because the quarantine started in March, I’ve used online banking much more than I’ve ever had before. I used to choose using cash when I’m paying. I’ve had my BPI account enrolled to online banking for a while now, but I mostly used it to check the balance of my account. but now I use it to pay for purchases, send money, and even getting load credits. It made me realize how easy and convenient cashless transactions can be.

There are a lot much more other transactions you can finish with BPI online banking. but in this post, we will show you how you can send money from your BPI account to another BPI account.

WHAT’S covered IN THIS GUIDE?

1. Log in to your BPI online Account.
2. select which account you would want to transfer funds from.
3. enter the transaction details.
4. review the details of your transaction.
5. enter the one-time pin.
6. Take note of the confirmation number.
More suggestions on YouTube ⬇️⬇️⬇️Related Posts:

1. Log in to your BPI online Account.

Open the BPI app on your mobile device. enter you username and password and press login. You can also use biometrics login if you connected the finger print saved in your device to your BPI online account.

If you don’t have the app yet, you can download it on Google Playstore if you’re using Android or app store for iOS devices.

2. select which account you would want to transfer funds from.

Once you’ve logged in to your BPI online account, you will see the accounts connected to your online account. If you have multiple accounts, choose which one you want to transfer funds from.

On the next screen, you will see an summary of your account. tap transfer below your account details.

3. enter the transaction details.

The next screen is where you would fill out the details of your transfer.

Enter the amount you want to transfer.

Tick the circle beside transfer to 3rd party.

Type the account number of the recipient. You may also use a QR code by tapping the QR button and submitting or scanning the QR code.

You can also add notes if you wish to.

After completing the details, tap Next.

4. review the details of your transaction.

You will be shown a summary of your transaction on the next screen. double check all the details and make sure they are correct.

If everything is in order, tap Confirm.

5. enter the one-time pin.

After confirming all the details, a prompt checking your mobile number will appear. If the number is correct, tap Yes, send me the code.

A one-time pin will be sent to your mobile phone through SMS. Input the code you received and click Submit.

6. Take note of the confirmation number.

The next screen will show you another summary of your transaction. It will also show your if your money transfer was successful. Take note of the confirmation number at the bottom or take a screenshot of this page.

You will need this in case you encounter problems with your transaction.

That’s it! The amount you transferred will automatically reflect on the account you sent the money to. Don’t forget to log out your BPI online account.

2020 • 7 • 10

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We’ve been on the road now for nearly 5 years and due to misconceptions, fears or uncertainties, none of our family members have come to see us overseas…

Until now!

I’m very delighted to report that my daddy and his partner made a decision to travel to Grenada! They just left back to Canada on the 1st of September after an amazing two weeks of kicking back and exploring. The Caribbean isn’t the easiest (or cheapest) destination to get to, so we were both very delighted that they made the effort to come this far south.

We’ve got company!
We both get so ecstatic when we’re planning a trip or are about to try something new in our lives. Whether it’s a change of location or trying out a new career, we’re always open to unique places, people and experiences.

Over the years we’ve observed similar actions from lots of of our pals and family back in north america when we tell them our big travel news…

“We’re moving to China for a year!”

“Why would you want to go to a place like that? It’s so crowded.”

“We’re backpacking through Southeast Asia!”

“That’s so far away and isn’t it dirty?”

“We’re going to Iran!”

“It’s too hazardous there!”

We find their actions somewhat hard to believe and we’ve always said that if our family would just come and check out us abroad, they would have a absolutely different outlook on the destinations we visit, and realize why we love travel so much.

I guess all it took was for Nick and I to travel somewhere “normal”?!

Living in Grenada for the past 5 months has been incredible and we were really looking forward to showing our company around this island paradise, and introducing them to spare Dog!

Since this was our first time having family visit, we were both a bit anxious, nervous and ecstatic (well, maybe that was just me…Nick was much a lot more calm, amazing and collected).

They were coming during hurricane season so I was regularly checking the weather reports and stressing out about every little detail! Not to mention the fact that we’ve never spent two consecutive weeks together. would it be too long? would we get on each other’s nerves?!

I wanted everything to be best for the big check out and made a decision that the best way to lay out all of the things to do in Grenada would be to put it all down on a whiteboard. We provided our much-loved beaches, hikes, restaurants, activities, sights and must-try meals and figured they could have a look at the board and do as much, or as little, as they wanted.

The messy whiteboard filled with activities
Of course, as soon as we met them at the airport, all of my worries melted away and I knew we were going to have an epic visit. They checked in to the cottage ideal beside ours and they absolutely loved the property, how could they not?

(Looking for somewhere to stay on the island? check out mount Cinnamon Grenada – a sensational boutique property!)

The check out had a terrific balance of relaxation and activities, with some jam-packed days, and some chilled out ones. We hiked to various bays and points, checked out waterfalls, swam in the sea, enjoyed a crab racing match, listened to a local steel band, took pleasure in sunset with cocktails, circumnavigated the island, learned about the chocolate making process, checked out a rum factory, sailed and snorkelled up the coast, wandered through the colourful capital city, ate side-of-the-road chicken and ice cream, chilled at funky beach bars, checked out nearby islands…and found time to kick back at home with beers & BBQ!

Good times in Grenada
Stay tuned for videos and articles about our adventures together in Grenada.

I really took pleasure in being able to share with my daddy what my life is like. He turned 60 this year and I turned 30, so this check out was also a late celebration of our birthdays. spending a holiday together in the Caribbean gave us so lots of a lot more memories and experiences than just sitting at home together in Canada would. I’m delighted to report that we all got along, and that the weather was fantastic!

Yippee! A terrific visit.

It was terrific to spend this fun time together and considering that Nick’s and my lives are now lived on the road, I hope that this is just the beginning of us having family check out us abroad…or us checking out them on their travels.

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Updated: 10/28/19 | October 28th, 2019

Tim Leffel is one of the original budget travel gurus. He’s the author of The World’s least expensive Destinations, a book that helps travelers and expats stretch their travel dollars. As someone who loves a deal, I sat down to chat with Tim about his new book, budget travel, travel gear and saving money on family travel.

Nomadic Matt: You’ve been in the travel writing industry for a while. how has travel changed over the years?
Tim Leffel: The good and bad tend to cancel out a bit and it often depends on your point of view. The first time I circled the globe as a backpacker, there was no Internet, no email, no online banking. Plus, ATMs were scarce in a lot of countries so getting and changing money was always trying.

Now it’s all so basic that people can connect to whatever they need online from nearly anywhere. The dark downside of that is lots of travelers stay waayyyy too connected to home. physically they are abroad, but mentally they’re still connected to the safe and familiar idea of home.

That’s the greatest downside I see to travel now: so lots of people are in their home-based social media bubble instead of interacting with the new people and experiences around them.

The greatest plus is everything is much easier and a lot more organized now. If you can’t figure out how to get from place to place and find somewhere to stay now, you’re really dense.

Tell us about your book. Why did you write about this topic in particular?
I recently put out the fourth edition of The World’s least expensive Destinations. I wrote the first one a lot more than a decade ago because there was no good way to figure out which countries were the best values without doing a absurd amount of research. So I wrote the book I always wanted to buy. Thankfully lots of people felt like I did, and it has sold very well each year.

Each edition I update every chapter, removing countries where prices have gone up too much and adding others to take their place. It’ll save you 20-40 hours of research for ten bucks or so, and hopefully, it’s kind of fun to read when you’re dreaming or planning.

How do you pick the 21 destinations? Why these ones and not others?
It’s purely based on which are the best values — there’s no arbitrary $X per day figure. I’m trying to help both shoestring backpackers and vacationers with a bit a lot more cash to stretch their budget, so they tend to be countries with respectable infrastructure and plenty to do, but with very attractive prices that are far less than home.

For example, I originally didn’t include Cambodia because only the most hard-core backpackers and high-end fly-in luxe tourists were going. Now, the infrastructure is much better and there’s a broader base. Myanmar will probably get in next time for much the same reason if the reforms continue.

On the other hand, I removed Turkey this time because prices have risen rapidly there as the economy grows quickly. Still a respectable value, but not as good as Slovakia, which replaced it.

