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Hours of Work for Travel

Fact sheet: hours of work for travel, description.

In limited circumstances, travel time may be considered hours of work. The rules on travel hours of work depend on whether an employee is covered by or exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). For FLSA-exempt employees, the crediting of travel time as hours of work is governed under title 5 rules-in particular, 5 U.S.C. 5542(b)(2) and 5544(a)(3) and 5 CFR 550.112(g) and (j). For FLSA-covered employees, travel time is credited if it is qualifying hours of work under either the title 5 rules or under OPM's FLSA regulations-in particular, 5 CFR 551.401(h) and 551.422.

Employee Coverage

Title 5 overtime laws and regulations apply to most FLSA-exempt Federal employees, including General Schedule and prevailing rate employees. Certain employees, such as members of the Senior Executive Service, are not eligible for overtime pay or other premium pay under title 5. (See 5 U.S.C. 5541(2) and 5 CFR 550.101 for coverage rules.)

OPM's FLSA regulations apply to most FLSA-covered Federal employees. (See 5 U.S.C. 5542(b)(2) and 5544(a)(3) and 5 CFR 551.102.) An employee may determine his or her FLSA status by checking block 35 of the most recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) to find out whether his or her position is nonexempt (N) or exempt (E) from the overtime pay provisions of the FLSA. Alternatively, an employee may obtain a determination from his or her servicing personnel office.

Overtime Work

In general, overtime hours are hours of work that are ordered or approved (or are "suffered or permitted" for FLSA-covered employees) and are performed by an employee in excess of 8 hours in a day or 40 hours in a workweek. (See 5 U.S.C. 5542(a), 5544(a), and 6121(6) and (7), and 5 CFR 550.111 and 551.501. Note exceptions.)

Travel That is Hours of Work Under Title 5

Under 5 U.S.C. 5542(b)(2) and 5 CFR 550.112(g), official travel away from an employee's official duty station is hours of work if the travel is-

• within the days and hours of the employee's regularly scheduled administrative workweek, including regularly scheduled overtime hours, or
• involves the performance of work while traveling (such as driving a loaded truck);
• is incident to travel that involves the performance of work while traveling (such as driving an empty truck back to the point of origin);
• is carried out under arduous and unusual conditions (e.g., travel on rough terrain or under extremely severe weather conditions); or
• results from an event that could not be scheduled or controlled administratively by any individual or agency in the executive branch of Government (such as training scheduled solely by a private firm or a job-related court appearance required by a court subpoena).

An agency may not adjust an employee's normal regularly scheduled administrative workweek solely to include travel hours that would not otherwise be considered hours of work.

Travel That is Hours of Work Under the FLSA

For FLSA-covered employees, time spent traveling is hours of work if-

• an employee is required to travel during regular working hours (i.e., during the regularly scheduled administrative workweek);
• an employee is required to work during travel (e.g., by being required to drive a Government vehicle as part of a work assignment);
• an employee is required to travel as a passenger on a 1-day assignment away from the official duty station; or
• an employee is required to travel as a passenger on an overnight assignment away from the official duty station during hours on nonworkdays that correspond to the employee's regular working hours. (See 5 CFR 551.422(a).)

Official Duty Station

"Official duty station" is defined in 5 CFR 550.112(j) and 551.422(d). An agency may prescribe a mileage radius of not greater than 50 miles to determine whether an employee's travel is within or outside the limits of the employee's official duty station for determining entitlement to overtime pay for travel.

Administrative Workweek

An administrative workweek is a period of 7 consecutive calendar days designated in advance by the head of an agency under 5 U.S.C. 6101. The regularly scheduled administrative workweek is the period within the administrative workweek during which the employee is scheduled to work in advance of the administrative workweek. (See definitions in 5 CFR 610.102. See also 5 CFR 550.103 and 551.421.)

Commuting Time

For FLSA-covered employees, normal commuting time from home to work and from work to home is not hours of work. (See 5 CFR 551.422(b).) However, commuting time may be hours of work to the extent that the employee is required to perform substantial work under the control and direction of the employing agency-i.e., productive work of a significant nature that is an integral and indispensable part of the employee's principal activities. The fact that an employee is driving a Government vehicle in commuting to and from work is not a basis for determining that commuting time is hours of work. (See Bobo decision cited in the References section.)

Similarly, for FLSA-exempt employees, normal commuting time from home to work and from work to home is not hours of work. (See 5 CFR 550.112(j)(2).) However, commuting time may be hours of work to the extent that the employee is officially ordered or approved to perform substantial work while commuting.

Normal "home-to-work/work-to-home" commuting includes travel between an employee's home and a temporary duty location within the limits of the employee's official duty station. For an employee assigned to a temporary duty station overnight, normal "home-to-work/work-to-home" commuting also includes travel between the employee's temporary place of lodging and a work site within the limits of the temporary duty station.

If an employee (whether FLSA-covered or exempt) is required to travel directly between home and a temporary duty location outside the limits of the employee's official duty station, the time the employee would have spent in normal commuting must be deducted from any hours of work outside the regularly scheduled administrative workweek (or, for FLSA covered employees, outside corresponding hours on a nonwork day) that may be credited for the travel time. (The travel time is credited as hours of work only as allowed under the applicable rules-e.g., for an FLSA-covered employee, if the travel is part of a 1-day assignment away from the official duty station.)

• 5 U.S.C. 5542(b)(2) (General Schedule employees)
• 5 U.S.C. 5544(a)(3) (Prevailing rate employees)
• 5 CFR 550.112(g) and (j), 610.102, and 610.123
• 5 CFR 551.401(h) and 551.422 (OPM's FLSA regulations)
• Decision by United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Jerry Bobo v. United States , 136 F.3rd 1465 (Fed. Cir. 1998) affirming Court of Federal Claims decision of same name, 37 Fed. Cl. 690 (Fed. Cl. 1997).
• Section 4 of the Portal-to-Portal Act of 1947 (61 Stat. 84) as amended in 1996 by section 2102 of Public Law 104-188. (See 29 U.S.C. 254.)

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Full-Time Travel: How Much Does It Actually Cost to Travel the World?

This post may contain affiliate links. This just means I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you for helping them promote their product or service. I don’t endorse any services I don’t personally use or recommend.

Due to our least favorite world traveler, COVID-19, no one is going anywhere at the moment. HOWEVER, this is a great time to plan for future trips, and depending on your financial situation start saving for your dream trip. So, how much does it actually cost to travel the world?

Less than it costs to pay rent in America. Seriously.

We do A LOT of advocating for budget travel and have often proclaimed that it’s possible to travel the world for $50 a day or less. And we aren’t the only backpackers/bloggers making this claim. We decided to put our money where our mouth is on our most recent adventure.

A one-way ticket to Asia. Our plan was for a year–maybe two– depending on how our daily budget faired. Unfortunately, the microbial world had other plans.

Although our long-term trip came to a screeching halt with the onslaught of this global pandemic, we still managed to travel for 6-months throughout Asia. And we plan to return abroad the day travel bans are lifted.

But after 6 months of logging our every expense, we have the hard numbers to help you determine just how much it costs to travel long-term.

This post will be continuously updated once we continue our trip abroad. So stay tuned.

How Much Does it Cost Two People to Travel the World for 6 Months?

We lumped our funds together and set off with the goal of spending $55 per day- everything included . Flights, accommodation, food, and all the fun stuff in between. 182 days abroad &…

Our Grand Total was $9,277.37

This means we spent less than $5,000 per person. And as for our daily budget…we crushed it. Our average daily budget was just $50.97 as a couple.

You may be wondering ‘ Why is Malaysia so expensive ?’. And due to a small hiccup on our end, we had to buy another round-trip flight back to Sumatra to retrieve Evan’s laptop. Whoopsies. In actuality, our Malaysia costs would have been $61 a day had it not been for those multiple flights. Mistakes happen.

Budget Breakdown

$50 a day seems like a teensy-tiny budget. But we could have spent less. Thanks to my handy-dandy TripCoin app it’s really easy to see exactly where that money went.

Financial-Friendly Tip : If you’re planning a trip, I cannot recommend TripCoin enough. Even if you’re not sticking to a strict budget, it’s proven you’ll spend less just by recording exactly where your money goes.

Our Average Accommodation Cost: $11.66

Our Average Meal Cost: $3.92

That average meal cost is also taking into account the random times we decided to eat at nicer restaurants and treat ourselves. ( It does not, however , include alcohol) . & about 80% of our lodgings provided breakfast.

That adds up to an average of $19.50 spent on food & a place to sleep every day. The other $30 per day was spent on alcohol, activities, trains, flights, souvenirs, and replacement clothes.

Day to day we were probably spending around $30-35. But a few bigger ticket items in each country add up. ( & of course the few mishaps like getting $150 stolen from our bungalow in Pai, Thailand & forgetting our laptop at airport security. )

Our Travel Hacks

So, how much does it cost to travel the world? That’s kinda up to you. These are the travel tips and hacks we used to travel cheaply and save money every step of the way.

Stay in Guesthouses . Or CouchSurf.

Cheap accommodation is key. You’ll likely spend very little time in your room so don’t waste your daily budget on a place to sleep. We tried Couchsurfing in Sumatra & loved it. You sleep for free in a local’s spare room ( or couch depending on the place ) & often you get an additional insight into the city. Our host took us to an amazing dinner spot we never would have found otherwise and gave us a little tour around the city.

Booking.com is where we find our cheapest guesthouses & accommodation.

Prioritize your needs..

After about a week, we decided we didn’t need to pay extra for A/C anymore. A fan in most countries is more than sufficient. That saves you a bundle when booking rooms. The same goes for transport–we opted for the cheaper 3rd class seats on trains if the ride was 12-hours or less.

Travel Slowly .

Take a ferry, bus, or train instead of a flight. When your traveling long-term time isn’t as much of a concern. You’ll save loads and get to watch the scenery pass by from the window seat. Just be sure to download some good podcasts first.

Eat the Street Food. Or at the very least at local restaurants.

Don’t be afraid. I’ve never gotten food poisoning from street food. It’s cheap, authentic, and so damn delicious. Also, eat local cuisine, avoid any foreign or westernized restaurants.

Clarification: I have gotten food poisoning a number of times. Just never from street food. You can read all about our travel mistakes and mishaps here .

Learn Local Transportation. As frustrating as it may be.

Buses & trains should become your best friend. Take the subway. Ride the Skyrail. Don’t just jump into the nearest Tuk-Tuk or Taxi because they are often 10x the price.

Arrange Your Own Transport.

Buy your bus or train tickets at the station. Rent yourself a motorbike. Hostels and guesthouses will offer to arrange these kinds of things for you but convenience comes with a higher price tag.

Take the Long Route.

Certain activities (especially hikes) can be DIY. Don’t always gravitate toward the planned excursions. We saved nearly $40 by taking the long route to Mount Bromo in Indonesia instead of opting for the jeep trek.

Find Freebies where you can.

Many guesthouses offer free breakfast and many cities have free walking tours. Some guesthouses even offer free train station pick-up. Do a little research and you’ll save loads.

Make Friends.

Splitting the cost of a private room or transport to your next activity definitely lightens your financial burden. Safari jeeps, Angkor Wat tuk-tuk tours, basically anything charging by the vehicle–it pays to have friends.

Travel Light.

Carry-on only . This lets you opt for the super-saver fares on flights. Outside of the US and Europe airlines are a lot more lenient on the weight/size of your carry-on. But the lighter you travel the less likely you’ll ever need to pay for that checked baggage.

Buy a LifeStraw Water Bottle .

Water adds up. & bottled water is horrendous for the planet. You’ll have to purchase bottles of water almost everywhere you go in the world & just having a LifeStraw filter bottle saved us $500 on this trip alone.

Where We Traveled

We traveled to 9 different South Asian countries. But utilizing the tips outlined above this travel budget can be applied almost everywhere in the world. From South & Central America to the tropical islands of the Pacific to the crisp fall colors of Eastern Europe–the vast majority of the world can be seen for $55 a day.

Big Ticket Items

Flights. Obviously, getting to the other side of the world is a huge expense. We managed to find tickets for $360 apiece to Bali with a 3-day layover in Singapore. Check out my tips for scoring cheap flights .

Excursions. Trekking to find wild Orangutans in the jungles of Sumatra. Visiting an ethical elephant sanctuary in Thailand. Embarking on a 12-hour safari in Wilpattu National Park in search of elusive wild leopards. (Spoiler: we found them.) Visiting Angkor Wat & Borobudur temple complexes. Whale watching in Mirissa, Sri Lanka.

Pre-Trip Expenses

I did not include our travel insurance and the cost of tossing all of our belongings into a storage unit in the overall trip budget. I wrote a huge guide on how to save money for long term-travel that includes all my pre-trip recommendations.

We found the cheapest storage unit we could find. $30 a month for a year sitting right on the border of the United States and Tijuana, Mexico.

As for travel insurance, this was the first trip I decided to bite the bullet and get it. Thankfully, we did. Because a nasty bout of food poisoning near killed me in India. All drama aside, I did have to be hospitalized 3 times for the one stubborn food-borne illness and thankfully I was fully reimbursed.

WorldNomads is the top of the line adventure travel insurance that will cover you even if you maim yourself base-jumping into a tank of great white sharks. ( Maybe not quite that literally. ) We went with the cheaper and more conservative coverage of SevenCorners . It cost us $650 for coverage for the two of us.

I highly recommend checking out Travel Insurance Master to browse insurance companies to find the best deal. Their website is super easy to use and has cheaper companies like SevenCorners. Check them out here .

For more info on trip planning and budget hacks on how to save money to travel the world, I wrote a big beautiful guide on all things travel hacking.

How You Can Do Better

A large expense of ours was alcohol. We enjoy a beer or 10 on beach days and craft cocktails with dinner. As bartenders, trying cocktails from around the world is important to us. I’m not going to do the math on how much we spent on alcohol…just for my own sanity.

That’s honestly the only expense from our trip that seems a bit lavish. I would never recommend you cut spending on activities because that’s the whole reason you’re traveling in the first place.

Cost of Living in the US

I probably don’t need to outline how much it costs you to live in your home country BUT, for the sake of comparison, I’m going to anyway.

My monthly Los Angeles Expenses:

• Electricity/Internet: $35
• Car Insurance: $112
• Phone Bill: $40
• MONTHLY TOTAL: $1,012

This doesn’t even begin to cover expenses like groceries, gas, and having any kind of social life.

While traveling my TOTAL monthly expenses were $773.11 vs. $1,012 in basic living expenses back home.

Travel isn’t as expensive as we are made to think. If you have a burning curiosity to see the world and the drive to make it happen—money isn’t what is standing in your way.

If you need help planning your next trip abroad feel free to reach out ( I’m more than happy to help ) or check out my guide on how to plan a long term adventure abroad ( coming soon ).

Looking for other Trip Planning Resources?

• How to Finance Long-Term Travel & Make Your Dream Trip Cheaper.
• Your Guide to Scoring a Cheap Flight For Any Destination.
• How to Avoid Getting Scammed in South-East Asia.

Further Reading...

Skip The Tour: 10 Reasons to Travel Egypt & Jordan Independently

What’s In My Backpack: The Ultimate Long-Term Travel Packing List

Mongolia Travel Costs: How Much We Spent & What To Budget For Your Mongolia Trip!

This is a great article, so helpful! What one can also do is save up on ATM and bank fees. Save up on ATM side of the fees with apps like ATM Fee Saver – it gives a list of atms in many countries that do not charge any fees to foreign card holders or have much lower fees than others along with withdrawal limits. quite a life saviour. worth adding to your list of tricks! And also a get fee free cards while travelling.

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Your Complete Guide to Climbing Adam's Peak: The 12,000 Step Stairway to Heaven in Sri Lanka

Sri lanka's best beaches: which one is right for you, beyond_the_bucketlist.

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M&IE breakdowns

The meals and incidental expense (M&IE) breakdowns in the tables below are provided should federal travelers need to deduct meals furnished by the government or included in a registration fee from their M&IE allowance consistent with Federal Travel Regulation 301-11.18 . Meals provided by a common carrier or a complimentary meal provided by a hotel/motel do not affect per diem ( 301-11.17 ).

M&IE breakdown for foreign and non-foreign areas outside the continental U.S. (OCONUS)

For M&IE rates greater than $265, allocate 15%, 25%, and 40% of the total to breakfast, lunch, and dinner, respectively. The remainder is the incidental expense allowance.

PER DIEM LOOK-UP

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Error, The Per Diem API is not responding. Please try again later.

No results could be found for the location you've entered.

Rates for Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. Territories and Possessions are set by the Department of Defense .

Rates for foreign countries are set by the State Department .

2 Choose a date

Rates are available between 10/1/2021 and 09/30/2024.

The End Date of your trip can not occur before the Start Date.

Traveler reimbursement is based on the location of the work activities and not the accommodations, unless lodging is not available at the work activity, then the agency may authorize the rate where lodging is obtained.

Unless otherwise specified, the per diem locality is defined as "all locations within, or entirely surrounded by, the corporate limits of the key city, including independent entities located within those boundaries."

Per diem localities with county definitions shall include "all locations within, or entirely surrounded by, the corporate limits of the key city as well as the boundaries of the listed counties, including independent entities located within the boundaries of the key city and the listed counties (unless otherwise listed separately)."

When a military installation or Government - related facility(whether or not specifically named) is located partially within more than one city or county boundary, the applicable per diem rate for the entire installation or facility is the higher of the rates which apply to the cities and / or counties, even though part(s) of such activities may be located outside the defined per diem locality.

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7 Key Things To Consider If You Dream Of Traveling Full-Time

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When I quit my job in 2017 to spend a few months traveling in order to find more meaning and purpose in my life and work, I thought I was crazy. The Great Resignation came along a couple of years later, and it turns out I was a trendsetter!

I genuinely thought I was taking a career break; I had planned to travel for 3 to 6 months and then return to “real life.” Instead, I fell in love with full-time travel, and, 4 years later, have been to 27 countries on six continents — and the first 2 years were on my initial budget. If you’ve read my other articles, you’ll know I spent 2 years marooned in New Zealand due to the pandemic, and it isn’t cheap! 

More and more people are quitting their jobs and traveling. Some do it solo, others with another. What’s clear is that what started as a few “crazy” people jumping ship is an idea that the pandemic made the new normal. There are many types of full-time travelers; some want to take a break and reconnect to themselves, and others are opting to work remotely and trade a home office for a world office. Still, others have reached retirement, or are about to, and intend to travel the world as the next step in their lives.

The question I’m asked the most often, no matter what kind of full-time traveler they intend to be, is, how do you afford it? As a full-time travel coach , I teach people to afford full-time travel. I’m going to share some of my top tips to help you afford to travel full time, if that’s on your radar. Whether you’re retired, leaving your “normal day job,” or becoming a remote worker, all these tips will help.

Create A Budget

The foundation of affording full-time travel is having a travel budget. There are many factors that go into this, and a lot of the methods have to be customized to your specific goals and assets. That being said, here are some thinking points to guide your travel budget creation.

1. How Long Do You Want To Travel? 

The duration of your travel is hugely important. Obviously, money will stretch farther in a shorter period of time than in a longer one. So, if you’re traveling for 3 months on $10,000, you can afford a lot more than you could if you planned to travel for 6 months on that budget. Your desired timeframe is essential to know to set the right travel budget. That’s just the beginning.

2. Where Do You Want To Travel To?

Next, think about where in the world you want to travel to, and what currency you’re traveling on. If your home currency is the dollar or the euro, much of the world will be more affordable to you than those with other currencies. Parts of Southeast Asia and South America will be so inexpensive you’ll be stunned. But an African safari or trip around Europe or America will be more expensive. The places you go play an important role in how far your budget will stretch. 

3. How Are You Traveling?

Do you plan to fly, rent cars, take trains, buses, or boats? The methods of transportation you choose have a direct impact on your budget. The more willing and able you are to take buses, the less expensive your travels will be. Obviously, long bus rides can be taxing on the body, so it’s a choice that may be less comfortable.

4. Be Honest About Your Travel Style

If you’re used to vacation travel with a corporate job, you may have stayed in luxury hotels and eaten at some of the best restaurants in the world. If you try to travel full time in this style, you won’t be able to travel long, unless you’re wealthy. (And if you are, good for you!) If you want to make travels last longer, then adapting to a more budget-conscious style will afford you more time. This is a choice you have to make.

I’ve shared a few rooms with roaches and lizards, used shared bathrooms, and lugged my own bags up staircases. But that’s not for everyone. I fell in love with traveling, so I do what I can to extend it. If you prefer luxury travel, be honest about that. The worst thing you can do is travel in a style you hate and find yourself frustrated with the entire experience.

Reconsider How You Use Money

The value of money will change when you travel full time. When you’re in a fixed location, you buy bottles of shampoo, olive oil, and lots of stuff on Amazon you don’t need. When you travel, you want to save money and space. You will most likely carry your own bags, so consider reducing the weight of your luggage — this can be a back and money saver, as you’ll frequently see fees for extra baggage. You’ll change from prioritizing the purchase of souvenirs to buying experiences that you’ll remember for the rest of your life.

5. Save Before You Go

You may realize that you need to create a savings padding before you go, but it can be overwhelming to figure out how to do it. I took a Financial Planning 101 class years ago, and it opened my eyes to spending and savings and allowed me to start being smarter with money. If you’re ever looking for some good reading about how you spend your money, there are some good titles by Olivia Mellan . Though they were written some time ago, I found her insights really helpful, especially around understanding your money spending style — and how to fix it.

The more money you can save before you travel full time, the more time you can travel. This is a good time to get clear on your travel goals and then assess each expense as to whether it takes you toward those goals or away from them. Also, cutting out “nice-to-have” and recurring expenses are great places to start cutting down costs. You can then put that money into your savings account and watch it grow.

6. Save On Flights

If you’re flying, there are some great ways to save on airfare. You likely know that choosing flights with stopovers can save you a lot of money, but, of course, take more time. If you get a credit card that helps you rack up points toward future travel, this can make flying virtually free. There are a few other great strategies to help cut down on flight costs.

