Did you rob a bank? One of the many questions garnered by my travel pics on Instagram. A fair question, since traveling is typically something we see as cost prohibitive. I’m going to let you in on my secret, since you are taking time to read my blog and all.
No rent
When I decided to leave the US and travel, my apartment lease was up and I opted not to renew it. Instead, I sold / rehomed some things and then put the others in a storage unit. Rent in the US is EXPENSIVE - so not having that obligation while I travel has allowed me to shift that money to pay for housing abroad.
I use airbnb to rent homes and budget for $65 per night, with most locations offering a discount for monthly rentals. Splitting this between my partner and me, leaves us spending less on rent than we were in the US, by several hundreds of dollars.
We have food at home
Such an unfortunate phrase to hear growing up - but it’s totally true. When booking an
airbnb, I always ensure it has a kitchen. Eating out is expensive in some of the countries I’ve traveled to - so a kitchen is a must have! In Martinique, a basic hamburger was €22. Prices like that are fine when you’re only there a week, but a month of €22 burgers will blow a budget. Groceries have been reasonably priced, sometimes meat has been hard to find - so flexibility is important when meal planning!
Shoulder season travels
I often travel to places during shoulder seasons. There are two main benefits of this - it’s less crowded and less expensive. During a shoulder season, the weather has only slightly shifted, so it’s still pretty ideal. Skipping crowds and soaking up the good weather - sounds pretty perfect to me.
Flexible travel plans
I have a list of places I’d love to visit, and I constantly monitor flight prices to those places. I also use the “anywhere” feature when looking up flights on Kayak, Google Flights, or Kiwi. If I want to go somewhere far away, I look for places to stopover on the way - to break up the cost a bit. So, I won’t be able to tell you where I’ll be in 6 months, but I know wherever it is, it’ll be great!
There ya go, my top four secrets to being a digital nomad without having to rob a bank. Shh… let’s keep this between us.