How I Really Afford to Travel and Live Abroad

“How do you travel so much?”

“How do you afford to live abroad?”

I’ve been living abroad since 2011, and I get asked these questions constantly. Some people ask nicely. Others go straight for the theories:

• “Are you rich?”
• “Do you have a trust fund?”
• “Your boyfriend must pay for everything.” (Hilarious, since I traveled solo for over four years before I met him.)

And my all-time favorite: someone once asked if I was an heiress.

Why yes, I am. That’s why I haul my own backpack, stay in places under $30 a night, and wear clearance-rack t-shirts. *eye roll*

I think people want the answer to be fairy dust. Find a fairy, buy her best stuff, sprinkle it on your head, picture your dream destination, and poof! You’re there with pockets full of cash.

Sorry. Not how it works. Here’s the real answer.

The Short Answer: I Work, and I Live Simply

I’m not rich. My parents don’t fund my life. Nobody is secretly paying my bills.

How I afford to travel and live abroad comes down to three things:

1. I saved hard to leave.
2. I’ve always worked, abroad or online.
3. I keep my costs low, and life abroad costs me a fraction of what I’d spend in the US.

That’s it. Every piece of this has its own deep-dive post on this site, so think of this as your map. Let’s break it down.

How I Saved to Leave

Before I ever got on a plane, I worked my butt off for two years. Three jobs at once: a 9-to-5, a bar job, and promo work on the side.

Lots of cooking at home. No going out. Basically nothing but work.

By the time I bought my one-way ticket to Bangkok, I’d paid off my credit card, prepaid eight months of student loans, and still had $6K in the bank. Not a fortune. But enough to get started.

Read the full story: How I started traveling: three jobs, two years, one dream

How I Made Money on the Road

Savings get you out the door. Work keeps you out there.

I started by teaching English in Thailand with zero experience, and got hired a few days after landing. From there I moved into teaching online, freelance writing, and all kinds of random gigs.

Later, I did a working holiday visa in Australia, lived on under $750 USD a month, and saved over $20K in 10 months. In one of the most expensive countries in the world.

All in, it took 11 different travel jobs to get me to where I am now.

See every one: 11 travel jobs that got me here

Want to find your own? Start here:

• The big list of travel jobs
• Digital nomad jobs you can do from anywhere
• Online jobs that don’t need experience
• Working holiday visas for Americans

How I Keep My Costs Down

This is the part nobody believes until they try it.

Once I got abroad, I realized I was spending less money living around the world than I did just existing in the US. Rent, food, transport, healthcare. Almost everything costs less when you pick the right places.

The full breakdown: How traveling the world is cheaper than existing in the US

Here’s how I keep it that way.

I Travel Slowly

I’m not on vacation 24/7. I’m living a normal life: wake up, coffee, work, eat, repeat. I just do it abroad, and explore on my days off.

I stay in one place as long as the visa allows. Sometimes a month, sometimes six months or more. Staying put means cheaper rent, fewer flights, and finding the local spots instead of the tourist ones.

• 17 tips to help you travel longer
• The longest tourist visas for Americans (and how to extend them)

I Pick Cheaper Places

Where you live matters more than almost anything else. The same income that barely covers rent in a US city can fund a really comfortable life in Southeast Asia, Latin America, or parts of Europe.

• The cheapest countries in the world
• My best budget travel tips

I Pet Sit (and Grab Free Stays Where I Can)

This isn’t how I live full time, but it’s a great way to cut costs here and there.

Pet sitting is my favorite. Free place to stay plus a temporary dog or cat? Yes, please! I’ve done sits from London to Berlin to Oregon, and I still jump on them when the timing works.

👉 I use TrustedHousesitters, and you’ll get a discount at checkout with my link. Here’s my honest TrustedHousesitters review.

Work exchanges are another good one, especially when you’re just starting out. You trade a few hours of help for free rent. I did a few back in the day, in Pai, Thailand, and at Lake Atitlán in Guatemala.

👉 Worldpackers is the one I recommend. Use code NINA10 for $10 off, and read my Worldpackers review first.

More ways to save on stays: 11 ways to get free accommodation while traveling and how to travel the world for free (or close to it)

You’ve Been Lied To: Lots of People Live and Work Abroad

Somewhere along the way, we all got sold the idea that traveling and living abroad is way more expensive than staying home and working. It’s often the opposite.

I’ve met a ridiculous number of people with very little money who still make it work. Teachers in South Korea and Japan who paid off their student loans in two or three years.

A French guy who spent about $1,000 traversing Asia and Australia for nearly a year by couchsurfing, hitchhiking, working, and eating the cheapest local food around.

That’s extreme. But it proves it’s possible.

Can You Do This Too?

Yes. Is it easy at the start? No. Is it scary? Totally. Will things go wrong? Definitely. That’s life.

Will it be worth it? More than you can imagine.

You don’t need to copy my path. You need your own formula: some savings, a way to earn, and a lower cost of living. Mix and match until it works for you.

I live abroad, I work, and I live simply. No fairy dust required.

Keep Reading

• How I started traveling: three jobs, two years, one dream
• 11 travel jobs that got me here
• How traveling the world is cheaper than existing in the US
• All my work abroad resources
• How to move out of the USA

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