Win a Free Trip Around The World!

Twelve years ago, I was inspired to travel the world by five backpackers I met while on a trip to Thailand. As we talked on our way to a temple outside Chiang Mai, I was captivated by their tales from the road. Since my trip to Costa Rica the previous year, I had thought about nothing but travel. All I wanted to do was travel more and here were five people who had managed to unlock “the secret” to long-term travel. They were living my dream.

And I wanted to nothing more than to follow in their footsteps.

So, in a moment of spontaneity, I quit my job, finished school, and with my savings went on a yearlong trip around the world. Eighteen months later, I finally came home and immediately decided to head out again.

I’ve been a perpetual nomad ever since.

My life is not what I imagined it would be. What started as a yearlong trip has turned into a decade-plus adventure. I’ve been to close to 90 countries, lived and worked overseas, and seen and done things I never thought possible. I was just going to get travel out of my system before I settled down with a corporate job – but life had other plans!

And, along the way, what started as a personal journal has morphed into a six-figure business with employees, digital guides, a best-selling book, a charitable foundation, media school, a hostel, and a host of conference and speaking engagements.

It’s been a crazy ride.

And it can all be traced back to my decision to travel. I never had any intention of making travel a career.

Today, the third edition of my New York Times best-selling book, How to Travel the World on $50 a Day, is out. This new edition contains over 40 pages of new content, updated prices, tips, tricks, and travel advice. It features new companies and resources you can use to help you travel cheaper. It also has more of a global perspective to help non-Americans, couples, and families travel.

So, in honor of this new edition, I want to do something special. I want to give someone the chance to travel and change their life the way travel changed mine:

I am giving away a FREE trip around the world.

For real.

I know how lucky I was to be able to do that original trip and how much of a positive impact it had on my life.

So I am going to give a free trip around the world worth $18,250 USD (i.e., $50 a day) to one lucky person who buys the book. It’s like Willy Wonka’s golden ticket contest…except winning this won’t turn you into a giant purple ball!

So, without further ado, here are the details of the contest — and how you can win:

The Prize: One trip worth $18,250 USD (i.e., $50 a day) with money paid out in monthly increments.

You have six months to start your trip after you win and nine to eighteen months to complete it (or when the money runs out, whichever comes first).

How to Enter:

1. Purchase a copy of the latest edition of my book, How to Travel the World on $50 a Day. You can buy it in person at any retailer or online at the following places:
   
2. Write a 500-word (no more) mini-essay on why you really want the trip, what you hope to accomplish, and how you will give back to the world along the way. Be honest and raw. I want to know what drives you. I want to know your why. Essays will be judged on clarity, humor, and creativity.
3. Submit a copy of your receipt along with your contact details and essay by clicking the button below:

This contest will run from now until 11:59:59 EST November 30th, 2017. Winners will be picked on or around December 17th, 2017.

Three other things to know

1. Winners will be required to update readers about their trip once a month on this blog so we can follow along with your adventure!
2. This is open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec), age 18 or older. I wish it was open to the entire world but since this is a published, print book, I must work within the constraints my publisher’s legal department tells me!
3. Be sure to read all of the legal information below!

So I wish you luck. Even if you don’t win, the book is an up-to-date collection of all the best ways to save money. It’s my most complete guide to date, containing resources, tips, and details you won’t find on this blog (so you should totally get it!). (Plus it makes an amazing gift for anyone you know who travels…and the holidays are coming up soon! Just saying!)

Here’s all that legal jazz that my publisher told me I had to tell you:

Official Rules for the HOW TO TRAVEL THE WORLD Contest

Open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec), age 18 or older.

HOW TO ENTER

1. To enter the How to Travel the World Contest (the “Contest”), presented by Nomadic Matt, Inc. (“Author”) and TarcherPerigee, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC (together, the “Sponsors”) purchase a copy of How to Travel the World on $50 a Day by Matt Kepnes and complete the entry form as instructed at nomadicmatt.com by submitting the transaction or purchase order number from your receipt , along with your first and last name, e-mail address, telephone number, and an essay of no more than five hundred (500) words on why you want to take a trip around the world, what you hope to accomplish on your trip, and how you will use this trip to give back. Contest begins October 30, 2017, 9:00:00 AM, Eastern Time and all entries must be received no later than November 30, 2017, 11:59:59 PM, Eastern Time. Limit one entry per person and per email account. The sole determinant of time for the purposes of receipt of a valid entry will be the computer servers of the Author. Proof of transmission (screenshots or captures, etc.) does not constitute proof of receipt

2. Entries will not be returned. By entering the Contest, contestants agree to abide by these rules, and represent and warrant that the entries are their own and original creations, and do not violate or infringe the rights, including, without limitation, copyrights, trademark rights or rights of publicity/privacy, of any third party.

