Nomadic Matt E-Book Review: How to Travel the World on $50 a Day

I had the pleasure of meeting Nomadic Matt at last year’s TBEX conference in New York City. We drank some beers, talked travel, and discussed work. And he is a hard-workin’ dude…he actually retired early on some evenings to get work done. The stamina!

Anyway, for those who only recently started following along, Matt is a well-seasoned traveler who has been globetrotting for a few years now. He’s been everywhere, and he’s someone managed to find that dream balance of living a nomadic life and doing it while making money. I really do trust his advice. He’s also released a bunch of e-books, some of which I’ve helped research.

Recently he sent along his How to Travel the World for 50 USD book, an easy read but filled with useful goodies. Point in case: he explains the logistics of global banking and gives a list of places that don’t have foreign transaction fees, something I wish I had known more about before hitting up England.

The e-book is also divided up into different sections, starting with Pre-Trip Planning (hence the bank info). Matt talks specifically about how we believe it costs a small fortune to travel because that’s how vacation packages are modeled, but in reality, it’s as cheap as living a settled life when you factor in expenses like rent, bills, etc. There are also tips for saving on travel gear (plus a sweet section about what your backpack SHOULD include) and airline tickets.

Next up: destinations, the best places to stretch your buck, and transit prices, followed by a chapter of extras including links to some sweet job boards.

AND there are over 20 coupons for accommodation discounts and more at the back of the book, equalling over $1000 in savings. And if there’s anything we like in this household, it’s coupon craziness! Seriously. You should see our mail pile.

I suppose one downside, however, is that this guide mostly caters to Americans. I suggest applying these tactics to however you do things in you homeland, but it might just take a little extra legwork.

It’s also only $14, which is just over a half-case of beer. That’s a pretty good bargain. AND if you buy How to Travel the World for 50 USD, I get a commission. Win, win.

In other news, Matt’s How to Teach English Overseas e-book is now available for Kindle and iPad. I wrote a review about it awhile ago, so if you’re interested, check it out! You can also learn more about his e-books on his site.

Happy Friday!

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  • http://www.colorfulplaces.com Bluegreen Kirk

    with the savings from the E-book alone you will more than cover the cost of the book. Plus we get to help you and Matt put some money in your pockets. WIN WIN!

  • http://teachergirlblogs.com Teacher Girl

    I need both these books asap!!

  • http://refrigeratormagnate.wordpress.com/ SpilledInkGuy

    Dude!
    I’m an American… so… it’s like, win, win… win for me!
    It must be my lucky day – I’d better go buy a lottery ticket (or play some bingo at the lodge or something)! Come-on sweet, sweet G-52!
    :)

  • http://www.disposablehomes.blogspot.com Ivy

    Kudos to Matt for taking the time and effort to write this, but am I the only one who’s not impressed by the 50$? Hope not to sound arrogant or anything, but I traveled the US on 9$ and don’t consider 50 bucks budget travel.

  • http://travelettes.net travelettes

    we just bought his e-book on how to make money with your blog – very useful stuff and easy to understand and follow.

  • http://www.cruisesurfingz.com Roy | cruisesurfingz

    I’m sure it’s a great book. But like Ivy, I think $50 a day is a lot. But also, I couchsurf :)

  • http://www.candicedoestheworld.com Candice

    Hahaha, thanks, Kirk!

  • http://www.candicedoestheworld.com Candice

    Go for it!

  • http://www.candicedoestheworld.com Candice

    Feelin’ so fly like a G6? Like a G6?

  • http://www.candicedoestheworld.com Candice

    If I could survive for $1500/month, I’d be happy! But yes, I guess perhaps it’s for the average person. How the hell did you do $9?!! Write a book, please.

  • http://www.candicedoestheworld.com Candice

    Glad you enjoyed, I’ve read that one as well!

  • http://www.candicedoestheworld.com Candice

    It isn’t much for me…or it wouldn’t be if I had a job, hahaha. But yeah, I hear ya. I’m pretty sure Matt just uses an average. For example, he cited living expenses for an average American (rent, utilities, etc.) as $700/month, which is over double what I pay.

  • http://www.nomadicmatt.com Nomadic Matt

    This book is for people who hostel, eat out, drink, etc. But it’s how to travel the WORLD on $50 USD not one specific destination. You can get by in the Thailand for 15 USD per day. It’s a trip average including flights and other pre-trip expenses. Plus, I have ways of lowering that number too. But I don’t want to say $20 and then have people do it for $30 so I give a higher number to be realistic.

    Also, Ivy, how did you do the US for $9 per day? I bet you were couchsurfing, not paying for most transportation, and not eating out. That style of travel is not for everyone and so the book caters to your more “typical” traveler who stays in hostels, eats out a bit, and does many activities.

    Matt

  • http://www.crazysexyfuntraveler.com crazy sexy fun traveler

    Good review, Candice! For me, eating out is destroying my budget the most, as I hate cooking and love eating :D