Be flexible on the dates you travel. Flying mid-week is often significantly cheaper than flying on a weekend. On a recent trip to Florida from New York City , I shaved $300 off the price by flying on a Wednesday. As a bonus, I also find I get upgraded more on the mid-week flights than on the weekends.

Apps like Secret Flying (or following them on Twitter ) will keep you informed of amazing flight deals and mistake airfares. Note, though, that mistake airfares come with the risk that your ticket might not be honored.

7. Save On Lodging

Since you’ll need a place to rest and shelter every night, anything you can do to reduce this daily cost is key to affording full-time travel, at least if you intend to do it for more than a few months. One way to save is by staying in the same place for more than a week. This is often when discounts kick in. If they don’t, then speak to the property or hotel manager and see if they will reduce your rate for a longer stay.

Housesitting is an ideal way to cut out the cost of accommodations altogether. You typically look after someone’s pets while they’re away, and you can use their kitchen, which helps reduce your food costs as well. If you adore animals, you have the added bonus of wonderful companionship as you travel. However, it can be hard to leave some of the pets behind, speaking from personal experience. Trusted Housesitters is the best-known one, but you can also find in-country petsitting companies.

The advantage of joining an international housesitting service is being able to build up good reviews. However, depending on in-country competition, member prices, and availability, locals may list on a local website.

There are other options, like Couchsurfing and Host A Sister , where you can get a few nights for free at someone’s home. If you’re able to rent your existing home while you travel, that’s a great way to fund your travels.

Traveling Full Time Can Be For Everyone

As you can see, traveling full time is available to anyone, but it requires some in-depth planning and strategies to make it happen. Your unique situation will determine the best ways to save money, earn money while you travel, and how long you can keep going. I jumped in believing my budget would last 3–6 months. The more I traveled and committed to the lifestyle, the more I was able to make that budget last. In the end, my initial budget lasted for over 2 years. This lifestyle truly is available to anyone who wants to do it.

Further Reading:

• 8 Ways My Full-Time International Adventures Have Expanded My Travel Horizons
• How I Found The Best Job Of My Life During Retirement
• Traveling Solo Over 50: 7 Tips From The Experts
• I’ve Been Stuck In New Zealand For 19 Months — Why I Need To Say Thank You

Heather is a full-time travel coach who is passionate about helping professionals seeking more freedom and flexibility to ditch their desk and discover their destiny through full-time travel. She provides her clients with the path to the mindset, money, and mastery to make a full-time travel lifestyle possible. Since quitting, she's become an international best-selling author and is about to do her first TEDx talk! Learn more about Heather's travel adventures on her website, Heather Begins.

HOW TO TRAVEL FULL TIME – a down-to-earth guide

Travelling full time seems to be the dream for every Millennial around the world. We’re all being told that working 9 to 5 is something we have to escape from, that we should follow our dreams and get inspired by each travel quote we see. But there is something about this whole idea that I don’t agree on.

Full-time travel is yet another full-time job, unless you’re rich . While travelling full time means that you’re location independent, it doesn’t mean that you won’t have to work. If you want to travel around the world for more than a few months, you’ll have to do more than just sit on a beautiful beach in Thailand with a Mojito in your hand.

Full-time travel is about exploring the world while working your a** off to afford it. There, I’ve said it.

But how can you afford to travel full time in the first place?

Before getting to the part where you’ll have to work day and night to afford your new lifestyle as a digital nomad, I want to share with you how you can get out of your comfort zone, quit your job, leave your friends and family behind and travel the world.

It doesn’t sound that fancy anymore, does it?

Even though the goal is to escape the 9 to 5 job, the best way to save up money to travel full time is to have a full-time job. Having one will allow you to have a stable income and to save up money.

Also, you never know when the skills learned at your desk job will help you build your own successful business. I’ve worked in advertising before deciding to travel full time and it has made all the difference for me. I use the skills learned at my previous job to grow my blog. Isn’t that awesome?

No time to read now? Pin it for later!

If you are wondering how to save up money, I’m going to share with you a few tips. Think about all the things you buy but don’t actually need. That money could go into travel instead. It’s just a matter of priorities.

If you make the decision today that your top priority is to save up money to travel the world for X months, you’re gonna make it. Give up useless clothes, cook instead of eating at restaurants, and cut other expenses.

A good way to decide whether or not to buy something is to ask yourself the following questions: Will this thing be useful in my journey? Can I bring it with me in my carry on?

If the answer is no, let it go. You’ll enjoy an extra day in Vietnam more than a new t-shirt.

Another good way to keep yourself motivated to spend less is to think about how many days you can travel with the money you spend on new clothes or eating out at restaurants. As a base, if you’re planning on backpacking , you’ll need about $25 per day.

So, let’s do the math:

1 Zara t-shirt = one day of backpacking

1 meal in the city = one day and a half of backpacking

1 movie = one day of backpacking

1 pair of shoes = 5 days of backpacking

How many days of travel do you think you can save up for in one week?

From full-time job to full-time travel

If you thought that saving up the money was the hardest part, think again.

The transition from your comfort zone where you are surrounded by family and friends to moving at the other end of the world is the hardest part. There are many things you’ll have to give up when travelling full time. I’ll list below just a few of them.

1. Friends & family

This is probably the hardest part. Since we were little, we’ve spent our whole lives surrounded by family. We all have childhood friends, friends who’ve been there unconditionally. Having somebody to rely on is incredible and probably one of the best feelings in the world but are you ready to give it up?

Traveling full time means that you’ll be away from your loved ones, somewhere around the globe where if something happens, nobody can come and rescue you. You are on your own . You’ll have to learn to live on your own and face everything.

But let’s look on the bright side – you’ll grow a lot! Being on the road will be the most valuable lesson in your entire life, trust me!

2. You’ll have to give up on things

Think about all your clothes, shoes and bags. Now forget about them.

Being location independent is all about minimalism and most of the times less is more. Once you give up on 80% of your stuff, you’ll feel free.

Picking daily outfits can be a burden when you have a wardrobe full of clothes. When travelling full time, things are much easier. Believe it or not, having just a backpack or a suitcase makes things much easier.

A good lesson I’ve learned while being on the road is to not get attached to things and I recommend you do the same.

3. Exit your comfort zone

New food, new people and new situations to deal with will wait for you at every corner. Full-time travel is about growing as a person while facing new challenges.

Be prepared to change your diet and eat weird food. You won’t find many tasty hamburgers in the heart of China or between the temples of Bagan . Every country has its traditional food and love it or not, you’ll have to adapt to it.

Be prepared to face the unknown.

It’s time to pack your stuff

If after everything I’ve told you, you still want to roam the world, you’ll have to read about the ultimate full time-travel packing list.

I’ve been on the road for the past year. After all this time, the content of my backpack has suffered major changes. I’ve learned to declutter and pack efficiently and I want to share how I did it with you. Below are a few must have items that will help you save tons of space while traveling full time.

• packing cubes – these little wonders will help you keep your things organised. They are every traveler’s dream accessories.
• elastic grid organizer – this one is a life saver. Keep your charges, memory cards, and other small accessories in one place.
• travel plastic bags – they’re light, easy to use and perfect for keeping things organized – you must have them.
• travel bottles – take your shampoo, shower gel, and other liquids with you in your carry on luggage with these awesome travel bottles.

Let the journey begin!

Now it’s time to talk about the journey itself.

By now probably all your friends think you’re crazy and they’re not to blame. Society pushes us to have a stable job, buy a house and have kids. In their eyes, you’re the misfit. They don’t understand your desire to explore the world, to challenge yourself. You’ll become “the crazy friend” but they will still love you.

Once you’ll get on that plane, you’ll feel the whole world crushing beneath your feet but once you reach your destination a whole new world will open up to you.

If you took the decision to travel full time, you probably have some savings. They might be enough for a few months of travel or even one year. The question is what will happen afterward, after the money is gone?

Making money while traveling full time

There are basically 2 options: you’ll want to go back home, at a stable job and lifestyle or you’ll just want to travel more.

Trust me, there is nothing wrong with wanting to go back home. Changing accommodation every three days and sleeping on buses is not for everyone. There is nothing wrong with wanting to have a stable lifestyle.

On the other hand, if you plan to travel more, you have to take action and put in the work.

1. Content creation

Most travelers choose to become content creators (vloggers, bloggers, Instagrammers). Being a successful content creator can bring you enough money to continue your full-time travel journey but there is a catch.

There is no such thing as overnight success. 

Even though you’ll come across courses about “how to become an influencer in 5 easy steps”, don’t even bother to read them. If you really know that this is what you want – to become a digital nomad – you’ll have to start working on it from the moment you leave home.

Open a YouTube account, start a blog or an Instagram page (you can read more about blogging vs social media here ). Start creating content, take photos or videos and when you have spare time, write blogs or edit videos.

Growing a blog or any other channel takes A LOT of time. It takes months, if not years of dedication to make a good, stable income from content creation.

2. Freelancing

Another option to make money is to become a freelancer.

There are many freelancing jobs such as being a freelance writer, web designer or programmer and the best part is that you can work remotely. This means that you can continue to travel while making an income.

Some websites where you can offer your services are Upwork , Freelancer or Guru .

Whether you choose to become a content creator or a freelancer, the thing is that you’re going to have to work. Trust me, working and traveling at the same time is not as easy as it seems.

If you’re wondering how I do it, this is how my schedule usually looks like. I travel non-stop for a few months and I create content along the way. I take photos, research about the best places to visit and try to discover new places which are off the beaten path. After all this travel, I take a break for another few months in Canggu, Bali.

And now comes the hard part. I work all day, every day at catching up with my content. I write tirelessly on my blog and I love it. For me, my blog is my little baby and I love seeing it grow.

I think it all comes down to passion. You might be passionate about traveling, but let me ask you one question – Would you work your a** off to afford it?

Final thoughts

I know that there are many posts and articles on the internet where everybody only speaks about the pretty face of full-time travel and as a digital nomad myself, I felt the need to share with you the truth, step by step.

My intention is not to discourage you to follow your dream. Instead, I want you to have a down-to-earth image about what travelling full time really means. Yes, it’s challenging and hard but at the same time, it’s the most rewarding and fulfilling experience in the world!

It takes a lot of courage, tons of determination and a will of steel to transform full time travelling into a lifestyle.

May the travel bug bite you!

Aurelia Teslaru is a professional travel blogger and the writer behind Daily Travel Pill. With a 4-year experience as a travel writer and photographer, Aurelia only shares travel guides about destinations that she visited.

She has been to more than 40 countries during the past 10 years and aims to explore 50 countries before turning 30 years old. Aurelia is a digital nomad who transformed her passion for travel into a lifestyle. Read more about her here .

To follow her adventures, check out her Instagram and Facebook pages!

Hhhh you’re genius! I liked how smoothly your writings went. Your a Very creative writer! I appreciate how you did to show us the real face of the full time travelling. Informative.

Thanks so much! Glad you liked it!

Glad I enjoyed the post! Thanks for sharing such an useful Information

Really great post! I’ve been travelling for almost four years & I’ve applied a lot of these points to my life in the past. Really like your blog & can’t wait to read more!

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How to Travel Full-time A Complete Guide to Perpetual Travel

Photo by Daniel D'Auria

By Nathan Swartz

The entire prospect of this magazine aims to answer this question, but the realization suddenly dawned upon our dear office on wheels that perhaps not everyone might have the time or desire to read each and every article and blog post on this site.

Thus this all-in-one guide is born. There will be links, there will be references to other articles, but more or less this is your “How to get on the road, ditch your job, and live in an RV full-time” field guide.

How to Make Money while Traveling

Making a Living on the Road

As the idea of perusing the countryside through your windshield floats to the top of your brain on a daily basis, you’ll no doubt be consumed with thoughts of all the grandeur that will undoubtedly take place with your new mobile lifestyle. Climbing mountain peaks, epic oceanside vistas over lunch, winding roads through otherworldly desert landscapes, these are the things that dreams are made of.

And then you’ll realize that all of this flirting around with nomadism will require an income source.

How you’ll make money on the road largely depends on you. It’s true that most folks who we’ve met doing this are earning their cash via the wwws, Mr. Internet.com. Software developers, web designers and people doing support work for internet companies seem to make up the majority of those who’ve managed to make a movement towards mobile awesomeness.

Writers and photographers abound, too.

But those aren’t the only ways to make a living on the road. While they do have online income as well, our friends Jim & Rene of Live.Work.Dream can speak to the value of workamping. While you won’t get rich, exchanging your time for free rent and even a few extra bucks can be a great way to add yet another trickle to your income stream. Similarly, serving as a campground host–typically at state parks–usually doesn’t pay anything, but it can eliminate your rent altogether, minimizing your expenses.

CoolWorks.com

Lauren and Travis Hardy are another example that comes to mind. They travel around in their 1963 Airstream selling handmade and unusual items, a mobile boutique if you will. Their living space and shop are one in the same, and the unique lifestyle they’ve created has allowed them to travel from Maine to Southern California, Oregon to Georgia, doing what they love and seeing the nation all along.

The biggest factor on whether you’ll be a successful freelancer or entrepreneur is you. If you’re dedicated to your dream, creating an income source to support that dream is as important as anything. You’ll need to be the type of person who can balance a beautiful day at the beach with the hours necessary to make sure those beach days can continue.

What to Live in

Some full-timers rent vacation houses. Get a spot for a month or two, typically out of season, and you’d be surprised at the discounts you’ll get for volume. Vacation renters often love people who will take their property for a few months, it adds some regular income for them while at the same time removing a lot of the hassle that comes with renting to someone new every few days.

Most of us live out of some type of vehicle, though. From rockstar Class A RVs with all of the comforts of home and half the space to tow along trailers to Volkswagen Bus campervans, when we meet people on the road, this is how they’re living. In a nutshell, here are some ways to help you narrow down your decision making.

Slow Travel or See Everything?

Vacation Rentals 101: How to Rent Short Term Housing for Travelers

If you’re the type who loves to immerse themselves in the culture of the places you visit, there is no doubt that renting vacation houses is the way to go. It’s only after a month or so of living somewhere that you really start to experience the nuances of what makes any given location tick tock around the clock all night. The checkout ladies at the grocery store will get to know your name, you’ll meet a friend or two, and the surface fluff–aka the “touristy” stuff–will begin to fade as you learn where the locals hang out, and why.

The downsides of living in vacation houses is that it’s easily more expensive, and you have to live out of suitcases, moving your clothes and gear with you every time you switch destinations. Depending on how you get to the places you go, this can be a bit of a pain. If you drive from one spot to another, maybe it’s not such a big deal, but if you’re flying around the world, how much can you carry with you on those planes?

Also, if you stay somewhere for two or three months at a pop, you won’t see much of the world. You’ll see some of the world more clearly, and that is a beautiful thing, if you take it slow (can’t recommend it enough!) but you won’t knock out all 50 states any time soon. If you like the freedom of having your home come with you, and all of your stuff, too, then an RV is the way to go.

Freedom or Comfort

Let’s say you’ve realized that the RV life is for you. You’ll float around with your fridge never too far away, the open road yours for the picking and any time you don’t like your location, open up an atlas, point your finger and go.

The term “RV”, unfortunately, is pretty broad. I’ve found that there are two ways of classifying all RVs: big and small.

With a massive Class A or the Fifth Wheels that can be just as spacious, you don’t really have to give up that much space in exchange for this lifestyle. Particularly if you were a young person or couple who lives in an apartment anyway, you might not notice much of a difference in the amount of space you’re living in as you hop into your grand old rig and head out into the world. The fanciest RVs have big TVs, big fridges, hell I’ve even seen those with slide outs that open up to a deck.

We’ve gone days, if not an entire week, at a time watching as retirees in these types of large, cushy RVs never need to leave their house for all of the comforts that can be stocked inside. Of course, there are plenty of extremely active people who engage themselves in the places they go living in big rides, too.

Jason and Nikki of Gone with the Wynns come to mind, as does the family behind Where in the Howell are We?

Both of those groups prove that just because you’ve got a giant motorhome, that doesn’t mean you can’t get out and into the wild. It’s possible, but there is a limitation that size like that brings, whether it’s where you can physically fit, how easy it is to maneuver around the backstreets of small towns and cities, and the gas you’ll guzzle all the while.

On the other end of the spectrum is the VW Bus, Class B “campervan” and Sportsmobile-type rides. These are all essentially vans that have been kitted out in one way or another to provide living space and a variety of other conveniences for making a life out of such a small space.

Volkswagen Buses (often referred to as “Westies / Westfalias” when they’ve been converted to campervans) are about as small as a home on the road can be, but still pack in a fridge, Coleman stove, often a sink and even a propane heater. The older the better (vintage cred goes a long way to making it on the road), when kept in running order they can be taken nearly anywhere, you can almost literally call any legally available parking spot your home, and an entire subculture is out there just waiting to chat with you about your choice of home-on-the-road.

True Class B RVs are more like suped-up conversion vans. A company takes a van like a Chevy 2500 or Ford E-250 and kits it out with screened windows, a fridge, beds, sometimes a shower and toilet; just about anything you’d expect from a normal RV but in a much smaller space. They’re typically as long as “extended” vans, have running boards which limit their clearance, and if you wanted an option with satellite television and a flat screen, it wouldn’t be impossible to find. Roadtrek, Pleasure Way and Airstream are all brands to look into for this type of campervan.

When I refer to a Supervan, a term I may or may not have made up, I’m talking about rides like Sportsmobile customizes for you. The ingredients are essentially this: take a van, add four wheel drive, a pop top, a kitchen, throw on a bunch of cool looking gas tanks and ladders on the outside, and go wherever you frickin’ want. I have lived in a Class C, then a Volkswagen Bus, and currently a 31′ Airstream and my next move will be to a Supervan, if that means anything to you.

The extremes of the spectrum covered, you’ll no doubt realize how many in-betweens exist within this range. Motorhomes vs. trailers, vans vs. RVs, fifth wheels or pop ups, truck campers or school buses, there are literally dozens of combinations available to suit any particular family or couple’s needs.

What I find though is that figuring out exactly which one is right for you before you hit the road can be daunting, if not downright impossible. The best advice possible is this: nearly everyone I know is either happy with what they have, or wishes they’d have gone smaller. Their are families living in rock stars who wouldn’t have it any other way, and there are those living in mid-sized RVs who wish they would have gone for a campervan. I’ve never heard of anyone who wishes they could go larger.

One way to test things out for yourself is to do an extended rental from somewhere like El Monte or Cruise America. I suggest at least two or three weeks to really get the feel for what day to day life is, after giving yourself a little time to let the sheer thrill of the adventure fade off a little.

New or Used

The final big decision is all about how you want to spend your time and money. Every RV, like any other vehicle or home, requires maintenance. How much maintenance depends on what you buy, and that choice stems from your personal situation.

The Complete Guide to Choosing and Buying RVs for Full-Time Traveling

It’s no big eye-opener that buying used is cheaper, at least in the short term. I find that it’s vastly cheaper even in the long run, but instead of dropping a set amount of money up front and then paying a fixed monthly payment, when buying used you essentially put a downpayment on your rig and then your “monthly payments” are whatever you decide to do this month to either keep things going or get them where you want them to be.

I’ll use our 1976 Airstream as an example, again going with the “extremes” model here. Because we chose to go with a vintage vehicle, we only had to pay $7000 up front. That meant I was able to save for a year or so and buy the trailer outright. No payments, to me, is important, because I like to spend the money I have on wants instead of needs.

Within three months of owning the Airstream, however, I’d dropped a couple grand into redoing much of the interior to suit our family. Would I have purchased a new Airstream, I could have gone for many of the options and color schemes we wanted right out of the box. Not exactly what we did by any means, but something suitable would have been available. In addition to maybe $2000 worth of paint, polishing tools and liquids, and all of the random hardware, wiring and exterior gear needed just to get her roadworthy, I spent nearly one hundred hours working on her. That included learning how things worked, fixing them, and a lot of driving back and forth to the closest Ace Hardware.

How Everything in an RV Works

We also bought a used van to tow her with. It was a beautiful piece of machinery, a conversion van that was kitted out enough that we could use it for a bedroom as well as a means of hauling our Airstream and family around. However, it was almost 20 years old when we got it, and though it was a champion on its own, the weight of the Airstream was too much for its cooling system. Everything was rated correctly, I did my research, it was just that a van of that age couldn’t do the job any more. We ended up putting, again, weeks of time into it before we broke down and bought a newer 2006 Ford E-350 that was more than enough to get ‘er done. I took on a payment, even for a used vehicle, in order to spare myself any more of my own time tinkering with what wasn’t working on the side of the road.

Aside from oil changes and keeping air in the tires, we’ve had nearly no issues with this new van since. Because it was used, I was able to pay it off within the year, and we ended up with something reliable and affordable.

Back to the Airstream though. A few months down the road and we needed new brakes, the old ones were shot. New tires to replace the cheapos I’d opted for the first time around. Our electrical system required a good deal of updating, almost as much as was involved in getting the plumbing and water system in general ready for boondocking. Throw in a busted frame, replacement of our nearly forty year old axles, and the minutia of little things like getting propane leaks fixed and replacing everything from the toilet and much of the sewage systems to the fridge, and we’re now close to $20,000 into this vehicle.

I could have purchased a used Airstream from the mid-2000s for around $30,000. I would have still had to do some upgrades, yes, but nowhere near what I’ve done to our 1976. I also would have saved probably two to three months in actual time working on the thing. Would that have been worth $10,000? If you’re desperate for time, yes, but for me much of what I learned working on the old girl was worth that $10k.

If we were to have purchased a brand new or nearly new Airstream, our price tag would have been closer to $50-$70,000. Even if there was never an ounce of maintenance required on the thing for as long as we might live in it, all of that time I spent fixing up the old would have been working my job to pay for the new. I don’t mind my job one bit, but on any given day, if I can do it for half of the day and spend the other half learning how alternating current works, then I choose the latter.

