BOOK REVIEW: “How to travel the World on $75 a day” by Matt Kepnes. Travel cheaper, longer, smarter.

Is it possible to travel the world on $75 a day? In his newest book, Matt Kepnes shares all of his tips and tricks on how to make that a reality. One thing I really appreciated about this book is that it’s a fourth edition, which means that the author updates it when new information becomes available to him.

Some of the tips seem a bit more obvious if you’re used to traveling, but there were also so many great and underutilized ideas I never would have thought of.

One idea of Matt’s was using credit cards for everyday expenses to get the bonus points for traveling. If you are paying off the card every month it can actually save you a lot of money on your trip. Another great idea was selling old clothes or furniture, and he lists great websites to do that. Among many other ideas, the author shares how to safely hitchhike or ride share, how to use tourism cards, and how to save money on eating out.

The book was separated by which country you were visiting and then tailoring the information to that country, which I thought was super helpful. My only complaint is that there really weren’t a lot of tips on how to travel across the United States. I would love to see some more tips and tricks on how to save money while dining, or prime times to travel.

I rate this book as 3 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.

A super practical, down-to-earth guide that proves adventure doesn’t have to come with a hefty price tag. Matt Kepnes distills years of travel experience into easy-to-follow advice, with plenty of helpful tips for saving money, planning effectively, and traveling smart. Whether you’re dreaming of a gap year or just want to maximize your next vacation, this book is a great starting point. Bonus points for encouraging readers to get off the tourist trail and truly engage with the world. Inspiring and useful!

Pack your bags and get ready to be able to travel within your budget!

The writing is clear and useful, but it is the practical tips that make this the book to read. Matt Kepnes does not provide lush literal writing about travel sites, but instead he offers a step-by-step plan on everything travel related so that it can be within your budget. I thought I knew a few things, but I kept making lists of things to check out. Every tip is not the right tip for every reader, but there will be the tips for each level of traveler and budget. There were lists of newsletters, flight booking sites, and even how to make money to travel (not sure we needed that one, but it might be the incentive for others). This is the book for those first-time travelers but also those that want to up their game can skip a section and find multiple pointers that will be worth their time.

Ryan Burke was the perfect narrator, as he provided the information in a fun, friendly tone as if he was a friend giving me the real scoop.

A great resource and I am now going to follow Matt Kepnes as I start planning my next trip.

Thank you to Brilliance Publishing | Brilliance Audio and Netgalley.

I found some of the tips in this book helpful, but ultimately found it more helpful to do my own research rather than use the information in this book. To be fair, I am somebody that likes to save money when I'm traveling, but not at the cost of minimal comforts like a private room. Things like hostels can definitely work for backpackers and long-term travelers, but this book was marketed as something useful for people who take vacations too, and I feel like it really wasn't. Most of the tips are for people who are ready to sell all of their belongings and start a new life on the road.

I really enjoyed the narrator's voice for this audiobook, so that was a big plus. Overall, this travel book was not for me.

⭐️ 4.5/5. This book gives super helpful advice on everything world-travel related! The author breaks it down by region to give the best advice he can on where to stay, what to eat, transportation, travel credit cards, and overall how to budget and save money while not sacrificing any fun or destinations. I would recommend this book to any of my friends who are into international travel. This book was originally written some time ago, but this is an updated 2024 edition with updated pricing, details, and more. There are also appendices with suggested packing lists, all the websites he uses as resources, suggested vaccines/medications, and more.

I listened to the audiobook, but I would recommend this as a physical read because there are so many details to take in. Also, at some points the narrator’s voice was a little too relaxing 😂

While I did learn a lot of new information from this book, I feel like it could have been even more condensed. While it felt really repetitive at times, I realize that most people that pick up this book won't be reading it all the way through, but will be reading the sections that are relevant to where they plan on going.

If you are planning to travel out of the United States and want to save money while doing so, I do think this is a great book for you! There are a lot of resources and different tips that can save money and make traveling the world manageable.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in advance for an honest review!!

I have a two week trip to Italy, Greece, and Spain coming up in summer and was interested in reading this book for tips for my trip. It will be my biggest international trip. I learned so many hacks and different ways to save money. Thank you to Matt Kepnes and NetGalley!!

How to Travel the World on $75 a Day: Travel Cheaper, Longer, Smarter is the best traveling planning resource for anyone who loves to travel, as well as those who want to travel but think it's too expensive.

This is the fourth edition of this New York Times Bestseller by Matt Kepnes, narrated by Ryan Burke. The first edition was published in 2012, and has been updated post-Covid to account for the increased costs of travel, to include fuel prices for flights, as well as the consolidation of airlines, which limits competition and the need to offer competitive fairs. It also explains airline dynamic pricing, which uses artificial intelligence to raise and lower prices based on data consumers cannot predict.

The author is a well-known travel expert who has been traveling the world for almost twenty years, and offers "practical, detailed, exhaustively researched travel advice that will help you get on the road better, cheaper, and smarter."

This book covers everything from how to save money for travel, choosing credit cards that offer travel-related points, the need and benefits of travel insurance, and so much more. From how to find free accommodations to tips for choosing tours, activities and excursions, How to Travel the World on $75 a Day includes websites for further information.

While linking to websites using an audiobook isn't necessarily ideal, they author does take the time to state the website before giving its web address, so the repetition of the name is usually enough to allow readers to jot down notes. I used the notes app on my iPad while listening, and rarely needed to replay a portion in order to type everything down. These websites are compiled in Appendix A, but again, this isn't ideal for audiobook readers.

Part one covers all the trip planning portions of travel, while the second part of the book details expenses (and how to limit those costs) while on the road. The third part of the book is broken down into specific regions, which gives detailed information about specific areas of the world. At the end, there are several appendicitis with resources for readers, which work better for the print versions. Visual learners may prefer buying a print copy or checking the book out from their local library.