You’re a family man. Can you travel on a budget as a family? A lot of people don’t believe it’s possible.
There are lots of family budget travel blogs out there now showing you can undoubtedly do it, especially if you choose the places covered in my book. There are lots of families roaming around Southeast Asia and central America, spending less than they do on day-to-day expenses at home. You have to spend a lot more than a single or couple of course, but it’s easy to get decent-sized hotel rooms on the cheap in a lot of places or to rent an apartment or condo short-term.

Three of us traveled through Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam last summer on a budget of $150 a day after airfare. That’s not a backpacker budget, obviously, but we lived it up on that, eating every meal in a restaurant and staying in great hotels with room for three. When I tell friends and relatives we spent that, they don’t believe me. To them, it seems too cheap for a vacation. It’s all in your perspective.

We’ve done similar trips on a much lower budget in Mexico and Guatemala. There are families out there traveling on $60–$80 a day in plenty of countries and making it work.

Do you travel a lot with your family?
When I’m on a real writing trip where I’m going to have to be researching the whole time, I tend to go solo. but when I can mix that with some downtime, I take just my wife or my wife and daughter along. That’s much a lot more fun. My daughter got her first passport when she was three and has seen a lot. plus we’ve lived and traveled in Mexico for a year straight before and are going back there for two years in August.

What are your top three ideas for traveling on a budget with a family?
Slow down. You can’t be doing crazy check-the-box, bucket-list itineraries where you’re regularly on the move. pick a few priorities and use home bases to branch out. Don’t try to schedule a lot more thanone or two things a day.

Get a lot more space in the ideal lodging. You need rooms or apartments where you’re not falling over each other and where everyone else is coming in at 2am, while your precious is up and yelling at 6am.

It’s not all about you. compromise on what you’ll like and what’s best for the little one(s). for every museum, there must be a playground or mall in the mix, despite your feelings about that not being “travel.”

What is your essential travel gear?
Well, as editor of functional travel gear I’m trying out an outrageous amount of new apparel, luggage, and gadgets each year. I’m still a minimalist at heart though, so I try to take only high-impact items, preferably ones that are light and can do a lot more than one thing.

As a writer, I can go out with just a camera, pen, notebook, and a water bottle. but I guess the things I pack nearly every international trip are a Steripen water purifier, a multi-charger unit for the gadgets, a portable charger for when I don’t have time or place for an outlet, lightweight quick-dry clothes, a couple of pairs of good double-duty shoes, a small toiletry kit with the essentials, a good sun hat, and a real book or the Kindle. I hardly ever use my smartphone for non-work things though, so that sits in the room a lot.

Okay, time for some fun questions: Scariest “am I going to get out of this alive?” experience?
All of them involve bad bus rides really, from scary mountain passes to riding on top of one in Laos for hours. the worst though was one in Egypt — where idiot motorists hardly ever turn on their lights — in really thick fog. The motorist was still hauling ass at the normal speed and twice we nearly had a head-on collision with another bus. people and gear went flying everywhere. I really did start wondering if I would arrive alive.

Coolest “local” experience you were invited to?
Despite all the scams and hassles in Morocco, we trusted a person we met who was heading the same way as us and he took us all around Fez to places we never would have found, invited us to lunch with his family, introduced his friends, and told us where else we must go in the country. He didn’t want a thing from us, which shows often you have to let go of your suspicions. We also taught English in Istanbul and Seoul, so we went to a lot of parties and dinners with locals in those places.

What’s the greatest mistake you think people make and how can they avoid it?
The first would be trying to cram in too much and being on the step every day or two. That kills the budget a lot more than anything. Honorable mention: booking all lodging in advance. You’re guaranteed to pay a lot more money that way, especially if you’re a couple getting a room in places where you don’t have to be subjected to a dorm bed in a hostel. Instead, get to town earlier, look around, and negotiate.

You can find a lot more great ideas and information from Tim on his blog, his gear site, and Twitter.
 

Book Your Trip: Logistical ideas and Tricks
Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner. It’s my favorite search engine because it searches web sites 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 least expensive rates for guesthouses and hotels.

