p>Studies show that 60% of people believe that a website<span> </span><em>loses</em><span> </span>credibility when it posts sponsored content. That means you should think long and hard about whether sponsored content is right for you, your business, and your audience.</p> <p>In addition to paid content, there is also the issue of free trips (aka press trips). This is the dream, right? To get<span> </span><em>free<span> </span></em>travel!</p> <p>Well, not quite.</p> <p>The thing about press trips is you usually don’t get paid. So, while a free trip is nice, you can’t pay the rent with<span> </span><em>free</em>. Exposure is only just so helpful and, again, it comes back to your audience. Will they be able to replicate all these insider experiences you’re having? Will they get a ton of value and insight from your trip, or are you just doing it because it’s free and fun?</p> <p>As with sponsored posts, I’d think twice about press trips. Sure, they’re fun, but they’re not a viable business strategy. A fun press trip might be good for you – but is it good for your business?</p> <h2 id="patreon">Patreon</h2> <p><a href="https://www.patreon.com/">Patreon</a> (and similar platforms) allows readers to support creators directly via a monthly subscription. In exchange for this fee, readers get exclusive content and other perks, such as merch, live Q&As, one-on-one calls, early access to content, and more.</p> <p>We run our own version of this called<span> </span><a href="https://www.nomadicmatt.com/nmplus/">Nomadic Matt Plus</a>, and it’s been super successful, connecting us with our most engaged fans who are interested in bonus travel content and exclusive perks.</p> <p>It doesn’t take a lot of time to set up either. You simply join Patreon, choose the perks you want to offer your audience, and then start promoting it. You can have it all done in just a few minutes.</p> <p>However, the thing to remember about Patreon is that only a small percentage of your audience will join. That means if you’re a new blogger, you won’t get a lot of support. Plus, Patreon takes a 10% cut, leaving you with even less.</p> <p>For that reason, I suggest waiting until you’ve built up an audience before you join. Patreon isn’t a great platform for beginners, but rather more of an intermediate way to monetize the audience you’ve already created.</p> <p>***</p> <p>It’s never been easier to start a travel blog and make money. While building a readership and learning the skills to succeed takes time and effort, the barrier to entry has never been lower. For just a few dollars a month, you can get started building your dream business today — in under an hour, no less!</p> <p>While you won’t get rich quickly in this industry – blogging is a marathon, not a sprint – it’s 100% possible to make money and build a business as a travel blogger. If you’re willing to<span> </span><a href="https://superstarblogging.nomadicmatt.com/superstar-business-masterclass/">learn the skills</a><span> </span>and put in consistent effort and are committed to long-term success, I guarantee you’ll be able to succeed in this industry and make money along the way.</p>Matthew Kepnes 0 Matt with a lake surrounded by mountains

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/travel-wiser/wellness/travel-health-and-hygieneWe asked the most experienced backpacker in the world, Nomadic Matt, to explain how he avoids falling ill while traveling.2019-12-01T11:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/travel-wiser/wellness/travel-health-and-hygienehttps://www.worldnomads.com<ul> <li><a href="#top5">Nomadic Matt’s top 5 health tips</a></li> <li><a href="#doctor">Consult your doctor</a></li> <li><a href="#meds">Restock your medications</a></li> <li><a href="#basic">Basic hygiene tips </a></li> </ul> <p>Is there anything worse than being ill far away from home? Looking after your health is just as important as your personal safety. But, how do you stay healthy on the road?</p> <p>Matthew Kepnes, Nomadic Matt, has been traveling around the world since 2006, and apart from the occasional lapse, he keeps on traveling safely, so we invited him to share the secret of his health success with us.</p> <h2 id="“top5”">Nomadic Matt’s top 5 health tips</h2> <p>If you travel long enough, you will eventually get sick. It's one of the worst possible things that could happen on your trip. It's not only physically draining but you feel down because you are in a beautiful new city and you're stuck in bed.