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345 flights, 218 award nights, 132 cities: How I spent 3 years as a global digital nomad
Katie Genter is a digital nomad who has traveled full time since June 2017. She writes and edits stories about points and miles, and loyalty programs, often letting her personal experiences color these stories.
July 2, 2020 • 29 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
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Quick summary
A digital nomad reflects on three years of continuous travel, covering 684,152 miles, 345 flights and stays in 39 countries.
Lodging included 488 nights at 56 major hotel brands, 68 nights in Airbnbs and 307 nights with family or friends.
Points and loyalty programs played a significant role, with 212 hotel nights paid for using points and various elite statuses earned.
Average paid lodging cost was $94 per night, with a wide range of experiences from luxury hotels to basic hostels and unique accommodations.
What to consider
Some offers and promotions mentioned in the article are no longer available.
Point valuations referenced are based on TPG’s estimates as of the article's publication.
Experiences and costs may vary depending on travel style, loyalty status and timing.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed breakdown of travel statistics, loyalty program strategies and insights into maximizing value from points, miles and elite statuses.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Three years ago today, my husband JT and I left for a gap year. But, we didn’t return to our normal lives after one year. Instead, we continued traveling and working as digital nomads. Now, three years in, I’ve lived at 243 different addresses, slept in 39 countries and flown 684,152 miles.
Granted, I’ve been grounded for over three months now due to coronavirus effectively halting travel. But, here’s what my last three years living on the road has looked like from a numerical standpoint.
And, in my third year, I flew 89 flights despite spending almost a month at an all-inclusive resort and over three months grounded due to coronavirus concerns.
Over the last three years, I’ve spent 1,522 hours in flight. For this statistic, I defined “in flight” as the time the cabin door is closed. To put it into perspective, this means I spent about 63 days on a plane.
Premium economy accounts for slightly over 212 hours of flight time in the last three years. Meanwhile, economy class flights account for almost 622 hours.
So, over the last three years, I’ve flown international first class 2.9% of the time, international business class or domestic first class 42.3% of the time, premium economy 14% of the time and economy 40.8% of the time.
I flew 684,152 direct flight miles over the last three years. Specifically, I flew 205,846 miles the first year, 273,893 miles the second year and 204,413 miles the third year.
My shortest flight was a mere 11 miles from Papeete (PPT) to Moorea (MOZ). Although I could have taken a ferry, I flew this flight because it was included in the Air Tahiti Bora Bora flight pass.
Air Tahiti plane in Moorea. (Photo by Katie Genter/The Points Guy)
My second shortest flight was perhaps more memorable though. It was a 28 mile Cinnamon Air flight from Mawella Lagoon Airport (DIW) to Koggala Airport (KCT) in Sri Lanka on a Cessna 208 amphibious caravan.
In the last three years, I’ve flown on 46 distinct airlines. My loyalty to American Airlines and its Oneworld partners is clear, as seven of my eight most frequently flown airlines are part of Oneworld:
When flying Oneworld through Kuala Lumpur, I love visiting the Malaysia Airlines First Class lounge. (Photo by Katie Genter/The Points Guy)
There are 20 airports that I’ve only either arrived at or departed from including Birmingham, AL (BHM), Eagle County, CO (EGE), Yampa Valley, CO (HDN), Hohhot, China (HET), Lahore, Pakistan (LHE), Polgolla Reservoir near Kandy, Sri Lanka (KDZ) and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (ULN). And, there are 53 more airports that I’ve only arrived at or departed from twice.
In the last three years, I’ve flown 214 unique nondirectional routes. Interestingly, I’ve flown 141 of these routes only once – meaning I didn’t even fly a round-trip. And, I’ve only flown 21 routes more than twice.
So, what routes did I fly most frequently in the last three years?
I've visited Osaka, Japan multiple times. (Photo by Katie Genter/The Points Guy)
My husband and I track our hotel reservations in detail using a spreadsheet. So, it was relatively easy to compile statistics about my lodging over the last three years.
During that time, I’ve lived in 244 locations across 132 cities. As this statistic might imply, I’ve visited some cities more than once. But, the most I’ve stayed at any hotel is three times. And, I’ve only stayed at five hotels three times:
Comfort Hotel Osaka Shinsaibashi in Osaka, Japan since it usually only costs 8,000 Choice points per night (which are worth $48 based on TPG’s valuations)
Days Inn Guam-Tamuning since it’s within a long walk of the airport and hence was good for overnight layovers in Guam
Staybridge Suites Austin Arboretum - Domain since it is near the Red Ventures office (TPG’s parent company) in Austin, TX and was on the IHG PointsBreaks list last winter
I generally travel where flight deals, flight reviews, events and interesting airline products take me. In doing so, I’ve visited 39 countries and territories in the past three years.
