Courtesy of Caroline Lupini
Caroline Lupini in Fernando de Noronha, Brazil, in February 2019.
- I'm a full-time digital nomad who travels about eight months a year, but it's no more expensive than staying home. In fact, it might even be cheaper.
- In 2019 I spent just about $18,000 - or $1,549 a month - on transportation, lodging, food, experiences, and shopping combined.
- I'm able to keep my transportation and lodging costs low largely by using points and miles from my credit cards, which ultimately provide me with a lot of value.
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As a full-time digital nomad, I'm always on the go. This doesn't mean that I'm necessarily paying bills on top of my "regular" bills, but rather that my "regular" bills are incorporated into my travel.
For budgeting purposes, I like to keep track of how much money I'm spending, when I spend it, and how I'm spending it. Here's what it cost me to travel in 2019.
First, let's reveal the big number: $18,595.09. Divided evenly per month (although it fluctuates in reality) that's a meager $1,549.59. With that figure, you may already begin to notice that traveling the way I travel - and leaning heavily on credit card miles and points - isn't necessarily more expensive than staying in one spot.
Let's take a look at each of my spending categories to break down that analysis a little bit more: