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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
Binsky doesn't describe himself as a travel hacker or a credit card enthusiast who carries a bunch of cards and tries to maximize the awards he earns. Instead, he primarily uses three cards for his travel and business expenses: the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card (see rates and fees), the American Express® Business Gold Card and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express.
While he recognizes that the Sapphire Reserve comes with a steep annual fee of $795, he thinks it's worth it. He's able to easily offset the fee by using perks like the $300 annual travel credit, and the Priority Pass Select lounge access, which gives cardholders access to airport lounges internationally.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a standout premium credit card with luxury perks including, hotel credits, complimentary hotel elite status, travel credits, dining credits, rideshare and delivery benefits and much more.
- Access Priority Pass lounges, including unlimited access to Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club locations.
- Up to $300 in annual travel credit each account anniversary year
- You can transfer rewards to all of Chase's travel partners including World of Hyatt, Southwest Rapid Rewards and many more
- Top-tier travel and shopping protections
- High annual fee
- Requires a high credit score
- Complicated list of benefits
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Get $3,000 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve.
- Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase TravelSM, including The EditSM and 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct. Plus, earn 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases
- $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority PassTM Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests. Plus, up to $120 towards Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck® every 4 years
- Get up to $150 in statement credits every six months for a maximum of $300 annually for dining at restaurants that are part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and more.
- Get complimentary subscriptions to Apple TV and Apple Music for a minimum of one year when activated by June 22, 2027, a value of $288 annually.
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
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: You may be eligible for as high as 200,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $15,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. For him, Facebook ad spending is a big priority so he's able to get 4X points back on that category.
The American Express Business Gold Card maximizes spending with flexible bonus reward categories based on where your business spends the most.
- Earn up to $545 in credits every year for eligible business purchases
- Generous bonus rewards categories with high spending caps
- Earns flexible rewards you can transfer to 20 airline and hotel loyalty programs
- High annual fee
- Statement credit offers are earned on a monthly basis and only apply to specific purchases
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- As High As 200,000 points. Find Out Your Offer. You may be eligible for as high as 200,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $15,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points on the top two eligible categories where your business spends the most each month from 6 eligible categories. While your top 2 categories may change, you will earn 4X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1X thereafter). Only the top 2 categories each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap.
- Earn up to $20 in statement credits monthly after you use the Business Gold Card for eligible U.S. purchases at Grubhub, Office Supply Stores, and shipments at UPS.com. This can be an annual savings of up to $240. Enrollment required.
- Enroll and get up to $300 in statement credits per calendar year on U.S. purchases of ChatGPT Business* on the Business Gold Card. *Subject to auto-renewal.
- Enroll and get up to $150 in statement credits per calendar year for U.S. purchases with Squarespace on the Business Gold card. Subscription purchases subject to auto-renewal.
- Get up to a $12.95** statement credit back each month after you pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with the Business Gold Card. **Up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes on one membership fee.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™.
- The Business Gold Card comes in three metal designs: Gold, Rose Gold and White Gold. Make your selection when you apply on Americanexpress.com.
- Terms Apply
- See Rates & Fees
Balance transfer fee
N/A
Foreign transaction fee
None
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.
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For rates and fees for the he American Express® Business Gold Card, click here
American Express® Business Gold Card Welcome Offer: To view your personalized offer, you must first submit an application. If approved, you will: (1) receive your Welcome Offer details, (2) have the option to accept the Card with that offer, (3) be required to spend $15,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership, and (4) earn Membership Rewards® points. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. If you're approved and accept your offer, a credit check may be conducted, which could impact your credit score. Terms apply.