3. Entries are void if they are in whole or in part illegible or incomplete. Sponsors assume no responsibility for late, lost, incomplete, illegible, or misdirected e-mail entries.

4. Sponsors and their parent, subsidiary or affiliated companies are not responsible for technical, hardware or software malfunctions of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, or failed, incorrect, incomplete, inaccurate, garbled or delayed electronic communications caused by the sender, or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in this Contest which may limit the ability to play or participate, or by any human error which may occur in the processing of the entries. If for any reason the Contest is not capable of being conducted as described in these rules, Sponsors shall have the right to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest. In the event of a dispute over the identity of an online entrant, entry will be deemed submitted by the authorized holder of the email account.

PRIVACY POLICY

All information submitted in connection with entry to this Contest shall be governed by Author’s privacy policy (at http://ift.tt/2yYnz3a). By entering this Contest, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to this privacy policy and you agree to receive e-mail communications from Author.

JUDGING

1. On or about December 17th, 2017 one (1) will be selected by the Author.

2. Entries will be judged on clarity, humor, and creativity, with equal weight being given to each criterion. The decisions of the Sponsors with respect to the selection of the winners, and in regard to all matter relating to this Contest, shall be final and binding.

3. Winner will be notified via email and/or telephone. Winner must respond to the email notification or telephone call within six (6) days or an alternate winner will be chosen.

PRIZES

1. One (1) Winner shall receive a trip around the world in consultation with the Author as more fully described below. Total Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”) = $18,250.

Winner will consult with Author to book initial flights for the trip and to purchase travel insurance and travel gear (ARV = $2,000). Winner and Author will consult to book subsequent flights for the trip (ARV = $2,700). Winner will receive $1500 upon commencement of the trip for the first month of travel to cover other travel and living expenses in connection with the trip. Winner will receive an additional $1500 to cover travel and living expenses in connection with the trip every thirty (30) days for twelve (12) months, the money runs out, or until the trip concludes, whichever occurs first. Travel must be commenced within six (6) months of winner being notified and must be completed within eighteen (18) months of commencement of the trip. Winner shall submit travel journals with itineraries, tips, and highlights to Author every thirty (30) days from commencement of the trip and a final journal upon conclusion of the trip. Non-compliance with these terms and conditions may result in forfeiture of part or all of the prize.

2. Winner is responsible for any expenses not expressly included in the prize description in excess of the prize amounts, such as transportation to and from the airports, travel within destinations, personal expenses, travel and health insurance, meals, beverages, gratuities and any additional hotel expenses such as telephone calls, incidentals and upgrades or other charges that may arise.

3. In the event that there is an insufficient number of qualified entries or if the Sponsors determines in their absolute discretion that no or too few entries meet the quality standards established to award the prizes, Sponsors reserve the right not to award the prizes.

ELIGIBILITY

Open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec), age 18 or older. Employees of Sponsors and their parent company, subsidiaries, affiliates or other parties in any way involved in the development, production or distribution of this Contest, as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings, children) and household members of each such employee are not eligible to participate in the Contest. Void where prohibited by law. All state and local restrictions apply.

GENERAL

1. This Contest will be run in accordance with these Official Rules, subject to amendment by Sponsor. These Official Rules shall govern in the event of any inconsistency with other Contest-related materials.

2. No cash substitution, transfer or assignment of prizes allowed. In the event of the unavailability of a prize or prizes, Sponsor may substitute a prize or prizes of equal or greater value.

3. All expenses, including taxes (if any), related to receipt and use of prizes are the sole responsibility of the winner.