How to Get Rid of Your Stuff, Ditch Your House

Once you know how you’ll make a living and the logistics of your living situation, it’s time to remove the old baggage that’s keeping you in one physical location.

As for getting rid of stuff, well in theory it’s as easy as one more piece of pie, please. You can throw it all in the trash. Donate it to Goodwill. Sell it on Craigslist. For us, it’s always been a combination of all three.

We’ll have a yard sale. I price things cheaply so they’ll go, if my goal is to eliminate “things” then no better way to do it than to have a stranger pay me a few bucks to haul it away.

From what’s left, we’ll see if any of it is good enough to take to Goodwill. Surprisingly, almost everything is (they have a “broken cell phones” section after all).

Load it up, drop it off, get a receipt for your taxes if you’d like.

How to Travel Full-time

From making a living to raising your kids, where to go and more!

Whatever’s left is trash. Throw it in the bin, recycle it, just get it out of your life.

If you’re a renter that’s really all there is to it. If you own a home, you’ll need to make the big decision: Should I sell my house, rent it out, or just let it sit?

Whether you’re selling a house or just getting rid of a bunch of stuff, you’re bound to run into some emotional ties with things that you don’t want to get rid of. All of those pictures your kids have been drawing all of these years that you keep in a box under your bed just in case you ever want to look at them. The fine china, those extra pants you know you’ll need if you’re ever asked to officiate a Hawaiian themed marriage (again). Emotional bonds can hold us back just as strongly as a desire to adventure can leave us longing for the road.

My best advice is this: weigh what’s more important to you. You can collect things, or you can collect experiences. I know which one I choose every time.

How to Do it all with Kids

Now what about those little ankle biters you’ve found yourself with over the years. Is it parentally responsible to just pull them out of school, get rid of all of their stuff, and remove them from their network of friends? That’s not an easy question to answer.

Does travel open up a young person’s mind to new things, experiences they never would have had anyway? Will they learn more from a hike through Yosemite than an entire quarter of public school? Will spending their days with their family instead of a teacher and classmates make for a more close-knit home life?

As you can see, depending on the questions you ask, the answers can gravitate heavily one way or the other. If you’ve got tikes, and want to travel, you’ll need to arrive at this conclusion yourself: travel is infinitely better for anyone, regardless of age, than stagnation. It encourages life outdoors, provides input from channels you may have never even dreamt of were you not thrust into their midst, and all in all teaches children how to think, how to solve real life problems, instead of being presented with predesigned courses and pieces of paper intended to lead them in a specific direction known as fact memorization.

If you disagree, that is completely fine. But I think a general acknowledgement of those truths is necessary for any parent who decides to gift their children with a traveler’s gear.

The Little Details

Now that we’ve got the big stuff down, let’s talk minutia. Getting mail is hard when you don’t have a fixed address. The Internet does, indeed, suck monumentally when you’re relying on free WiFi and cellular connections compared to high speed at home. Doctor’s visits, grocery shopping and your daily showering routine will all change significantly. Even trying to buy a six pack will be somewhat of a new adventure as you meander across state lines, and state laws.

Luckily, we’ve written an entire issue on how to navigate all of these things.

Where Should I Go?

It’s funny how easy it is to imagine yourself traveling. It’s even more comical when you finally get behind the wheel and realize you’re not sure exactly where to go.

While most of us will start out with some destinations in mind, places we’ve long wanted to experience, it’s easy to burn through those pretty quickly. Even if you do know that you want to go to Austin, Texas and then Boulder, Colorado, well, there’s a lot of stuff in between. How do you figure out which campsite is the best? Or which region you should even begin looking in?

For some people, these decisions define them. Take Brian and Maria of the Traveling Pint, for example. They began just randomly wandering about. Early on, they were wondering what to do and so headed to a brewery. For the past few years, touring from one brewery to the next has become what they do. It makes sense: craft breweries and great places go hand in hand. Towns like Boulder and Asheville, North Carolina have breweries precisely because of the conduciveness of the great outdoors, great small towns, and great beers. People who like one of those often like the other two as well. Voila, a solution has been had!

When I first began traveling, I was more or less aimless. Drive down the road, listen to people’s suggestions, go there. I soon realized that I loved really, really small towns. So I found a list of the smallest and started checking them out. After a year or so, and by this time I’d picked up a new girlfriend who had input of her own, we found that state parks were our preferred places to stay. We also realized that you could find really great natural areas and exceptional small towns with a simple method:

• Find a nearby National Park.
• Look at the towns around it. Just do a search on Google Maps like “bars near Mt. Rainier National Park” or “coffee shops near Redwoods National Park”. That will give you a list of two or five towns to set your sites on.
• Then, in each one of those towns do a search for “Walmart” and “McDonalds”. If either one of those show up, you can be pretty sure the towns will be large, and likely surrounded by strip mall. I avoid those and focus in on the others.

From there you can make your individual decisions: do I stay in the park and visit the towns, or find an RV park in the town and visit the National Park? You may also love strip malls and want to be back to back with your nextdoor RVing neighbor, in which case ignore all of the advice I ever give.

How to Save Money

This is Boondocking

Finally, once you’ve figured everything out and you’re on the road, you’re going to want to save some cash. While there are a lot of ways to save money on the road, there are three surefire ways we’ve found to cut some of the biggest expenses.

Firstly, if you take it slow, and stay in any given RV park for a month or more at a time, you can often get killer monthly rates from $300 – $600 / month. You’ll also save a ton on gas this way.

If you do want to travel around a lot though, look into state parks instead of private RV parks. Rates are typically closer to $20 / night, and while they may not always have full hookups, that’s comparable to $35 – $50 / night in private RV parks these days.

Finally, joining membership clubs is definitely a good way to go. I am a member of AAA, Good Sam and KOA. All three get me 10% off, but not all three work at every single park. I’ve also used Passport America, where you get 50% off overnighters, before and it proves to be easy to make a profit on as well.

How To Prepare For A Life Of Full-Time Traveling

In September of 2017, one year after we met, we were sitting at North Avenue Beach in Chicago and I told Gordon; hey, what do you think if we try to make money while living a life of full time traveling? That’s all it took.

Let’s rewind.

A couple of weeks before that day at the beach, a friend introduced me to a family who was traveling the world full time with their kids and documenting their adventures on YouTube and Instagram ( @thebucketlistfamily ). I watched like 10 of their videos and that’s when the seed was planted. Fast forward to that day at the beach, I asked G if that was something he’d consider doing with his life. To my surprise, he said yes.

I honestly thought he didn’t mean it. He would have to quit his job as a consultant and start a new career as a videographer/photographer/content creator (while not liking cameras LOL). However, that evening we came home and started working on a spreadsheet with a list of all the places we wanted to visit and what we wanted to accomplish from our crazy adventure. Our lives changed after that day and it all felt so right.

We opened a bank account together in October 2017. We started saving money like crazy (read more about how we did it here) . But, shortly after, we realized we needed more than money if we were going to -at least try- to turn our 2 years of traveling into our full time jobs.

We weren’t sure how to make this post useful for anyone out there getting ready to travel the world full time and try to make a living while at it. That’s why we decided it was better to divide everything we did into 4 categories: Skills, mental, finances and health.

Estimated reading time: 21 minutes

• Ready to learn about what we did before full time traveling? Let’s do this!

Table of contents

Videography and youtube, seo (search engine optimization) & this website, the planning stage, where do we stand with our trip today, telling our friends and family, finances // how are we going to save all this money, health // how are we going to stay healthy while traveling full time, did you learn anything about full time traveling please share it on pinterest, ps: in april 2018 we posted our full time traveling announcement video on our youtube channel:, skills // things that will help you make money online while living a life of full time traveling.

First we asked ourselves, how on earth are we going to make money with full time traveling? Is anyone out there successful at this?

We read a million posts. Some mentioned teaching English or working abroad as bartenders. Others mentioned online marketing, house sitting and a bunch of other things that didn’t feel like the right fit for us. That’s when we decided to look at our own strengths. We made a list of the things we were good at. Then, decided that we were going to try to make money with a YouTube channel , Instagram and this blog.

What exactly did we learn before our trip?

Ok, so we were like yes, this is so cool, we are going to be digital nomads. Cool. What does that even mean? Well, we had to learn some things from the very beginning. Having a strong foundation was our #1 goal.

We started learning about videography. Making videos and editing them. Practicing with a camera, asking all of my videographer friends for tips and we watched A LOT of YouTube videos. We also got a membership with Skillshare and did many courses about videography and photography. Learned about story telling and how to edit videos in Final Cut Pro X. Some of my favorite YouTube channels for video tutorials are Mark Harrison , Daniel Schiffer and Thomas Alex Norman . I also had to learn about YouTube SEO and strategies, which I learned form this YouTube channel.

Speaking of SEO…. Somehow despite having had a blog for almost 5 years I completely ignored this basic skill (I’m embarrassed to admit it). This time I was not going to make the same mistakes, so we dove in. And deep. We learned so much through the Goats on the Road website. We even did one of their paid courses! I also watched every video on Cathrin Manning’s YouTube channel (and her blog ) and pretty much read every blog post on Keysearch’s blog . This is just to name a few. SEO was by far the skill we invested more time and money into.

This website was another thing that took a few months to put together. We started (and almost finished) a website with Squarespace at first. Then we learned -a few months later- that if you wanted to be serious about SEO, WordPress was the way to go. So, we had to make the decision about making the switch and start all over again. It was frustrating but we know it will be worth it.

All the structural work was done by us at the beginning. Then, we hired someone to add some final touches we couldn’t figure out on our own. We did it this way to save money and because building a website on our own would force us to learn about the basics. This is very valuable when you need to hire someone later on. It’s important that you know more or less what you are talking about, so you don’t get screwed like I did with my blog ‘ Ways of Style ‘ many many times.

We dove deep into the business of online marketing. Understanding algorithms became second nature and we familiarize ourselves with all the ways we could possibly make money online while traveling full time. I did a couple of courses on Instagram with the Professional Traveler that I cannot recommend enough! Even if you are a ‘established’ blogger or influencer. I had my Instagram as my main source of income and I didn’t know a lot of the things she teaches in her course. She’s brilliant!

We are not even close to being experts on any of these subjects. But we’ve been learning what we need in order to get started and we hope to get better over time. It was important for us to have a solid foundation on how exactly we were going to capitalize our 2-year world adventure and most importantly, make it a lifestyle. Sure it sounded fun to everyone, but we meant business. And we were serious about it.

What took most of our time while getting ready for this trip was planning it. If you don’t have an unlimited budget, you have to be smart about which destinations and activities to include. Plus, all the logistics involved in putting together such a long trip. We mostly did all the planning because we needed an estimate of how much this adventure would cost us, however, we don’t plan to stick to every little detail. We will try to stick to our budget instead.

Basically, all of our free time since October 2017 was invested towards something related to this trip. We had a lot of time to get ready, but some things we’ll have to figure out while on the road, which should be (mostly) fun.

We were set to leave on January 2021, but because of COVID-19, green card and passport issues, we are still waiting on things to align so we can start living our dream of traveling the world full time. One thing we know, we are ready to leave. We already sold all of our stuff and are living a nomad life because we are both able to work from wherever there’s a good internet connection.

COVID-19 of course, is going to have an impact on the way we travel. We need to get the vaccine as soon as possible and instead of hopping from country to country, we are planning on staying at least 2-3 months in each place.

July 2021 update: we both got vaccinated, G already quit his job and we are getting ready to leave in September. Stay tuned for more!

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The mental part // How on earth are we going to tell people about our life plans?

I don’t know how old you are, but as a socially acceptable responsible adult, you cannot say to other adults you are going to spend your savings traveling (not at 33 & 35). The thing is we NEVER intended to spend our life savings traveling, but to most people this whole making-money-online thing sounds like a scam. And I get it. I didn’t know much about it until I saw other people being transparent on how they were doing it.

The mental part was intense. It still is.

Getting mentally prepared to have no income, no home, basically no material things, living out of a suitcase, jumping from plane to plane every month, all while trying to build a meaningful and successful business together, has been slow to sink in.

According to most social standards, we are not in an age where we ‘should’ be traveling. Instead we ‘should’ be buying a house and thinking about having a family, or saving for retirement. Don’t think for a second it hasn’t been hard for us to deal with all of this. All of our friends are super stable and seem to have it all figured out, while we are just here thinking of investing all of our money on this crazy trip. It was not an easy decision to make, but we hope everything will be alright in the end.

Telling our friends and family about our new travel lifestyle wasn’t easy at all either. I think we can safely say that while everyone we love, does support us and think this trip is a cool idea, they also deep down think we are crazy and that we might be risking too much.

At times, it may seem like we don’t value the advice of all the smart people we have around us. The thing is though, we happen to believe in what we are doing so much and our vision for our life is so clear , that we still decided to move forward and at least try to build something together that is ours. We owe it to ourselves to at least give it a try.

We are getting older and of course we are terrified, but we’re also brave. It’s inevitable to think about the million things that can go wrong and panic. That’s why instead, we recently started to think about all the things that can go right.

What if. ..

We are actually able to execute our vision?

W e are able to live exactly the life we dream of living?

We can actually make the world a better place?

The answers to those questions act as our compass and motivation to move forward.

Naive? Maybe. Not trying? Never.

We wrote about this subject with a lot more details here. We share everything we did in this blog post.

Saving money was not easy. In fact, it was the reason why we had to wait over 3 years to leave and then some more because of COVID-19 and my green card.

We didn’t really have any money saved when we opened our savings account together. It was frustrating and felt impossible at times, but if we learned anything over these past years is that patience and consistency always pay off. For whatever it is that you are trying to save money for, remember that it all starts with $1.

We watched a lot of YouTube videos and read a million blogs to see how much money exactly we were going to need. Initially, before doing any research I guessed we would need like $100k per year LOL, but turns out you’ll be just fine with $35-40k/year. That’s the minimum for us, based on our traveling styles. You can do it for a lot less though. Trust us, we’ve learned about people who have traveled with just $10k and somehow survive one year. Again, it all depends on how you travel, where you go and what you’re willing to sacrifice.

Be sure to read this blog post to learn how exactly we saved money for our trip around the world.

Our health has always been very important to us, but it became even more important when we decided to leave.

Our health is not something we think about lightly or as a short-term thing motivated only by physical results (that’s only like 30% LOL). We started getting physically ready by going to the gym regularly and eating very healthy at home, which also helped us save some money. We love hiking, being in nature and being active. That’s why it was our top priority to be in good shape to do all the things we want to do and not have physical restrictions.

Do you guys usually take advice from older people? Well, I read somewhere that you should take advantage of your youth. That’s when you are strong and healthy to do all the crazy hikes, diving, trips, overnight buses, etc. Because when you are older, your travel style will definitely change. I’m honestly fine with that, but I do want to make sure to do all the crazy things while I still can.

Being healthy became part of our lifestyle. We do not intent to forget about that while we are on the road. We plan to work out and eat healthy most of the time while we travel too. It will be very hard because we both love food and cocktails, but hopefully we’ll find a good balance over time. It’ll be important for us to remember that we are not on vacation. We are permanently traveling and we want to grow old together and stay healthy.

Final thoughts // Are you thinking about traveling the world full time?

We hope this post gives you an idea of all the work it took to get ready for this. We didn’t think about it lightly. Just like a lot of people, we are risking everything in order to make our dream happen. All we can hope, is for it to be worth it.

* Learn how you can support the work we do *

By sharing all this info, we don’t mean to discourage you if you are thinking of doing the same. On the contrary, we are testimony that if you work hard towards your goals and stay focused, your dreams can become a reality.

“It is precisely the possibility of realizing a dream that makes life interesting.” – Paulo Coelho

There’s nothing special about us. If we can do it, so can you. It will take determination and discipline, but if you want it badly, you’ll do whatever it takes.

We have no idea what will happen after 2 years. We might come back home and start from zero, get a 9 to 5 job and start working like crazy to recover from spending all of our savings traveling. Or we might be able to build a business out of Ways of the World and continue to travel for years to come, who knows? One thing we know for sure, we are being bold for facing our fears and for trying something new we believe in our hearts is right. That’s something we’ll never regret.

Hope you guys follow our adventures on YouTube , Instagram or here. Either way, we hope to answer any questions you may have, so don’t hesitate to reach out to us!

Thanks for stopping by,

Aimara & Gordon

Related posts you may also like:

• How to save money to travel – Our story, how we did it & useful tips
• How COVID-19 impacted our plans to travel full time
• Learn how you can support the work we do here at WOTW
• More about what Ways of the World is all about

2 thoughts on “How To Prepare For A Life Of Full-Time Traveling”

Awesome tips. I knew one must save money in order to full-time travel but I didn’t think about preparing physically for it. You guys are right. Being in good physical condition is important to keep traveling. Kudos on taking the leap.

One of my dream jobs is to shoot walking videos in different cities. They seems very popular in YouTube. Just put record on and walk, then publish. No editing needed. Easy as ABC, Great post, thank you for sharing 🙂

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Full-Time Travel: 12 Essential Things You Need To Know

Full-time travel is a dream for many. I remember my first ever backpacking trip, even though it was several months long, I knew it would have to come to an end at some point, and I was always in awe of the people I met on the road who had cracked the code, and were traveling full-time.

On that trip, I met Kelli, and today, we have been traveling full-time together for five years, without plans to stop any time soon. We never decided to travel full-time, we simply set off on one trip that turned into another and another and another. We have traveled to over 80 countries, we have traveled by foot, bus, train, plane, three converted vans and most recently our sailboat Whisper .

Over those five years, we have learned a lot and it has been an incredibly special period in our lives. It probably comes as no surprise that we strongly recommend full-time or at least indefinite travel for everyone at least once in their life. The good news is, the dream of traveling full-time has never been more within reach.

Here are 10 things you need to know about full-time travel in 2023.

Why Travel Full-Time?

For us, there are many advantages to traveling full-time. Beyond the general benefits of travel such as broadening your perspective, improving communication skills, and exposing yourself to new cultures, people, and ideas there are some additional upsides that come with full-time travel.

Traveling full time affords us a sense of freedom we weren’t able to find living in one place and working 9 – 5 in traditional jobs. The ability to chart a course and set off to a new destination any day of the week or to pick a new country to visit next month is extremely liberating.

You can save money (if you can continue to earn money). While travel is generally considered an expensive pastime. Traveling full-time is surprisingly inexpensive when compared to living in one place and traveling occasionally. Expenses such as rent or mortgage, car payments, home maintenance, and household goods, can be deleted or significantly reduced. The expense of long return flights, short hotel accommodations, and vehicle rental is mitigated when you can travel slowly and flexibly. Traveling in a variety of countries including those with lower costs of living than your home country also brings down the average costs of living and traveling.

The opportunity to travel slower and to stay in a region longer offers an even deeper travel experience. Full-time travel allows us the time to learn a little of the language, meet locals and go beyond the tourist attractions and hopefully understand more about everyday life in a new place. Of course, a full-time traveler is still an outsider looking in, but if you use the opportunity full-time travel provides to go a little deeper then your travel experience can be even more rewarding.

Another benefit of traveling full-time is the opportunity to create income from travel. We have done so by creating a blog and a vlog, others use social media or their cameras to create travel content for profit.

When is the Perfect Time to Start traveling?

Is 30 too late to travel the world? Is 18 too young? What about 50? Truthfully there is no perfect age nor a perfect moment in life to start traveling.

One of the hardest things about setting off for any sort of long-form travel is that it is never really the right time. You are due for that promotion at work, your second cousin might be getting married next year, and you’ve just struck up an unlikely friendship with the cat next door.

To achieve your dream you will always need to sacrifice, and big dreams require a big sacrifice. You will need to leave everything behind. If you want to travel full-time, work out how much time you need to get your affairs in order, and save enough money to begin your journey, circle a date in the calendar, and start working toward your dream, today.

What’s the Difference Between Full-Time Travel and Other Travel?

Full time-travel is a lot different from a holiday, extended business trip or even that month-long Contiki bus tour you took through Eastern Europe at eighteen. Full-time travel requires planning, hard work, and discipline.

A sustainable approach to full-time travel requires careful planning. From researching destinations, working out schedules, and budgeting you will need to be thoroughly prepared. While a holiday doesn’t necessarily require such careful planning full-time travel requires things like long-term visas, understanding foreign tax obligations, and researching internet speeds in far-flung locales.

While traveling is often considered a relaxing and rejuvenating experience, full-time travel is often not. For many, if not most, people planning to travel full-time, income is required. This means on top of planning, traveling, and experiencing new places, you will need to juggle a job, something that is more difficult when you are on the move. In addition to managing your workload, challenges like finding suitable working environments with reliable wifi connections, and dealing with everchanging timezones can be both stressful and time-consuming.

A holiday or even extended travel has an end date which means we can indulge ourselves without restriction. We can blow the budget, eat unhealthy food, skip exercising, or drink too much, safe in the knowledge that our wallets and waistlines will eventually recover. Without an end date, full-time travel would quickly become a full-time nightmare if we took this same attitude. But without a set schedule or routine full-time travel requires discipline to remind ourselves that despite the scenes outside our window, or the thrill of waking up somewhere new, we are, in fact, not on holiday.

Despite these very real challenges, if you can handle them there is no doubt that full-time travel offers a level of freedom and excitement that is hard to match with a more traditional lifestyle.

Can Full-Travel Lead to Burnout?

Yes. For all the reasons mentioned above, full-time travel can be exhausting. Travel fatigue is real and the stresses of working and traveling at the same time can quickly become overwhelming. As a full-time traveler, it is important to be in touch with your stress level and take proactive measures when things get too much. When you begin to feel travel fatigue it is vital that you pause and take care of your needs and rest. Slow down and travel more slowly, take some time off work, or just check into a nice hotel and sleep for a weekend. But take time to take care of yourself.

Does Traveling Full-Time Put Pressure On a Relationship?

If you travel with a partner it can definitely put pressure on your relationship. Spending life traveling with your one and only sounds pretty romantic and it can be but there are definitely downsides.

