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Matt Kepnes
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Matthew Kepnes has been traveling around the world for the past four years. He runs the award winning budget travel site, Nomadic Matt's Travel Site and has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian UK, AOL's Wallet Pop, and Yahoo! Finance. He recently was featured in the new edition of "Blogging for Dummies." His site is rated the #2 biggest travel blog on the Internet.

He is a native of Boston, Mass but, lately, everywhere has been his home. After a trip to Thailand in 2005, Matt decided to quit his job, finished his MBA, and then headed off into the world. His original trip was supposed to last a year. He didn't come home until 18 months later. Once back, he couldn't stay and headed off again 2 months later to explore the world and start his website to inspire others to travel. He's been to over 40 countries, loves everything about Japanese culture and will eat sushi for breakfast, everything he owns fits into a backpack, and he once ate maggots. He says they taste like french fries.

Contact Matt at: nomadicmatt@nomadicmatt.com

Blog Entries by Matt Kepnes

Why Right Now Is The Best Time To Travel The World (PHOTOS)

(89) Comments | Posted February 19, 2013 | 7:00 AM

Reprinted from How to Travel the World on $50 a Day by Matt Kepnes by arrangement with Perigee, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., Copyright (c) 2013 by Matthew Kepnes.

The most difficult part about traveling the world isn't the logistics of the trip -- it's finding...

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Nomadic Matt's 16-Step Plan To Realizing Your Dreams

(7) Comments | Posted September 9, 2012 | 11:12 AM

"Your job sounds like the most exciting job in the world," the cute blond girl -- let's call her Jessica -- said to me. Jessica had just overheard a conversation with some friends I hadn't seen in years and they were peppering me with questions about my job and lifestyle....

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20 Ways To Cut Your Expenses And Have Money For Travel

(19) Comments | Posted June 20, 2012 | 8:00 AM

Let's start this blog post with a short exercise. I want you to get out a sheet of paper and write down all your set expenses. Write down how much you pay for your rent (mortgage), your car payments, cable bill, cell phone, insurance and the like. Tally them up.

...
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How To Be Prepared For Anything When You Travel

(8) Comments | Posted April 27, 2012 | 8:00 AM

When I was a kid, I was a boy scout. I made it pretty far too but then I became a teenager, decided it was "lame" and quit. As a boy scout, I learned how to tie knots, camp outdoors, be a good citizen, play with knives and got to...

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The Destruction Of Phnom Penh's Lake District

(2) Comments | Posted March 15, 2012 | 8:00 AM

In my close to six years traveling the world, my days on the lake in Phnom Penh, Cambodia still remain some of my favorite. I had come for a few days and stayed for a few weeks. I spent my days in the famous Number 9 Guesthouse on...

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Why I'll Never Return To Vietnam

(901) Comments | Posted January 30, 2012 | 8:00 AM

lake in vietnam with bonsaiTraveling through Southeast Asia, you are frequently asked where you are going. "Everywhere," I tell people. This is my last adventure through the region. Except, I'll be skipping Vietnam. After my experience there in...

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What Does 'Travel' Really Mean?

(0) Comments | Posted January 19, 2012 | 1:15 PM

Travel means something different to every person in the world. People may have similar reasons for traveling, but they are always just a little different than the next traveler.

To me, travel is about freedom. It's about being able to do anything anytime of the day, any day of the...

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Overcoming Your Travel Fears

(2) Comments | Posted December 1, 2011 | 3:00 PM

Fear. It's what keeps us from living our lives and achieving our dreams. And it's the most common reason why people don't travel.

Whenever I talk to people about long-term travel, they tell me they wish they could do what I do. Then they come up with common excuses...

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18 Lessons From 5 Years On The Road

(2) Comments | Posted September 5, 2011 | 4:34 PM

Five years is a long time to be on the road. I never thought I was going to travel this long. It was only gong to be a year, maybe 18 months tops, and then I'd go back home, find a "real" job, get married, have a house, produce 2.5...

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Becoming a Minimalist Traveler

(23) Comments | Posted April 7, 2011 | 5:13 PM

I like to think of myself as a minimalist traveler. I travel without clutter, simply and efficiently. That doesn't mean I just travel without stuff, it also means I travel a different way. When I am at the airport, I'm amazed by the people I see lugging giant suitcases, two...

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How to Save Money for Your Next Trip

(3) Comments | Posted March 6, 2011 | 4:24 PM

Most people never make the leap into extended travel because they don't think they can afford it. They envision needing tens of thousands of dollars to travel well -- a daunting number to save for most. I remember when I began saving for my first trip around the world. I...

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Getting Lost in a Costa Rican Jungle

(1) Comments | Posted January 10, 2011 | 12:00 PM

"Let's go hiking." I said.

"OK, we'll go after lunch." my companions replied. They were too busy by the pool to do anything at the moment. I was eager to go.

Hours past and I grew anxious. "Let's go! Let's go!" I said repeatedly, "the day is being wasted!" We...

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Catching My First Fish in Taupo

(3) Comments | Posted December 31, 2010 | 5:30 PM

I've only been fishing once in my life. It was while I was exploring the southern islands of Thailand. My friends and I had rented a boat to explore the nearby national park and its islands. For lunch, our Thai captain went out to catch fish. He asked if some...

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Breaking Down in Australia

(2) Comments | Posted December 20, 2010 | 1:22 PM

It was the third time the bus broke down. Somewhere right outside a small mining community in Western Australia, our bus had enough and it wanted us to know. So with an explosion and plume of smoke, the bus came to a crashing halt. What a way to start my...

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Why Americans Don't Travel Overseas

(76) Comments | Posted December 2, 2010 | 4:52 PM

Did you know that only about 20% of Americans own a passport? This number may be on the rise, but it's only because Americans are now required to show a passport when visiting Mexico, Canada, and parts of the Caribbean. The number of Americans who have traveled overseas, however, has...

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Staying Excited About Traveling Between Journeys

(0) Comments | Posted November 9, 2010 | 10:29 AM

I've been traveling for four years and even sometimes I get the travel blues. Sometimes I need to keep myself excited about traveling even when I'm in one place for awhile. Sometimes I need to remember exactly why I love what I love. Here are some tips and tricks that...

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Are We Just Running Away?

(45) Comments | Posted October 20, 2010 | 1:32 PM

When you're on your travels, does anyone ever ask you if you're running away from something back home? People ask me this all the time. My dad, even after all these years, constantly asks what I'm running from, and just a few months ago, a commenter on my website...

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Paris Through My Eyes

(15) Comments | Posted October 13, 2010 | 12:14 PM

Stepping out of the metro, I immediately fell in love. I had been in Paris for less than an hour. It wasn't some beautiful French female that stilled my heart but the lights of the Champ Elysee. Since that fateful day in 2007, I have visited the city countless times...

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Making Your Money Last

(1) Comments | Posted September 21, 2010 | 3:23 PM

People often ask me, "I want to travel for a long time. What can I do to make money last until the end of my trip?" Out of all the questions I receive by email, this is the most common one.

Telling people I have been traveling for four years...

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The Five Myths of Travel

(45) Comments | Posted September 10, 2010 | 11:46 AM

Whenever I tell people that I travel for a living, they usually fire a million questions at me about what it's like to do an around-the-world trip. Then, they usually finish by saying, "You're so lucky! I wish I could do what you do, but I have too...

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