</p> <p>Luckily, over my years of traveling, I've only been sick a few times. I spent my week in <a href="http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-guides/spain-travel-tips/madrid/" target="_blank" title="Travel guide to Madrid">Madrid</a> in bed with the flu. I missed Christmas in <a href="http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-guides/australia-travel-tips/" target="_blank" title="Travel guide to Australia">Australia</a> because of a fever. I spent a few days in the bathroom because of bad food.</p> <p>But in my experience, if you practice basic health and sanitation common sense, you'll avoid getting sick.</p> <p>So, some general health tips for the road that Mom would be proud of you for following:</p> <ol> <li><strong>Wash your hands: </strong>dirt and grime are everywhere. No washbasin available – carry a little bottle of hand sanitizer. Either of these simple things will help cut down the amount of time you are sick.</li> <li><strong>Take your vitamins: </strong>most travelers don't get enough sleep, they eat poorly, and they drink a lot. Not the best recipe for a healthy body. Taking a few vitamins can help keep your body healthy and your energy levels up.</li> <li><strong>Wash before you cook: </strong>there are a lot of pots and pans in hostel kitchens for you to use. However, most travelers aren't thorough when washing dishes. Give them a good rinse before you start using them.</li> <li><strong>Skip the empty stalls: </strong>some of the best food is found on the street stalls of the world. Yet it is also really easy to get sick from eating at these places. If you find that they are empty, despite the ones nearby being full, skip them. If the locals aren't eating there, there is probably a very good reason why.</li> <li><strong>Get the food cooked for longer: </strong>your stomach might not be up to the task of handling foreign bacteria. Make sure you get your food a bit extra well done to be on the safe side. When getting meats from street vendors, I have them leave the food on the grill for an extra minute or two, just to be safe.</li> </ol> <h2 id="“doctor”">Consult your doctor</h2> <p>Make sure you check with your local doctor for any vaccinations you may need. Typhoid, hepatitis, and tetanus are the basic shots to get and, if you are going to a malaria zone, make sure you get malaria pills. Traveling in Southeast Asia usually means you also will need a Japanese encephalitis shot. For more information, consult your doctor before you leave. They will have the most up-to-date information. In general, it's important to get all your shots and treatments before you go because you don't want to take any chances. Make sure you carry your vaccination book as some countries want to see it before you enter.</p> <h2 id="“meds”">Restock your medications</h2> <p>In many parts of the world (Asia and Latin America, for example), it's very easy to resupply <a href="https://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/worldwide/medications-and-travel">medications</a> over the counter without a prescription needed. After a short visit to a pharmacy in <a href="http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-guides/thailand-travel-tips/bangkok/" target="_blank">Bangkok</a>, I had all the emergency antibiotics and stomach tablets I needed without any prescriptions. So don't feel like you need to bring a portable pharmacy with you; if you are really stuck for something on the road, you should be able to find it.</p> <h2 id="“basic”">Basic hygiene tips</h2> <p>Good basic hygiene (such as regular hand washing), a well-balanced diet, and common sense – such as avoiding sick people – will go a long way in ensuring you don't end up spending a week sick in a hostel or hotel room. You've spent so long thinking about this trip, so enjoy it all.</p> <h2></h2>Getty Images/Pink Pixel Photography 11128457070 Getty Images A food stall at a night market in Bangkok

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/travel-safety/worldwide/food-safety-on-the-road-or-how-to-avoid-gastroWhen you are traveling around, you want to try as much food as possible. You want to eat the local cuisine and dine at street carts. Nomadic Matt shares his top 5 tips to avoid getting sick on the road.2018-12-20T11:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/travel-safety/worldwide/food-safety-on-the-road-or-how-to-avoid-gastrohttps://www.worldnomads.com<p>But in our desire to try new dishes, it’s important that we practice good food safety, otherwise you end up like me in the hospital for days...</p> <h2>Nomadic Matt's experience</h2> <p>It was our last night. After two weeks of traveling around <a href="/explore/central-america/costa-rica" target="_blank">Costa Rica</a> together, our tour was ending and tomorrow, we would be heading back to San Jose to catch our flights home. But tonight, the tour group was just enjoying each other’s company, watching the sunset over the beach, and eating sushi (one of the only sushi restaurants in Costa Rica). It was a delicious last meal.