Traveling full-time with your partner can add stress to your relationship and without any other outlet this can lead to conflict. It can also affect the romance and intimacy in a relationship. Another negative outcome of traveling full-time with your significant other is co-dependency.

Partners who decide to take the plunge together and travel full-time need to be aware of these pitfalls and have strategies to avoid them.

For more insight into the challenges of traveling full-time together check out these 25 Lessons we learned about living on the road as a couple .

Is Full-Time Travel Isolating?

On our first van life journey together we imagined pulling up in a new spot every night, making friends with other van lifers around a campfire. It rarely happened. And even if you do travel in a way that exposes you to lots of new friends, such as backpacking and staying in rowdy hostels, the intensity and brevity of these connections often exacerbate burnout and can rarely replace the deep long-lasting relationships of family and old friends.

Whether you are traveling by yourself, with your partner, or even with your family, full-time travel can be isolating. Feelings of isolation, of FOMO, and of being ‘left behind’ as our loved ones enter new phases of life without us are frequent on the road and can definitely create a sense of loneliness.

As a full-time traveler, you will need to work extra hard to maintain important relationships far from home.

Despite this, we have found it is possible to maintain important relationships if we put in the work. With today’s technology, it has never been easier to stay in touch with loved ones through messages, video calls, and social media.

Is Travelling Full-Time Dangerous or Scary?

Traveling has, at times, made me feel very scared, sometimes with good reason.

Scary moments that stick out to me, are getting lost in the jungle in Peru, Kelli getting incredibly sick while traveling through a dangerous part of Colombia, Our van being broken into while we were sleeping in it in Mexico, Kelli almost stepping on a dangerous snake in the middle of outback Australia, running out of fuel for our boat 50 kilometers from our final destination in Albania, not being able to find our accommodation in -25 in Kazakhstan in the middle of winter and a hundred other experiences that have felt incredibly scary, especially at the time.

Depending on where you go, completely avoiding dangerous and scary situations while traveling is probably not realistic however minimizing them is possible through proper research, preparation, and common sense. Research your destination and the known risks. Prepare properly to mitigate those risks. Take proper

While traveling full-time will undoubtedly open you up to a variety of new experiences, remember that they won’t always be experiences you necessarily wanted.

Can You Make A Living Traveling Full-Time?

Yes, there is a variety of jobs to fit any type of traveler that can allow you to make a living while traveling full-time.

There are traditional travel jobs like working on a cruise ship or as a flight attendant, becoming a traveling nurse or therapist, an artisan selling their crafts at different markets, or a busker ready to set up on a new street corner each day.

There is also a range of freelance opportunities for those working in the digital space. For people with skills (or those willing to acquire them) in fields like graphic design, video editing, programming, photography, website creation, music, and many other areas where the product can be delivered online, becoming a digital nomad is a real possibility.

Finally, there are more and more opportunities to take roles that until recently only existed onsite and do them remotely. Forward-thinking businesses are increasingly looking to employ remote workers to fill many professional positions. Raising the question …

Is It Possible to Travel and Work Remotely At My Existing Job?

For many, yes! Lots of roles are now able to be done fully remotely.

The age of the digital nomad fully underway providing many freelancers and business owners with the opportunity to deliver their products and services online. Additionally, we are now witnessing the dawn of the corporate nomad , where many companies are allowing employees to carry out their jobs remotely.

In 2019, there were around 15 million remote workers today that number is estimated to be over 45 million. The growth of the nomadic workforce has been exponential, and some sources predict that there will be over 1 billion digital nomads within the next 12 years. The next thing that needs to happen is for governments to react to the implications that this interconnected world, with citizens, spread out across the world.

When we set out to travel full-time Corona was still a beer and finding remote work with reasonable pay was considered a pie-in-the-sky dream.

No one wanted their accountant working from the Amazon jungle, and rightly so, the wi-fi is awful. Nevertheless, we battled through and were able to find enough clients as freelancers to keep us going.

Fast forward to 2023 and the amount of companies willing to let their employees work remotely is growing rapidly. There has never been a better time to take your existing job on the road or transition into a job you can do remotely.

Covid forced a workforce into remote work and the tech followed. We now have incredible tools at our disposal to conduct our jobs from afar. Sophisticated programs to host virtual meetings, rapid advancement of cloud share technology to promote online collaboration, and star link mobile satellite internet for less than $150 a month are all examples of how far the world of remote work has come in just a few short years.

The speed of development of solutions for an increasingly location-independent workforce has been awe-inspiring and we don’t expect this trend to reverse any time soon.

Are There Downsides to Working Remotely While Traveling Full-Time?

There are a number of downsides to working while traveling. Staying connected is often difficult, working in different timezones can be tough to deal with, and remaining visible to your staff, colleagues or managers can be challenging.

Full-time travel means being constantly on the move and trying to ensure a constant and reliable internet connection to dial into meetings or upload work comes with challenges. Nevertheless, internet technology is improving rapidly, and in many places, mobile internet is now sufficient to carry out many jobs. For those whose jobs require access to high-bandwidth internet, we are seeing that the availability is increasing and the price is dropping.

Another downside to traveling and working at the same time is juggling time zones, if you have an employer or clients in one location, then making yourself available to them at a convenient time may require some flexibility in your timetable.

Do Remote Workers Negatively Impact the Communities They Visit?

The rapid rise of an untethered workforce is not without its challenges. We are already seeing the effects of mass migration to certain destinations like Mexico City and Lisbon where an influx of cashed-up remote workers is driving up prices of real estate, and retail and displacing locals, negatively impacting their quality of life.

As a full-time traveler, especially if you are privileged enough to have a job that puts you in the top percentiles of global wealth then you have a responsibility to travel ethically. That means understanding the impact that you and your fellow nomads may be having on the areas you visit. We know to tread lightly when we visit a national park, we need to learn how to tread lightly when we travel to regions long term and think about how we can have a positive contribution to the places we visit without displacing or otherwise impacting local communities.

Hopefully, you found some interesting information about the realities of full-time travel! Did you find something you hadn’t thought of? Did we miss something you’ve discovered traveling full-time? Do you have a question about traveling full-time? Let us know below!

LOOKING FOR MORE Lifestyle Content?

• Life as a Corporate Nomad: Everything You Wanted to Know
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In 2016, I had been dumped by my girlfriend, fired from my job, and the lease on my house was running out. Facing moving back in with my parents, 26, jobless and alone I decided to listen to the message the universe was trying to send me. I took off on my first solo backpacking trip, with a one-way ticket to Bangkok and a well-thumbed Lonely Planet guide. From there I wandered Southeast and Central Asia, traveled the Great Steppe, and made my way across Russia and throughout Europe.

In Estonia I met Kelli, who, despite having a less frantic travel style, shared my my restless spirit and passion for exploration. Together, we embarked on a new journey, van life. Over four years we travelled across three different continents with three different vans.

In 2022, as the world began to re-open post COVID we took an opportunity to realise a long held dream, to live aboard a sailboat. Since then we have spent two summers in the Mediterranean, sailing and living aboard our little sail boat Whisper. When we aren't sailing we continue to live our nomadic lifestyle, guided by a philosophy of slow travel and self directed adventure be it by van or backpacking.

We find excitement through our journey into the unknown, stillness and content in the beauty of the places we discover and we find ourselves in the vastness of our world.

Hopefully, we can help you find what you're looking for too. Get lost with us and find your own path.

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Tour overview: .

This is the ultimate San Francisco full-day discovery tour, designed to explore breathtaking sights, iconic places, and unique hidden gems unknown to 90% of visitors to San Francisco. Enjoy the city at your own pace, with many photo stops. The tour starts in the exciting metropolis of San Francisco. Our luxury SUV tours are conducted by local, passionate and highly trained tour guides, many of whom are bi-lingual or multi-lingual, and have earned hundreds of 5-star reviews on TripAdvisor. Our tours are open to solo travelers, couples, families, friends, as well as corporate and incentive groups. For larger groups, we are happy to accommodate you in separate SUVs for up to seven guests, or in small luxury vans which accommodate up to fourteen guests.

Why choose an SUV tour?  Did you know that many iconic sights and neighborhoods in San Francisco are prohibited to large van and bus tours? These include Telegraph Hill, the famous Lombard Street, the ‘Painted Ladies’ (Postcard Row) on Alamo Square, the elegant Sea Cliff neighborhood, Baker Beach, Russian Hill neighborhood on San Francisco's most famous cable car route, and many other hidden sights, scenic areas, and mysterious back streets of the city. We highly recommend our SUV tours so that you can enjoy these gems up close, including a drive down the ‘Crookedest Street in the World.’

Visit the four corners of San Francisco with Golden Horizon Tours.  There is no need to waste time and money booking several tours with different companies, as we will bring you to all the best places including internationally renowned sites, as well as many that even locals don't know about. In addition to being a city rich in culture and history (most notably, the arrival of those seeking their fortunes during the Gold Rush), San Francisco's neighborhoods are very distinctive, ranging from hip and trendy to the beautifully elegant, and everything in between. With the city's reputation as a technology hub and foodie destination, there is something for everyone to enjoy and savor on this full day guided and custom tour.

We will provide ample photo stops and give you time to buy souvenirs along the way in your own time. Enjoy the views atop Nob Hill where the silver and railroad barons built impressive mansions, the cable cars ‘climbing halfway to the sky,’ Union Square with its glamorous shops, Chinatown (the first in North America and largest outside of Asia) - with an optional stop for fortune cookies, North Beach known as ‘Little Italy’ with pizzas to suit all tastes, and the multi-million dollar homes in Pacific Heights. Marvel at Golden Gate Park with its many wonders, including lakes, waterfalls, windmills, bison herd, museums, botanical gardens, the Japanese Tea Garden where you can enjoy a cup of hot tea in their rustic chalet, the Conservatory of Flowers with its exotic collection of flora, the De Young Art Museum ranked in the top five art museums in the U.S., or the famous California Academy of Sciences with its huge IMAX Theater, albino alligator, and exotic birds, which are sure to excite families with kids. We will drive up to Twin Peaks, the highest point in the city, to enjoy sweeping and panoramic views of San Francisco and the bay beyond, visit the famed Haight-Ashbury, capital of the hippie movement of the 1960s and home to Jerry Garcia, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, the eclectic Castro District, the scenic hills of Noe Valley, and Mission Dolores, the oldest surviving building in San Francisco. A particular highlight is crossing the Golden Gate Bridge for spectacular photos in the Marin Headlands.

Along the way, your tour guide will share stories from history, as well as tales of contemporary life in this famed city. You may enjoy your lunch (not included in tour price) at one of the celebrated ethnic restaurants in the Mission District, including typical Peruvian, Argentinean, Mexican, Puerto Rican, French and Indian cuisine, or North Beach, home to a variety of Italian restaurants, or opt for spectacular views at the Cliff House or Beach Chalet overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Alternatively, as we will be driving over the Golden Gate Bridge, you may choose to have lunch in the picturesque town of Sausalito.

Whether you are a first-time visitor or a repeat customer, your itinerary will be tailored to your expectations and tour needs. Please let us know more about your priorities, points of interest, and requirements, so we may prepare your tour accordingly.

Benefits of our private San Francisco tours:  A private SUV tour of San Francisco provides you and your family, friends, or your own private party with a wonderfully comfortable drive, access to exclusive districts, scenic hills and winding streets that are prohibited to large van and bus tours. Your passionate and knowledgeable driver-guide is dedicated to making sure you have a terrific tour and won't miss out on the unique sights of the “City by the Bay.” Our prices are competitive, and our service is unmatched. We provide quality over quantity and are committed to excellence and exceeding your expectations. Our expertise, experience, and unique style make us stand out as a well-respected leader in the tour industry. Come and join us for the tour of a lifetime!

Private Custom Description

Visit the four corners of San Francisco with Golden Horizon Tours.  There is no need to waste time and money booking several tours with different companies, as we will bring you to all the best places including internationally renowned sites, as well as many that even locals don't know about. In addition to being a city rich in culture and history (most notably, the arrival of those seeking their fortunes during the Gold Rush), San Francisco's neighborhoods are very distinctive, ranging from hip and trendy to the beautifully elegant, and everything in between. With the city's reputation as a technology hub and foodie destination, there is something for everyone to enjoy and savor on this full-day guided and custom tour.

We will provide ample photo stops, and give you time to buy souvenirs along the way in your own time. Enjoy the views atop Nob Hill where the silver and railroad barons built impressive mansions, the cable cars ‘climbing halfway to the sky,’ Union Square with its glamorous shops, Chinatown (the first in North America and largest outside of Asia) - with an optional stop for fortune cookies, North Beach known as ‘Little Italy’ with pizzas to suit all tastes, and the multi-million dollar homes in Pacific Heights. Marvel at Golden Gate Park with its many wonders, including lakes, waterfalls, windmills, bison herd, museums, botanical gardens, the Japanese Tea Garden where you can enjoy a cup of hot tea in their rustic chalet, the Conservatory of Flowers with its exotic collection of flora, the De Young Art Museum ranked in the top five art museums in the U.S., or the famous California Academy of Sciences with its huge IMAX Theater, albino alligator, and exotic birds, which are sure to excite families with kids.

We will drive up to Twin Peaks, the highest point in the city, to enjoy sweeping and panoramic views of San Francisco and the bay beyond, visit the famed Haight-Ashbury, capital of the hippie movement of the 1960s and home to Jerry Garcia, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, the eclectic Castro District, the scenic hills of Noe Valley, and Mission Dolores, the oldest surviving building in San Francisco. A particular highlight is crossing the Golden Gate Bridge for spectacular photos in the Marin Headlands.

• Complimentary pick-up and drop-off

Tour Prices

Private tour by suv.

This SUV tour is totally private and the price is per person.

Book this Tour by SUV

Select date from calendar.

Select Number of guests

Private tour by minibus (van).

This VAN tour is totally private and not available for public  or individual reservations. The price is per party and not per person.

Book this Tour by VAN/A 14-PASSENGER MINIBUS

Included:  Pick-up and drop off in San Francisco downtown or Fisherman’s Wharf, all applicable taxes, a private 8-hour guided tour from 9 am to 5 pm, unlimited photo stops and a personalized private tour itinerary, you will not be disappointed.

Not included:  Meals, driver’s gratuity (15% ), overtime and optional activities or sites’ entrance fees.

Term & Refund Policy

General terms, declined transactions, other terms and information, additional terms & tips for visitors and hikers.

More Terms and Miscellaneous

Our Terms, Refund and Cancellation Policy are as follows:

-91% of the total amount will be refunded to your credit card if you cancel your trip at least 15 business days prior to the scheduled tour (or the date of the tour or service). The remaining 9% covers the required transaction fees; that’s 4.5 % per each transaction (booking is one transaction and refunding is a second transaction for which we get charged as well). (weekends and holidays don’t count).

-50% of the total amount will be refunded if the tour is canceled at least 7 business days prior to the scheduled tour date or service. (weekends and holidays don’t count).

-15% of the total amount will be refunded if the tour is canceled at least 5 business days prior to the scheduled date of the tour (weekends and holidays don’t count).

-0% of the total amount will be refunded if the tour is canceled 4 business days, or less, prior to the day of the scheduled tour or service. This includes no-shows. (weekends and holidays don’t count)

Please note that all refunds are subject to credit card and merchant’s fees imposed on us by credit cards companies and merchant banks or providers. The average amount of credit cards and merchant’s transactions fees may range between 3.9 % to 9.8% of the total amount of your purchase (transaction) based on the type of credit card you use when booking this tour, the credit card issuer, country and conversion fees we are subject per transaction. Many foreign countries apply additional origination and conversions fees.

Important: Please note that we reserve the date(s) you requested and booked on our website for you and we decline taking other tours for these date(s) to honor yours. We keep a tour guide and a luxury vehicle on hold and make all required reservations and arrangements for you and your party, so please don’t change the date or cancel at the last minute as we have other customers and tours to honor.

– Reservation and Confirmation: As soon as you book online, a merchant receipt is generated automatically and sent to you via email. We will also confirm your reservation by email and send you a tour voucher or email confirming your booking date, tour and pick-up time. This tour confirmation or voucher is only valid for the specific date(s) you reserved on our website, and only valid for the names listed on the booking. You can’t transfer the names or ask for a different date(s), as we have other tours to honor. You may not change the tour date within 15 days from the date of the scheduled tour you booked, and there will be no alternative days offered.

In an effort to honor all tours, we reserve the right to partner with other tour operators, freelancers, and/or our sister companies. The exact name and contact information of your tour operator will be stated on your tour voucher and the trip confirmation will be issued especially for you after we received your approved transaction.

-All tours are subject to availability as we may get several tour requests at the same time. Approved payment transactions do not guarantee your tour unless it has been confirmed via email.

Please note that when transactions are declined, we do not receive any information in this regard, so  do not expect your reservation to be in place unless you received written confirmation.  Please contact us asap, but do not expect us to honor your tour without an email confirmation and tour voucher from us.

If your booking was declined by your own bank, this is often due to a mismatch between your bank information (such as the names on the credit card, zip/postal code or billing address) compared to the bank information you provided on our website when placed your order. Sometimes, transactions are declined due to insufficient funds as well. Your tour(s) will not be confirmed until your new transaction is approved by your own bank. We apologize for the inconvenience, but your own bank did so to prevent fraud and protect your credit card information or due one of the above factors.

All our tours are subject to availability even when the transactions are approved. We will get back to you as soon as possible and let you know if the required tour(s) and date(s) still available. Also, all our tours are conducted in English unless otherwise stated in the email or tour voucher confirmation we will send you soon, once your transaction is approved.

We reserve the right to offer you suitable substitutes or changes to your itinerary, tours or services due to special events, weather conditions, road closures, vehicle breakdowns, unpredictable circumstances, unavailability and/or due to last minute reservations. We assume no responsibility for delays caused by accidents, breakdowns, unforeseen accidents or events, road, weather conditions and/or all other circumstances beyond our control. We do not guarantee to arrive to, or depart from, any point at a specific time for the same above considerations. However, we will do our very best to honor your tour itinerary and schedule accordingly.

Hot-Air Balloon Special Cancellation and Refund Policy: This is an 8-hour guided tour (door to door when leaving from San Francisco or 6 hours when leaving from Napa or Sonoma Valley).

Your balloon ride will be scheduled before sunrise depending on weather conditions. Your safety is our #1 priority. Some rides may launch from other sites like Yolo County or Pope Valley when Napa weather conditions don’t allow us to fly the balloon. Balloons will never fly when it rains or in winds higher than 12 mph.

Heads-up: The hot-air balloon pilots offer alternative launching sites when Napa Valley weather conditions don’t permit them to take off from the valley. This maximizes your chances to fly from other sites even when weather conditions are not ideal in Napa.

Non-refundable for No-Show or last-minute changes: Our office staff will notify you by 5 pm the day prior to your hot-air balloon tour (generally, we pick our customers between 4 and 5 am at your hotel in San Francisco or Napa). If we are unable to reach you before 5 pm the day prior to your balloon tour because you don’t respond to your email or cellphone, or because you decided not to return our calls, your driver will still show up at 4 am as scheduled. However, if you don’t wake up , this will be a no-show and therefore, the entire cost will be non-refundable as per our refund terms and cancellation policy.

The Refundable Portion of the balloon ride: If you decide to cancel the balloon ride portion of the tour, you must do so at least 72 hours in advance. The hot-air balloon ride is only refundable when the pilot cancels it the same day due to bad weather or for any other considerations. If you cancel the balloon reservation is 72 hours in advance; the tour guide will pick you up at 9 am instead of 4 am and proceed with the wine tour as scheduled.

The wine tour itself is not refundable regardless of weather conditions. However, if you wish to proceed and take your chance, your tour guide will pick you up as scheduled at 4 am. Please keep in mind that we have reserved this day just for you and turned down other reservations to honor your tour, we still get charged and pay all wages and business expenses. For that, only the hot-air balloon ride portion of this package is refundable IF YOU CANCEL IT BEFORE 5 PM THE DATE PRIOR TO YOUR TOUR . If so, you will receive a $190 refund per person, which will be credited back to you within 7 business days. If you book directly with Viator, please review their own terms and policy .

Again, no changes or modifications are accepted within 72 hours prior to your trip. We close our office at 5 pm and your driver goes as early as 7 pm to be able to wake up at 2 am and come over to the office to pick up the required vehicle and meet you at 4 am at your hotel.

We are extremely transparent about these unforeseen weather conditions ,cancellation policy and terms. Please read these terms carefully so we avoid any misunderstanding or blame. Our drivers are humans and go to bed incredibly early to be able to show up at your hotel at 4 am. Please do not make any last-minute changes after 5 pm the day before your departure/tour. We will not even get your message until the next day!

Wheelchair and Handicap Accessibility issues: We apologize but our vehicles are not equipped with wheelchair access. There is no room for a wheelchair in our vehicles unless it’s a very small and foldable wheelchair. However, the main concern is the customers’ ability to get it in and out of the vehicles for liability issues. When kids, seniors, and wheelchairs are part of the tour, this will slow down the trip, and requires overtime. $179 will be charged to your credit card for each additional hour added to the tour after 12 hours by van, and $129 per hour when touring by SUV.

Pets:  Pets are not allowed in our vehicles out of respect for those who have allergies to pets.

Smoking:  Our vehicles are also non-smoking.

Clothing:  Please be prepared for cold weather, slippery roads and hiking trails, so have comfortable waterproof hiking shoes to walk on the snow in winter and spring. This long day-tour is hard on kids and seniors, we therefore recommend the overnight tour package.

Parks, Attractions and Site’s Closures:  We are not responsible, nor liable, for road and weather conditions. State and national parks’ closure can happen at any time and without a prior notice, due to bad road and weather considerations. No refund will be issued, regardless the reasons for which the trip may not reach its destination. If you cancel or stop the tour for personal or medical reasons, there will be no refund or change of tour or dates offered either.

Guided tours in foreign languages: All tours in foreign languages are subject to extra fees to cover tour guides or freelancers we may hire to honor your tour in the required language.