4. Winner shall be required to execute an Affidavit of Eligibility and Release. The affidavit must be returned within fourteen (14) days of notification or winner will forfeit their prize and another winner will be selected. Should the ARV equal or exceed $600.00, winners shall be required to provide a Social Security Number or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number to Sponsors for issuance of a 1099 Form. Winner is responsible for obtaining all necessary visas and a valid passport/travel documents for international travel.

5. By accepting a prize the winner grants to Sponsors the right to edit, publish, copy, display and otherwise use their entries in connection with this Contest, and to further use their names, likenesses, and biographical information in advertising and promotional materials, without further compensation or permission, except where prohibited by law.

6. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. By competing in this Contest and/or accepting a prize, entrants release Sponsors, their parent, subsidiary or affiliated companies, or the agencies of any of them and the authors and/or editors of any books promoted hereby from any and all liability for any loss harm, injuries, damages, cost or expenses arising out of or relating to participation in this Contest or the acceptance, use or misuse of the prize(s). UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHALL THE RELEASED PARTIES BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, ATTORNEYS’ FEES, OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES.

7. Any dispute arising from this Contest will be determined according to the laws of the State of New York, without reference to its conflict of law principles, and by entering the entrants consent to the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in New York County and agree that such courts have exclusive jurisdiction over all such disputes.

WINNERS LIST

For a copy of the winners list, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope by June 4, 2018 to TarcherPerigee Marketing, 375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014, Attention: How to Travel the World Contest Winners List.

SPONSORS

Nomadic Matt, Inc.
207 E. 9th Street
Georgetown, Texas 78626

TarcherPerigee
An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
345 Hudson Street
New York, New York 10014

The post Win a Free Trip Around The World! appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

October 30, 2017 at 02:10PM

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by IHholiday Travel trip

Is Travel Hacking Really a Scam?

Last month, I wrote an article on how to travel anywhere for $1,000. I wanted to show people how, by changing how you save and using a few budget techniques, you could make any trip happen for $1,000 (or less) from start to finish. While that is a lot of money to most people, it’s not an insurmountable amount of money to save with a few clever ninja techniques (it works out to only $2.74 per day).

In the article, I picked expensive destinations as examples because I didn’t want to be accused of copping out by picking cheap places. If I had, I imagined the Internet would rise up and say “Oh, sure, Matt! Anyone can travel to Thailand on a budget. That’s easy. What about (insert expensive destination)? This article is fake news!”

In picking expensive destinations, I used points and miles to help mitigate the costs of getting to each destination. Using points and miles for cheap and free flights and accommodation was a must. After all, it’s one thing to pay $700 for a flight if the destination only costs a few dollars a day. It’s another thing to pay that much when you’re going to Australia! You won’t get far with only $300 to spend in Australia!

But a different — and unexpected — backlash erupted. On the blog and social media, people kept commenting that points/miles are money, have a cost, aren’t easy to get, only work in the States, and that, basically, the whole article was BS. For example:

“Matt, like some people have mentioned before me in the comment section: not everyone has miles or bonus points. You know I’m a travel writer…and yet I have never joined a frequent flyer program. I don’t have miles or points to redeem, and likewise, there are also people who might not have saved up enough points to fly entirely free.

“Between cheaper destinations and relying on bonus points, you chose the latter for your article’s premise, and it feels a bit like saying: I could be telling you to go camping, but hey, that would be too easy, so let’s talk cruising — now, redeem 100,000 Airmiles for this two-week cruise and you’ve got $1,000 to play with on board!

“It doesn’t seem entirely fair.”

First, let me say you are all correct. From the outset, I should have factored in taxes and fees into the cost of the trips, and have since changed the expense chart to reflect that. It was silly of me to not include that from the outset. I apologize for the oversight.

But, second, I don’t think using points or miles is in anyway cheating or unfair. (I’d also like to say that while they were a big part of the article, many of the other tips helped lower costs just as much!)

To me, points and miles are free money. They have no cost to me. I don’t give up anything to get them. I think of them as the perk for being smart about my spending. Sure, I have to spend the points/miles in addition to money, and I know of you view points and miles as having some value and an opportunity cost to them, etc.

But I don’t think of them that way.

They are just a thing I get when I spend money that I would have spent anyway.

