We're long-term travelers sharing our passion for independent, budget travel. Every newsletter gives you travel tips from experts, lessons from the road, great deals, and carefully curated travel products & services.
Our Vietnam adventure is winding down with just days before we jet off to Kuala Lumpur for a two-week stopover en route to Europe for summer.
We've fallen hard for Vietnam, and some exciting visa developments might let us realize our dream of using it as a longer-term base - more on that golden opportunity below!
This week's dispatch is packed with goodies:
Bali's crackdown on "naughty" tourists (and why it's about time)
Vietnam's proposed 5-10 year "golden visas" that have us buzzing
Our 10 favorite ways to slash accommodation costs (or eliminate them entirely!)
A Mother's Day gift guide for the travel-loving mums in your life
The usual hot deals from our partners to save you a bu on your next trip
*Note: Some of the links in this email are from our partners, including AMAZON. If you purchase a product or service using those links, we get a SMALL commission to help pay for the website and this newsletter. But we promise - you won't pay any more than you would if purchasing directly. You can read our full disclosure here.
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Bali Tourist Behaviour Crackdown: Getting Serious About Respect
As many of you loyal readers know, we've been harping on about responsible tourism in our recent newsletters. Well, it seems some destinations are tired of waiting for travelers to get the message! Bali has just introduced some seriously strict rules to combat bad tourist behavior.
On March 24, Bali's governor issued seven prohibited acts for visitors, including:
No entering sacred temples unless worshipping in traditional attire
No climbing sacred trees or monuments
No littering or single-use plastics
No aggressive behavior, including swearing and posting hate speech on social media (yes, they're monitoring that too!)
No working without proper permits
No participating in illegal activities, especially buying or selling drugs (which is already illegal for everyone, locals included)
What's different this time?
Enforcement seems legit with a dedicated police team and even a WhatsApp hotline for reporting rule-breakers. Punishments range from warnings to fines, jail time, or deportation for the "naughty" tourists (governor's words, not mine!).
They're also cracking down on the mandatory $9 tourist tax, which a shocking two-thirds of visitors have been dodging.
The good news for our digital nomad friends? The remote worker visa system remains unchanged.
Will it work? We certainly hope so.
Will it work? We certainly hope so. Bali's unique culture and stunning environment deserve protection, and these rules aren't asking for anything unreasonable β just basic respect. And from what we saw on our last visit there in 2023, that respect was sorely lacking by many tourists.
Sometimes, a firm hand is needed when gentle reminders fail. Let's all do our part to be the kind of tourists these special places deserve!
Time-Sensitive Travel Deals From Our Partners
All of the following deals end sometime either before the next newsletter or very soon after.
From what I can see, there are big discounts on tours in Vietnam, Thailand, Egypt, India, Turkey, Croatia, and loads more.
NOTE: I'm writing a full case study on TourRadar, comparing prices and analyzing the benefits of booking through the platform rather than directly. After giving both a thorough workout, I must say I'm very impressed with their customer service and price guarantees. Watch this space for more details.
I've not been given an expiry date on the deals, but since Easter Sunday is April 20th, you can assume it runs at least up til then.
Vietnam's Proposed "Golden Visa" Program: Our Long-Term Stay Dreams May Soon Come True!
Great news (maybe) for those of us who've been dreaming about extended stays in Vietnam! The country is considering a major visa overhaul that could make our long-term wandering dreams a reality.
Here's what we're hearing:
Key Points from Recent Developments:
Vietnam's Tourism Advisory Board has proposed a "golden visa" program to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh
The proposal includes visas lasting 5-10 years, similar to existing programs in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia
Additional options include a 10-year investor visa (with potential permanent residency after 5 years) and a 5-year talent visa
Initial rollout may focus on Phu Quoc, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Da Nang
Vietnam has already recovered 98% of pre-pandemic tourism, leading Southeast Asia's recovery
The country welcomed 17.5 million international visitors in 2024, ranking third behind Thailand and Malaysia
Recent reforms include 90-day e-visas and more visa-exempt countries
Vietnam aims to welcome 23 million international visitors by 2025
Our Take
This could be the opportunity we've been waiting for to make Vietnam a more significant part of our wandering lifestyle!
The article doesn't specify financial requirements yet, so we'll need to watch closely for details about required investments, capital lock-up amounts, and minimum stay requirements.
For digital nomads and long-term travelers like us, the most important questions will be how much financial commitment is required and whether we'd need to spend a minimum number of days annually in Vietnam. The ideal scenario would give us the flexibility to use Vietnam as a base while continuing our travels elsewhere.
We'll monitor this development closely and update you once more concrete details emerge about costs, investment requirements, and stay obligations.
This could be a game-changer for our Southeast Asia adventures!
Travel Tips for Long-Term Trips
If you've just joined our Travel Bug Community, you can find previous tips on getting ready for long-term travel on the newsletter archives page.