Travel Agents:  Travel agents are liable for 20% gratuity when their customer does not tip the driver or tour guides. We require customers’ full name and contact information from all travel agent or the tour will be cancelled. Travel agent are also liable for all overtime when their clients do not pay for, and a credit card will be needed on file. Due to high cost of conducting business in California, we barely cover our business expenses and wages, therefore, all our tours are non-commissionable rates.

Gratuity: 15 to 20% gratuity is required and customary in the USA. Generally, a tip may vary between 15% to 20% of the total purchase amount, or it can be a flat amount that is near the appropriate percent. It really depends upon the situation, and your generosity because without gratuity tour guides can’t thrive in this expensive state of California, and without tour guides, we can’t run this business. Thank you for your generosity and understanding.

Muir Woods National Monument new regulations: Once in Muir Woods National Monument, you’ll find out that it has become less crowded and even very peaceful because Muir Woods has become the first national park to require reservations in advance with special commercial and parking permits. This extra cost and in addition to the complicated reservations process turn off manty visors and tour companies from visiting Muir Woods. No one can visit or access Muir Woods anymore without prior reservations and permits. But don’t worry, thanks to our private tours and small group custom trips, we will take care of all the required arrangements and offer you a worry-free tour package, we do reserve and pay for your parking and Muir Woods permits, however, your Muir Woods tickets are not included in the tour price and will be at your charge ($10 per person, but may go up again).

Please note that tour guides are not allowed to conduct guided tours to Alcatraz or Muir Woods. Your Alcatraz and Muir Woods are self-guided tours as stated on our website (an audio self-guided tour on your own for Alcatraz prison). Also, in order to keep the cost down, we therefore do not include a drop-off at your hotel after you visit Alcatraz, so you don’t pay overtime or have a driver waiting for you while visiting Alcatraz Island. The Fisherman’s Wharf hotels are walking distance from Alcatraz landing. Public transportation is very affordable and available everywhere.

Alcatraz tours and tickets and the use of our online calendar: The only online calendar available on our website is extremely hard to manage and update on daily basis. This calendar governs all our tours and available in over 10 different languages which multiplies the number of tour options by 10! When Alcatraz tickets are sold out, we cannot simply block the calendar for these particular date(s) because this will prevent all other clients from booking any of our tours in 10 different languages, this would put us all out of business! Alcatraz represents only 1% of our tours and it’s extremely impossible to block the calendar each time Alcatraz is sold out. For that reason, we have amended these terms and conditions on our website stating clearly unequivocally the following terms regarding Alcatraz tour and tickets:

-All our tours including Alcatraz are subject to availability even if the transaction is approved. We do reserve the right to void or refund your transaction when Alcatraz tickets are sold out, this is totally out of our hands as the only provider of Alcatraz tickets and tours are governed by the U.S. National Park Service.

-We do require 8 business weeks in advance when booking our Alcatraz tour during the peaks season, holidays and week-ends. The peak season refers to the period of April to the end of October.

-We reserve the right to offer you alternative tours when Alcatraz is sold out, if you decline our offer, we simply and fully refund your transaction which takes about 10 business days before your funds are available to you as stated above under section “voided and refunded transactions” clause.

Common mistake some customers do: When Alcatraz tickets are sold out, customers rush desperately to book directly Alcatraz tour on our website without taking the time to review our terms and conditions in this regard, we are not to blame in this case as we made it extremely clear that we have no control over Alcatraz tickets when they are sold out, for that reason we do require at least 8 business weeks booking in advance!

The misconception about private tours: There a misconception about private tours. Yes, public large bus group tours are more cost-effective for the operator, than private tours. In essence, the input cost of private tours and public tours are roughly the same - both provide one driver or a tour guide, one vehicle, same trip length whilst both companies assume the same business expenses and commercial insurance liability. However, private tour operators (like ours) make 90% less profit than public group tours, because all our resources are dedicated to a small group (couples or families), whilst the pubic tour operators make 10 times more profits thanks to the volume(quantity)! We, on the other hand, focus on quality as we never share our private tours with other customers. Yet, although we provide a higher quality tour service, and incur even greater expenses in many cases, the profit margins are limited. This makes some of our private tours barely profitable due to the increasing cost and liability of conducting business in California.

– If you are subject to car or motion sickness, please consider asking your doctor for recommended medication. Some visitors underestimate this aspect and end up visiting only 50% of the tour as they suffer from this or altitude sickness and make an excessive number of stops along the way. Please consult your doctor and ensure you have the appropriate medication in advance.

– Consider leaving unnecessary luggage at your hotel and travel light so you have more room in the vehicle.

– Wear clothes and shoes suitable for walking and hiking (Snow shoes in winter are recommended, and a swimsuit to enjoy the hotel’s swimming pool and hot tub).

– Bring sunscreen, bug spray, extra memory cards, and batteries for your camera (if applicable).

– Warm layers for cooler weather and a raincoat for summer showers.

– Drink lots of water due to the high altitude and don’t hike alone, as we offer fully-guided tours.

– We are not responsible for injuries or accidents that may occur during this trip, in or out of Yosemite National Park. Please read our < href="/terms-conditions">terms and conditions for more information.

-Expect rugged terrain with narrow, steep, and very curvy hiking trails to the sequoias. Also, be prepared for a downhill hike and then back uphill to the parking lot. The trail is very steep right at the beginning on the way back up but mellows out as you get closer to the parking lot. It depends on the grove your driver will choose for you, but they all require hiking. The elevation at the trail head of both top groves is about 6,200 feet (1,860 meters). The most popular is the Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias, the distance is about 2.5 miles (4 km) round trip and takes about 1.5 – 2 hours of hiking, and recommended for everybody who can hike including kids.

-California Gold Country: When Tioga Pass road (located between Yosemite and the Eastern Sierra where a major highway leads to Tahoe) is closed due to heavy snow that may start as early as October until about June or July, we will drive through the infamous, yet legendary, California Gold Country on day 2 and day 3 of your adventure.

-Please note that we may start in Lake Tahoe first, and then head to Yosemite National Park or vice versa. This will depend on the hotels’ availability, the season, the weather and road conditions. We do not work on commission, so you are welcome to book your own hotel, but if you don’t want to deal with these details, we can take care of that on your behalf when you choose the option ‘hotel included’ from our shopping cart.

Hotel Reservation: To keep costs down, we charge each guest only about $100 per night, for a three-star hotel in and around Yosemite Valley area, based on availability. However, if you have high expectations of the hotel accommodation, and wish to upgrade, we recommend that you choose your own hotel and book it directly with the required resort or hotel. The Majestic hotel (the former Awhanhee) is the only 4-star hotel in the Yosemite Valley where a suite may go from $600 to $1200 per night based on availability and the season. Please note that there are a very limited number of hotels in Yosemite, and they are often sold out 6 to 12 months in advance, so the sooner you book the better. However, we often manage to get a hotel reservation nearby Yosemite Valley, in one of the small resort or motel style hotels in the area, for reservations closer to the tour date.

Foreign Languages: Our tours are conducted in English unless otherwise indicated on your tour voucher. Some foreign languages are subject to additional fees. For all foreign languages, you must book a Private Tour and not a semi-private tour to enjoy the tour in the required language (subject to availability). Additional fees may apply on any additional foreign languages. All semi-private tours are conducted in English and can be shared with other clients. Semi-private tours will no longer be available on our website. Please book your private tour asap as our tour bilingual tour guides are booked up months in advance.

Miscellaneous: Meals and tour guide/driver gratuities are not included in our tour price unless indicated on your tour voucher or email confirmation.

Tour prices do not include additional fees including wine tasting, accommodations, and entry fees to see attractions and sites, winery tours, unless otherwise indicated on your tour voucher or email confirmation.

-All vehicles operated by Golden Horizon Travel Inc are non-smoking according to state and federal laws.

-Golden Horizon Travel Inc reserves the right to hire independent tour guide/drivers, subcontractors and/or contractors to facilitate our tours, shuttle services and travel packages.

-In the event that we are unable to facilitate your tour due to weather and/or road conditions, we will attempt to reach each location, site and destination using alternative routes, but we are not liable nor responsible for these unforeseen weather/traffic conditions. No refunds will be available.

-All photos or videos taken by our staff of our customers or passengers, during the capacity of the tour, trip or transfer, may be included on our website. Customers hereby agree to the use of these photos and videos and under no circumstances can customers dispute.

-No substitution or refunds for any unused part of the tour(s) will be issued. All sales are final.

-No refunds will be issued for a no-show or unused portion of the tour.

-All refund and/or voided transactions paid on our website by credit or debit cards or via PayPal may take up to 2 weeks before you receive the funds (refunds) back into your account.

Our hot-air balloon rides are no guaranteed to depart and arrive back in Napa Valley and subject to last-minute cancelation for weather considerations. Golden Horizon Travel inc reserves the right to fly anywhere within 80-mile radius of Napa Valley dependent on the weather conditions.

-We reserve the right to refuse service to any person or business who may refuse to comply with our safety instructions, our tour itinerary, or to anyone who may pose a threat to our customers and/or our tour guide-drivers. Screaming at or insulting tour guide-drivers or fellow passengers or third-party businesses and subcontractors is not acceptable under any circumstances and will terminate and cancel your tour without any refund. Discrimination against a customer or a tour guide–driver for any reason is not acceptable either under any circumstance.

Cancellation due to unforeseen weather conditions: Weather/Unforeseen Circumstances like fires, landslide, road closure, vehicle breakdown, employees or driver’s medical emergency or due other weather conditions or unforeseen circumstances; we revere the right to offer you alternative tours, destinations for the same amount of time.

Very Important!  Before you book Alcatraz nigh tour:

  Alcatraz night tour requires 70 business days advance booking

2. This shopping cart calendar shows availability because it can't be blocked for only one product as it  governs over 200  products and tours on our website in 10 different languages!

3. All reservations are subject to availability even if your transaction is  approved. Your transaction will be voided if you book an Alcatraz night tour within 69  days.

4. Please reach out to us via our live chat before you book Alcatraz night tour due to the  extreme challenge with Alcatraz night tour tickets availability.  Alcatraz National Park Service only offers this tour from Tuesday through Saturday for only a few visitors(like a lottery) , and that’s only available in the summer!

5. Alcatraz is managed by the national park service; we have no control over their policy and tickets’ availability.

6. We are not blame if you ignore these terms and conditions when booking Alcatraz night tour online

Modifications of these terms and conditions: Golden Horizon Travel Inc and its affiliated websites or contractors reserve the right to change any of these terms and conditions under which this website is offered. We reserve the right to change our web contents, update our terms and privacy policy anytime and at our discretion without a prior notice. Learn more about our privacy policy and complete terms and conditions   

SAN FRANCISCO TOUR TESTIMONIALS

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SAN FRANCISCO COMBO TOURS REVIEWS

Authentic testimonials.

San Francisco & Alcatraz - Great Experience

I have always wanted to go to Alcatraz Island with my wife, and we finally got to do it. I consulted the online reviews and decided to go with Golden Horizon Travel. We booked Yosemite 3-day tour , Silicon Valley and San Francisco tours through them; they exceed our expectations.

SF + Alcatraz Island Tickets "The Rock"!

We took a tour with Golden Horizon as we got cancelled at last-minute by another company due to the lack of Alcatraz tickets, which we prepaid thru the interne, but, when we arrived at Fisherman's Wharf to embark the ferry, they had no reservations for us! Watch out when you book online and trust Golden Horizon reviews – they saved the day. You’ll not be disappointed.

San Francisco city tour & Alcatraz prison evening tour.

We booked the Napa Valley and Alcatraz combo tour thru Golden Horizon tour, almost 2 months in advance, and we are so glad we did. It was so hard to find availability for Alcatraz night tour. Napa Valley is beautiful, and the wines are outstanding, but Alcatraz was our favorite experience.

Must See attraction while visiting San Fran!

Alcatraz and San Francisco combo tour is highly recommended. It’s super fun, informative and saves time. Great ride across the san Francisco bay, the ferry was crowded but it was cool. The walking tour with headphones is awesome and informative.

San Francisco city tour & Alcatraz at night experience

Unfortunately, we were not able to get same day tickets to Alcatraz Island, but our tour guide managed to get us night tickets to Alcatraz prison the next day. We were so lucky and grateful - we even booked 2 more tours with this company – they are the best! Alcatraz at night is a must-see attraction for all visitors. The rangers’ talk and the audio-walking guided tour complete each other.

San Francisco city tour &, Muir Woods and Sausalito Combo Tour

San Francisco city tour and Alcatraz now require advanced booking, which we didn’t know. I’m so glad we found this company, they accommodated our last-minute request, and provided us with tickets to muir woods and Alcatraz… Leo is an amazing tour guide.

Alcatraz at night is a must-see activity

Alcatraz at night is a must-see activity while visiting San Francisco Bay Area. The now-abandoned maximum-security prison can be visited at night, and it’s much better than the day tour. Golden Horizon and Adam deserve 10 stars!

Alcatraz day trip from San Francisco

We recommend the San Francisco and Alcatraz tour package. We got to see the best places in the city and enjoyed a free afternoon walking tour at Alcatraz Island. The views of the city and the golden gate bridge from Alcatraz are spectacular.

Our Bucket List Overflowed - San Francisco Experience

Our Bucket List Overflowed, a wonderful day in an amazing park with the perfect tour guide!

Katheryn Kennedy - London, UK

The best experience ever!

A wonderful tour package in Yosemite National Park and San Francisco with Adam. This tour has totally exceeded expectations! The best experience ever!

Erin M. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

Unforgettable & Fantastic!

Unforgettable & Fantastic! trust their reviews and believe what you read on Trip Advisor; they are consumed professionals.

Chris G., Dallas, Texas

Just Magnificent & Just Stunning!

5-stars to our tour guide Adam, he made this journey unforgettable. He is an expert photographer too!

M. Hachadourian. Greenwich Village, New York

Fun, informative & very professional

10 Stars! Fun, informative, flexible, indulgent, patient,& very professional guides in a warm & engaging manner.

Jarmila Sramkova. Prague, Czech Republic

Believe every good thing you read about this tour company

Believe every good thing you read about this tour company; you will not be disappointed!

Mike and Jane - Nashville

Treated like King & Queen!

Treated like King & Queen! OUTSTANDING and A MUST See!! Without any hesitation, 5 stars!

Loreena’s family Madrid, Spain

They are consummate professionals

They are consummate professionals who really care a lot for their customers' wellbeing and experience- a must do!

Rob & Marhta Baton Rouge

Unforgettable experience!

Impressive! Their Ability of organization, understanding , customizing , entertaining , educating - make them the best at what they do. What unforgettable experience with Buddy!

Natasha C Calgary, Canada

Outstanding bucket-list destinations!

Outstanding tour package to San Francisco, Yosemite ,Mammoth Lakes , Sequoia national park , Death Valley , San Francisco and Alcatraz with Adam and Jonathan . I've run out of superlatives to describe this unforgettable and once-in-a-lifetime experience ...10 STARS + & Highly Recommended

Holly Millard- Holly Millard, IN

"Stop reading reviews and book with Golden Horizon!"

5-Star TripAdvisor Review You won't be disappointed if you use Golden Horizon for all your tours! Top notch service!

Susan.S- McAllen, Texas

Top-Notch VIP Service!"

A 6-star experience! Their tag line is to “exceed expectations” and they certainly delivered. From the moment of making a booking to the actual tours - Superb!

Superdin0-Singapore

A sight definitely worth seeing!

I highly recommend this SF, Muir Woods and Marin County outdoor adventure with Golden Horizon Travel, even If you are in average physical shape. There are all kind of stops and easy hikes along offering 360 degrees breathtaking views.

Stop reading reviews and book with Golden Horizons

Stop reading reviews and book with Golden Horizons. .... we highly recommend this tour company, their tour guides are passionate, fun and very knowledgeable. San Francisco is amazing city and Muir Woods is so beautiful and enjoyable. Highly recommend

Outstanding tour guides & fun tours

My husband, daughters and my son , and I took a day tour of San Francisco, and second day adventure to Muir Woods and each with Adam to Muir Woods and Stinson Beach. Both trips exceed our expectations.

I highly recommend this tour company when Alcatraz tickets are sold out

We purchased the combo tour through Alcatraz Tours since the date was sold out for the solo Alcatraz Tour. Adding the city tour and Angel Island was a great trip by ferry as it took us around Alcatraz Island and Angel Island. Alcatraz island is so beautiful! I loved the Alcatraz audio tour as well. The guided tour is extremely interesting and provided an accurate picture of the story of Alcatraz prison and inmates. It was a good length of time and we got a great deal of information without becoming too long and boring. I highly recommend this tour company ‘Alcatraz Tours Inc.’ When Alcatraz tour and prison tickets are sold out, they have a reserve of Alcatraz tickets on hold purchased in advance. Their private guided city tour is a 5-star experience and worth every penny.

Julescup11 Saint Louis, Missouri

5 stars Travel Services: Tranquility in the hands of professionals.

Our travel agent in Veracruz Mexico booked the San Francisco tour package with hotel accommodation included. However, the online tour agency with which we originally booked our Alcatraz and Muir Woods package turned out to be a fraud, a fiasco, a company with little reliability, we were calling by phone and we have never been able to get through, they are locate overseas! Two days before leaving our country, our Alcatraz tours were canceled at the last minute and there was no way to get tickets for Alcatraz or any of the destinations because they were sold out.

Fortunately, we found this local company Golden Horizon Travel: www.goldenhorizontravel.com and this was the only tour operator that could help us with our last minute reservations, they provided us with excellent customer service and always responded promptly in Spanish, and they even assigned us a Spanish tour guide: our both excursions were totally private and in Spanish, our tour guides were incredible, very professional, attentive and cordial and the best of all is that the agency also got us the tickets to visit Alcatraz Island and also for the Redwoods Muir Woods Park despite this last-minute booking. We also took advantage and went to Sonoma Valley and Marín County with them. This Company offers best tours and many options to choose from for all travelers; they are very professional, and they go out of their way to offer to please their customers. All the other websites we found were resellers or fake or they were not even located in California, none of them bothered to answer our phone calls or emails, and neither did they offer guided tours in Spanish. MY best advice for everyone, look for Local Operators and avoid websites and companies that are not in San Francisco! This Tour Operator is underrated and deserves more credit for their excellent customer service. 100% WORTH THE MONEY & HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Silvia Sampiery Veracruz Mexico

Nine days: San Francisco, Alcatraz, California Monterey, Hearst Castle , and Yosemite tour package

We waited 2 weeks to review to be sure we weren't still dreaming. It was that great a time with Golden Horizon, starting with a full day in San Francisco with Mary, a native of The City, so we really experienced S.F. Then with Adam for 3 days to Monterey and Carmel, including somehow a front-row seat next to the 18th green during a PGA event a Pebble Beach without passes. He taught us to be great actors! A dream picture op for this golf fan. Then Leo took us to the coast beyond Big Sur, including a tour of Hearst Castle, then for 3 plus days in Yosemite and across the Sierras and back to S.F. All this during a stretch rare in CA of perfect weather when "Carl" never showed up. (They name the fog "Carl"). These folks couldn't have been more knowledgeable or considerate, especially getting us to every place we gave them on a considerable agenda before we even met them on day one. We saw and did far more than we expected, and they went well beyond the schedule hours every day. If this reads over-the-top, it's because our experience was way over-the-top. They certainly exceeded our expectations, just as they said they would, and we are so glad we traveled with Golden Horizon.

Richard & Karen WILD Logansport , IN

"Great way to see the best sights of San Francisco"

Four of us from Australia were picked up in a luxury SUV by Mary, who was just great, she felt like a family member, so friendly and very relaxed, we were never hurried. Being in the SUV was great as we got to drive down narrows treat like Lombard St (prohibited to larger vehicles).

Jenny B Mullumbimby, Australia

"A perfect day in San Francisco"

Jon drove us into every corner of the city and entertained us with narration that was lively and full of intriguing historical and cultural details. He was thoroughly professional and considerate and engaging; we whole-heartedly recommend him and Golden Horizon!

Cokie54 Indianapolis

"The "One & Only" way to see SF"

I have to say Buddy's knowledge of the city is exceptional and his enthusiasm in sharing this knowledge is unsurpassed. I will definitely recommend Golden Horizon Travel to anyone who is looking for a way to explore the city with an articulate, educated and enthusiastic guide who without doubt made our holiday in San Francisco complete. A 5*PLUS experience! We had a fabulous time.

Ally Clark Newcastle Upon Tyne

"Best private tour"

Our private tour with Mary was the absolute highlight of our time in San Francisco. We were really able to see and enjoy so much of the city. Mary was so knowledgeable and insightful, and by the end of our day together she felt like a new friend. The tour delivered even more than we had expected and was a truly memorable experience. Your city is lovely, and Mary is a gem! We will definitely recommend this tour to our friends and will be sure to use Golden Horizons again when we return to the area.

"Best Guide & Tour Ever!"

Patricia was fantastic. She provided the most fantastic tour I've ever taken. We loved listening to her Irish accent, and she knows San Francisco inside and out. Patricia went out of her way to show us everything we wanted to see. She also takes great pictures. You won't be disappointed. We also had a great Napa and Sonoma wine tour with Jon. Golden Horizon does a great job.

Rachel S Appleton, Wisconsin

"Great half-day tour and a wonderful tour guide"

My wife and I went on a half-day tour of San Francisco. Our tour guide was Patricia. She was extremely nice to us and very knowledgeable. Her passion for the city was obvious. We had a great time, learned a lot, and got some awesome recommendations for dinning.

"Great intro to the city"

We took a morning SF city tour with Tom. Best choice we could have made for our first day! He made sure to stop at all of the major sights, giving us a lot of "insider" information about each place. He was very flexible, allowing us to take extra time at some vistas, and take extra pictures at others. Great combination of driving and exploring - so much to see that a 1/2-day tour is the way to go to get a flavor of what to visit more in-depth another day. Highly Recommended and Well worth the price!

ndoak1 Saint Paul, Minnesota

"Lovely lady and a great tour"

We had Patricia as our guide to show us San Francisco in an SUV. Patricia was chatty, knowledgeable, very friendly and interested in the tour. She made an effort to show us everything we wanted to see and more things we were not even aware of. I recommend this company and Patricia to any visitors to this wonderful city.

