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Reader Survey Results: What We’re Changing This Year!

a laptop notebook and smartphone
Posted: 02/06/2020 | February 6th, 2020

At the end of 2019, the team and I ran a reader survey. We wanted to see what you liked, didn’t like, and wanted from us in the future. There were some interesting and helpful suggestions in there.

I read through over a thousand responses, as I wanted to see what you wanted from us. You can’t get better without feedback, and we always want to make sure we’re serving your needs.

So, as we make our way through this year, I wanted to share with you some changes you can expect to see on the website:

First, we’re continuing to bring on new voices to write for us. You might have noticed that we’re having more guest posts to more destinations! We’re currently looking for articles about:

  • LGBT content: stories by transgender people, queer couples, and solo gay, lesbian, or bi travelers
  • Africa-related content (bonus points if it’s East or Central Africa)
  • Middle East–related content
  • Central Asia–related content
  • India-related content
  • China-related content
  • Technology- or gear-related content
  • Senior/Older travel
  • Family travel

If you want to write for us, check out our guidelines page.

Second, I plan to write more travel stories this year. We do a lot of brass-tacks, hard-numbers stuff here. The nuts and bolts of travel. Practical information.

But last year, writing my book inspired me to get into more storytelling. So this year, as I make my way around the world, I’m making an effort to create more stories about the places I visit — their history, people, and culture. So you’ll see such content popping up with more frequency.

And you’ll see more history and culture in our how-to posts too. I want to start painting a more holistic view of each destination we write about.

Third, we’re going to be hosting a lot more events this year. We’ve started The Nomadic Network so we can do more in-person events this year. We really want to take this online community offline, so we’re building a great website for that and hosting lots of events.

For more information and ways you can get involved, check this post out.

Fourth, a lot of you suggested topics you wanted to see, so we’re busy making that happen! Some of the topics you’ll start to see more of over the course of the year are:

  • Eco-travel
  • Traveling with pets
  • Family/kid-friendly travel
  • Traveling when you’re older
  • How to make friends when you travel
  • How to make the most of your time
  • How to save more money BEFORE you go
  • Off-beat destinations
  • “Thematic” ways to see a city
  • Reader stories
  • Ways to volunteer
  • Itinerary posts
  • And a bunch more!

Obviously, I can’t write all the time (or expertly on all these topics), which is why we’re going to be bringing in a few more regular contributors and writers now. So not only will you be seeing more content, you’ll be seeing a lot more diverse voices on the website too.

And, as a sidebar to that: since we have so much content now, we’re going to be doing a new redesign in the middle of the year so the site will be easier to navigate.

That’s it! Those are our big plans! We’re super excited about what’s in store for this year.

– 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 left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the largest inventory. If you want to stay somewher eother than a hotel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap 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:

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 the ones I use to save money when I travel – and I think will help you too!

The post Reader Survey Results: What We’re Changing This Year! appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

Reader Survey Results: What We’re Changing This Year!

a laptop notebook and smartphone
Posted: 02/06/2020 | February 6th, 2020

At the end of 2019, the team and I ran a reader survey. We wanted to see what you liked, didn’t like, and wanted from us in the future. There were some interesting and helpful suggestions in there.

I read through over a thousand responses, as I wanted to see what you wanted from us. You can’t get better without feedback, and we always want to make sure we’re serving your needs.

So, as we make our way through this year, I wanted to share with you some changes you can expect to see on the website:

First, we’re continuing to bring on new voices to write for us. You might have noticed that we’re having more guest posts to more destinations! We’re currently looking for articles about:

  • LGBT content: stories by transgender people, queer couples, and solo gay, lesbian, or bi travelers
  • Africa-related content (bonus points if it’s East or Central Africa)
  • Middle East–related content
  • Central Asia–related content
  • India-related content
  • China-related content
  • Technology- or gear-related content
  • Senior/Older travel
  • Family travel

If you want to write for us, check out our guidelines page.

Second, I plan to write more travel stories this year. We do a lot of brass-tacks, hard-numbers stuff here. The nuts and bolts of travel. Practical information.

But last year, writing my book inspired me to get into more storytelling. So this year, as I make my way around the world, I’m making an effort to create more stories about the places I visit — their history, people, and culture. So you’ll see such content popping up with more frequency.

And you’ll see more history and culture in our how-to posts too. I want to start painting a more holistic view of each destination we write about.

Third, we’re going to be hosting a lot more events this year. We’ve started The Nomadic Network so we can do more in-person events this year. We really want to take this online community offline, so we’re building a great website for that and hosting lots of events.

For more information and ways you can get involved, check this post out.

Fourth, a lot of you suggested topics you wanted to see, so we’re busy making that happen! Some of the topics you’ll start to see more of over the course of the year are:

  • Eco-travel
  • Traveling with pets
  • Family/kid-friendly travel
  • Traveling when you’re older
  • How to make friends when you travel
  • How to make the most of your time
  • How to save more money BEFORE you go
  • Off-beat destinations
  • “Thematic” ways to see a city
  • Reader stories
  • Ways to volunteer
  • Itinerary posts
  • And a bunch more!