Don’t forget travel Insurance
Travel insurance will secure you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s detailed protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it lots of times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

SafetyWing (best for everyone)

Insure My trip (for those over 70)

Medjet (for additional evacuation coverage)

Ready to book Your Trip?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use when I travel. They are the best in class and you can’t go wrong using them on your trip.

We’ve been plugging away at Goats On The road for 2 and a half years, and we’ve definitely had our ups and our downs. However, we’re very happy to report that more positive things happened for our business in October, than in the other 29 months combined!

We’re so proud of the accomplishments we’ve made recently, which we want to share with you. Here’s an update about our digital nomad lives. We hope it will inspire you to set goals and think positively about your lifestyle and your business!

Here’s what October looked like for the Goats:

We Were published In The globe and Mail

On October 13, John from The globe and Mail (the largest newspaper publication in Canada) contacted us and a few other travellers to take part in an article he was putting together. What an honour! The article was all about a 2 week South African road trip and because we spent 5 weeks driving across S.A, he figured we were a good fit. The article was published in print and online on October 25th.

Our Freelance Careers Improved

At the end of September, we landed a couple of new freelance writing jobs. one of them is a permanent column on credit Walk, where we share our know-how in long-term travel and the financial challenges of nomadic life. We have also had the honour of writing a couple of articles for TransitionsAbroad.com and we’re hoping that we will one day be full-time contributors there as well.

Want to learn how we make money freelance writing? Click here.

We completed another “Guest post Bomb”

Back in June of 2013, we followed Adam Costa’s advice and wrote 20 awesome articles on 20 awesome blogs and had them all publish on the same day. It ended up resulting in a sustainable 33% increase in traffic! This month, we finally got around to doing a guest post Bomb again, only this time we wrote over 30 articles! This GPB has already accounted for approximately a 20% increase in traffic since we completed it. We’re really looking forward to seeing some new readers and making new connections from this massive outreach.

Our income Increased

Dariece and I were having a glass of wine at our private treetop balcony one night (as we often do) and we decided it was time to set a specific dollar amount for our financial goals. We set a number that was a bit unreasonable at the time, given our previous earnings, but we figured “why not?”

Well, we’re happy to say that the universe listened, and in October we earned that amount and then some! got to love the art of manifestation. Our income was nearly 3 times higher than any other month, ever. This is an outstanding reminder that if you set goals and think positively about them, they can be accomplished.

We’re now Ambassadors for the Backpacker magazine Series!

This was another serendipitous thing that happened to us in October. We’d been following along with Nomadasaurus and their outstanding adventure travelling from Thailand to South Africa by land, and when we heard that they were ambassadors for Southeast Asia Backpacker Magazine, we knew that we wanted to be a part of the program.

We know the editor of the magazine because we were published in it back in 2012, so we had a Skype meeting and before we knew it, we joined the ranks of 14 awesome ambassadors. thanks again to Nomadasaurus for the positive recommendation! We’ll be representing the company (which includes three popular magazines), and writing about our previous experiences in SE Asia, as well as our future travels through Europe and South America (don’t ask us when we’ll get there!)

Sponsorship

We’ve been lucky enough to have lots of travel gear, gadgets and trinkets sent to us in the past, but we’ve never actively pursued sponsorship. This month, I decided it was time to get some companies on board to help improve Goats On The Road, mainly our YouTube Channel. We want to get some killer footage, but camera gear can be expensive. I contacted GoPro, but I’m still waiting for a reply from their sponsorship department (I’ll keep newsletter subscribers posted on that).

Feiyu-tech is an industry leader in camera stabilization technology. I contacted them and asked for the handheld GoPro stabilizer (for the GoPro that I haven’t been promised yet!) and they agreed to send us one. now our shaky GoatLife TV and Goat shows will have a whole new, professional look! We’re really excited to give the new gadget a try.

We Were Interviewed On Our first ever Podcast

Dan Parlegreco of the travelling Dan Podcast contacted us and invited us to be interviewed on his weekly show. This was our first time ever being interviewed in audio (not just in writing) and it was a bit nerve-wracking. Actually, it turned out that we sounded alright!.

