How To Save Money As A Digital Nomad

With more people living as digital nomads than ever before, the ways in which individuals are experiencing the digital nomad lifestyle have never been more varied or diverse.

While no two digital nomad lives will look the same, there are some expenses that they all have in common:

Transportation
Accommodation
Day-to-day living expenses such as food
Travel experiences and activities

Here are my best tips to save money as a digital nomad on every part of travel.

Money-saving tips for booking travel

As we’ve seen, living as a digital nomad can massively reduce transportation costs because you can have more flexibility when it comes to dates and times.

You can also make your way around the world in shorter journeys. For example, a flight from Canada to New York is going to be a lot cheaper than a flight from Spain would be.

By moving shorter distances, you can still experience just as much of the world but in a more budget-friendly way (and with less jet lag!).

Still, it’s always nice to save as much as possible. And that doesn’t mean you’ll never want to take a long-haul flight.

It’s always good to know some hacks for cheap flights, especially when you probably book more than the average person!

How to save money on flights

Prices of flights can vary a LOT. As a digital nomad, not needing to travel on a specific date or at a specific time means that probably won’t be as restricted as regular travellers.

But, before you can take the more affordable flight, you need to know how to find it!

That’s where a service like WayAway comes in.

While there are many flight aggregators out there, WayAway is the one I recommend and use for a couple of reasons:

They search hundreds of sites to find the best deals
They care about the environment and run their servers on renewable energy – perfect for anyone trying to plan more eco-friendly travels
Best of all, you can sign up for the ‘Plus’ membership plan to receive cashback on all your bookings.

WayAway Plus (AKA the best way to save money as a digital nomad!)

Something that is unique to WayAway is the option to enjoy cashback on everything you book with the WayAway Plus membership plan.

So, not only can you use the site to find the best possible deal on flights, but you can also save an extra 5% on flights after finding the best deals available!

This cashback is paid back to you in the way it should: as pure cash that you can use in whatever way you like.

You can enjoy these additional savings via cashback on pretty much every travel service you’re likely to use regularly. They include:

Up to 5% cashback on flights
Up to 10% cashback on Booking.com
Up to 10% cashback on taxis
Up to 5% cashback on rental cars
Up to 8% cashback on travel experiences and activities
Up to 10% cashback on flight delay compensation

As you can see, for digital nomads (and other frequent travellers), this can lead to HUGE savings over the course of a year.

After all, if you’re going to book anyway, why not enjoy an additional discount of up to 10%?

As well as the unique cashback benefits, WayAway also offers 24/7 premium travel support and city guides written by locals, so you can make sure your travel time (and money!) is well spent.

WayAway Plus membership travel cashback calculations — Cashback quickly adds up

WayAway Plus membership travel cashback — You can see how much cash you’ll get back when choosing a flight

Right now, the WayAway Plus membership plan is available for an early-bird price of $49.99 (normally $99.99).

Alajode readers can also save an additional 10% – making it less than $4 per month! – with the promo code ALAJODE or by clicking here.

SIGN UP & SAVE NOW

Booking digital nomad accommodation

Accommodation is one of the biggest expenses of a digital nomad.

When you’re staying somewhere short-term – as a digital nomad or otherwise – using a comparison site is the best way to find a good deal on hostels, hotels and other types of accommodation.

However, if you’re looking for some home comforts such as a kitchen and laptop-friendly workspace, an apartment or co-living space might be a better option.

Fortunately, more and more of these types of accommodations are being geared up to fit the needs of digital nomads.

In this case, staying in one place for one month or longer will help you get the best possible price.

Sometimes you may even find that booking 30 days works out cheaper than a 3-week stay, even if you’re not planning to stay for the entire time.

Whichever route you go, the WayAway Plus membership plan can also save you even more money once again. WayAway has partnered with sites such as Booking.com and Hostel World to give members up to 10% cashback on all bookings. For a one month booking, that’s a significant discount!

Choosing your digital nomad accommodation wisely can also help you save on other expenses if you’re smart about it.

For example, renting a place with an on-site gym could save you both time and money on expensive short-term gym memberships.

A laptop-friendly space and a fast WiFi connection will save you from being dependent on co-working spaces and public WiFi spots.

Similarly, a well-equipped kitchen will mean you don’t need to pay to eat out for every meal.

These are all things you will likely want to take into consideration when choosing your accommodation.

Once you account for all of these, the cheapest accommodation option won’t necessarily be the best budget-friendly place when you’re living – rather than travelling – somewhere!

How to save money at the airport & while travelling

As a long-term traveller, I picked up many money-saving travel habits that I now take for granted. It’s only when I travel with others that these become apparent to me.

Here are some of my favourite ways to save money while travelling:

Always carry a water bottle

One thing I never, ever travel without is a reusable water bottle.

I’ve been using this LAR S NYSØM one for years and it hasn’t leaked or let me down once (even if it gained a few bumps from being dropped multiple times on the rocky Inca Trail hike!).

