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Listen "Nomadic Matt's Best Travel Tips"
Episode Synopsis
Nomadic Matt is a pioneering travel blogger. One day, we'll call him the grandfather of travel blogging during the Golden Era of travel blogs.
He's not known for his travel feats but rather for the extensive tips he's provided on his popular website, which focuses on budget travel.
Watch the Video
The book's budget used to be $50/day, but inflation and a post-COVID world forced Matt to update his book.
In 2025, he refreshed his bestselling book, which is now called How to Travel the World on $75 a Day.
As part of his book tour, he's appearing on the WanderLearn Show twice!
Nomadic Matt discusses
00:00 When to book a hotel
02:40 Why is Africa left out of his book?
05:10 Bilt Rewards Credit Card
08:10 Airline booking tips
09:20 Travel insurance
12:00 Tourist Cards
15:00 Why Matt travels less than before
18:30 Blogging is dead?
Questions
What's the most embarrassing or ridiculous thing you've done to save money while traveling?
What's the difference between EatWith, WithLocals, and Traveling Spoon?
When do you usually book your hotels?
Why is Africa left out?
Are tourism cards still worth it?
When do you use travel insurance?
Why not use Kiwi?
What are Bilt Rewards?
His book is packed with tips. Here are my favorite ones.
The best websites to keep track of the latest credit card deals
BoardingArea
FlyerTalk
The Points Guy
View from the Wing
Pay your rent and get frequent flyer points with Bilt Rewards
Matt's top three airline booking sites
My favorite airline website is Kiwi, and use this link to get $10 off. He doesn't mention Kiwi in his book.
Instead, his favorite flight booking sites are:
Skyscanner
Momondo
Google Flights
For insurance
Safety Wing
World Nomads
MedjetAssist
IMG
InsureMyTrip for comparison shopping
Sell your old clothes to raise money for your trip
Vinted
ThredUp
Poshmark
Online Garage sale to raise funds and downsize
VarageSale
OfferUp
Swappa for electronics
Gazelle
Decluttr
Anytime Mailbox starts at $6 and has several locations.
Lodging Sites
LateRooms
Last Minute
Hotel Tonight
Priceline
Hotwire
Roomer allows you to buy someone else's hotel reservation at a steep discount
Agoda excels in East Asia
Food
Matt is a foodie. I am not. Here are some of his favorite sites:
EatWith has 5000+ hosts in over 130 countries
WithLocals
Traveling Spoon
Ride-sharing or hitchhiking for the 21st century
Search for "ride-sharing" and the name of the region/country where you are traveling. You'll usually find options. I've used BlaBlaCar in Europe, for example.
Tourism Cards
Nomadic Matt sold me on the tourism cards that give you access to popular sites and public transportation. Although that can save you nearly half the price, it's only suitable for those doing a whirlwind, fast, and comprehensive tour. If you want to see the British Museum, don't get the London Pass. But it makes sense if you're going to see most of the significant sites.
Why is Africa left out?
The first half of the book offers general, practical advice. The second provides specific guidance to various regions. For example, he has a section about Australia.
You'd think a book that helps travelers live on $75 a day would encourage tourists to visit Africa. Like Southeast Asia, parts of Africa have a low cost of living.
For example, in 2013, in Benin, I rented a two-room place with a shower (but a shared outhouse for a toilet) for $10 per month! Ten years later, maybe the price has doubled to $20 a month!
Still, Nomadic Matt confesses, "I had to make trade-offs and omit the lesser-visited countries and regions..." (Kindle Location 1434).
I won't quibble with his decision or logic.
Conclusion
When I got an advanced copy of Nomadic Matt's book, I expected to be bored out of my mind. I figured it was a book for beginners or intermediate travelers, not hyper-experienced travel studs like me.
As usual, I was wrong.
Nomadic Matt pumped me with many ideas I was oblivious to. Although I shared my favorite ones on this page, buy How to Travel the World on $75 a Day to get all his excellent advice.
Feedback
Leave anonymous audio feedback at SpeakPipe
Connect
Send me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTapon
You can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at https://wanderlearn.com.
If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!
On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:
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Twitter
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Tumblr
Sponsors
1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon
2. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM! Use code LR32K
3. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.
4. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!
5. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.
6. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!
7. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear.
He's not known for his travel feats but rather for the extensive tips he's provided on his popular website, which focuses on budget travel.
Watch the Video
The book's budget used to be $50/day, but inflation and a post-COVID world forced Matt to update his book.
In 2025, he refreshed his bestselling book, which is now called How to Travel the World on $75 a Day.
As part of his book tour, he's appearing on the WanderLearn Show twice!
Nomadic Matt discusses
00:00 When to book a hotel
02:40 Why is Africa left out of his book?
05:10 Bilt Rewards Credit Card
08:10 Airline booking tips
09:20 Travel insurance
12:00 Tourist Cards
15:00 Why Matt travels less than before
18:30 Blogging is dead?
Questions
What's the most embarrassing or ridiculous thing you've done to save money while traveling?
What's the difference between EatWith, WithLocals, and Traveling Spoon?
When do you usually book your hotels?
Why is Africa left out?
Are tourism cards still worth it?
When do you use travel insurance?
Why not use Kiwi?
What are Bilt Rewards?
His book is packed with tips. Here are my favorite ones.
The best websites to keep track of the latest credit card deals
BoardingArea
FlyerTalk
The Points Guy
View from the Wing
Pay your rent and get frequent flyer points with Bilt Rewards
Matt's top three airline booking sites
My favorite airline website is Kiwi, and use this link to get $10 off. He doesn't mention Kiwi in his book.
Instead, his favorite flight booking sites are:
Skyscanner
Momondo
Google Flights
For insurance
Safety Wing
World Nomads
MedjetAssist
IMG
InsureMyTrip for comparison shopping
Sell your old clothes to raise money for your trip
Vinted
ThredUp
Poshmark
Online Garage sale to raise funds and downsize
VarageSale
OfferUp
Swappa for electronics
Gazelle
Decluttr
Anytime Mailbox starts at $6 and has several locations.
Lodging Sites
LateRooms
Last Minute
Hotel Tonight
Priceline
Hotwire
Roomer allows you to buy someone else's hotel reservation at a steep discount
Agoda excels in East Asia
Food
Matt is a foodie. I am not. Here are some of his favorite sites:
EatWith has 5000+ hosts in over 130 countries
WithLocals
Traveling Spoon
Ride-sharing or hitchhiking for the 21st century
Search for "ride-sharing" and the name of the region/country where you are traveling. You'll usually find options. I've used BlaBlaCar in Europe, for example.
Tourism Cards
Nomadic Matt sold me on the tourism cards that give you access to popular sites and public transportation. Although that can save you nearly half the price, it's only suitable for those doing a whirlwind, fast, and comprehensive tour. If you want to see the British Museum, don't get the London Pass. But it makes sense if you're going to see most of the significant sites.
Why is Africa left out?
The first half of the book offers general, practical advice. The second provides specific guidance to various regions. For example, he has a section about Australia.
You'd think a book that helps travelers live on $75 a day would encourage tourists to visit Africa. Like Southeast Asia, parts of Africa have a low cost of living.
For example, in 2013, in Benin, I rented a two-room place with a shower (but a shared outhouse for a toilet) for $10 per month! Ten years later, maybe the price has doubled to $20 a month!
Still, Nomadic Matt confesses, "I had to make trade-offs and omit the lesser-visited countries and regions..." (Kindle Location 1434).
I won't quibble with his decision or logic.
Conclusion
When I got an advanced copy of Nomadic Matt's book, I expected to be bored out of my mind. I figured it was a book for beginners or intermediate travelers, not hyper-experienced travel studs like me.
As usual, I was wrong.
Nomadic Matt pumped me with many ideas I was oblivious to. Although I shared my favorite ones on this page, buy How to Travel the World on $75 a Day to get all his excellent advice.
Feedback
Leave anonymous audio feedback at SpeakPipe
Connect
Send me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTapon
You can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at https://wanderlearn.com.
If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!
On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:
YouTube
TikTok
Tumblr
Sponsors
1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon
2. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM! Use code LR32K
3. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.
4. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!
5. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.
6. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!
7. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear.
In God we trust