</p> <p>It wasn’t until I was on my way home that I felt something amiss. At first, I thought the pain was related to the bad airline food I was eating. Then over the weeks, the intestinal pains got worse. I always ached.  Going to the toilet was difficult.  I’d never had food poisoning before.  I didn’t want to expect or what the cause could be. But one night, the pain was so bad, I made my roommate drive me to the emergency room. By this time, I knew something was wrong….really wrong.</p> <p>After a few tests, the results came back. I had a stomach parasite that was inflaming my lower intestine. I’d need to be in the hospital for a few days so they could determine the type of parasite and give me the appropriate medicines. I spent the next three days in the hospital on IV fluids and painkillers. I lost over 10 pounds during my illness.</p> <p>No one else got sick. Just me. Why I thought? It must have been the eel I ate. Eel is always cooked because if prepared wrong, it makes you very, very sick. It made me sick. It was my fault for ordering a dish in a destination not known for eel or sushi.</p> <h2>Tips for avoiding food poisoning</h2> <p>Many parts of the world don’t always practice good food safety. Here are some good tips for staying healthy:</p> <h2>1. Wash your hands</h2> <p>One way to stay healthy is to always make sure you wash your hands before and after a meal.  Honestly, this is the easiest and best way to avoid getting sick on the road. If there isn't clean water and soap available, make sure you have an antibacterial hand wash with you.</p> <h2>2. Eat where the locals eat  </h2> <p>If the locals are eating there, it’s going to be good. Locals don’t eat at places that are bad or unclean. This is especially true at street stalls in developing countries. If you go to a place and hardly anyone is there or it’s just filled with foreigners, go somewhere else. The locals are staying away from it for a reason. That reason could just be bad food but no need to risk it.</p> <h2>3. Watch the street food</h2> <p>Eating at street food is a time-honored tradition in many parts of the travel trail like Southeast Asia, India, China, or South America. Eating street food is delicious. Most of my best meals have been from street vendors. However, street food can be risky. I got sick twice off of street food in Asia. <br /><br />Check out the vendor before ordering. Are they cooking to order and can you see them cook the dish? Often you will see food stalls with prepared dishes buffet style and uncovered, but how long have they been sitting there? Good places will have a limited menu (some will even just specialize in one dish e.g. noodle soup), so food turnover is generally higher. Is their stall clean? Are the ingredients stored separately?</p> <h2>4. Don’t eat non-local food</h2> <p>I was foolish for eating eel in Costa Rica. If there is something strange and exotic but not local, skip it. Locals might not have the right knowledge or skill level to prepare that meal properly. Go with the exotic local food instead - you’ll win there.</p> <h2>5. Make sure your food is properly cooked</h2> <p>Another simple suggestion but one that goes a long way to ensure safety. It was because of poorly cooked eel I got sick. Don’t eat any meats or vegetables that aren’t cooked properly. In many parts of the world, food isn’t refrigerated properly and the meat sits out for most of the day. Always get the meat cooked a little extra just to be safe. Even consider becoming vego while you travel if the idea of eating street stall meat is something you are struggling with. Many places in Southeast Asia and India do have amazing vegetarian dishes.</p> <p>Food safety on the road is a combination of common sense and watching the local habits.  If you want to avoid my mistake and not end up in a hospital for a few days, practice common sense and good hygiene while choosing where you eat.  Getting food poisoning on the road is worse than any cold or flu.  Stay sanitary, stay healthy.</p> <p><strong>Behind the Backpack</strong></p> <p>Matthew Kepnes has been traveling around the world for the past four years. He runs the award-winning budget travel site, <a href="http://www.nomadicmatt.com" target="_blank">Nomadic Matt.</a> He has been featured in <em>The New York Times</em>, <em>The Guardian</em> UK, and <em>Yahoo! Finance</em>. For more information, <a href="http://www.nomadicmatt.com/" target="_blank">subscribe to his blog</a>.</p>Getty Images/aphotostory 0