How I actually travel cheap
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Not a trust fund. Not a remote job. Just a system that makes travel genuinely affordable, and more interesting than the expensive version.
Where it started
I started with roadtrips and only had a budget of a couple hundred dollars. Lived out of my car for free. A lot of people asked how I did it and the honest answer is it is not that expensive or difficult. The hardest part is pulling the trigger, even if you have no idea what you are doing. You will figure it out. You literally have a supercomputer in your hand with endless information that can answer any question you might have.
I worked at a restaurant and saved money. Then I booked the cheapest flight I could find to Europe, off season, and figured it out from there. That first trip: 7 countries in 30 days on a shoestring. Stayed in hostels the whole time. Learned more about travel in those 30 days than in everything before it combined.
After Europe I kept going. Guatemala. $320 round trip from Atlanta. Two weeks total cost: about $900. I ate better food than I do at home, stayed in places with more community than any apartment, and had more memorable days than most people have in a year of vacations. 14 countries so far.
That's what this site is about: not hacks or tricks, just the honest realization that cheap travel and rich travel aren't opposites. They're often the same thing.
How I find cheap flights
I don't obsess over flights. I watch for deals and book when the math makes sense. The rules that actually work for me:
- Be date-flexible:Flying midweek is often cheaper than a Friday. Look at the whole month in Google Flights before you pick a day
- Watch shoulder season:October in Albania is still great, with lower prices and far fewer people than August
- Use Going for alerts:They send deals and the occasional mistake fare. I've seen Europe from Atlanta for around $300 on sale
- Fly into secondary airports:Tbilisi over Istanbul, Krakow over London. It can make a big difference
- Fly budget carriers for regionals:Wizz Air, Ryanair, AirAsia. Just pack light
The card system that changed everything
Two cards. That's the whole system. I got them in this order and they changed how I budget for travel. Card details checked September 2026.
Capital One Savor (I started here)
My everyday card. Strong grocery and dining rewards: 3% cash back at grocery stores and on dining when I checked. I put everything on this: groceries, gas, everything. The rewards add up to flights over time without me ever thinking about it. It's the one I got first.
Referral link: Capital One may pay me a bonus if you're approved. Rates, fees and terms on Capital One's site (Capital One Savor) (opens in a new tab).
Capital One Venture X (I added it about 4 months later)
The annual fee sounds scary. For me, the $300 yearly credit for bookings made through Capital One Travel and the 10,000 bonus miles every account anniversary make it worth it. That only works if you actually book through Capital One Travel and use the miles, so do your own math.
On top of that, Priority Pass and Capital One Lounges (when there's space) mean I can take cheap flights with long layovers and actually enjoy the layover. Food, showers, quiet seats. For me that beats paying airport prices on every layover. The rest of the benefits are on my travel stack page.
Referral link: Capital One may pay me a bonus if you're approved. Rates, fees and terms on Capital One's site (Capital One Venture X) (opens in a new tab).
I didn't get both at once. I waited about 4 months between the two applications. That's just what I did, not a Capital One rule, and approval depends on your credit.
Where I stay
Hostels. Not because I'm cheap. Because they're genuinely better for the kind of travel I'm describing. The people you meet in a hostel common room at 11pm are the reason you end up in places your guidebook didn't mention.
I book on Hostelworld. I look for social atmosphere rating over amenities rating. A place with a communal kitchen, a rooftop, or a bar beats a place with nice sheets every time for solo travel.
Dorm bed
Still often dorm
Worth it occasionally
Staying connected without a roaming bill
I never use my US carrier abroad. I either use an eSIM or buy a local SIM at the airport. My Venture X is a Visa Infinite card, and that gets a free 3GB GigSky eSIM once a year (checked September 2026). That's my first stop.
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3GB once a year through Visa Infinite, good for 15 days. Activate before you land
Good for longer trips. "Unlimited" can slow down under the local network's fair-use policy
Good for short trips or several countries
What a real 2-week trip actually costs
Guatemala, 14 days, 2023. My actual numbers:
~$10/day
That's $65/day including the flight.
Two weeks in Central America for under a grand, and for me, more interesting days than most $3,000 European package holidays. This is what WanderRank is scoring for.
What I actually pack
Not a comprehensive packing list. Just the things I've learned you either forget, don't think you need, or don't realize make a difference until you're overseas without them.
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Fits weeks of gear and is sized to carry on (check your airline's limits). The bag I bring for longer international trips.
Cleaner and more minimal. Go-to for shorter trips where I want to move fast and light.
Organize your bag and fit more in it. Less is more: you can always do laundry at the hostel.
Countries use different outlets. This is not optional. Most people realize they need one after landing.
A lot of hostels don't include towels. They rent them. Bring your own. Packs small, dries fast.
If your bag gets lost or stolen you can track it. I always put one in my luggage. Cheap peace of mind.
Noise cancellation on long flights is game-changing. Brown noise, music, podcasts: whatever gets you through the screaming kid two rows back.
Travel insurance and my card
Honest answer: I don't always buy travel insurance. When I'm doing something sketchy I pick up a cheap medical-only plan, and I explain what I do on Know Before You Go. I also read the fine print on my Capital One Venture X. Here is what the card covers when you pay for the trip with it, from Capital One's benefits guide (checked September 2026):
- Trip delay
- Up to $500 per ticket for meals and a room if your flight, train, bus or ferry is delayed more than 6 hours, or leaves you stuck overnight, because of weather, equipment failure, a strike or a hijacking. Paying part of the fare with the card, or with its miles, counts. One claim per trip, and you have to call within 30 days.
- Trip cancellation and interruption
- Up to $2,000 per person, but only for non-refundable transport tickets paid in full with the card (or its miles), and only if you or a close family member gets sick, gets hurt or dies, or the carrier goes bankrupt. Hostels, tours and changing your mind are not covered.
- Lost luggage
- Up to $3,000 per trip, on top of what the airline pays, if the carrier loses your bag or it gets stolen. Cameras, phones, laptops, sports gear, cash and glasses are all excluded, and as written the guide only counts trips of 5 to 60 days for this one.
- Rental cars
- Primary coverage for damage and theft if you decline the counter's collision waiver and put the whole rental on the card. Up to 15 days in the US and 31 days abroad. It does not cover liability. Scooters, motorbikes, trucks and RVs are excluded, and it does not work in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Israel or Jamaica.
- Travel accident
- Up to $1,000,000 if you die or lose a limb on a plane, train, bus or boat you paid for with the card.
- Cell phone
- Up to $800 per claim ($50 deductible, 2 claims a year) for theft or damage, if you pay your monthly phone bill with the card. A lost phone does not count, and prepaid plans are not covered.
What it does not cover
Doctor or hospital bills abroad, medical evacuation, or delayed bags. The card's emergency line will find you an English-speaking doctor, but you pay the bill. So if you are going somewhere remote or doing anything risky, this card is not travel insurance.
Terms change, so read the guide yourself before you count on any of this. I'm not a licensed insurance agent, and this isn't insurance or legal advice.
Capital One's benefits guide (PDF) (opens in a new tab)The actual principle
Cheap travel isn't about sacrifice. It's about spending money on experience instead of overhead. A $12 hostel dorm puts you in a room with people who become friends. A $200 hotel room puts you alone. For me the $12 option is way more interesting. That's the insight this whole system is built on.
Follow the trips
I film and photograph the trips. This is where the videos and photos go.