"Private SUV Tour"

We booked a private SUV tour and as first-time visitors to SF it gave the whole family a wonderful and insightful introduction to an amazing City. We had a great time with our guide, Patricia, she was not only very knowledgeable but she made a real effort to make every moment special and she was good fun, running over by 30 minutes to make sure we didn’t miss anything. One of the best tours that we have had and the whole family thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Peter H Liverpool, United Kingdom

"The best tour ever!"

There isn't enough words to describe what a great tour we had! Tom was AMAZING. He was professional, knowledgeable and extremely passionate about the city and making sure the tour was everything we wanted. He made the tour personal to us, after finding out my Husband is military he made sure we knew about the military history etc. Throughout the planning process the company was great, always responded to my emails, even when we changed our hotel last minute, it was no problem and Tom was there with a huge warm greeting!!! Thank you again Tom and Golden Horizons tours, My husband is often deployed and we have rare opportunities to have a mini vacation and you made our day thank you thank you!!!!!

cnmegbu Omaha/Canada/Germany

"SF Muir Woods Tour Reviews"

"San Francisco & Muir Woods Sightseeing" We spent a superb day our tour guide with Patricia from Golden Horizon Tours. Everybody enjoyed Patricia’s broad knowledge on historical as well as socio-cultural backgrounds of the bay area. Patricia guided us through SF & Muir Woods park redwoods and well lived up to our high expectations completely! Our rating is "six stars" ;-)

Nick W Zurich, Switzerland

"Best day trip and tour guide ever"

I cannot speak highly enough about our guide Tom who was not only extremely knowledgeable but also passed on his sense of passion and respect for his town and his adopted country. Thanks again Tom -we will be sure to use Golden horizon again on our next visit to the San Francisco bay area.

Kobie D Surfers Paradise, Australia

"Muir Woods & Sausalito half day tour"

Peter was an excellent tour guide, very informative, engaging and hilarious. We all had a fantastic time on the half day tour of Muir Woods/Sausalito… Towards the end of the tour, the sun came out and we had a perfect view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Nicole T Portland, Oregon

"Best Decision- Best Tour Ever!"

Without any hesitation I recommend Golden Horizon Travel to all! My family's amazing day/tour with our guide, Adam, to wine country was 5+ out of 5!! He arranged perfect tastings for our family, taking into account the varied interests of the four of us. It's obvious he is passionate about his work, which certainly shows not only in how he handles situations but his interactions with us as well. Knowledgeable he is! We appreciated how he so freely, casually shared and explained to educate us. And, we appreciated the spur of the moment short, side trips that enhanced our memorable day. This was my favorite day of our San Francisco vacation. Adam put a smile not only on my face, but also in my heart. We were blessed to share the hours with him!!! Thanks, Linda

Linda K Chagrin Falls, Ohio

"Private Tour Raves!"

Jon was a FIVE STAR guide! And, his all-day private SUV tour of San Francisco, Muir Woods, & Sausalito was a FIVE STAR tour all the way! The best I can remember anywhere, and that's saying something, considering all we've done all over the world…Jon keeps an ongoing narrative about EVERYTHING, EVERYWHERE. He's brilliant. We could listen to that voice all day. And, one would never imagine he had a care in the world outside bringing his client the most memorable experience possible. We will never forget your most EXCELLENT tour! Nor your company. Nor Jon, for that matter. Thank you VERY much for that day.

Lou S Redondo Beach, Calif

"Great way to see the sites of SF"

Our San Francisco Alcatraz combo tour did exceed our expectations! We highly recommend this tour company for families with kids.

Eliana Landez Austin, Texas

"Muir Woods/SF Alcatraz"

My wife and I took two private tours; the first was San Francisco/Alcatraz combo custom tour and the second was Muir Woods/Sausalito. Our whole experience was awesome and outstanding. Thank you for the great experience.

Joe T Evans, Colorado

"Great way to see Alcatraz & SF!!"

We had a 12 hour wait until our next flight in San Francisco. We arrived early in the morning, went first to Alcatraz and after that the tour guide, Anton, from GHT came and picked us up by the Pier. We had booked the city tour and learned SO much, and saw so many things, places, and views! Anton was VERY knowledgably, so we kinda' felt we were on a tour with "google. We definitely recommend GHT, you will not be disappointed!

Scott D Dayton, Ohio

"The only way to see Alcatraz"

Book your Alcatraz and city combo tour with Golden Horizon, you will not be disappointed! Ask for Mary, she is awesome!

Lady Ceci Haugesund, Norway Senior Contributor

"SF/Alcatraz-we became a prisoner to your company"

We booked a San Francisco/Alcatraz private tour, we were picked up exactly on time in a squeaky-clean SUV by Patricia, a wonderful Irish Lass. She was very knowledgeable of San Francisco and we hit all the major sites. If we had a special request, she graciously accommodated... I am a prisoner to your company, if we return, I will definitely book with you again, we tried one other company and there was No Comparison for the individualized custom service received with your company-5 STARS!

Travelling_norm Top Contributor

"Outstanding San Francisco & Alcatraz combo tour"

My partner and I booked the San Francisco Alcatraz combo tour. We were lucky to get tickets to Alcatraz with such a short notice! Our city tour with Adam was very interesting and amazing...Our experience within Alcatraz Island was terrific ...

Many S Puerto Rico

"Great escapade to Alcatraz"

We took the half day tour with Alcatraz tour in afternoon and it was so worth the money I couldn't of imagined the trip without taking the tour with Peter… It was the perfect pace… Nothing but good things to say about this company!

bhorner3 North Carolina Senior Contributor

Five Star City Tour

My wife and I joined our two traveling companions on two custom half-day tours with Golden Horizon and our fab Kiwi guide, Jon. On day 1, after our arrival on a Princess cruise ship, we did a full city tour, ending with Jon dropping us off for a night-time visit to Alcatraz. We were greeted bright and early the next morning for day 2, which included Muir Woods and Sausalito and areas around the Golden Gate Bridge. All in all, the experience was fabulous...& highly recommend GHT!

Bernadette T Brisbane, Australia

I cannot speak highly enough about our tour with Golden Horizons

We all had a great time seeing the main tourist sites of your wonderful town. I cannot speak highly enough about our guide Tom who was not only extremely knowledgeable but also passed on his sense of passion and respect for his town and his adopted country.

Kobie, Australia

City tour by SUV, the best way to go

One advantage you have with the SUV tour is that you get to drive on Lombard St where tour buses are not allowed. Jon also took us right under the Golden Gate bridge where no other tourists were around. Thanks so much for a great experience!

TripAdvisor user "SF Night Tour Reviews" 5-Star Trip Advisor Review

"Highlight of our girls’ trip!"

San Fran is amazing by night! You got to so it with Mary who was our driver and we are SO HAPPY we got her! She took us around to some neighborhoods; this was essential to experience authentic areas of San Francisco by night. The views were breathtaking at night! She was our photographer and storyteller. Thank you so much Mary and to Golden Tours for matching us up with such a FAB lady! :)

"5 Stars-San Francisco by Night"

We were very pleased with our night tour; the city of San Francisco is totally amazing at night. Height-Ashbury, North Beach, Twin Peaks and Treasure Island are a must-do at night.

Visited March 20 Jody S Los Angeles Ca

"Bay Cruise Tour Reviews"

"A fun bay cruise guided tour experience in San Francisco bay" We booked a San Francisco and bay cruise combo tour with Golden Horizon Travel and we had a very fun city tour and a fabulous bay cruise guided tour experience in San Francisco Bay...

"A great cruise ship trip!"

We enjoyed Mary's city guide tour by luxury SUV, especially with a lifetime citizen of the city and her knowledge of the area. It was a morning well spent! The afternoon 1 hour bay cruise was fun and cool...

Pat L bhorner3, North Carolina Senior Contributor

"A very cool San Francisco bay cruise experience"

We booked your San Francisco bay cruise combo tour; it was windy in the bay but well worth it. We had a private sightseeing tour by SUV for 5 hours with your company and that was a great way to see San Francisco narrow streets and scenic neighborhoods. It was exciting driving on Lombard Street … Thank you for accommodating our last-minute booking.

ERICA H Binghamton, WI Contributor

San Francisco and Alcatraz

Our private tour with Mary was EXCELLENT and FUN!!! Mary drove us around in San Francisco and told us about history and contemporary "fun knowing". She is grown up in SF and had great knowledge. Before the trip, our kids complained that 4 hours were too long, but when the tour was over they thought the 4 hours went too fast.

It was a perfect start to our SF stay that covered the entire SF and we learned a lot and we had fun. . My partner did not have a ticket to Alcatraz but Mary managed with the impossible to find a ticket in the ferry zone, which we appreciated a lot !! Going on a tour with Mary was optimal! Comfortable car, only we in the car, very personal. Since Mary knew Sweden and Finland meant that we clicked fine from the very firts moment!!

marilouises2018 Pasadena CA

All day private tour of San Francisco and afternoon Alcatraz tour

Alcatraz was fascinating and Golden Horizon was able to accommodate us with tickets on short notice due to a cancellation. Our full day private driving tour of San Francisco with Tom was totally delightful. Not only was Tom, our guide, fully informed about the nuances of the city history but a terrific conversationalist providing a very relaxed and pleasant day. AND, he dropped us at a local Dim Sum café for an excellent and very reasonable lunch. We would recommend the entire experience as a 5-star excellent time.

Cedar Park, Texas

San Francisco and Alcatraz Tour Private SUV Tour with Mary

We had a blast on this tour and Mary was a terrific tour guide! We got to see nearly everything we wanted to see in San Francisco in one day - without having to plan a route or drive amongst the locals. Mary is a San Francisco native and is extremely knowledgeable about the city and its history. Having the tour guide handle the Alcatraz tickets is another nice perk that will make your visit to San Francisco that more stress-free. Be sure to let her know if you like "Star Wars" - she will have an awesome, unlisted stop waiting for you!

JCAU99 Huntsville, Alabama

Muir Woods/SF Alcatraz

The wife and I took two private tours the first was San Francisco/Alcatraz and the second was Muir Woods/Sausalito. Our tour guide Jon had a wealth of knowledge of the history of San Francisco as well as Muir Woods and Alcatraz. Our whole experience was awesome! we were allowed to make the changes we wanted to, which was great it gave us more time in Muir Woods as well as the other places that we wanted to see. It was a wonderful surprise when Jon took us to a couple of places that were not on the itinerary. I would highly recommend any of the tours we took as well as any others Golden Horizon has to offer as I'm sure they are just as wonderful. I know that if we are ever back in the area, we will certainty use this service again. Thank you for the great experience.

Our trip to San Francisco

I booked the 1/2 day San Francisco tour including tickets to Alcatraz. That morning, Mary met my husband and I in the lobby of our hotel. She was already waiting for us when we came out of the elevator a little early! Picked us up in a spotlessly clean black suburban. We toured the city in style, so thankful Mary is a great driver because I would have hated for my husband to have to maneuver through that madness! By the time the tour was over we had learned so much history we would have never learned on our own. Mary is a local, and her stories really added to the tour. Before she left us at the ferry to Alcatraz she gave us our tickets along with a wealth of information to help us finish our trip successfully. We missed her and talked about her for the rest of our trip!

12 ret Virginia

Alcatraz prison and Redwoods tour with Pat , she deserves an "A"+

Alcatraz prison and Redwoods tour with Pat , she deserves an "A"+ muir woods was crowded but still a nice place to visit. We only had a day in SF, and made a good use of our short stay in sfo. Alcatraz prison was the highlight of our a trip, morbid but very interesting to see and learn about its famous inmates like Al Capone...

joelsabourin Quebec City, Canada

Mary was wonderful

Took a city tour of San Francisco which ended with a trip to Alcatraz. Mary was a wonderful guide, picked us up promptly at our hotel in a clean, comfortable Explorer. Saw much of San Francisco that we would not have been able to see without a car and got much background information. The tour is not cheap, but one is well cared for. Worth it.

smurfdb Winter Haven

Alcatraz island prison was on our bucket before we travelled to san Francisco

Alcatraz island prison was on our bucket list before we even traveled to California, we wanted to go there so badly, and we did, we are so glad we took the time to visit Alcatraz island. Alcatraz prison may seem morbid and awkward because of all the sad and morbid stories of solitary confinement we all heard and read here or there, but more you learn about it from the audio guided tour, more get inserted in the story of Alcatraz solitary confinements, the infamous escape from Alcatraz, and learn the story of the prison and about the inmates from the officers own perspective. I highly recommend the combination Alcatraz island and San Francisco city tour, you don’t have to worry about how to get Alcatraz tickets and how to get there, these guys are very professionals and made our trip very enjoyable.

andymartinsons Santa Fe, New Mexico

We visited Alcatraz prison at night - it’s Spooky!

We traveled from San José, Costa Rica to San Francisco in California to visit Alcatraz Island and Yosemite National Park. Initially, we could not find a specialized tour guide in Spanish to take us to Yosemite park and to see the giant sequoias. But thank God we found this tour company. We were lucky as they also had tickets to Alcatraz Island at night, even though it was sold out everywhere else they managed to secure our booking for the nigh tour the same day. What a great surprise to discover that the booking agent of the company spoke fluently Spanish, she was very friendly and helpful. Not only did she get us a private tour of Yosemite in Spanish with a bilingual guide, but she also managed to get us Alcatraz tickets for the night tour at a last-minute. That was totally unexpected and super cool. We cannot thank you enough for your excellent customer service and for making the extra effort to get book Alcatraz tickets for us despite this short notice. The night tour of Alcatraz is a bit “spooky”, but very interesting, the US park rangers accommodated us with only a small number of visitors, guided us through the prison and provided a lot of historical information about Alcatraz prison and famous prisoners like Al Capone, as well as the story about the escape from Alcatraz” El misterio de la fuga de Alcatraz”.

Lucia and Yolanda M. Vasquez San Jose Costa Rica

I highly recommend this combination Alcatraz and city tour

We booked the combined tour of Alcatraz and San Francisco through Alcatraz Tours. The date we wanted to book to visit from Alcatraz Prison was sold out, but it's the only local travel agency that really helped us with our last-minute booking despite the odds. All the other websites that we tried are fake or are not even located in California! None even bothered to answer our telephone calls. I highly recommend this combo Alcatraz /city tour and this tour operator. Well worth It.

Phillipe-M. Toulouse, France

Alcatraz night tour is a must-do but book your tickets WELL in advance!

We booked our Alcatraz night trip with Alcatraz tours in February, but we were not visiting San Francisco until late May. This was the right thing to do as all Alcatraz night tours got sold out in March! The ferry trip to Alcatraz island was quite nice and took us less than 20 minutes to reach Alcatraz island. We really enjoyed this night excursion of the prison. No, it was not creepy at all. Dress appropriately/ bring layers - it gets cold and foggy out there.

Eartha-brghamsa Northern Cape, South Africa

Alcatraz prison night tour is awesome

My wife and I booked our Alcatraz prison tickets online through this tour company, combined with a trip to Napa Valley wineries. We love beer, but we wanted to try some wines for a change. So, we tasted great deal of red and white wines in Napa wine country. Then, we drove back to San Francisco and got dropped off at Pier 33 to take the ferry to Alcatraz island. Alcatraz night tour was on our bucket-list before we even travelled to California, we were so excited when they dropped us off at Alcatraz ferry lines. The night tour boat departed from the dock at 3:50pm. We enjoyed great views of the city of San Francisco and the Golden Gate bridge as we were sailing to Alcatraz island. Once at the island, US park rangers split visitors into groups and started the night guided tour at different times. If you have difficulty walking up hills, they have a tram you can ride both ways at no extra cost. The narration of the self-guided tour is really informative and exciting. We highly recommend Alcatraz prison night tour to all travelers. The only thing I didn’t like is that many sections of Alcatraz island are closed to the public at night unlike the day tour. That’s why they only allow one group per night, I guess they want to they keep it under control. Use this tour company, you won’t be disappointed.

Lee Sanders Quebec ,CA

Alcatraz night tour with our kids - absolutely excellent and worth every penny

We booked the night tour with Alcatraz Tours, and that was an excellent tour experience. Really well organized and informative. We learned a lot about Alcatraz prison on the night tour, and I can thoroughly recommend Alcatraz night tour even for families with kids. Wear comfortable flat walking shoes and extra layers as it gets chilly on the island, and I also recommend a flashlight and an extra charger for your smart phone. That’s was an excellent trip for the whole family and worth the money and time.

Our Night Tour of the Rock “Alcatraz”

My wife and I really enjoyed our night guided tour of Alcatraz prison with the local tour guide who was a volunteer. The ferry ride was quick and smooth offering nice views of the San Francisco skyline and bridges. US park rangers were very helpful, engaging and informative and the audio guided tour was a good experience.

Tampa Bay, FL

Wonderful night tour experience like a “fairy tale”.

Wonderful night tour experience with lots of history and interesting stories. Alcatraz prison is not like any other jail where inmates could escape from so easily. We realized how hard it must have been to get out of ‘The Rock’ and still wondering how those 3 guys escaped Alcatraz at night! It’s like a ‘fairy tale’, spooky but in a good way… the pace of the tour was just right and well done.

“Muir Woods and Alcatraz combo tour”

Our Muir Woods & Alcatraz combo tour was exactly what we needed as we only had one day in San Francisco before we traveled to Napa Valley for a wedding we were invited to. The tour is well worth the money that you spend. The big redwood trees in Muir Woods forest are impressive but the forest was a bit crowded as well as Alcatraz island. However, this combo tour must be on everyone’s bucket-list. Both places are very popular and worth the money. I would recommend starting the tour early to visit the redwoods and beat the bus tours and large crowds. This way you get to enjoy peace and quality time in Muir Woods before it gets too busy.

Alcatraz prison is a former maximum-security prison located on Alcatraz Island, but the island is much smaller than we through. The trip by ferry took us about 20 minutes from the Fisherman’s Wharf to the island. I recommend Alcatraz electric carts for those who can’t walk uphill. My grandmother couldn’t walk all the way up to the prison, but their electric cart was very convenient for her. We took more time in the prison and returned to the Fisherman’s Wharf in late afternoon. We also enjoyed the Fisherman’s Wharf souvenir shops, seafoods restaurants and got to see the seals there. I recommended in this tourist area after Alcatraz tour.

Molina-cpr@mex-df

Definitely a 5-star: Alcatraz and redwoods experience

Whether you live in San Francisco Bay Area or visiting San Francisco from the US or overseas, this day trip is a must-do for all ages and even for folks with mobility issues. Alcatraz island and prison are one of the most handicap accessible tours and places I've ever been on. Alcatraz guided tour is amazing. Yet, it can be a little confusing unless you follow the guided trail step by step. The ferry ride to Alcatraz island offers beautiful views of San Francisco downtown, the islands in the bay like Angel island, Treasure island and bridges like the Golden Gate bridge. Be on time for the ferry departure or you get turned away as they only allow the exact time and departure stated on each ticket. Alcatraz tickets are so valuable and hard to find, we were lucky we got a last-minute cancellation from Alcatraz Tours, otherwise we would have missed out on the best attraction in California. Many visitors show up at last minute by the ferry terminal looking for tickets and willing to pay any price to get their hands-on tickets to Alcatraz, but these rare tickets and get sold out weeks and months in advance.

Definitely a 5-star experience for this Alcatraz and redwoods combo tour. Our tour guide drove us away from Muir Woods traffic jams to a small forest of redwoods in Marin County. We were the only one a roaming through these tall and towering redwoods. It was so nice to enjoy nature without putting up with traffic and a horde of people pushing and shoving like in Muir Woods. I’ve been there, and I honestly prefer these alternative groves of redwoods we went to visit in Marin county. This tour company and tour guide are highly recommended.

Frank Seah Singapore Reviewed 2 years ago

Great way to see Alcatraz & San Francisco !!

We did not expect to see so much of the city in one day. Jon, our tour guide, was very friendly, informative and an accommodating guide. Thank you so much for a great day! This tour is highly recommended. Reviewed yesterday

Mytraveltyme Dr.Yin Chan: Australia

Awesome Alcatraz island & Redwoods combo tour

This day trip to Alcatraz island is awesome regardless how foggy the bay area can be. We got to Pier 33 on time, and the tour guide took care of our Alcatraz tickets. We didn’t have to worry about parking or reservation, as he showed us around before we embarked on the ferry to Alcatraz prison. There is a good self-guided audio tour of the cells and we could hear the guards and inmates’ voices in the background. It’s like living the experience and getting the feel of how this morbid and remote federal prison operated. Don’t forget to pick up the headphones as you enter the prison on top of the hill. My mom can’t walk so we hopped on the so called “SEAT” electric tram (Sustainable Easy Access Transport). Alcatraz island is a national park - there are park rangers on hand who help visitors with all kinds of information. I recommend that you book this redwood and Alcatraz excursion in advance. We had a hard time to find ferry tickets to Alcatraz until we landed on this website www.alcatraztoursf.com. Their combo tour is worth the money and saved us the hassle and stress. The operator was very helpful, and their tour guide was knowledgeable and professional, yet very funny. He adjusted the tour to our kid’s mood and crankiness. Don’t go to Muir Woods forest. I heard terrible things about this overcrowded place. Let this tour company take you to this hidden forest of redwoods somewhere nearby San Francisco in Marin Count. I can’t remember the name of this redwood forest, but we were the only ones there when we got there, the trees are massive and impressive, plus the landscape is picturesque. Last, get inline early to Alcatraz ferry terminal so you can get the best seat in the house on the third floor!

Dammy K. Reviewed 11 months ago

Muir Woods and Alcatraz combo tour

Our Muir Woods and Alcatraz combo tour was exactly what we needed as we only had one day in San Fran. The tour was well organized, and we certainly got our money's worth … Muir woods national monument definitely worth a detour. This remote park of big redwoods is very beautiful and a fantastic option for families with young children. I recommend this combo tour of Alcatraz and redwoods. It is worth the money and saves a lot of hassle and worries, as both places require special permits and advanced reservations.