So far in our long-term travel tips series, we've covered the fundamentals: How to:
Define your travel goals and bucket lists,
Set your baseline,
Create and refine your budget
Find extra income streams while traveling
Identify your support crew, and
Perform an annual banking review
Find accommodation for extended periods
Implement long-term Health Management Strategies
Keep Money and funds safe
Stay prepared in case of disaster
So without further adieu, hereβs this weekβs timely tipβ¦
Travel Tip N11 - 10 Ways to Slash Accommodation Costs While Traveling
Accommodation makes up a big part of any trip budget, often consuming 30-50% of your travel funds. While these money-saving strategies benefit all travelers, they're especially valuable for those on extended journeys. Implementing even one of these approaches can stretch your travel dollars significantly, letting you explore longer or upgrade other experiences.
Here's a brief segue to add after your introduction:
We personally use most of these strategies on a regular basis, which is one of the key reasons we've been able to maintain our vagabond lifestyle for so long. These aren't just theoretical tipsβthey're tried-and-tested approaches that have saved us thousands while enriching our travel experiences.
House sitting β Stay for free in someone's home while they're away in exchange for looking after their property and possibly pets. Websites like TrustedHousesitters - which we use almost exclusively to finamazing sits worldwide - connect travelers with homeowners. We've saved thousands over the last decade. You can find out more here.β
Home exchanges β Swap homes with someone from your destination. You stay in their place while they stay in yours, eliminating accommodation costs for both parties. Without a proper "home", this strategy is off limits for us at the moment. But if we finally give into the temptation to put diversify our property investments to Europe or Asia, we'll definitely be signing up to this platform. You can find out more here (Link includes a free gift :) )
CouchsurfingβUse platforms that connect travelers with locals willing to offer their couch or spare room for free. This also provides cultural immersion and local connections. We haven't used Couchsurfing per se, but we have used the Bicycle Touring equivalent Warmshowers.org on many occasions.
Volunteer programs β Many organizations offer free accommodation in exchange for a few hours of work daily. WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) and Workaway are popular options.
Hostels with work exchange β Some hostels offer free stays in exchange for working at the reception desk, cleaning, or other tasks for a few hours daily. We haven't done this yet, but would be open to it if it was a destination we wanted to stay in a while.
Campus housing during breaks β Many universities rent out dorm rooms during summer or holiday breaks at significantly reduced rates. We stayed in University accommodation in Krakow in Poland for next to nothing, way back in 1999. The bonus is cafes, restaurants and bars near universities often have greatly reduced prices compared with the usual tourist haunts.
Religious hospitality networks β Some religious organizations offer free or low-cost accommodation for travelers, regardless of faith. We stayed in a Presbyterian Hostel in Kuching in Borneo many years ago. Clean, cheap and convenient. The only drawback was the cacophony of bells from the church next door at dawn on Sunday morning!
Last-minute booking apps β Apps like Booking.com offer steep discounts on unsold hotel rooms, sometimes up to 70% or more off. (Especially if you use them regularly and have Genius III status.)
Overnight transportation β Plan overnight bus, train, or ferry rides to serve as both transportation and accommodation for a night. Ie lost count of the times we've done this. some have been challenging as far as getting to sleep, but others have allowed us to arrive in our new destination bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and ready to explore.
Free camping β In many countries, you can camp for free on public lands or use apps like WIKI Camps or iOverlander to find free camping spots. Just be sure to research local regulations first. We've done lots (and lots) of free camping in Africa and while cycling through Europe, Australia and the USA.
Want more ways to stay for free worldwide? Grab our free PDF Download with 30+ stategies to find no-cost accommodation on your next trip.
Travel Partners That Saved Us Money This Week
This week our award goes toπββBooking.com (We think) AGAIN.
Quick recap - Crazy intro to Vietnam this time and loads of hassles getting into our booked accommodation in Saigon and we had to get Booking.com customer support involved to sort it out. (If you missed it you can read the full story about the skulduggery HERE!)
First apartment (1770 AUD/30 nights) wouldn't let us check in
Second apartment (about 2200 AUD/30 nights) was a non starter.
The third apartment found by customer support (2400 AUD/30 nights) was fine a had a relatively hassle-free stay for the month.
Booking.com has already refunded us 50% of booking 1 (865 AUD) as compensation for our inconvenience AND told us when we checked out of Apartment 3, they would refund us the difference between that price and the original booking.(About 667 AUD)
So I've provided all the documentation required yesterday and are just waiting for the response.
If it comes through (and I'm still a bit gobsmacked at the offer so won't be wuper-surprised if it doesn't) the total cost of 30 nights accommodation in a great apartment in a fabulous area of Saigon wil just 868 AUD/4 USD or approx 29 AUD/17.50 USD per night!
It was definitely a hassle but proof that persistence and good customer support policies can make a huge different when you get stuffed around.
How Our Travel Plans Are Shaping Up
Once again there are no changes to our travel plans since last week. We're in that space where all our ducks are in line and we just have to go with the flow for the next couple of months.
So its:
KL -->>London-->>Lisbon-->>The Algarve-->>Costa Del Sol-->>Alicante-->>Valencia-->>Barcelona-->>Azerbijan-->>Armenia-->>Georgia-->>Cambridge-->> Who knows???
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We're long-term travelers sharing our passion for independent, budget travel. Every newsletter gives you travel tips from experts, lessons from the road, great deals, and carefully curated travel products & services.
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