How to Travel More (12 tips from a digital nomad)
You want adventure. You’re ready for some inspiration, foreign art, new views and to breathe the air of a place unknown. You want to know how to travel more.
Well, you’re in the right place! I’ve got some epic tips that will help get you to where you’re going.
From narrow Tokyo alleyways to old sleeper trains traveling across new lands, the ideas in this post are how I’m able to travel full-time (more or less).
So even if you just want to do a little more sightseeing or some part-time wandering, this post should help. But enough small talk.
Let’s get to it!
1. Create A Travel Budget
A good first step to traveling more is to create a travel budget.
After all, one of the biggest hurdles to more adventure is often cost. Put another way, plane tickets are expensive.
So, let’s take back some control by making a personalized adventure budget.
A travel budget is a customized plan for how much money you will realistically need to visit and explore a destination.
Budgeting for your adventures creates an organized plan for what you want to do and how you’re going to do it.
As much as I love spontaneity, it’s not always possible or realistic. So let’s create a travel budget. Here are some key tips to get started:
Know your traveler type — budget, foodie, adventurer…
Research where you’re going and plan ahead
Budget extra for essentials like accommodations and food
Segment your travel budget by separating food from accommodations, etc.
2. Spend Less While Traveling
“Travel can be done affordably. There are plenty of cheap or free ways to enjoy new cities and explore epic locations.”
This tip is about becoming a sort of travel minimalist by spending less while you travel. It’s sort of an obvious tip, but still worth mentioning.
Instead of going to expensive restaurants or tourist trapped spots, opt for more local shops and cheaper things to do.
Or at the very least, don’t do expensive things every single day. Spend most of your time as a budget traveler.
Sometimes, there are even cheaper alternatives to popular attractions.
For example, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building offers an observation deck for free, but the Tokyo Skytree observation deck requires a ticket for entry. Both have epic views though.
So research your location for cheaper alternatives and plan ahead by setting your intentions to be a budget traveler. Embrace the lifestyle and mindset.
Walk when you can, choose more free things and do more window shopping over shopping shopping.
3. Go to Cheaper / Closer Places
If you want to travel more often, one of the easiest solutions is to simply choose cheaper or more convenient locations.
Because let’s face it, our bank statements are going to look totally different if we go to Thailand instead of Paris (or somewhere nearby that doesn't even require a plane ticket).
We tend to overlook locations close to us or spots less traveled. But they still offer a new travel experience. It’s more about cultivating an adventure mindset and seeing things like a traveler (even if it’s just the next town over).
It’s also about being flexible with your locations. Because while fancy huts in Bora Bora look amazing, they’re not always realistic (or sustainable).
Opting for cheaper (but still safe) locations is one of the best ways to travel more without destroying our savings.
And similarly, opting for closer locations is an awesome way to travel more without destroying your schedule or time.
4. Be Flexible With Your Dates
As you probably know, some travel dates are way more expensive than others (such as flying during holidays or peak seasons).
Similarly, some days will offer cheaper plane tickets (for whatever algorithmic reason).
So the best solution to this problem is to stay flexible with your travel dates. Google Flights or KAYAK Explore both let you research flights without specifying dates or locations.
If you can have this level of flexibility, then rest assured, you’ll always be able to choose the cheapest flights and destinations.
Of course, this isn’t always realistic. But even being semi-flexible will give you some savings.
So plan ahead — but stay flexible with the specifics.
5. Avoid Peak Seasons
Peak season traveling is more expensive, more stressful and more difficult to find accommodation or do things.
So let’s just avoid it altogether.
By avoiding peak seasons, you’ll be traveling during slower times with less demand. This means you’re more flexible in your dates and can even find more deals.
Also, by only traveling during peak seasons (such as holidays or spring breaks), you drastically shrink your travel times.
Put another way, there are way more non-peak times during the year than peak seasons.
So don’t limit yourself to only traveling when everyone else is also doing the same thing (if possible).
6. Avoid Tourists Traps
“There’s a difference between being a tourist and a traveler. And if you’re looking to travel more often, becoming a traveler (not a tourist) is a smart move.”
Tourist traps are more expensive. And since affordability is a core theme for this post, avoiding tourist traps is a key tip for learning how to travel more.
For example, rather than staying at the luxury resorts and spas, check out local AirBnB listings that offer similar locations but much better prices (just with less amenities).
