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There are 197 countries in the world, and Drew Binsky, YouTube travel vlogger, has just two left to visit: Jamaica and Saudi Arabia.
His passion for travel started as a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, when he had the opportunity to study abroad in Prague in 2012. He decided then to make seeing the world a priority.
He didn't want to go the corporate job route after college even though he had a degree in economics. When a friend told him about a program where he could teach English to children in a town outside of Seoul, he jumped at the chance. His experience in South Korea cemented his love of traveling: After teaching for two years, Binsky set out to visit every country in the world.
While teaching in South Korea, he started sharing his travel experiences on a blog called the Hungry Partier, where he would document his travel and nightlife experiences. The success of the blog led him to launch a YouTube channel and Facebook page in 2015.
A stroke of luck would help Binsky's Facebook page and YouTube Channel to spike in popularity. In 2017, he made a video about a three-day guided tour he took in North Korea, which went viral and garnered nearly 10 million views. After seeing the success on his video, he turned his energy into creating more content for YouTube and Facebook.
Using YouTube to bring people together
For Binsky, the appeal of traveling and sharing his story and the stories of others lays in a desire to emphasize the common humanity between his viewers and those considered strangers in far flung countries.
"I have my heart in countries like Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Turkmenistan, Iran, Lebanon — those countries that everybody is scared to go to," Binsky says. "And [my viewers] think that it's only a war zone, and they think it's so unsafe. But when you go there and you meet people and connect with the humanity aspects of these countries, it's really beautiful."
Travel vlogging has hardly been an easy job for Binsky, and he emphasizes that it's important to recognize that traveling to a new country may bring a unique set of challenges. He struggled to shoot videos in Libya and in countries in Central and West Africa, for example, because people were more skeptical of being filmed.
"I love the challenge," Binksy says. "And I love trying to overcome these struggles. At the end of the day, I'm just trying to share the best stories that I can share."
Binsky's best budget travel tips
Binsky initially started out traveling on a budget, but in recent years travel vlogging has become quite lucrative for him.
He now has 2.7 million subscribers on YouTube and more than 4 million followers on Facebook, and he makes money from ad revenue from social platforms, brand deals and selling his own merchandise and an online course on travel hacking. And he's no longer a one-man show — Binsky has a team of 26 helping him produce content. His business is on track to make seven figures in revenue this year.
Still, he believes that traveling can easily be done quite cheaply if people are strategic. He recommends travelers stick to low-cost countries in regions like Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Latin America and skip regions like Western Europe and Scandinavia and countries like Australia, Singapore and Dubai where the cost of travel can be more expensive.
Binsky suggests that budget travelers looking to keep accommodation costs low opt to stay in a hostel or use a service known as CouchSurfing, which connects travelers with locals offering free rooms.
For American travelers, Binsky recommends using credit cards to finance their trips. (For international travelers, it can be much more difficult to get approved for these cards.)
Picking a credit card that matches your lifestyle
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
On Chase's secure site
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Rewards
10X points on Lyft rides through March 2022, 3X points on travel worldwide (immediately after earning your $300 annual travel credit), 3X points on dining at restaurants including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out, 1X point per $1 on all other purchases
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Welcome bonus
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
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Annual fee
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Intro APR
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Regular APR
16.99% to 23.99% variable
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Balance transfer fee
5%, minimum $5
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Foreign transaction fee
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Credit needed
Terms apply.
Binsky is especially enthusiastic about the Priority Pass Select lounge pass because it gives him access to lounges in international airports, some of which include amenities like free massages, showers and sleeping quarters.
He also recently signed up for the Amex Business Gold Card because of the flexibility of its rewards categories. New cardholders can also take advantage of the welcome bonus: earn 70,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $10,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership. For him, Facebook ad spending is a big priority so he's able to get 4X points back on that category.
American Express® Business Gold Card
On the American Express secure site
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Rewards
Get more rewards with 4X Membership Rewards® points on two select categories where you spend the most each month and 25% points back after you book a flight using Pay with Points (up to 250,000 points back per calendar year).
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Welcome bonus
Earn 70,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership
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Annual fee
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Intro APR
Not applicable
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Regular APR
14.24% to 22.24% variable
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Balance transfer fee
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Foreign transaction fee
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Credit needed
While the pandemic slowed down Binsky's travel habits for a few months between March 2020 and June 2020, he's been back on the road since June 2020, frequently taking Covid-19 tests in the process and itching to complete his final two countries, which he plans to do in October.
For rates and fees for the he American Express® Business Gold Card, click here
Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.
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