We Partnered With awesome companies in Grenada

Lately the blog has been helping us to travel in so many ways. one of them is the opportunity to work with great companies everywhere we go. generally the way it works is: we contact an airline, boat company, dive shop, tour agency, hotel, etc. and we explain to them who we are, what we do and how many awesome people follow us. We then offer online exposure in exchange for our work.

After a 3 week, fully sponsored, independent trip through the Grenadines, we decided to start pitching some cool companies here in Grenada that we thought you guys might be interested in if (when) you travel here.

First was Dive Grenada and the owners Phil and Helen were very Internet savvy and aware of their marketing strategies. They hosted me on 6 outstanding dives and it was not only great to see the underwater world, but it was awesome to meet the two of them and learn about their ongoing efforts to help the reef and marine life here in Grenada.

We also hooked up with our buddy Darryl of LovingTheBike.com who has a cafe and bike shop here in Grenada called Mocha Spoke. We headed out on an outstanding bike tour around the Grand Anse area and ended it all with a delicious lunch at his cafe.

We loved our day of sailing with Footloose Yacht Charters last month, so we figured we should get back out on the sea again. last week we teamed up with true Blue Sportfishing for a day of deep-sea fishing! video and article to follow.

Listed As top couple travel bloggers To follow in 2014

This month, Flipkey added us to their list of 25 top Couples travel blogs To Follow and we’re honoured to be in such awesome company! We recognize many of the wonderful couples on the list.

Listed As one of The top 50 travel blogs (based on traffic)

I remember finding this list on the TheExpeditioner.com a few years ago and dreaming of one day joining the ranks of the incredible bloggers. Well, we finally made the cut in October and we came in at number 38! This is the only list I know of that is based on actual Google Analytics traffic reports. There are so many awesome bloggers on it and we’re so honoured to be among them.

Interviews

On October 8th, we featured one of our favourite inspirational bloggers Ryan Biddulph and on October 13th he returned the favour by interviewing us on his site. This lead to some more excellent exposure as Ryan has a huge following of great bloggers, lifestyle designers and travel lovers in general. After being interviewed on Ryan’s site, BloggingFromParadise.com, we were contacted by another great online entrepreneurial site SuccessHarbour.com and we were interviewed by George Meszaros about our location independent business.

Discovery Channel?

We’ve all heard of Survivorman right? You know, one of the only reality TV shows worth watching? Well somehow, through the wonderful power of Twitter, Les Stroud’s camera woman decided to contact us and asked if we could cover an event here in Grenada next year. As we’ll be travelling somewhere in central or South America at the time of the event, they’ve offered to fly us back to Grenada to report on the festival next May.

We’re still not 100% sure if it will work out, but it would be such a great opportunity for us and we’re really excited about it! I don’t think the event would be on (or related to) the discovery Channel, but we can hope right? maybe one day we’ll even meet Les himself!

Here’s To more great Months!

It’s great that all of this is happening for us, but what makes us really excited is how far the travel blogging industry has come. thanks to conferences like TBEX (Travel bloggers Exchange) and brand awareness campaigns, bloggers are finally getting some credit for their work!

More and more companies are reaching out to bloggers. Journalists are starting to work with us, tourism boards are offering better press trips, and bigger brands are partnering with bloggers every day. Soon, the word “travel blogger” won’t sound like a hobby, it will sound like a legitimate career choice (which is what we already think).

We can see the future of our blog becoming very lucrative, but above that, we see the possibility for so many more people to break free and live a location independent lifestyle! We’re so stoked to be a part of this movement and we look forward to a future where work no longer has to be a place… for anyone!

How was October for you? What goals have you made for yourself, or your business lately? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

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Disclaimer:Goats On The road is an Amazon associate and also an affiliate for some other retailers. This means we earn commissions if you click links on our blog and purchase from those retailers.

I was so prepared for Hitachi Seaside Park. however it appeared like Hitachi Seaside Park was not prepared for me.