I love to travel, and learned valuable information to cut costs while doing more. I will admit that I didn't need the first few chapters that motivated me to readers to start traveling, nor information on how to save money to travel the world for an extended period. As an American living in the United Kingdom, travel is already more accessible, and my monthly trips so far have already been within my current budget. That said, I can use the tips for travel planning and for saving money while on the road to travel more often and to do more while in another country. So while not all portions of this book will be relevant to all readers, there is information here for every traveler.

I highly recommend How to Travel the World on $75 a Day to anyone who has a trip in the future, as well as those who have trips on their Bucket Lists but have no concrete plans on how to afford and/or plan those trips. I personally enjoyed listening to the information, but will also be buying a physical copy of this book so I can highlight the information most relevant to my family.

How to Travel the World on $75 a Day by Matt Kepnes
Audiobook narrated by Ryan Burke
Publication date March 25, 2025

This book says it's 4th edition, and I believe previous editions were $50 a day rather than $75, likely reflective of worldwide inflation in recent years.
I love traveling, and I am always curious about how people travel. This book is written by a nomad author about pointers on money-saving, starting from the trip preparation and ways to save on transportations (flights, trains, buses), accommodations, and food - these three items being the necessary and often most costly items. I feel this book would be great if you are young and want to start to travel and don't know how to travel, or how to save money. Being an avid solo traveler myself, I felt that I was already familiar with most of the tips. Also, some of the tips just may not be appeal to you, and you would much rather invest some money for comfort. For example, cooking is recommended in many destinations, and eating out in the local restaurant may be one of the high points of the traveling. Indeed, nowadays I subscribe to "if I wanted to save money, I would have stayed home" school of creature comfort. Maybe I have aged out of penny-pinching school of traveling. In any event, he does give broad ideas to save money while being a nomad - so If you would like to see get some ways to save money while traveling, this book may be interesting.

A copy of this advanced audiobook was provided courtesy of NetGalley and Brilliance Audio. My opinions herein are my own.

How to Travel the World on $75 a Day is a book full of great information about travel. Matt has the experience to backup what he has written. The information sounds well researched.
The first half of the book covers the different elements of travel - where to stay, how to travel, expenses, activities. The second half has chapters covering different places across the earth with more specific information for each area.
I listened to the audiobook and liked the narrator. The book is written in first person so it felt like the author was speaking to the reader.
I think the information is very useful to those who would like to plan travels whether long term or save money on shorter trips.
Thanks to Netgalley and Brilliance Audio for the opportunity to read this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for the Audio ARC!

While there were some interesting and novel ideas in this book, I feel like it mostly was just basic common sense. I also disagree with the author's proposal that a life of travel is possible and should be desired by everyone and anyone. That's a whole lot of privilege you're ignoring there, Mr Kepnes. Some may find this interesting, but I'd pass if the chance came along again.

This would have been way better as a physical book than an audiobook. I got a lot of big tips out of this book. The part about traveling to regions was not of interest to me, but the rest was pretty good.

Really enjoyed this book. The information is extremely useful, no matter if you are planning a shorter trip or a long term one. The author provides so many resources for anything & everything you could think of for travel! The break down between regions of the world was great if you are planning in a specific place. Downloaded some of the apps he suggested and am excited to plan my next trip!

Thanks to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the digital copy of this audiobook; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I don’t travel often for a variety of reasons, but it’s something I have been looking forward to when I retire. And as the Bargain Sleuth, I’m no stranger to doing whatever it takes to get the best deal on things. I thought this book would be of great help for future planning.

First, this book is not really for beginners; it’s geared more towards well-seasoned travelers who want to sell all their personal belongings and travel the world. If you’re not in that position, there are some other tips, like selling your newer, perfectly reliable vehicle and getting a beater car, using the extra money from the sale of the better car to fund your travel. I don’t know about you, but most beater cars need repairs–and often, so I don’t see that much of a savings. The book is also geared towards younger, able-bodied people who already have enough wealth that they can travel more easily than older retirees who may have physical limitations.

There are tips on which credit cards offer the best travel rewards and the necessity of having more than one bank card in the event one card gets declined for a variety of reasons, and websites that help you earn a little more. One of the sites is Swagbucks, which I was a member of for more than 15 years. I deleted my account last year because it was virtually impossible to earn any real cash rewards unless you spend money or have all day to watch videos and play games. Most people do not have that kind of time.

In fact, a lot of the information seems outdated, even though this book is updated for a post-Covid world. Like using Groupon to find deals in the cities you’ll be visiting. Like Swagbucks, Groupon was a website I used quite a bit–15 years ago. I went to the site and searched not only my city but other cities I am interested in visiting. I didn’t find anything useful on the site; in days past, I bought a lot of dining and activity Groupons, but they’re all gone now.

As for traveling to specific locales, the author recommends hostels, house sitting, and couch surfing. He also recommends rarely eating out and staying someplace where you can cook your own meals like an AirB&B. While this is a money-saving strategy, one of my main reasons for traveling include going out to eat once in a while to experience new meals.

Overall, the things mentioned above are all strategies I already knew about since I started planning family vacations in 1998. If you don’t travel much but plan to,, you might glean some tips. But most of us don’t have the privilege of selling all our world belongings and traveling the world. Let’s also not forget that most of the recommendations for activities include lots of walking or hiking. For able-bodied people, no sweat, but those of us who plan to travel when retiring do not have that luxury.

Ryan Burke narrated the book, and while he did an adequate job, his actual voice is kind of grating on the nerves. Also, I do recommend that rather than listening to the audiobook, one should read the ebook or physical copy due to the detailed and repetitive nature of the breakdown of various travel destinations.