Obviously, I can’t write all the time (or expertly on all these topics), which is why we’re going to be bringing in a few more regular contributors and writers now. So not only will you be seeing more content, you’ll be seeing a lot more diverse voices on the website too.

And, as a sidebar to that: since we have so much content now, we’re going to be doing a new redesign in the middle of the year so the site will be easier to navigate.

That’s it! Those are our big plans! We’re super excited about what’s in store for this year.

– 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 left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the largest inventory. If you want to stay somewher eother than a hotel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap 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:

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 the ones I use to save money when I travel – and I think will help you too!

The post Reader Survey Results: What We’re Changing This Year! appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

Life at Home: New Year, New You

The State Capitol building in Austin, Texas on a bright summer day
Posted: 1/23/2020 | January 23rd, 2020

If you’re like me, you know how hard New Year’s resolutions are to keep. “New year, new you” starts with the best intentions, but after a couple of months, it’s back to new year, old you.

Old habits die hard, but they can be broken if they are replaced with good ones.

We’re at the start of a new year (and decade), so — as someone who loves a good cliché — I’m going to use this time to build the habits that create a better version of me.

After many years of trying (and writing copious and annoying blog posts about it), last year I finally slowed my travels and moved to Austin. I have a furnished apartment, plants (only two have died so far!), and a recently purchased car (my first ever!).

My days are filled with routine. I wake up, make breakfast, head to WeWork, go to the gym, head home, read, cook dinner, read some more, and go to bed.

My life is the proverbial suburban 9-to-5 I tried to escape from for so many years.

And, for the first January in years, I’m not on the road.

I’ve been enjoying it so much I’ve even begun to dread heading to the airport the same way children dread the dentist.

I used to think routine was a bad thing. It was the thing that killed spontaneity and adventure.

But I’ve come to learn that routine actually creates the framework for excitement and adventure. By scheduling my days and following a routine, I can ensure that I make time for what’s important and for all the things I want to do and goals I hope to accomplish.

So I wrote a list of things to do this year called “Stop Being Boring” with all the things I want to do while in Austin this year: get out more, volunteer, attend city council meetings (first one is next month!), join some social clubs to meet new people, host more meet-ups, and explore more of the city. Now that I have a car, I also plan to see more of Texas and the American South.

Rather than try to read more, I’m going to be a reader.

Rather than try to go to the gym, I’m going to be the person that does.

While I’ve already made some good strides toward eating better and going the gym, the true test will be when I start traveling in February. Will I fall back into old habits? Maybe. But I’m motivated to break them.

This year is also going to be all about focus for me.

I want to focus on work without getting sidetracked by phone calls or Facebook, so I can end my workday earlier.

The internet makes it easy to stretch it from four productive hours to ten unproductive ones, especially when you work for yourself. Now I’m already sitting, undistracted from my tasks, and getting them done quicker!

Next month, I’m going to Hawaii and Taiwan for three weeks before heading back to Paris and Berlin. In the summer, when the weather in Austin is too unbearable, I’m thinking about the Balkans, and maybe some of the ’Stans in the fall. And then in November, I’d like to finally get to Peru.

And while I’ll travel less this year, what trips I do take will be done with more focus. As they say, what’s old is new again, and this year, I’m going to travel without my computer again. Last year, all my travels were just a backdrop for work — and that’s not how I want to see the world.

***

Study after study has shown that by imagining yourself as your desired self, you unconsciously start acting like that person.

I’m determined to make “new year, new me” last the full year. And if I don’t, you’re free to remind me of this post and hold me accountable!

So that’s what I’ve been up to these last few quiet months.

What are your goals for the new year?

Book Your Trip to Austin: 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 left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay elsewhere, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels.

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:

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 the ones I use to save money when I travel – and I think will help you too!gho

Want More Information on Austin?
Be sure to visit our robust destination guide on Austin for even more planning tips!

Photo credit: 1 – Evgenii

The post Life at Home: New Year, New You appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

Travel is a Privilege

A traveler walking down a beach in the beautiful BVIs
Updated: 1/16/2020 | January 16, 2020

Let’s face it: not everyone is going to able to travel. Whether it’s money, family obligations, or circumstance, travel is out of reach for a large percentage of the world’s population.

In the “quit your job to travel the world” cheerleading that happens so often on travel websites (including this one), we often forget that it’s not so easy for everyone.

Yes, years on the road have shown me that, for many of us, our inability to travel is partly a mindset issue (since we believe travel is expensive, we don’t look for ways to make it cheaper) and partly a spending issue (we spend money on things we don’t need).

Our culture says travel is expensive and — without a frame of reference to know that that is wrong — people just assume it’s right. And yes, people that have decent-paying jobs but go shopping often or spend a lot on avocado toast (or whatever it is they spend money on) are more often than not prioritizing travel.

But there are those for whom no mindset change, spending cuts, or budget tips will help them travel — those who are too sick, have parents or children to care for, face great debt, or work three jobs just to pay their rent.