I’m not truly a flower kinda guy. Heck, the only flowers I might properly determine are roses, tulips, as well as sunflowers. as well as sampaguita. (I can absolutely determine sampaguita!) however it was the middle of spring. flowers in spring. Cliche, I know. Forgive me, however as somebody who was enjoying the season for the extremely very first time in my life, I won’t go back to tropical truth without a taste of floral bliss. From Tokyo, I traveled 90 minutes northeast to Hitachi Seaside Park. (Ninety minutes, I know, however I vow I’m not a flower kinda guy! LOL.)

A sea of bouquets!
The 190-hectare Hitachi Seaside Park is carpeted with flowering plants, taking turns in painting colors to the otherwise boringly virid landscape: nemophila, rose, as well as zinnia in summer; cosmos as well as kochia in autumn; narcissuses, tulips, as well as azaleas in spring. It was spring alright, however the past wintertime was having separation anxiety. It seemed like the blossoms were terrified of the leftover chilly as well as waiting on the sunshines of May. That as well as my timing was just a bit off. a lot of of these flowers bloom in late-April. I was there a couple of weeks as well early.

Fortunately, while tulips were a no-show, daffodils as well as other narcissuses were there to cheer up my gloomy, rainy day. The opening of this part of the park, the Suisen Garden, marks the beginning of spring. Over one million narcissuses of about 600 types fill the spaces between pinewoods that filter the rays of the sun.

The Suisen garden is one of the must-visit areas at the park during early spring.
The Suisen fantasy garden boasts daffodils as well as other narcissuses.
Daffodils are the stars of early spring right here at Hitachi Seaside Park. up until the infant blue eyes blossom.
Despite the bleak weather, a walk around the park can cheer up one’s day!

Had I checked out in mid-April, just when the final days of the narcissuses near, the tulips would have been up. There are over 270,000 stocks of 170 varieties of tulips in Tamago no Mori flower Garden, just south of the Suisen Garden. before the month ends, the nemophila (baby blue eyes) takes over, 4.5 million of them flooding the 3.5-hectare Miharashi Hills with an ocean of light blue petals, enhancing the Pacific blues next to it. When autumn comes, late September to mid-October, Miharashi Hills transforms into fiery spheres of crimson kochia (rusty molly) flowers.

In late April to mid-May, the hills of Mirahashi will be blanketed with nemophila flowers (baby blue eyes). They were just starting to bud during my visit.
Dark pink petals, however I believe these are likewise cherry blossoms.
Aside from the flowers, visitors may take pleasure in other attractions including the gigantic Ferris Wheel as well as an enjoyment center.
The flower Ring, a gigantic Ferris wheel, has ended up being the park’s a lot of recognizable icon.
Facing the Pacific! The Hitachi Seaside Park lies on the Ibaraki coast, dealing with the world’s greatest ocean.
A household walking their adorable akita dog.
Aside from the gardens, the site likewise harbors a number of restaurants, a disk golf area, as well as a BMX course. however the most dominant structure is the flower Ring, a gigantic Ferris Wheel that has ended up being an icon for the park. The height reaches 100 meters, using an unforgettable view of the lively landscape.

How to get to Hitachi Seaside Park: From Tokyo/Ueno, travel by train to Katsuta station (2270 JPY, 70-80 minutes). Take the Ibarakikotsu Bus to Hitachi Seaside Park (15-20 minutes).

Address: 605-4 Onuma-aza, Mawatari,
Hitachinaka-city, Ibaraki-prf, 312-0012, Japan

Contact Number: 029 265 9001
Website: www.hitachikaihin.go.jp
Admission Fee: 500 JPY

Operating Days:
Every day within the complying with periods:
March 26-May 31, July 21-August 31, October 1-31
The rest of the year, the park is closed on Tuesdays.

More ideas on YouTube ⬇️⬇️⬇️

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Posted: 12/03/2012 | December 3rd, 2012

Greetings from Africa! While I’m busy trying to snap a photo of a lion, this week I want to share stories of readers who used my ideas and recommendations to realize their own travel dreams. If you’ve been thinking about traveling for a while, let these reader stories inspire you and show you that the recommendations here can work for anyone!

Our first success story comes from Lauren, a 22-year-old native of Dallas, Texas. before leaving America to travel, Lauren worked for a company that helped students prepare for college entrance exams. On the road for seven months already, she spent a year saving up the $18,000 USD she wanted for her trip. I wanted to interview Lauren to show that (a) you can save substantial sums of money even if you are young and (b) young, solo women need not be terrified to travel alone.