In particular, here are the countries and territories as well as the nights I spent in each:
I’ve spent 488 nights at 56 major hotel brands within the last three years. Here’s the breakdown of my stays by loyalty program and brand over the last three years:
244 nights at 13 IHG brands
The InterContinental Phu Quoc in Vietnam. (Photo by Katie Genter/The Points Guy)
The in-room robot at the Henn-Na Hotel. (Photo by JT Genter/The Points Guy)
I’ve also stayed at some unique hotels in the Pacific during the last three years. For example, the Hotel Robert Reimers in Majaro, Marshall Islands was dated and relatively basic but had many interesting guests. The Royal Huahine was an old-school resort in Huahine, French Polynesia that was perfect for us. And, Espace Beach Pension in Maupiti, French Polynesia provided two nights of awesome experiences and fresh home-cooked meals.
A bungalow at Espace Beach Pension in Maupiti, French Polynesia. (Photo by Katie Genter/The Points Guy)
Over the last three years, I’ve spent 307 nights with family and friends. However, this includes the last 101 nights since landing from South Africa on March 23. This number would have been closer to 215 nights over three years if coronavirus concerns hadn’t halted my travel plans.
One positive of traveling full time has been seeing my friends and family more frequently than I did while living in Austin, TX. JT and I have generally found that our visits are short and infrequent enough that we haven’t worn out our welcome anywhere yet.
68 nights at an Airbnb
I’ve had a few bad experiences with Airbnb. So, I generally book a hotel for more simplicity and quality assurance. But, there are still opportunities where I’ll seek out an Airbnb. Doing so led me to book Airbnbs for 68 nights across 20 stays in the last three years.
For example, I found three great Airbnb listings in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina when JT and I visited in 2017. And, these listings weren’t expensive either. We paid $25 per night in Belgrade for a studio apartment, $24 per night in Sarajevo and $20 per night in Novi Sad, Serbia for a large one-bedroom apartment. We absolutely loved all three cities.
Our Airbnb in Sarajavo. (Photo by Katie Genter/The Points Guy)
We also stayed at Christina's properties through AirBnB for four separate stays in Da Nang, Vietnam. Each time, we paid between $17 and $56 per night for a studio or one-bedroom apartment with a kitchen. We stayed at multiple Christina’s locations and each time enjoyed the property and friendly hosts.
Our most recent one-bedroom apartment in Da Nang, Vietnam. (Photo by Katie Genter/ The Points Guy)
We’ve also had good luck with using Airbnb in expensive destinations. For example, I found the perfect Airbnb near Papeete airport in French Polynesia that included airport transportation and breakfast. We also utilized Airbnb on Moorea and Raiatea as well as in Auckland, New Zealand.
The best bed I've had in the sky: my Etihad First Class Apartment. (Photo by Katie Genter/The Points Guy)
I’ve spent 57 nights in flight across the last three years. I’ve slept on flights ranging from Cathay Pacific First Class and Etihad’s First Class Apartment to United 787-8 economy, American Airlines 757-200 economy and Ethiopian Airlines 787-8 economy. Not surprisingly, I’ve gotten accustomed to sleeping on planes.
I’ve also spent six total nights camping. Three of these nights were while relocating an RV for $1 a day from Las Vegas to Denver. And, the other three were at the Above and Beyond Group Therapy Weekender last summer at the Gorge Amphitheater in Washington state.
Our rental RV in Zion's Watchman campground. (Photo by JT Genter/The Points Guy)
On average, I paid $94 per night for lodging when not using points or credit card free night certificates. Note that this is the cost for double occupancy in almost every case, as JT and I usually travel together.
The highest cost per night that I paid in the last three years was $362 at the InterContinental New York Times Square for a TPG special project. The second most expensive cost per night was $350 while reviewing the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa and the third most expensive cost per night was $340 while reviewing The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort. The fourth most expensive cost per night was $317 for an Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts stay at the Park Hyatt Beijing.
Waikoloa Beach Marriott. (Photo by Katie Genter/The Points Guy)
The least expensive rate per night that I paid in the last three years was $16.65 for a two-person studio apartment in Da Nang, Vietnam during the low season. This was one of the Christina’s apartments booked through Airbnb that I discussed earlier. However, note that I paid as much as $56 per night for a similar Christina’s apartment during high season.
The second least expensive cost per night was $18.35 for a private room with a shared bathroom at Stella Di Notte in Belgrade, Serbia. This hostel has a great location and the private room I booked was basic but had a good desk for working.
The third least expensive cost per night was $20 for a one-bedroom Airbnb in Novi Sad, Serbia. Although the exterior of this apartment looked a bit rough, it’s interior was spacious, well decorated and functional. Plus, the location was close to the river and in an enjoyable neighborhood.
212 nights paid for with points
As might be expected from digital nomads who write about points, miles and credit cards, we used hotel points to pay for 212 of my hotel nights in the last three years.
