Editor's Note: This is a review of the first edition, self-published by Matt Kepnes. In February 2013, an expanded book was re-released through a major publisher.
Quick Synopsis: Nomadic Matt reveals how cheap and easy it is to travel the world. If you are looking for some tips on cutting travel costs, the “How to Travel the World on 50 Dollars a Day” eBook is perfect for you. Continue reading for my full review.
Matt Kepnes, more commonly known as Nomadic Matt, has set out to show us how he can survive on an average of $50 per day while traveling the world. The book breaks down what it costs to stay at home for a year and how it is cheaper to take a gap year hopping all over the globe. With only $50 a day he shows you how to eat, sleep, sightsee, and travel.
The new eBook dives deep into pre-trip planning strategies then guides you through several regions of the world and what type of finances are required to travel in each one. Matt thoroughly analyzes Eastern and Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, U.S.A., South America, Southeast Asia, and then briefly touches and the remaining regions of the world.
Matt’s goal was to show how an average traveler can reduce their expenses to an average of $50 per day and his detailed financial analysis successfully proves his theory.
Details
- 113 pages of number crunching travel budget planning
- Hundreds of financial travel tips
- 14 world regions analyzed
- Pre-travel, during travel, and miscellaneous strategies for cutting costs
- $1,000 worth of coupons included
What I love about it
- Straightforward: Matt doesn’t beat around the bush in this eBook, he clearly lays out what it takes to travel the world on $50/day.
- Easy to follow: None of his tips for cutting the daily budget are difficult to follow. Neither the seasoned backpacker nor first time trekker will struggle applying the techniques.
- Coupons: Matt went above and beyond when getting some reputable travel companies to give his readers a discount. Highlights include hostel chains and even a Eurail discount.
- Pre-trip planning: Many travel guides only dabble in pre-trip suggestions but Matt devoted 30 pages to it. It isn’t about planning where to go and what to see but rather what you can do before your trip to cut your daily trip expenses.
- Insight into Matt’s life: Matt is a pro when it comes to traveling on a dime and the book reveals to us exactly how he does it. You might not follow it all to the tee, but just applying a couple of Matt’s strategies will save you thousands of dollars on your next trip.
A few critiques
- Length: Although the eBook is fairly short and Matt probably had to cut a ton of content out to shorten it, I think it could have been edited down one more time to make it even more concise and jam-packed.
- Audience: Matt’s techniques are usually geared towards long term backpackers and a few more tips could have been focused on the 1-3 week traveler.
- Generic tips: While there are many great tips, several of the tips for cutting costs are fairly generic such as using trains, couchsurfing, and volunteering with the Peace Corps (extremely long term tip).
Who should buy this eBook?
This book is a great read for people looking to take their first extended vacation (longer than one week) and don’t know where to start when it comes to budgeting. It will also be extremely helpful for backpackers looking to venture out and travel to some new regions around the world because Matt breaks down what it takes to see places like Southeast Asia and Easter Europe.
Who this book is not for
If you consider yourself a travel ninja, already have earned a few free flights using airline rewards programs, and know how to survive on ramen noodles, this book is not for you. There may be a few tidbits of info that is helpful but overall you probably already know how to travel the world on $50 per day.
Pick up your paperback or Kindle copy at Amazon.com
I hate the term generic tip. They are generic to use but to new travelers, something like couchsurfing might not be so generic. But I will concede that some of the tips do repeat in different parts of the world.
Thanks for the review. And yes, I think the coupons rock too! i mean $1k in free travel! I only wish I could use them myself ha!
Hi Matt,
Can you write a blog gear towards the average single mom who wants to take small children traveling during the summer for no more than 1-3 weeks? My passion is travel and adventure, but I’d like to include my kid. My first travel destination/trip would be Europe, then maybe more exotic places, after Hawaii and Canada.
I have already traveled to various places in the Caribbean and loved some places over others, for instance I did not like Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Any tips on how I can do this (travel) without saving all my life would be great. Thanks!
Nice review. I like your “love” and “critique” and “who for” categories. Very helpful!
Thanks Matt and McCool! Sorry about the terminology Matt, maybe I should have used “tips for beginners.”
50 bucks a day? Seriously? That’s not cheap, it’s not even good value. Depending on the country you travel in, 50 bucks can be proper luxury. Once you start traveling on USD 10 a day incl. everything (beers, accomodation, food, etc), then you start to appreciate what value USD 15 get you, and so on.
Boris,
That is a world wide average including places like Europe and Australia as well as Asia and includes all your flights and other expenses. If you can spend $10 USD per day in Europe on beer, food, accommodation, then you should really write a book!
Is it really ..?? I don’t think so….Traveling the world on 50 dollars a day is not possible….What ever review Nomadic Matt has given,is easy to say but quite hard to implement…….
Looks like a goos gift for my cousins who wants to embark on a world trip.
I am curious to read Matt’s book and learn what he is talking about. I am sure there are great tips for the avid traveler.