It’s surprisingly easy to fill on the go – usually for free – meaning I can save money while avoiding unnecessary waste.

Many countries have potable tap water, making it super easy to always stay hydrated. In these destinations, I’ve never had any issue asking a restaurant, café or other places to refill my bottle after I’ve bought something there.

Many airports, hotels, and public spaces also have free water fountains that you can use.

Choose a travel-friendly credit or debit card

When you’re constantly spending in different currencies, varying exchange rates and international banking fees can quickly add up.

This is easily avoided with a card that’s made for travellers.

In my case, I actually use three different ones: Wise, Monzo and American Express.

Wise International Currency Card

Wise is available worldwide and offers really great rates for a wide range of currencies.

Being able to use one card for worldwide transactions without hefty fees is a game-changer for digital nomads.

You can also hold accounts in multiple currencies on Wise, which makes transferring between countries as simple (and affordable!) as can be.

(If you don’t already use Wise, click here to use my referral link and enjoy a fee-free transfer of up to £500 when you join)

Monzo International Bank Account

Monzo is similar and, in my experience, probably offers the absolute best rates on currency exchange.

You can see the exact amount spent – in both GBP and the local currency – in the app as soon as you buy something.

If you live in the UK, I highly recommend getting a Monzo card before your next trip (and you can also get £5 free when you use this link!).

American Express Travel Credit Card

Finally, I have a British Airways Amex credit card.

While it’s not got the best exchange rates for foreign transactions, it offers a number of travel perks and I collect Avios on every purchase.

These Avios allow huge savings on flights, upgrades and much more if you use them wisely. Recently, I used my points to get a £250 fight down to just £70 – a huge saving!

Use my referral link to enjoy an additional 6,000 Avios if you spend £1,000 in your first 3 months. – perfect if you’re planning to book travel soon!

You can also check out more of my digital nomad banking tips and tricks in this post.

Make use of online communities

With more digital nomads around, there are also more online communities than there ever has been before.

One of the most valuable places to find information and tips for saving money on travel is in these communities.

Even if you don’t take part in any discussion, it’s highly likely that someone has asked the same questions that you have in the past. A simple scroll or search can unlock instant answers.

This is especially true when it comes to tips on how to save money as a digital nomad in a specific destination.

While the generic digital nomad groups still serve their purpose, joining a smaller but location-specific community will probably provide much more value.

From Facebook groups to WhatsApp chats, nobody knows the best money-saving travel hacks than those who have travelled before you – so make use of them!

Stay as flexible as you can with your plans

Finally, something I can’t emphasise enough: remaining as flexible as possible really is the best way to save money as a digital nomad.

One of the great things about travelling as a digital nomad is that there’s less of rush to fit everything in.

When you have weeks – or months – in a destination, you’ll have much more flexibility over when you enjoy the must-do activities.

That means that you can choose to book things like tours, trips and other activities at off-peak times or on days when demand is lower.

Sites like Viator allow you to see prices for each day so you can easily choose the best option and save money on travel activities where possible.

So, if I haven’t made it clear already: flexibility is money!

It’s wonderful that we can have all these great tools, such as advice-ridden communities and powerful comparison sites like WayAway, at our fingertips.

But they only really provide the maximum value they can offer when you allow for some flexibility. And, the more flexible you can be, the more money there is to be saved.

If you can stay open-minded and allow for your travel plans to take you in unexpected directions – all things that will serve you well as a traveller in general – then it becomes easy to save money as a digital nomad.

And, who knows, maybe you’ll also find that living as a digital nomad allows you to live more a more affordable lifestyle than you ever experienced in one place!

Check your travel insurance

When I first started travelling, I used to think all travel insurance was pretty much the same.

I would always choose the cheapest option, assuming that I’d never actually need to use it.

When that changed – and I ended up needing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of emergency medical treatment in Australia – I realised just how important it is to choose the right travel insurance.

Not all travel insurance covers common activities like hiking, camping or swimming in open water. So, if something happens, you will still be completely liable for all costs.

As I learned, things can happen – and can quickly get unimaginably expensive if you’re not adequately covered!

When not having insurance can cost so much, making sure your policy is one that will cover everything might just save you more money on travel than anything else!

TRAVEL TIP: Make sure you have adequate travel insurance (+ exclusive discount!)

Make sure your travel insurance policy covers you for healthcare and cancellations, as well as any activities you plan to do.

As of 2023, I use and recommend Heymondo because they offer greater cover – they cover things that most insurers won’t – and 24/7 assistance no matter where you’re going (or where you’re from!).

They offer options for single trips, long stays and annual coverage, so they’re a great budget-friendly (yet sufficient) option for digital nomads and frequent travellers, too.

Alajode readers can also enjoy an extra 5% discount on all policies – click here to get your savings and get a free, instant quote.

How I saved money by becoming a digital nomad