Nomadic Matt: tell everyone your story!
Lauren: I’ve always had my eye on the map. I started traveling in my early teens because my aunt and uncle were generous enough to assent to the absurd demands of a 13-year-old (“I want to go to Rome! Let’s go!”).

Those first few trips changed the way I saw the world and approached my future. I always knew I wanted to return to the big world and wander around until my feet couldn’t take it anymore.

I put off leaving, though. There was never a ideal time. There was never enough money.

I don’t know what made me finally decide to go, or when I made that decision. I think it was caused by something close to desperation. I was just ready to break. I couldn’t drive down the same highway every day anymore. I knew there was a big world waiting out there, because I had seen it.

But once you make the decision, everything kind of falls into place. The only thing I regret is not doing it years earlier.

I’m always curious — how did you stumble across this site?
I actually found your site through the flight hacking post you did on Lifehacker about a year ago. It was just what I was trying to find at the time, and when I clicked the link to your website, it opened up a whole new world. here was someone who did exactly what I wanted to do and was still doing it.

He didn’t fall off the face of the planet for leaving his job and flying across the world.

He says it’s not impossible.

He says it’s not expensive.

He says that I can do it…so maybe I can.

What kind of trip were you planning at the time?
At that time, this was all just a dream. I was saving for a trip, but I still didn’t believe it was possible. I’d mention it to family or friends, and it just didn’t seem real. The hope, though, was to leave my job and, after traveling around cheaply for a while, find somewhere that I really loved and stay there for a few months to restore my funds.

It seemed crazy at the time, you know, nearly like an inside joke with myself, something that I was planning but that could never actually happen. and then I saw your web site and I realized it was something that could happen.

I believe any individual can do this! What did you see in this site that really helped you?
You helped me understand how to deal with the little stuff that can really seem like a barrier at first: deciding on a travel credit scores card, choosing a destination, creating a budget for different regions of the world, visas, understanding different kinds of flights and how to book them cheaply.

I think you describe this stuff really well and are very efficient at it — after all, it’s what brought me to your site in the first place.

But what’s a lot of important, and what kept me coming back, is that you verified that even though you left your job — and this is a crazy American fear — you did not fall off the face of the planet. In fact, you’re still alive! You figured out how to make money doing something else and you didn’t become homeless (well…) or destitute in the process.

I think that’s what a lot of of us concern when we start thinking about doing something like this.

A lot of people will call you crazy when you say you want to try something different, and it’s just not true. I really loved when you showed us how it all started — I think that’s what people like to see the most, or at least that’s what I held on to. about you going to Thailand and meeting those people and deciding that was it, you were going.

Reading every last page of the guidebook and making the decision and sticking to it. really cool. functional information can go a long way for people who are considering long-term travel, but I think what a lot of of us are trying to find is a confirmation that we’re not crazy and that we can have what we want if we’ll just take the first step toward it.

Were you terrified of anything before you went on your trip?
I want to say that I wasn’t afraid, but I guess that would be a lie. I know I was seriously anxious about the little details. credit scores cards, packing stuff, travel insurance, getting from point A to point B.

I remember spending hours and hours trying to figure out how credit scores card points work, and then how foreign transaction fees and stuff like that work, trying to choose the best bank and applying and all of that. That’s when I really started to scour your web site for the functional information and you really came through.

Then there’s the stuff I pointed out earlier, being terrified that I was screwing up my life and trying not to listen to the people who told me I was doing so. It was really good to have a kind of virtual community to come home to just to remind me that I wasn’t crazy.

I remember when you said one of the most dazzling things ever: “Everyone says I’m running away.” If only they knew, right? Yeah, you’re running away from concern and absurdity, but unlike the people who tell you this, you’re the one embracing your life.

That thought really stuck with me and helped me get through the times when I was bombarded with questions about my (nonexistent) plans and when I started to feel aimless.

How did a 22-year-old save so much money in such a short time?
I lived without a car, lived with my parents, sold my things, brought PB&J and ramen noodles to the office, downgraded my phone plan, downgraded my coffee order, took advantage of freebies.

