Nomadic Matt's Travel Tuesday

{NAME}, Greetings from Austin! As I said last week, I came here to celebrate my 40th birthday and am now preparing to head to Greece this weekend! This will be my first big international trip since COVID started. I'm a bit curious (and nervous) about what flying will be like. And what will immigration be like!? And Greece! What will be the vibe be!? And, as I'm staying in hostels, I keep wondering.....will anyone even be there? In short, I have a lot of questions. And I plan to write a lot about my experience. It's been ten years since I've been to Greece so, not only will I be writing about travel in the time of COVID, but also sharing tips and stories about the country in general. Heading back on the backpacker trail after so long is giving me goosebumps. I feel like I am traveling for the first time again. Will I even remember how to travel? Of course I will but it's great to feel that nervous excitement you get when you do something "new" again. I have all these worries that I know are just in my head and it's been a long time since that's happened! It's kind of great actually! I count myself very lucky to be able to travel and plan to make the most of every freaking minute I am there. Be sure to [follow me on Instagram]( as I journey across the pond! The next time we talk, I'll be in Athens! :) UPCOMING EVENTS We continue to host tons of virtual events to help you stay inspired and connect with other travelers. Here's what we have coming up: - [Travel Better: Gain Confidence Through Improv Comedy]( (TODAY) - [How to Plan a Killer Book Launch]( (6/16) - [How We Travel: Asian + AAPI Travelers]( (6/22) - [Learn About Indigenous Life & Culture with Rebekah Jarvey]( - [How to Travel Solo But Never Really Be Alone]( (6/24) - [How to Make Your Camping Trips More Sustainable]( (6/29) - [Dating Abroad: How to Set Yourself Up for Success]( (7/1) For the full list of events (and travel happy hour discussions), [check out TNN's website](. LATEST COMMUNITY UPDATES 1. NEW GIVEAWAY! We continue to improve our NM+ program! Now, as a member, you'll be able to get FREE stuff with our new monthly giveaways. From tours to flights to accommodation to gear, we'll be mixing it up every month! This month, we're giving away a $200 USD gift card to Amazon OR Bookshop.org (my preferred book retailer). To be eligible, all you have to do is be a member of Nomadic Matt Plus! [Click here to learn more and join NM+ today!]( 2. HUGE CARD OFFER! As a reminder, Chase has a 100,000 point welcome bonus!!!! That's worth over $1,200 USD!!  [If you haven't picked up the Chase Sapphire Preferred yet, you should do so now.]( This offer is just insane and probably won't last long! 3. OUR NEXT BOOK CLUB AUTHOR EVENT: Join us on July 7th as we talk with Helen Ochyra about her book, Scotland Beyond the Bagpipes. Helen Ochyra is a UK travel writer and her book is funny, easy to read, and full of insights into Scotland. [Click here to register for the event!]( Even if you can't read the book beforehand, come join us as we talk all things Scotland! COOL STUFF AROUND THE WEB 1. [The Dark Side of Airbnb]( - A really long, investigative piece on what Airbnb is doing to suppress the problems the platform causes. A must-read!  2. [TikTok Travel]( - NatGeo did this really good read on how TikTok is providing some really inspiring and helpful travel content. NEW BLOG POSTS [Highlights from My 5th U.S. Road Trip]( I recently traveled around the western part of the United States (it was my fifth road trip around the country)! Here's a look at the highlights, low lights, and what it's like to travel during COVID. QUOTE OF THE WEEK "There are several ways to react to being lost. One is to panic. Another is to abandon yourself to lostness, to allow the fact that you’ve misplaced yourself to change the way you experience the world." - Audrey Niffenegger *** As always, if you have any questions, just let me know and I'll be happy to help. Sincerely, Nomadic Matt P.S. - Are you on social media? Come join me there for whacky updates and pictures: - [Instagram]( for real-time pictures and stories! - [Twitter]( for travel news, insights, and bad dad jokes! - [Facebook]( for longer updates, news, and other cool stuff! [Unsubscribe]( Nomadic Matt Inc., 207 E. 9th St. , Georgetown, Texas 78626, United States