Frank V. Montreal , Canada

ALCATRAZ IS ABOVE EXPECTATIONS

Despite Muir Woods traffic and large crowds, we enjoyed our trip. But we loved Alcatraz island even more. This is a must-see attraction when vising the Bay area. I recommend this tour company. The tour guide and this company are awesome, very reliable and responsive. We had a good experience and the tour with their tour guide was informative and fun.

Margie GAILLO

“Awesome bay cruise around Alcatraz Island”

This is a great alternative tour experience when Alcatraz tickets are sold out. We were disappointed as we didn’t manage to get Alcatraz tickets. Next time, we will anticipate and book Alcatraz tickets in advance. We were happy with this trip, as it combined our city private tour and the ferry cruise around Alcatraz island. We managed to get to see the city top attractions in a half-day tour, and that was the perfect way to do it. The cruise ship trip was over an hour, a trip that took us in the San Francisco bay, around Alcatraz Island, and under the Golden Gate Bridge. We had a trip the next day to Hearst Castle with this tour company, and it was our last day in California. We had a blast in Big Sur, and we enjoyed Hearst castle tour very much. It was a long day trip, but well worth it.

[email protected]

“Alcatraz Island is outstanding, but book your tickets in advance”

Alcatraz Island tour is outstanding, and the prison is a stunning place. This is my favorite attraction in San Francisco Bay Area. Book your Alcatraz ferry tickets in advance, as these valuable tickets get sold out weeks and months in advance, we booked our Alcatraz tickets two months in advance. Tour companies are obviously not allowed to sell Alcatraz tickets individually anymore, so we had to book Alcatraz prison tickets combined with a city tour. Our tour guide, Jonathan, was amazing and fun. We highly recommend this hassle-free combo tour. It’s fun, informative and exciting and worth every penny. I got to say, the energy and the impression you get when vising Alcatraz is something you need to experience for yourself.

Fran02558@Real

“The Beautiful Island of Alcatraz”

From the city tour to Alcatraz Island, we and our kids had an amazing adventure. It is a bit cold in San Francisco Bay in summer ironically. But were very interested in the criminology and forensic stories of Alcatraz and San Quintin prison like Charles Manson, the Zodiac, Fong “Little Pete” Ching, Zebra killers, Felix Mitchell, the Unabomber, Scott Peterson, and Clarence and John Anglin and Frank Morris and their famous ‘Escape from Alcatraz’. Wow! the feeling visitors get when stepping onto Alcatraz island from the ferry boat is quite eerie and a bit creepy, I know, but very exciting and interesting.

“Reserve Alcatraz tickets in advance when visiting San Francisco”

Book your Alcatraz tickets months in advance before you travel to San Francisco. This is a must-see tourist attraction when visiting San Francisco and Northern California. A police officer from South Africa, who traveled with us on Alcatraz ferry, had a stop-over at SFO international airport. He joined us just to visit Alcatraz prison, and we had fun together. Dress in layers. Ironically summer is not warm in San Francisco Bay, as weather is cool and gets foggy in the Bay. The views of Alcatraz from San Francisco are spectacular. This combo tour is a must-do and it saved us time and money. Thank you, Mary. You are a great tour guided and very funny - our kids loved your jokes and stories about Alcatraz prison and San Francisco neighborhood.

jensen@realestate

“Alcatraz prison worth a visit and above expectation”

Alcatraz prison is just as portrayed in the Hollywood films about Frank Morris (a movie starring Clint Eastwood) about Alcatraz maximum-security prison. The cell as seen in the Clint Eastwood movie “Escape from Alcatraz” is still preserved. No trip to San Francisco is complete without visiting Alcatraz Island. It took me 2 tours to Alcatraz before I felt the strong atmosphere and energy you get after stepping off Alcatraz cruises ferry and onto the dock. This city tour combined with Alcatraz is an exceptional combo trip, I recommend for all visitors.

Angiesd87@marvisiat

“Alcatraz and San Francisco, the best worry-free tour package”

We were lucky to find availability for the Alcatraz tour. We booked this all-inclusive San Francisco guided tour combined with Alcatraz as a tour package. It was a worry-free reservation all included, and the perfect way to indulge in San Francisco if you have limited time. It was a convenient, affordable, and fulfilling combo trip of the city top attractions and a self-guided tour of Alcatraz prison. A must-do when visiting the City by the Bay, and worth every penny you spend. Our tour guide drove us up to the Alcatraz ferry terminal, redeemed our Alcatraz tour voucher and issues our ferry tickets. We had an extra 45 minutes before the ferry departure, so we had a quick snack at Alcatraz cafe at Pier 33, be prepared before you embark on Alcatraz ferry, no grocery or food service is available on Alcatraz!

[email protected]

“Alcatraz tour should be on everyone’s bucket list”

This is an incredible tourist attraction of San Francisco Bay area. If you plan on visiting San Francisco you got to add Alcatraz prison tour to your bucket-list, more than Muir Woods or Napa. Alcatraz Island history itself is a very interesting story, before it was ever used as a federal prison. How anyone could even escape from this remote Island and maximum-security prison? The audio headphone guided tour is informative, the stories and sounds of prison officers makes the guided tour so real and the story comes to live. I took amazing pictures to show my friends in Japan. This trip is wonderful and recommended even for solo travelers like myself.

Akiko87@tok-japan

“Great combo tour opportunity of Alcatraz prison”

This was our first visit to California and San Francisco. We did a city tour with this tour company and found out how hard it was to get Alcatraz ticket., Luckily, our tour guide Patricia, who was so professional and friendly, called the company and arranged last-minute tickets for us to visit Alcatraz Island. The experience lived up to our expectations and the reviews we had read about Alcatraz tours turned out to be so true. We recommend this combo tour to all families with kids like us, who have no time to scan through all these websites out there looking for ticket’s availability. This is a very serious and professional tour company, and they exceeded our expectations

[email protected]

“San Francisco Alcatraz combo tour”

Book your Alcatraz tickets immediately when you plan your trip to San Fran. We had initially planned to book Alcatraz Island night tour, but it’s impossible to get due to limited availability. The day tour to Alcatraz was not bad at all. The fascinating story of Alcatraz prison is phenomenal, and the city tour completed this package trip. That’s was a good company to work with from the moment we booked on their website to the day of the trip. And their tour guides are fun and professional.

Dan025@vact025

“Top Notch 5-Star City Private Tour with Alcatraz Prison”

Don’t waste your time looking for Alcatraz tickets and availability. Book with this local tour company, and you will not be disappointed. We booked the full day San Francisco city tour by SUV. The city tour exceeded our expectations and our tour guide, Pat, certainly delivered. Superb service and highly recommended, you’ll be in good hands. We recommend the private city tour where you can stop anywhere you want and visit the monument or neighborhood of your choice were bus tours are restricted. We also recommend Alcatraz audio guide to explore this former jail. It’s fun and informative.

[email protected]

Fascinating combo tour of San Francisco and Alcatraz

Reserve Alcatraz tickets in advance, this tour was so much better than I was expecting. You get a ferry ride from San Francisco Pier 33 to the Alcatraz island and then you get to visit Alcatraz former prison. It was rainy and foggy that day, but still well worth the trip. The trip was very well run, and we were welcomed in the dock by a ranger who let us know some key information and rules before visiting the prison. Don’t forget to grab something to eat before heading to Alcatraz, as there is no food service on the island. You can stay as long as you want on Alcatraz island, but don’t miss the last ferry. I think they have like one ferry every 30 minutes. Alcatraz had a reputation for being the toughest prison in the country. How did all these top criminals like Al Capone survive it? I recommend doing the audio guided tour twice, if you have time. It’s so informative, but too much information can be a bit overwhelming for first time visitors.

[email protected]

Why everybody is so crazy about Alcatraz prison?

Why everybody is so crazy about Alcatraz prison tour? Alcatraz Island is dim, cold, morbid, and crowded. We felt nothing, seen nothing, heard nothing that made it so appealing to our group, a bit overrated in our opinion. Why have criminals become victims and stars? They deserved to be incarcerated in Alcatraz prison! Some visitors were even asking for autographs from a former inmate of Alcatraz who was there that day, but this makes no sense to me. But I can understand some visitors who are interested in criminology. I’m giving a 4-star review not for Alcatraz tours but for the city experience with our tour guide Alan. He made our city tour very exciting and fun. He was very accommodating and attentive to our needs. He stopped the car half-way day down on Lombard street to take photographs of us in the middle of the street and took us to visit the fortune cookies in Chinatown. That was fun! I also recommend stopping at the ferry building, this is a great place for the foodies and wine lovers, and we had a great time there.

[email protected]

“Alcatraz and San Francisco, the best part of our trip to California”

Alcatraz Island is an incredible tourist attraction. We did the tour with our kids, and they loved it too. The audio tour was well done, we took tons of pictures, hanged out and enjoyed the views of the city from Alcatraz Island. The views are spectacular from Alcatraz island. Go to the officers’ garden side that overlooks the Golden Gate bridge but watch out for the old steps. They are very steep and have no guards. Army officers’ spouses who were stationed on the Island in the early 1900s, planted all kinds of vegetables there (The beauty on the beast). We skipped some places while touring the city so we could take our kids to visit California Academy of Sciences located in the Golden Gate park. This museum is very underrated. They got a World-class Aquarium, planetarium, and natural history Museum. The guided tour inside and on the existing roof appeals to all ages, and it was a wonderful experience. I highly recommend it for families with young kids.

Biz-field@bratslva

Alcatraz prison tour is very interesting and enjoyable

This was a very interesting tour we took to Alcatraz Island. We had all heard of Alcatraz and had some sketchy knowledge of its history. However, they have done a really good job of telling the real, non-Hollywood, history of the island prison. This tour company is well organized – everything from the city guided tour to the lines waiting to get on the ferry, embarking and disembarking, and setting up the visitors with audio tour headsets. You have an assigned time to leave on the ferry, but the return to the mainland is at your leisure. The self-guiding audio tour was well done, and you can move at your own pace. This can help you avoid pockets of crowds. While there are parts of the island closed to the public, you pretty much have free reign to wander and explore the public areas at your own pace.

It is a bit of hike up the road to the entrance to the prison and beginning of the tour. There are also steps to maneuver once inside. This could be problematic for those with mobility issues. They do have a shuttle or tram that can take visitors up and back down. So, the tour can accommodate most visitors, even if some areas would not be accessible.

Definitely worth the visit. Consider booking this San Francisco and Alcatraz prison combo tour. It only takes a couple of hours after the city tour and is an interesting spot to visit. Thank you, Alcatraz Tours, and many thanks to our tour guide Victor. You guys are so passionate and knowledgeable. I am very glad we didn’t book with the other websites who sell tours all over the world. They have nothing local and so messy with no customer service.

We recommend your company and tour guides.

ClearwaterJen Clearwater Tampa Bay Florida 350131

Alcatraz Island Tour: Well Worth The Time & Money!

I have been to San Francisco many times but never went to Alcatraz. This was a VERY IMPRESSIVE experience! Everyone should do it once. We booked Alcatraz and UC Berkeley Campus combo tour with our kids. It was a very well organized and worry-free combo tour, all included. Berkeley is a beautiful city and the University of California is an amazing place to visit... Alcatraz tour itself is a bucket-list destination which I can recommend to all visitors. Alcatraz prison audio self-guided tour really offers lots of detail about the prison, who was housed there and the overall history of Alcatraz ‘The Rock’. We actually met the author of a book who was once incarcerated at Alcatraz during the escape and breakout. Very, very interesting.

Need to get tickets well in advance! The hike up the hill is pretty steep, but if you take your time, anyone can do it.

I Highly recommend this combo tour for families with kids!

[email protected]

Yeah, we did it! We made it to Alcatraz and escaped from the rock!

We can now check Alcatraz tour off our bucket-list :-) Yeah, we recommend this combo adventure of Alcatraz and city tour. We had nothing to worry about, we got picked up at our hotel, did the city private tour, and Alcatraz prison self-guided tour. Worth every penny.

Phoenix, Arizona

Great, humbling experience with awesome views of San Francisco from Alcatraz

This is a must do when visiting San Francisco Bay area. It begins with a custom city tour of San Francisco top sights and places all included...then followed by the ferry ride to the island, which offers exceptional views of the Bay, the Golden Gate, and the SFO skyline. Would advise you to line up early to board the ferry to get good seats. Once you reach the island, after a brief introduction, you are free to roam the island. My advice would be to go straight to the top for the audio tour, which is the best part of the experience. The tour is awesome, and you learn so much about the prison life. Once you are done with that, you can walk around to other places like the gardens and the industries. Be careful with the return ferry, as the lines are usually very long to get on. Enjoy the views while coming back as well.

Alcatraz tickets are often sold out weeks in advance. We were lucky that these guys accommodated us with our last-minute booking...this is a reliable local tour company and highly recommended.

Atlanta, Georgia,

Big Redwoods and an excellent horseback ride on the beach for our whole family!

Even though the wooded trails were a bit wet for us to ride due to the fog, the experience was amazing, and we all enjoyed it very much. The horses looked happy, well cared for, and these were some of the best-behaved horses we’ve ever interacted with. The staff was very friendly. It didn’t take us too long to reach a laid-back beach, so peaceful and beautiful.

After the horseback ride, our fun and very nice tour guide drove us to Santa Cruz where we had lunch in a restaurant located on the Wharf. We ordered a seafood platter which was fresh and yummy, and the views made it the perfect location for our family.

For me personally, the highlight of our trip was our tour of a beautiful forest of big redwood trees in Santa Cruz mountains. I’ve been to Muir Woods before, but this state park was less crowded than Muir Woods and the redwood trees are much bigger and older in Santa Cruz mountains.

On the way back to our hotel in San Francisco, the tour guide made a quick stop at Apple’s new headquarter in Silicon Valley. We visited the visitor center and the store (while our son was sneaking out to fly his drone over Apple’s new and amazing architecture “it looks like a spaceship from the sky”.)

We highly recommend this outdoor adventure and this business.

Annapolis, MD

Alcatraz prison tickets combined with a city tour

My husband and I decided to book the combo tour of Alcatraz and city for our parents and in laws. We were a group of 7 persons, and our local tour guide was amazing and very knowledgeable. Booking a private SUV tour versus the public bus tour is the ideal way to see 4-times more sights and attractions than the bus tour option, and you get out as often as you want to visit places like Lombard street, the painted ladies, china beach, fort Miley, mission murals... we had lots of fun. San Francisco is a beautiful city and Alcatraz island prison tour is a must-see for everyone. This tour company was the only provider who had Alcatraz tickets available as all other tour companies we called were sold out. Alcatraz prison tickets are so hard to get, so watch out and ensure you do book them in advance. Also, be sure to eat before you get on Alcatraz ferry as there was no food available on Alcatraz island.

Bring extra layers and expect fog and wind in the middle of the San Francisco bay.

El Paso, Texas

Alcatraz Island day trip with our 4-year-old son.

We recently visited Alcatraz Island prison with our 4-year-old son. He was not bored and loved the ferry ride and was running inside and outside Alcatraz prison like we never seen him before. My husband is a police officer and he loved this tour. We recommend Alcatraz tour for all ages.

An awesome horseback ride on the beach and Alcatraz tour

We got desperate as we couldn’t get our hand on Alcatraz tickets. Alcatraz Island tour and ferry tickets were sold out when we tried to book them online (6 weeks in advance). We tried every tour company in San Fran, but no luck. Until we landed on www.alcatraztoursf.com and they made our day. We couldn’t believe it.

We had to book a combo tour to get our hand on Alcatraz prison tickets, so we signed up for a horseback ride on the beach. It took place in Half- Moon Bay, and although it was a cool day it was worth it. The scenery along the Pacific Coast Highway is breathtaking.

This tour company is very reliable, and their tour guide Mary was amazing! We felt like we had a friend in town - it was more than a tour - a real and fun experience. She even drove us through the Golden Gate Park, and we stopped for a snack and beer tasting at the Beach Chalet, an ocean front restaurant with stunning view of ocean and the beach.

Highly recommend

Shsdh@pvltd

This tour company is very reliable, and their tour guide Mary was amazing! We felt like we had a friend in town - it was more than a tour - a real and fun experience. She even drove us through the Golden Gate Park, we stopped for a snack and beer tasting at the beach chalet, an ocean front restaurant with stunning Views of ocean and the beach.

Martin Navaro

San Francisco combo adventure - a worry-free tour package

We were lucky to find and book this all-inclusive San Francisco / Alcatraz tour package. It was a worry-free reservation and turned out to be the perfect way to indulge in San Francisco (we had little time on our hands...). This day trip to Alcatraz was a convenient, affordable, and fulfilling combo tour - a must-do when visiting the City by the Bay.

The private city tour covered quiet a lot of places we could have never managed to find on our own, and we stopped almost everywhere along the way... worth every penny we spent.

Alcatraz and Silicon Valley worry-free combo tour

We wanted to cover 2 iconic places during our stay at a VRBO near San Francisco. Alcatraz island and Stanford University were on our list, and we did just that. This Alcatraz prison and Silicon Valley was a short-day trip and was a very good fit for us and our tight schedule. Our sons get bored quickly with long day tours, but they were rather interested in both places. The guided tour we had at Stanford was totally private and we were transported in a golf cart as my husband is a Vet and was injured in Iraq. This was the ideal way to cover as much as possible of Stanford huge campus and without walking a lot . Both tours boosted our teens’ motivation and they started asking more question afterwards.

This combo package worth the money and highly recommended

Tour combo de Silicon Valley y Alcatraz

We visited Apple’s new campus, and the so-called Apple ‘spaceship’ architecture is amazing. The visitor center is well designed, and we had a guided tour with an Apple employee on site. We also visited google, Palo Alto and Stanford. I wish we had the whole day, but we had to head back to San Francisco to get there on time for our Alcatraz prison tour, which was the highlight of our day adventure.

Highly recommended

Martha Leon

Barcelona, Spain

Fantastic horseback ride near Muir Woods and Stinson Beach

We were picked up by Pat, a nice Irish lady and a wonderful tour guide. She drove us through Mill Valley where we stopped for breakfast before we visited Muir Woods - a peaceful small forest with big and towering redwood trees. The trail through Muir Woods is flat and easy, and there are paved paths for those wanting a casual stroll or more challenging trails. We did both trails along the creek, and our kids had no problem with the twisty paths and stairs although towering redwood trees.

After Muir Woods, we had a lunch break at Stinson Beach, which was a great place for a picnic lunch. We enjoyed the delicious fish tacos we ordered, everything was very fresh and sourced locally from Marin county. Near Stinson beach is Bolinas, where we and our kids went on horseback riding in the forest. I’m glad it was only an hour; we could not take more than that as this was our first horseback riding experience.

That was an unforgettable family adventure in Marin county.

Thank you, Pat, for the good memories.

10 stars!: Nature and tranquility at its best!

This half-day private tour to Muir Woods was the perfect way to spend the morning away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and without traveling too far. Muir Woods is definitely worth the trip. Never pass on the opportunity to visit Muir Woods national monument if you are ever in the San Francisco Bay area. The park is less crowded in the morning, and we were very lucky and enjoyed it before it got busy. All in all, a very quiet and wonderful experience.

Our tour guide made this trip even more enjoyable as she took us to have a snack at Stinson Beach. The road is scenic and offers breathtaking views along the coast.

Plan your visit to Muir Woods and book in advance - rangers are rude!

We found out the hard way that Muir Woods park service has started implementing a new and paid reservation system, in addition to the park entrance fees ($15 per person). We tried to park our rental car there, but the park ranger in front of the gate very rudely turned us away and told us to get out... and book online. The parking there is now for tour companies and commercial use only and requires special permits which sucks.

Anyway, since there is no cell phone service at Muir Woods, we had to drive back to Sausalito, and park our rental car there. We were glad to get hold of this tour company who accommodated us with such last-minute booking and picked us up in Sausalito.

We finally managed to visit Muir Woods in the late afternoon, and that was for the best. The forest was almost empty, and it was definitely more peaceful. I recommend this company and Adam, our very nice tour guide. He made us feel very comfortable and we forgot our bad experience earlier with the US park rangers.

Definitely, do plan your visit to Muir Woods and book in advance!

Amazing seaplane and Alcatraz island tour experience

What a fantastic air-tour experience in a seaplane we had in the San Francisco Bay area! The pilot is super cool, experienced and very friendly. This was a jaw-dropping experience as where flying over the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco, with a bird's-eye view of Alcatraz Island. Everything looks so different from the sky. We also enjoyed our tour of Alcatraz prison very much. This was a great trip and well put together tour package. We highly recommend this combo tour of Alcatraz and seaplane adventure to anyone. Absolutely worth every single penny.

Pensacola, Florida,

Best San Francisco Alcatraz combo tour

Book your tickets immediately! We had initially planned to book the night tour but it’s hard to get tickets for Alcatraz night tour. The day tour was not bad at all. Apart from the fascinating story of Alcatraz, the trip to the island is phenomenal and the city tour completed the package tour and it’s very interesting.

Alcatraz and San Francisco - the best part of our vacation in California

This is an incredible tourist attraction. We did the tour with our kids, and they loved it too. The audio tour was well done, we took tons of photos and enjoyed the views of the city from Alcatraz Island. The views from Alcatraz are spectacular.

Fascinating combo tour of San Francisco & Alcatraz

Definitely! pre-book your Alcatraz tickets well in advance. You can't go to San Francisco and not go to Alcatraz prison! A combination trip to Alcatraz and the city is a bonus and saves time. The tour was so much better than I was expecting. We hopped on Alcatraz ferry from San Francisco Pier 33, and once there, we were welcomed on the dock of Alcatraz island by a park ranger who let us know some key information and rules before visiting the prison. The prison is old and dingy, but it’s very interesting, and we loved the audio tour.