I know not everybody has the opportunity to do the big money savers like living with their parents, but there are still a whole lot of things you can do that add up quickly, and you really don’t need to save up all that much to get out there.

I read blogs like get rich slowly and The basic dollar in addition to yours for saving ideas and inspiration. I made saving a game. I wrote down everything I spent and tried to spend less and less each week. I took advantage of big credit scores card sign-up bonuses (but I never, ever, ever used that credit scores card to rack up debt!).

You just have to get used to delayed gratification. You’re not going to remember voucher cutting or wearing the same old clothes or giving up those things in storage when you’re on a beach in Thailand.

What about life on the road has shocked you the most?
How easy it is (most of the time). how easy it is to meet people, how easy it is to get from place to place, how easy it is to enjoy your life change before your eyes.

Sure, I have those days where even doing the simplest task seems impossible because of language barriers or other circumstances, but the easy days far outweigh the hard ones.

Do you have any problems staying on budget?
I write down everything I spend. people look at me like I’m crazy when I do it, and I look at them like they’re crazy for not doing it. Don’t look up five months from now and say you don’t know where the money went for your year-long trip. There are plenty of pre-made spreadsheets and apps out there that you can use, or go analog and use a journal.
Whatever you do, write down everything you spend. Period.

While I travel, I also make sure to invest in experiences that are crucial to me (drinking lots of local coffee, enjoying the nightlife, being flexible enough to say yes to last-minute invitations), but I balance it out by skimping on the things that don’t make much of a difference to me (eating at restaurants, sleeping comfortably, transportation). That way I still get to take pleasure in the things I like and don’t really feel like I’m missing out because of the budget.

What one thing that you thought would be a challenge has turned out not to be?
The packing list.

I spent so much time and money trying to choose the best gear, and the reality is that I have very few things left that I originally brought with me. You don’t have to go out and get a bunch of new stuff when prepping for a trip. You can do it all with things you already have at home, except maybe a travel backpack.

What recommendations would you have for others who want to do what you are doing?
Letting go is so important. Realizing that you can’t control every little detail of your life. Those people who look like they have their whole lives planned out? They don’t. It’s impossible.

And anyway, if it were possible, where is the fun in that? There is always something better than you could imagine, and if you don’t open yourself up to experience that opportunity, you never will. It’s about being fearless. letting go of everything that holds you back so that you can have the world.

Lauren is a prime example that you don’t need to be well established to go out into the world. You can be young and broke but still manage to save enough for a trip around the world. She also shows that, as a solo female traveler, lots of of your fears are overblown, and you will manage to be okay using the same common sense you did back home.
 

Become the next Success Story

One of my favorite parts about this job is hearing people’s travel stories. They inspire me, but a lot more importantly, they also inspire you. I travel a certain way,but there are lots of ways to fund your trips and travel the world. I hope these stories show you that there is a lot more than one way to travel and that it is within your grasp to reach your travel goals. here are a lot more examples of people who found a way to pay for their adventure around the world:

How Michael saved $14k in Six Months Making $9 Per Hour

Why Trish sold everything She owned to Travel

How This couple quit the cubicle to Travel

How DJ Made His travel dreams Come True

How Dan adjusted to Life Back Home

We all come from different places, but we all have one thing in common: we all want to travel more.
 

How to travel the world on $50 a Day

My new York Times best-selling paperback guide to world travel will show you how to master the art of travel so that you’ll get off the beaten path, save money, and have a deeper travel experience. It’s your A to Z planning guide that the BBC called the “bible for budget travelers.”

Click here to learn a lot more and start reading it today!

Book Your Trip: Logistical ideas and Tricks
Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner. It’s my favorite search engine because it searches web sites 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 least expensive rates for guesthouses and hotels.

Don’t forget travel Insurance
Travel insurance will secure you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s detailed protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it lots of times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

SafetyWing (best for everyone)

Insure My trip (for those over 70)

Medjet (for additional evacuation coverage)

Ready to book Your Trip?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use when I travel. They are the best in class and you can’t go wrong using them on your trip.