Let me explain in more detail. A lot of people think points and miles are hard to get, that you have to do crazy stuff to get them, or you have to spend lots of money to get there:

“To collect miles requires spending money. To say one can travel anywhere for $1,000 and then condition that on free airfare is disingenuous. The advice is aimed at people who might find $1,000 a lot of money. Let’s assume you need 80,000 miles for an award and can find a sign-up offer for 40,000. That means you probably have to spend $40,000 to collect the other 40,000 miles. Then the advice to use hotel points for free rooms. Assume you want a seven-day vacation and rooms are just 15,000 a night. That’s another 105,000 hotel points, and another $105,000 spend. Even if your hotel card gets two-for-one points, that’s still $52,500 in spend. So for me to go on a vacation for $1,000 I need to charge $92,500. I’m surprised you missed telling us to just go for one day and avoid six more days of hotel, meal, and local transportation expenses.”

I hear you and I see the logic but I disagree. You can earn a lot of points and miles per year with much less spending than described, because there are pretty easy ways to earn multiple points/miles per dollar spent.

I’m a terrible travel hacker compared to my friends. I don’t do some of the crazy things they do to earn points and miles because I don’t have a lot of time, so I like to make it easy on myself. I don’t buy extra things, overspend, resell furniture or gift cards, or give up my Saturdays to go buy stuff in bulk and then sell it online for a profit.

I simply go about my life and spend wisely. I have chart for which cards I use for which expenses, so I always get the most miles per dollar spent. Here it is:

How I Optimize My Spending with My Travel Credit Cards

(Note: I also have all the co-branded airline cards but I rarely ever use those.)

Through all this, I earn a million or more miles per year. If it was really only 1 point/mile per dollar spent, then I would have to spend one million a year but that’s not the case. When I need to buy something, I do it online for bonus points through airline shopping portals (I recently got 6x American Airlines miles for my Macy’s shopping on top of my credit card points). Need something on Amazon? I buy a gift card from Office Depot for 5x points and then go through JetBlue for 3x more points. Buying a new computer? I’m off to get a new card to hit the minimum spending for the bonus. Got a few minutes? I answer some surveys for points.

I’m always earning multiple points per dollar spent. It’s rarely one to one. (Note: You can click here to see a more detailed breakdown of where I earn my million points/miles.)

I don’t view collecting points/miles as a cost because I don’t spend extra money to earn them. To me, something has a cost when I give up money to get it.

Sure, there are taxes and fees are included in the ticket that vary wildly among airlines (I’m looking at you, BA and Virgin), but it’s still cheaper than the price of a full ticket. And hotels don’t charge these fees, so the cost of them using points is literally zero. Also, some credit cards allow you to wipe charges off of them, making those expenses literally zero too.

If you want to travel more, points and miles have to be something you do (providing you live in a place where they are an option). Even if it takes you are year to accumulate them, they help you unlock your dreams by drastically reducing the cost of everything.

When I ask most people why they don’t travel hack, they just shrug their shoulders and go, “I don’t know. Seems hard, I guess.” I think people believe because travel hacking seems complicated, therefore it must be so. Actually, it is not.

In addition, travel hacking seems to run counter to everything we have learned about finance. We’re taught to think of money and credit in one way:

“Credit cards a bad. The companies are bad. Never pay a fee. Your score is sacred, and doing things like this hurt it, and you’ll never get a loan.”

But that is just bullshit. It’s a myth perpetuated by….well, I don’t know who exactly, but people keep believing it.

You earn points and miles for everyday purchases you would have bought any ways and the perks outweigh the credit card fees. For example, with my $450 per year Chase card, I get:

• $300 in airline credit
• 3x points on travel and restaurants (so I can earn points faster)
• Global Entry ($100 every five years)
• Purchase protection so I can get refunded if things I buy are lost, damaged, or stolen
• A priority pass for lounge access (about $100 a year)
• Trip insurance

My $49-a-year IHG card gives me a free night at a category 1-5 property (around $200 a night) and my American Airlines card comes with free checked bags, saving me hundreds of dollars a year!

Additionally, my credit score has only gone up because of this as now I have more credit and less debt as well as a good payment history. (And, as my friend Gary says, “What good is a credit score if you don’t use it?”)

