![\"Money](\"http:\/\/smallbiztrends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/shutterstock_284663612.jpg\")
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Getting paid to travel is a dream for many, but a reality for few.<\/p>\n
At least two people have figured out a\u00a0winning combination: They make their living traveling the world and dishing out trip advice — and here they\u00a0spill their secrets.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t have to go as far as quitting your job, but if you\u2019ve ever wanted to do your own globetrotting, their tips can help put your travel dreams within\u00a0reach.<\/p>\n
See one of them on a flight, and they\u2019ll look like any other passenger. But to their loyal online fans, Matt Kepnes and Kate McCulley — best known by their screen names, Nomadic Matt<\/a> and Adventurous Kate<\/a>\u00a0— aren\u2019t your average travelers.<\/p>\n McCulley, 32, is a full-time travel blogger who lives in New York. She once worked a more typical job in search engine marketing before leaving her office behind in pursuit of a six-month trip to Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n \u201cI saved like crazy and I ended up quitting my job on September 14, 2010,\u201d McCulley says. \u201cA little over a month later, I flew to Bangkok. It felt amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n McCulley has been to over 60 countries. She has enough stories to fill the pages of her own adventure novel, from the time she stayed in a dorm in Barcelona to the time she was shipwrecked in Indonesia.<\/p>\n She runs a popular blog now and is active on social media (over 54,000 people like her Facebook page<\/a>, and over 98,000 follow her on Instagram<\/a>). She makes money through a combination of affiliate marketing, display advertising and campaigns for brands.<\/p>\n Kepnes has a similar story. The 36-year-old from Boston quit his administrative job to become a writer (he\u2019s the author of\u00a0\u201cHow to Travel the World on $50 a Day\u201d). Now living in New York, Kepnes splits his time between traveling and writing. He estimates he\u2019s been to 90 countries.<\/p>\n \u201cIn 2005 I went to Thailand, met a couple backpackers and was like, \u2018Oh wow, this is really great,\u2019\u201d Kepnes says. \u201cI loved the freedom that backpacking seemed to have and got really inspired to follow in their footsteps. I came home, quit my job, and in 2006 I went away for a year, which turned into 18 months.\u201d<\/p>\n When he returned in 2008, he started his blog. Over 190,000 people like his Facebook page<\/a>, and upwards of 76,000 follow him on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n So what do their stories mean for you? Besides reading up on their adventures and adding them to your social feeds, you can implement some of their habits.<\/p>\n McCulley and Kepnes knew they wanted to travel and took the necessary steps to make it happen. As they discovered, it\u2019s important to first decide where, when and why you want to go.<\/p>\n Having a reason will keep you motivated. \u201cThat\u2019s probably my biggest motivation in traveling the world<\/a>\u00a0— just trying to learn as much about as many different things as possible,\u201d McCulley says.<\/p>\n Then it\u2019s time to\u00a0set financial goals, which makes it easier to track your progress<\/a>. Kepnes recommends breaking a large financial target\u00a0into small, manageable goals with deadlines.<\/p>\n Say you want to save $1,500 for a trip and need the funds in five months. That\u2019s $300 a month, or $10 a day. \u201cMost people will say, \u2018Well I can probably save $10 a day if I tried,\u2019\u201d he says.<\/p>\n The lesson:<\/strong> Set a goal for yourself and develop a plan to make it happen. For instance, if your budget has enough leeway, automatically route\u00a0a portion of each\u00a0paycheck to a savings account.<\/p>\n One of the biggest hurdles these bloggers faced was saving the money.<\/p>\n McCulley says she \u201clived like a miser\u201d to finance her first trip — quitting the gym, getting rid of her Netflix account and missing out on dinners and drinks. \u201cI basically did an audit of my finances and figured out how much I could save on each twice-a-month paycheck,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Kepnes made similar sacrifices. He says he worked for years to save up $20,000 for his first round-the-world trip, plus $10,000 extra to live on when he returned. His \u201cpauper\u201d lifestyle included working overtime and moving back home for a period.<\/p>\n Both travelers have eased up on their budgeting since then, but their initial scrimping is relatable and reassuring — they didn\u2019t have it easier than anyone else.<\/p>\n The lesson:<\/strong> Making short-term cuts can help free up money, but be realistic. It\u2019s feasible to slim down your discretionary spending for a limited time if you have a goal in mind; budgeting<\/a> that\u2019s incredibly confining may not be\u00a0sustainable for too long.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve saved up enough money to go, look for ways to cut costs <\/a>during the trip.<\/p>\n After spanning time and continents, McCulley and Kepnes have become proficient at affordable travel. Most notably, they\u2019ve discovered that living like a local can save a lot. Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n Check out of hotels.<\/strong> Both McCulley and Kepnes have stayed in hostels while abroad. These are dormitory-style accommodations that can prove more affordable than traditional hotel rooms.<\/p>\n Check in to tourism offices.<\/strong> Kepnes thinks tourism offices are one of the most underutilized travel resources. They\u2019re chock-full of special offers, transportation passes and more, so it\u2019s worth paying them a visit once you arrive at your destination.<\/p>\n Check on the locals.<\/strong> Don\u2019t assume you have to live like a traveler when you travel. \u201cI think a lot of people make the assumption that when you travel, you have to spend money,\u201d Kepnes says. \u201cI always tell people just travel like you live. Do whatever it is you like to do at home, except in a foreign place.\u201d<\/p>\n The lesson:<\/strong> The way you travel determines how expensive your trip will be. When operating on a budget, pick the most important element of your vacation (the destination, the lodging, the food, etc.) and be willing to sacrifice on the rest.<\/p>\n You may not be able to make a living out of traveling the world, but you can realistically make travel a part of your life.<\/p>\n \u201cEven if it takes you two years to save up for a trip, think about how you\u2019re spending, think about your priorities and think about ways to say yes, not ways to say no,\u201d Kepnes says.<\/p>\n Republished by permission. Original here<\/a>.<\/small><\/p>\n Travel Blogger<\/a> Photo via Shutterstock<\/em> This article, “Want to Go Into Business as a Travel Blogger? Follow These Pro Startup Tips<\/a>” was first published on Small Business Trends<\/a><\/p>\n If you’ve ever wanted to do your own globetrotting, these money saving tips from travel bloggers can help put your travel dreams within reach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[80,28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-small-business-travel","category-startup"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businessnewsbox.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18678","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businessnewsbox.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businessnewsbox.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businessnewsbox.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businessnewsbox.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18678"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/businessnewsbox.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18678\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businessnewsbox.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businessnewsbox.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businessnewsbox.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Set Goals \u2014 and Work Toward Them<\/h3>\n
Save Up for the\u00a0First Journey<\/h3>\n
Learn the Lay of the Land<\/h3>\n
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