Similarly, look for restaurants away from popular attractions or busy areas. Local spots may take a little more research and walking to get to, but they can help save a travel budget.
Avoiding tourist traps also gives you a different experience while exploring new places. Ultimately, this all supports a more sustainable travel lifestyle.
7. Find Remote Work
This tip is the perfect long-term strategy for traveling more. Flexible remote means you can make money while traveling and work from anywhere.
I suppose this is the dream — the digital nomad lifestyle. Luckily, it’s way more realistic than you may think.
The internet is a thing and the digital economy is constantly growing with new opportunities and ways to make money online.
While there are downsides to remote work (such as motivation or isolation), it’s still one of the best ways to have more flexibility in life and achieve location independence to travel more.
Some popular remote work opportunities include:
Online writing
Teaching English online
Digital marketing (SEO, social media, content marketing, etc.)
Graphic design
Coding and programming jobs
Starting a blog or social media (these take the longest but offer epic opportunities)
You can find remote work opportunities on platforms like Fiverr or Upwork. Or you can build out your professional network through LinkedIn. You can also create valuable content in your area of expertise and generate leads online through social media or SEO.
But whatever path you choose, stick with one and stay patient. Building a successful remote career takes time and work. But it’s always worth it (especially for the travel lover).
Explore more:
➤ Best Remote Jobs for Travelers (what I do)
8. Work Abroad
Working and living overseas is an awesome way to travel more. It’s how I started my journey.
I wanted to explore the world. So I decided to move to Japan as an English teacher. It was definitely one of my smartest decisions.
I met amazing friends, created unforgettable memories and was able to make some decent money.
Plus, living and working overseas has a ton of benefits, far beyond just being able to travel more (if that’s not enough reason alone).
It makes you more confident, looks good on a resume and opens you up to amazing opportunities and networking you can’t find anywhere else.
So if you’ve ever thought about living overseas, let this be your sign.
Explore more:
➤ Is Teaching Abroad Worth It?
9. Earn Travel Rewards
Earning travel rewards is a great way to travel more.
While this takes some strategy and a bit of finesse, learning how to take advantage of things like credit card points is an awesome travel skill.
You can get free flights and accommodations or just save a lot on your trips.
I use the Delta SkyMiles Gold card by American Express to pay for things while traveling or just general shopping. This gets me points to use for free or discounted tickets through Delta.
It’s a pretty sweet deal.
So if you’re in a position to get a travel credit card, this can be a great way to unlock more travel opportunities in your life.
10. Meet More Travel Friends
Having more travel friends means you’re more likely to travel.
As much as I love solo adventures, having a crew (or even one other person) to explore with is also really nice. It also helps me to travel more. Here’s why.
When you have travel friends, you can save money by splitting the cost on things like hotels or AirBnBs.
It’s also more inspiring and motivating when you have other people in your life who travel and want to experience more places just the same.
But at the end of the day, it’s just more fun to have someone to share experiences with.
Ultimately, having a core travel group of friends will ensure you spend more time in airports and experiencing new cultures.
You can try local meetups or connecting with people online through social media. Or, you can try recruiting from your current group of friends (if anyone has shown an interest in traveling before).
11. Volunteer Abroad (or find partnerships)
Volunteering can be a great way to travel more (sometimes for free).
While this usually means you’ll be doing some type of work in exchange for free accommodations and/or food, it’s an awesome way to experience local cultures and travel affordably.
Sites like Go Overseas or volunteering through places like WWOOF are two popular places to find travel opportunities abroad.
You could also reach out to local hostels and see if they offer any opportunities to work for them in exchange for a free or discounted room.
Or if you have a social media following (with a relevant audience), you could find partnership opportunities with hotels or travel companies to help subsidize your travel costs.
12. Create Travel Projects
Traveling more is a goal (and an awesome one at that!). But sometimes, actually following through on plans gets tricky.
Life happens, motivation wanes and inspiration sways. So let’s make sure you keep your travel plans top of mind.
For me, I like use creative projects while I travel. I make music, blog and like to put together short film projects.
This gives me a clear purpose for my traveling and it’s more motivating and way more engaging. Creative projects turn your travels into something more tangible and a source of pride.
So with that, carry on and have some epic travels! — and maybe I’ll see you out there!
Later ✌️
Want More? Nice. Here’s More.