If you pay your bills off each month and are reasonable with your money, not collecting points and miles is saying no to free money. It’s saying, “I don’t want to be rewarded for my good spending habits.”

Free is the best word in travel.

When you don’t travel hack, the only person you are hurting is yourself. You aren’t hurting the banks or the airlines. They are in on the game.

In my view, travel hacking is something to be embraced. It reduces the cost of travel. You can do this in a lot of countries around the world! Even if takes you a year to earn a free flight, why not take the flight? One free flight is better than no free flights.

Anything that saves money and reduces the cost of travel is something every traveler should do.

Saying no to travel hacking saying yes to spending more money on travel — and why would you ever want to do that?

P.S. – If you want to learn more and figure out how to collect points and miles, click here to download the book I wrote on travel hacking. It will tell you how program work, what cards to get, give you step-by-step instructions, tips, tricks, and secret ways to collect miles.

The post Is Travel Hacking Really a Scam? appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

October 26, 2017 at 06:33PM

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by IHholiday Travel trip

29 Epic Photos From My Trip to Madagascar

Madagascar. It has an exotic hold over the imagination, conjuring up a land of wild nature: plains of baobab trees, armies of lemurs, unique animals, and lush rainforests.

Since so few people visit (roughly 350,000 per year), our imagination runs wild when we hear its name. It’s some otherworldly region, a lush rainforest teeming with wildlife and white sand beaches from end to end. It would be like Avatar.

Most people I talked to thought the same. After all, with so few visitors there, the chances of knowing someone who has been is tiny.

But the Madagascar most of us envision is not the one that exists. The country is quite arid thanks to mining, deforestation, and climate change. These days, the landscape is a lot less lush than it once was. It’s not as wild and exotic as we think.

Yet there’s a lot of beauty here. From Westworld-like deserts and tiny tropical rainforests to valleys filled with rice fields and giant mountains, Madagascar is still outrageously magical and raw. While I’ll be posting many particles on what to see and do, how to visit the country, and my experience there in the upcoming weeks, I thought I’d start with some photographs from my visit to set the scene:

Lemurs, lemurs, and more lemurs. There’s over 60 species in the country.

One of the beautiful and lush valleys on the island.

The Kingfisher. Just one of the many colorful birds I saw.

“King Julien” lemurs (so called because this is the kind that was the character in the movie).

The poor infrastructure in Madagascar makes the country hard to get around.

There’s a lot of lizards here too.

Madagascar has this samosa tasting spring roll. I ate them all the time. They made me very happy. Delicious and at three cents each, budget friendly.

Baby lemurs!

This lemur is actually sleep. It sleeps with its eyes open to deter predators.

Some of the famous baobab trees.

A beautiful pastel sunset over the capital, Antananarivo!

A narrow bridge made even more crowded by a weekly market.

Always be on the lookout for thieves!

A candid shot!

So many lemurs, so little time.

Hiking in Isalo national park, a very Westworld like place.

This spider was frighteningly huge.

Taking in the amazing view!

Learning about the country with my awesome guide, Patrick.

Out for a hike with the Intrepid group.

The zebu (a type of cow) market, where people buy and sell cattle.

The hills and valleys of Madagascar fill up the long, slow driving days. And they are a wonderful sight.

This is what most of Madagascar looks like.

Just another Lemur doing his thing!

Chatting with my awesome guide Patrick.

This big fella was just relaxing in the sun.

Home sweet home!

Taking the classic Instagram picture!

Ok, one last lemur picture!

*** Sixteen days was not nearly enough time to visit a country the size of France, especially since Madagascar severely lacks decent infrastructure. roads are filled with potholes and there’s no regular train service (a common theme in my upcoming posts).

So, while there was much I missed, I’m grateful for everything I did see.

I guess, as always, it’s just another reason to go back, right?

Note: I went to Madagascar with Intrepid Travel as part of our ongoing partnership. They paid for the tour and my expenses during the trip. I paid for my flights to and from Madagascar. They offer 10% off their tours to readers so click the link and save on your next trip.

P.S. – We are hosting a Q&A with professional travel photographer Laurence Norah on October 29th, so be sure to attend if you want to step up your photo game!

The post 29 Epic Photos From My Trip to Madagascar appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

October 23, 2017 at 03:59PM

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by IHholiday Travel trip