After all, 2.8 billion people — nearly 40% of the world’s population — survive on less than $2 USD a day!

In my home country of the United States, 14% of the population is below the poverty line, 46 million people are on food stamps, many have to work two jobs to get by, and we have a trillion dollars in student debt dragging people down.

No tips on any website will magically make travel a reality for those people.

Those of us who do travel are a privileged few.

Whether we quit our jobs to travel the world, spend two months in Europe, or take our kids on a short vacation to Disney World, we get to experience something most people in the world will never get a chance to do.

We overlook that fact too often. We overlook how lucky we are. As I’ve started building FLYTE — a foundation to help high schools take economically disadvantaged students on educational trips overseas — I’ve thought a lot about privilege.

I grew up in a predominately white, middle-class town with parents who paid my college tuition. I had a job after college that allowed me to live on my own, take vacations, and still save for my first trip around the world. And because I speak English, I easily found work teaching English in Thailand, where I could save to extend my travels.

That’s not to say that hard work doesn’t count. But hard work doesn’t exist in a bubble, and the circumstances that create the opportunities for hard work to bear fruit are often more important.

I’ve met people of all ages, incomes, abilities, and nationalities on the road. Folks like Don and Alison, who are backpacking the world at 70; Michael, who worked 60-hour weeks at a minimum-wage job; Cory, who travels the world in a wheelchair; Ishwinder, who didn’t let visa restrictions stop him; and countless others.

But even they had circumstances that allowed them to travel: support from family and friends, jobs that allowed for overtime, or other skills. They weren’t barely getting by or on social assistance. They didn’t wonder if they could afford their next meal.

I worked hard to get where I am. I’m sure you’ve worked hard too. One’s work isn’t less because of opportunity. But I think it’s important to remember that the circumstances around you make it easier for your work to bear fruit than for others. It’s easier to succeed when you don’t have to worry about housing or your next meal. It’s easier to succeed if you’re educated or can get a full night’s sleep in a safe community.

We are some of the lucky ones.

We get to do something that others will never be able to do.

We are privileged.

Even if you’ve hitchhiked around the world with no money, worked overseas, cut costs to travel around the world on $10 USD a day, or travel-hacked your way to a first-class ticket, you have the opportunity to do something most people go to sleep only dreaming about. You have the freedom and choice to move about the world in a way most people don’t.

That’s a form of privilege.

As we go into this new year, I think it’s important that we never forget or be ungrateful for the opportunity we have. Let’s not take it for granted. Let’s be humble. Let’s be more respectful. Let’s give back.

And let’s not squander the opportunity.

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 it has the largest inventory. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com, as it consistently returns the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels. I use both 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:

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 the ones I use to save money – and they will save you time and money too!

The post Travel is a Privilege appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

So, What Comes Next?

The capitol building and a statue in Austin, Texas
Posted: 9/9/2019 | September 9th, 2019

One of the most-asked questions on my book tour was: “What comes next?”

Now that I’m back from Paris and have moved out of New York City, and now that my book tour is over, what are my next big plans?

Well…

Not much.

Right now, I’m back in Austin. I have to finish moving into my new apartment (why do couches take so long to arrive?) and, beyond a couple of trips to NYC and DC for weddings, I don’t plan on leaving Austin for a long time.

My passport is staying in my drawer. I’m not moving back to New York or Paris or some other city. I’m not working on a new book. There’s no new big projects. Nothing.

For the foreseeable future, all I see is Austin.

And I’m very excited about that.

A tree only grows when it has roots, and now that the madness of all this year’s projects is over, those roots can finally start to weave their way into the earth and provide the foundation for further growth.

I can finally get into the one thing I’ve been craving all year: routine.

I’m going to get into a better workflow, go back to the gym, start cooking again, take up some hobbies, sleep more, and maybe even start holding monthly meet-ups.

Who knows!

I used to think that I had to rush my travels, that there was too much of the world to see, and that that was why I couldn’t stop traveling — because, if I did, I’d never see it all.

And to me, that was a crime.

That’s why it was always “just one more trip.”

Part of me still feels that way.

But, in reality, there is no rush. You can never see it all. There will always be something else to see or do, or something new.

And it will still be there in a few months.

So, right now, the world can wait. I’m tired of being on the move. I’m tired of staying in spaces not my own. I’m tired of wearing the same three shirts over and over again.

When that kind of burnout happens, you have to stay put.

So I will stay put and recharge the battery named “travel.”

I don’t know how long it will take. I don’t really care.

I’m in no rush to go anywhere right now.

I always define travel as something that pushes you out of your comfort zone and makes you grow as a person. Being home and learning to stay put will be a new adventure. This is something I’m going to have to learn how to do (it was really tough passing up on super cheap flights to the Seychelles).

So, in a way, I guess that is what comes next is a deep dive into this concept called “home.”

I’m looking forward to the challenge.

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 left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap 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:

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 the ones I use to save money when I travel – and I think will help you too!

Want More Information on Austin?
Be sure to visit our robust destination guide on Austin for even more planning tips!

The post So, What Comes Next? appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.