That’s a lot of nights on points, but JT and I usually purchase the maximum number of IHG and Choice points each year during sales. And, we carefully decide when to use cash instead of points.
119 nights using IHG points
We stayed at the Hotel Indigo Birmingham for 15,000 points per night. (Photo by Katie Genter/The Points Guy)
In the past three years, I stayed at IHG properties for 119 nights using 1,440,000 IHG points. Based on TPG’s valuations, these points are worth about $7,200. We got a fourth reward night as a benefit of the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card on 18 of these stays, which saved us 280,000 IHG points.
Our most expensive IHG award night cost 30,000 IHG points to stay at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Austin Downtown - University in downtown Austin, TX during South by Southwest. And, our least expensive award night cost 5,000 IHG points to stay at the Holiday Inn Nola - Naples Vulcano Buono during a PointBreaks promotion. On average, we’ve paid 14,257 IHG points per night across the last three years.
63 nights using Choice points
We stayed at an all-inclusive Choice Ascend Collection resort for 8,000 points per night last summer. (Photo by JT Genter/The Points Guy)
JT and I have used 540,000 Choice points to pay for 63 nights at Choice properties over the last three years. Based on TPG’s valuations, these points are worth $3,240. Of these, 28 nights were from when we spent almost a month at an all-inclusive resort for 8,000 Choice points per night, which TPG values at about $48 per night.
Our most expensive points night cost 20,000 Choice points and our least expensive points night cost 6,000 Choice points. But, on average over the last three years, we’ve paid an average of 8,571 Choice points per night which are worth about $51.
20 nights using Marriott points
The pool at Marriott's Protea Hotel Kruger Gate overlooks a river with frequent wildlife. (Photo by Katie Genter/The Points Guy)
We’ve used 357,500 Marriott Bonvoy points to stay for 20 nights at Marriott properties over the last three years. Across these stays, we’ve used Marriott’s fifth award night free benefit three times: once at the Karachi Marriott Hotel in Pakistan and twice at the Protea Hotel Kruger Gate in South Africa.
Our least expensive award night cost 10,000 points and our most expensive award night cost 40,000 points, but on average we’ve spent 21,029 Marriott points per night. Based on TPG’s valuations, this means we spent about $168 per night.
6 nights using Hyatt points
We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Kuantan for just 5,000 points per night. (Photo by Katie Genter/The Points Guy)
Over the last three years, we’ve used 42,000 World of Hyatt points to stay for six nights at Hyatt properties. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Kuantan Resort for two nights at 5,000 points per night. And, I stayed at the Andaz Capital Gate for four nights 8,000 per night. Based on TPG’s valuations, the 5,000-point nights cost $85 and the 8,000-point nights cost $136.
4 nights using Wyndham points
Finally, we used 52,500 Wyndham points for four nights at Wyndham properties. We spent 15,000 points per night for three nights at the Wyndham Royal Garden at Waikiki in Hawaii. And, we spent 7,500 points for a night at a not-very-nice Days Inn just outside Charlotte, North Carolina when my points were expiring.
6 nights paid for with credit card free night certificates
We stayed at the InterContinental Bora Bora using two free night certificates. (Photo by JT Genter/The Points Guy)
We’ve used three uncapped IHG award night certificates, which we earned through the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card and IHG Rewards Club Select card (although the IHG Select is no longer accepting applications). Although these cards now offer certificates good for a night costing 40,000 points or less, we used uncapped free night certificates obtained previously for these stays.
Staying in an overwater villa for the first time at the InterContinental Bora Bora. (Photo by JT Genter/The Points Guy)
We also used the free weekend night reward that comes with the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card for a night at the Conrad New York Midtown. And, we used two expiring Marriott up to 60,000-point free night certificates for a night at the St. Regis Osaka and a night at the Ritz-Carlton Osaka. The information for the Hilton Aspire Amex card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Malaysia Airlines is one of three airlines with which I currently have status. (Photo by Katie Genter/The Points Guy)
With all this flying, I’ve been able to earn three airline statuses: American Airlines Executive Platinum, Asiana Diamond and Malaysia Enrich Gold. For me, the main perks of Asiana Diamond and Malaysia Enrich Gold are lounge access when flying United and American domestically. And, American Airlines Executive Platinum is a valuable status to me for many reasons, including upgrades, complimentary Main Cabin Extra, three complimentary checked bags and free cancellation and redeposit of miles on award tickets.
Since JT started working full time with TPG years before I did, we initially put most of our hotel stays towards earning hotel elite status for him. And, it’s made sense to continue to reap these status rewards and focus on re-earning status on his hotel loyalty accounts each year.
It’s been hectic but rewarding to travel full time for the last three years, including while working full time for The Points Guy for the last year. While writing this post, I rediscovered some great memories and uncovered some interesting statistics. And, I have plenty of ideas for where to go next once we are able to hit the road again.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
