Award-winning travel blogger Nomadic Matt shares his advice on how to travel well for less, meet locals, avoid mishaps, and make the most of your trip.
Photo © Nomadic Matt
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 do it solo at one point. Solo travel is the greatest teacher.
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 my new book on budget travel, I want to share some high-impact tips.
- Pack light
- Stay in hostels
- Always visit the local tourism information center
- Take free walking tours
- Ask hostel staff for information — even when you aren’t staying there
- Always carry a lock
- Follow the “5 Block” Rule
- Use technology to meet locals
- Take a reusable water bottle
- Consider travel insurance
Pack light
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.
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.
Read my post for a complete list of what I pack.
Stay in hostels
They are cheap, they organize events, you’ll meet a lot of people, and they are just tons of fun! Hostelworld 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.
Here's my list of all my favorite hostels around the world broken down by city.
Always visit the local tourism information center
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.
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!
Take free walking tours
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.
Ask hostel staff for information — even when you aren’t staying there
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.
Always carry a lock
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!)
Follow the “5 Block” Rule
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.
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 hole-in-the-wall places 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.
Use technology to meet locals
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.
Take a reusable water bottle
Single-use plastics are common in a lot of countries around the world. They're also polluting our oceans and destroying the environment. 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. LifeStraw is my favorite company for this.
Consider travel insurance
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 get robbed, your flights get canceled, you get sick or injured, or have to be sent home. For just a few dollars a day, it’s one of the best investments you can make for a trip.
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.
If you’re traveling multiple times a year, be sure to look into an annual travel insurance plan. 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.
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By following these rules, you’ll navigate the road better. You’ll save money, get off the beaten path, meet locals, and stay safer.
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, Nomadic Matt, 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 @nomadicmatt.
His new book, How to Travel the World on $75 a Day, is out now.
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