The Best Alcatraz Island Napa Valley wineries combo tour

What a fabulous way to spend the day in California wine country and Alcatraz island. The driver, Leo, was an expert tour guide with a fun and outgoing personality. He made us feel so comfortable from the first minute we met him the lobby of our hotel. The SUV is luxurious and clean and allowed us access to places not allowed to van tours or large vehicles. He even started the day by driving us through Lombard street - a beautiful neighborhood with gorgeous flowers. We also made a stop at the Golden Gate bridge on the way to the Napa Valley.

This tour company has a distinguished relationship with excellent wineries in Napa Valley. We managed to visit 2 small wineries located off-the-beaten-path, that are not open to group and bus tours. We had a walking tour inside the cellars and cave, and we ended up with a food and wine paring experience. This is the best way to learn how wine is made and how to taste the wine and pair it with right food. This private tour is the best way to go. You get to avoid commercial wineries and bus tours if you are looking for quality time. It was not cheap but worth every penny.

When we got back to the San Francisco, we could barely see Alcatraz island due to dense fog which is obviously very common in the summer. The ferry ride to the island was fun and short. Alcatraz prison audio tour is a must and highly recommended. This was best tour and tour guide we ever had. He exceeded our expectations.

A family safari adventure combined with San Francisco and Alcatraz

We booked this 2-day tour package through Alcatraz Tours. On day one, we visited San Francisco and Alcatraz, and on day 2 we spend most of the day in Sonoma county where we visited a wild safari park.

We got there around 10 am, and the safari tour guide walked us first around the main area by the entrance where exotic birds and wild the animals could be seen and approached. Some animals loved to pose for close-ups, especially the monkeys, giraffes and flamingos. After 45 minutes walking tour, we drove in a double decker safari style jeep. This was a great experience for our kids. We have never seen them so excited. The entire jeep tour was about 3 hours or so and we saw everything from monkeys, cheetahs, hippos, zebras, bob cats, flamingos, giraffes and even parrots. Our family loved this safari adventure, and this is a great getaway for family with kids and highly recommended.

After the safari tour, we had lunch in Napa, and our passionate tour guide drove us to the Jelly Belly beans factory. This was the perfect way to end this day trip. Many thanks to our amazing tour guide, Buddy, he is the best!

An awesome Alcatraz & balloon experience - a bucket-list adventure.

From the beginning to the end, everyone we met was awesome - from our fun and wonderful tour guide, Mary to the hot-air balloon pilot himself (Jason). A top-notch tour company and pilot. They made us feel very safe and comfortable before the lift-off and when we landed.

After the balloon ride, we had a delicious champagne breakfast with the pilot and his friendly crew and our tour guide. We also visited Opus One winery and then drove back to San Francisco to visit Alcatraz. We got there 30 minutes before the ferry departed to Alcatraz.

We do recommend this combo adventure to everyone without any hesitation, even if you don’t like to wake up early. This was an awesome experience and a bucket-list adventure. This was by far the best travel experience we ever had!

An awesome bay cruise boat tour around Alcatraz Island

This is great tour experience when Alcatraz tickets are sold. We were disappointed as we didn’t manage to get our hand on Alcatraz tickets. We were happy though with this combo trip as we got visit San Francisco’s famous landmarks and top places we wanted to see.

Really liked the Bay cruise tour - it’s a great opportunity for photos of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate bridge. We got lucky with the weather, and we walked to Pier 39 to see the sea lions - a very cool place but it was crowded.

Alcatraz night tour is creepy, spooky but not scary

Went on the Alcatraz prison night tour to get a feel of the real atmosphere of Alcatraz prison at night. It was okay but not so unique as many stated in reviews. I personally prefer the day tour. Alcatraz night tour is creepy, spooky. Well, but not so scary if you have kids.

Debe visitar Alcatraz combinado con un recorrido por la ciudad para conocer los mejores sitios de la ciudad.!

Mi esposo y yo decidimos reservar el combo Alcatraz y el recorrido por la ciudad para nuestra familia, éramos un grupo de 7 personas, nuestro guía fue increíble y muy conocedor de la ciudad. Reservar un tour en SUV nos permitió pasar por todos los lugares para tomar fotos sin tener que caminar, nos divertimos mucho. San Francisco es una ciudad hermosa y debes visitar la isla de Alcatraz de todas maneras.

Recorrido en Alcatraz mucho más de lo esperado

Prisión de Alcatraz es como se ve en las películas de Hollywood , todo viaje a San Francisco debe incluir no solamente la calle de Lombard y el puente de Golden Gate m también vale la pena recorrer cada vecindario de la ciudad, hay tanto que ver y conocer en San Francisco que necesitas varios días para poder verla toda, pero si no dispones de mucho tiempo al menos el tour de la ciudad de 1 día es suficiente, al otro dia puedes combinar Alcatraz con un paseo por redwoods.

Alcatraz debe estar en la lista de Lugares a visitar de todo el mundo

Esta es una increíble atracción turística de San Francisco, solo una empresa tiene la autorización para llevar turistas a Alcatraz, tuvimos la suerte de haber conseguido los tickets, era fin de semana y había mucha gente haciendo cola para conseguir tickets, pero sin éxito. Todo estaba agotado para las próximas 3 semanas. Nuestra agencia reservó el tour de la ciudad con Alcatraz todo incluido, y nosotros no tuvimos que preocuparnos de nada.

Roberto Samane

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Authentic Alcatraz and San Francisco Tour Reviews

Lake Tahoe & Yosemite tour experience

What an amazing trip around Lake Tahoe after a 3-day custom adventure of Yosemite national park sights and attractions - a wonderful destination.

Lake Tahoe is stunning & spectacular!!

Even if you’re not a fan of outdoors activities, Tahoe worth the long drive from San Francisco. This is a must-see destination with remarkable attractions.

Martha Frierrs, Alabama

Tahoe & Yosemite; must-see destinations in California

Tahoe is a must-see place & Yosemite is the crown jewel of California, they offer amazing outdoor activities for families with kids

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A 5-star Yosemite & Tahoe experience

Our 3-day private tour package to Lake Tahoe wonders, Gold Country & Yosemite National Park top attractions was excellent, exciting & memorable!

Nicky & Bannysh. Kolkata (Calcutta), India

Tahoe is a bucket-list vacation destination

The Lake is pristine, wonderful, so clean, the air is so fresh & pure with magnificent surroundings, what an awesome paradise on earth?

Lucia & Rogelio Mérida, Mexico

Our Incredible experience in Lake Tahoe and Reno

Our adventure to Lake Tahoe and Reno from San Francisco was amazing and unforgettable thanks to Golden Horizon Travel attentive staff, and tour guide.

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Dream vacation to Tahoe, Yosemite & Mammoth Lakes

My wife and I want you to know how much we enjoyed our time in Tahoe & Yosemite, we loved travelling with your company

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A memorable Tahoe -Yosemite combo tour experience

Trust their tour reviews on trip advisor 100%, they earned our satisfaction, they have a great customer service and amazing tour guides.

Naina Kwok- Jakarta, Indonesia

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Expert Tips For Traveling Full Time With Family

Looking for tips for traveling full time with family ?

Then you’re in the right place!

As part of my  Inspiring Traveler series , I got the opportunity to interview full-time traveler Megan Tenney, who also runs the blog  Family Gap Year Guide .

Megan has been traveling full time with her family for over two years, and they’re still going strong and loving the adventure.

Below, Megan shares her top tips for living on the road with family, including advice on trip planning, roadschooling the kids, funding the lifestyle, and more.

Note: This post on how to travel full-time with a family features affiliate links to trusted partners I think you’ll love!

Table of Contents

Where To Travel Next (Free Travel Personality Quiz!)

Wondering where to start your full time travel adventure or simply where to go for your next trip?

Take my free travel personality quiz for suggestions based on your unique interests:

After you take the quiz, keep reading for advice on long-term travel with family .

Expert Tips For Traveling Full Time With Family (Interview)

1. thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview on how to travel the world with family. to get started, can you just tell us a little bit about yourself.

Absolutely, and thanks for having me as a guest on your blog!

My name is Megan and my family of six has been traveling full-time for over two years now. Our kids are 12, 9, 7, and 4 (boy, girl, boy, girl).

I grew up in Maine and then lived in Arizona with my husband, where he’s from, for 13 years before we hit the road. We both have a background in teaching and the performing arts, and I’ve been a blogger for 12 years and now also work in digital advertising.

Earlier this year I started a new website, Family Gap Year Guide, where we share our travel adventures and teach other families how to take life on the road!

2. Before you hit the road, you note on your blog that you were miserable from having jam-packed schedules that ultimately felt unfulfilling. What led you to choose full time family travel as a way to change this?

I’m sure a lot of families can identify — we just kept saying yes to everything and ended up with a calendar that was overflowing.

Originally, when we were feeling burned out, I confided that I wanted to move back to the east coast. We realized that if we were going to sell our house and move anyway, there was no reason we couldn’t take some time to travel before buying our next house.

We both had long bucket lists and wanted to see the world.

The list of places we wanted to visit would have taken us years and years, taking short trips in between work, school, and other commitments. We were overjoyed when we realized that traveling full-time meant we could go everywhere on our lists, one right after the other!

3. What were some of the important steps you took to prepare for the leap into full-time travel with a family?

The biggest step was definitely selling our house. We had to go through all of our belongings and decide what to sell, giveaway, store, or bring with us. We had a huge yard sale, made many trips to Goodwill, and filled up a 10’x10’ storage unit.

I was already working an online job that could be done remotely, and my husband switched to a part-time remote job. We had to file an affidavit with our state, saying we intended to homeschool our kids, and then we were free from all ties!

We directed our mail to my parents’ house, sketched out a general route we planned to take across the US for the next nine months, gave our van a tune-up, and booked our first Airbnb for four weeks on Whidbey Island, near Seattle.

4. When it comes to education, you homeschool — or, as you call it on your blog, “roadschool” — your kids. What does this look like and how did you prepare for teaching on the road?

We’ve definitely honed our homeschooling skills over the past two years, but it didn’t take long to get into a pretty solid routine.

My husband works some mornings and evenings, and I work during the day, so he took on most of the homeschooling. We use free online resources, like Khan Academy, along with workbooks and reading books, and then we try to incorporate local learning opportunities in each destination we visit.

Here are just a few experiences we’ve had because of where we were located:

• Learned about the Oregon Trail — on the Oregon Trail
• Toured all three branches of government in Washington DC
• Learned about the Battle of the Alamo — at the Alamo
• Went clamming and learned how to cook clams
• Learned about space at the Griffith Observatory
• Took a sandcastle-building lesson in Texas
• Watched Louisville Sluggers being made in Kentucky
• Saw hot air balloons take off in New Mexico

With all of the personal attention they get, the kids are flying through their schoolwork and are several grades ahead of where they would be in school.

In addition, we’ve incorporated a lot of life skills into their day, so they know how to cook meals, do laundry, and care for the little ones. Our oldest son even started doing about an hour of work a day for my father’s software company, so he’s learning about computer programming and already logging work experience that will serve him well in the future.

This is a super well-rounded system of schooling that we feel is really preparing our kids to face the world as adults!

I wrote all about our system in my Ultimate Guide to Roadschooling !

5. Let’s talk a bit about the financial aspect of traveling full-time. How did you pinpoint how much money to save before hitting the road?

We saved nothing!

I don’t necessarily recommend that, but our decision was a little last-minute and we had next to no savings.

Since we are working while we travel, we budget with the funds we have coming in.

6. What were some strategies you used to save money for full-time travel, and how do you fund the lifestyle now?

I work full-time at a wonderful remote job, and that income is enough to cover our regular expenses with a little for savings.

Additionally, my husband works part-time, and as a side hustle, I make money travel blogging . We use those funds as our “fun money” for dining out or extra activities that aren’t in the day-to-day budget.

The major factor to being able to afford full-time travel is if you’re willing to give up the safety of having a homebase. If you sell or rent your home, you no longer have a mortgage or rent payments and can put that money toward lodging while you travel.

But also, think of how many of your bills are associated with your house — electricity, gas, water, insurance, internet, landscaping, pest control, HOA, and so on. Those all go away!

Once we sold our house, we still had to pay for our car insurance, storage unit, cell phone bill, regular living expenses like food and gas, and subscriptions like Netflix and Hulu. That’s about it!

We mostly stay in Airbnbs for a month at a time. This allows us to take advantage of hefty discounts that Airbnb owners sometimes offer for longer stays — often up to 50-80% off!

It also means we have a little bit of stability — not always rushing off to a new place every few days — and lets us fully experience each destination like locals!

7. You run your blog from the road, so I’m curious how you balance blogging with traveling with family full-time?

In addition to traveling and blogging, I also work a full-time job! So yes I’m pretty busy, but that fits my personality. I love to work, and I love my job, so I’m happy to log on every day, and I spend a lot of my free time before and after my regular work hours working on my blog.

As I mentioned, my husband does most of the homeschooling, and we get lots of family time because we are always together.

On the weekends and in the evenings we make sure to explore the location we’re in, and I’m an ultra-organized planner, so that helps us keep track of everything.

8. What have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced while traveling full-time as a family? How have you overcome them?

The biggest challenge was just making the decision to go — to pull kids out of school, to sell our house, to leave our town.

After we discovered how awesome full-time traveling is, we never looked back. The pandemic has been a big challenge because we had plans to travel overseas that have been pushed back an entire year, and in the meantime, we’ve just kept traveling within the US.

We want to make sure we’ve done all the traveling we want to do before we settle down again, so we’re kind of just biding time now, but we’re doing it in all of our favorite locations and some new ones.

9. What is one of your favorite short travel stories from the road that really exemplifies your perfect moment traveling as a family?

I love this question because I could share some very polarizing examples of what full-time family travel looks like!

We’ve had lots of incredible experiences, such as the day we gathered on the beach in south Texas to watch a rehabilitated sea turtle return to the ocean…and then there was the day we sat in non-moving traffic for seven hours because of an accident on the highway.

A lot of days are very normal for us — we do work and school, cook meals, clean the house, etc. And then some days we are touring the White House or hiking the Appalachian Trail.

Recently we were traveling through Kansas, and my husband had our three oldest kids gathered in a corner of the hotel room, reading scenes from Romeo and Juliet and then watching a few different versions of the play on YouTube.

Later that day we explored a salt mine, 650 feet underground! It has been so fun to be creative with what we learn and see while traveling.

10. What advice would you give a family looking to leave the settled 9-to-5 life to travel full-time and roadschool their children, but who may be nervous?

First, I would say that you will never regret it. It’s a little cliche, but you only live once! Don’t get stuck in a day-to-day life that isn’t making you happy.

Second, you don’t have to adopt this lifestyle forever.

Plan a family gap year and try it out for 12 months. If you love it, keep going — if it’s not for you, then it was a great adventure and you can go right back home and settle down again.

11. In terms of a practical tip, what is the first thing a family wanting to travel the world full-time should do, in your opinion?

I definitely think the first thing to do would be to take a look at your finances and figure out how you would budget for a year or more of full-time travel.

If you’re going to save up first, you might have to limit the amount of time you plan to travel, but if you have jobs that you can take on the road, then you can probably travel indefinitely!

I have a great guide focused on how to budget for full-time travel, and you can grab that for free here !

And, since that first step isn’t necessarily a fun step, the second step is planning the locations you want to visit. Way more fun!

Create a list of places you’d like to go — maybe have each member of the family make separate lists and see where you overlap — and then sketch out a route.

Hop on Airbnb.com and look for stays in those locations and create a favorites list to revisit when you’re ready to book.

12. What is one of the most important lessons you’ve learned from the road?

Hands down, the most important lesson I’ve learned is that there’s no “right” way to live your life.

If you only do what you think is “normal” then you’re missing out.

I’ve always been a rule-follower, so I pushed back on the idea at first, thinking, “People just don’t do this. We can’t do this.”

But we can and we did, and you can do it, too!

Do you have any tips for traveling full time with family to add?

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Thank You so much for the article, especially the quiz and also providing me the best place for my holiday for 2021 ;), Looking forward for a positive 2021 🙂

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These Are the Busiest Travel Days of the Year, According to TSA

The holidays and holiday weekends often bring with them some of the most congested days at the country’s airports and on the roads..

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The Tuesday and Wednesday just before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after Thanksgiving are often among the busiest travel days of the year.

Photo by Jim Lambert / Shutterstock

Every year, millions of people embark on journeys, whether for business or leisure. After a few years of much less crowded airports due to the pandemic, the International Air Transport Association is reporting that passenger numbers are just about what they were prepandemic levels.

However, there have already been a number of days that have surpassed prepandemic levels and they’ve largely fallen right before or after holidays.

Take Independence Day, for example. In 2023, AAA projected that 4.17 million people flew over the July Fourth holiday period, surpassing the previous air travel record of 3.91 million travelers, set in 2019. Similarly, TSA screened a record number of passengers on the Sunday following Thanksgiving in 2022, with more than 2.56 million passengers.

According to the TSA, the busiest travel days of the year are usually the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after Thanksgiving . TSA recorded its highest passenger screening volume in its history on the Sunday after Thanksgiving in 2019, when nearly 2.9 million passengers passed through TSA checkpoints. But Thanksgiving and Christmas aren’t the only times we can expect busy airports. Here are the busiest travel day of the year.

Busiest travel days of the year

Thanksgiving and Christmas tend to be the busiest travel days of the year, but other holidays like Memorial Day, July Fourth, and Labor Day also see some of the highest volumes of air passengers.

So far this year, daily passenger numbers have been growing each month. In all of 2022, only one day had more than 2.5 million air passengers in the United States: November 27 (the Sunday after Thanksgiving), with 2.560 million. As of August 20, 2023, there had already been more than 75 days in the calendar year that had surpassed 2.5 million air passengers, according to TSA checkpoint data .

These have been the five busiest travel days in the last full year:

• July 30: 2.793 million passengers
• July 28: 2.785 million passengers
• July 23: 2.789 million passengers
• June 30: 2.884 million passengers (the new record for the busiest air travel day ever in the United States)
• June 16: 2.785 million passengers

For reference, the busiest travel day in all of 2019 was November 27, with 2.882 million passengers.

The busiest travel days around Christmas and New Year’s, historically

As for Christmas and New Year’s Eve, the number of travelers is likely to ramp up during the end of December and into early January as well. In 2019, the highest number of travelers during the Christmas and New Year period was on Friday, December 17 (one week before Christmas), when 2.6 million travelers passed through TSA checkpoints. The second busiest day was Christmas Eve, with 2.58 million travelers, followed by the day after Christmas with 2.57 million travelers.

New York City consistently ranks as one of the top domestic travel destinations for the holidays.

Photo by Elias Andres Jose/Unsplash

Tips for flying during the busiest times of the year

There are a few ways to make travel easier and clear busy TSA checkpoints more quickly, this holiday season.

Get TSA PreCheck, Clear, and/or Global Entry

Never have these security expediting services been more valuable than during the current congestion happening at U.S. airports. TSA PreCheck recently reduced its prices from $85 to $78 for a five-year membership, and it’s only $70 to renew . Clear costs $189 per year. International travelers should consider the $100 Global Entry, which includes TSA PreCheck, for expedited customs screening upon arrival in the United States—and there’s a secret way to speed up the application process .

Check to see if your airport has a fast-pass security lane you can book in advance—for free

No TSA PreCheck or Clear? Select U.S. airports are giving travelers the option to make an advance “fast pass” reservation to head to the front of the security line—free of charge. We’ve compiled the full list of airports that offer this service .

Consider traveling with carry-on only

For those who don’t want to risk their luggage getting lost during a busy travel time when airports remain understaffed, traveling with carry-on may be your best bet. Another alternative? Luggage-shipping services .

Know what you can bring through security

If you’re traveling with carry-on, know what you can and cannot pack in said carry-on. By now, you know you can only carry on liquids in containers 3.4 ounces or smaller, so be sure that holiday items such as gravy, cranberry sauce, or wine are either left behind or packed in a checked bag as they are considered liquids and could otherwise be confiscated (and create delays). Check AFAR’s in-depth guide to what foods you can bring through TSA to make sure that what you’ve packed in your carry-on can pass through security.

Thoroughly check your bags before leaving the house

TSA recommends that travelers fully empty their bags prior to packing to make sure that they don’t accidentally bring something to the airport that they didn’t intend to bring, which could cause further delays.

Monitor the weather

Check the weather and forecasts that are available on sites such as the National Weather Service , the Weather Channel , and AccuWeather so that you can be prepared for possible disruptions and establish back-up plans for delayed travel.

Get to the airport earlier than you’d think

The lines and wait times at the country’s airports (and abroad, too) are longer than they’ve been in years. Best to arrive early and have some extra time postsecurity than risk missing your flight waiting in an hours-long check-in or security line. Aim for at least two hours before domestic flights and at least three for international flights.

Know if and when you are due a refund because of a delayed or canceled flight

On September 1, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) launched a new Aviation Consumer Protection website to help travelers track down what kind of refunds or compensation their airline should provide when there is a cancellation or delay.

Airlines aren’t required to compensate passengers when flights are delayed or canceled due to problems deemed beyond the company’s control, like bad weather. They also aren’t required to provide a refund when the passenger initiates the cancellation or flight change. But a refund is required by U.S. law when the airline cancels, delays, or alters a flight, or passengers are involuntarily bumped from a flight that is oversold or due to issues originating from the airline, such as operational or staffing problems.

Additionally, after the federal government began cracking down on airlines this year, all of the major U.S. airlines vowed to provide meal vouchers for delays of more than three hours and to provide transfers and hotel stays to passengers affected by an overnight cancellation. They have all also agreed to rebook travelers on an alternate flight at no added cost due to a delay or cancellation and most will also rebook on a partner airline.

This article originally appeared online in 2018; it was most recently updated in August 2023 to include current information.

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The best Father’s Day gifts for adventure-loving dads

Upgrade dad’s travel game, whether he loves campfire cooking, sleeping under the stars, or fixing things while he’s on the go.

Growing up with an adventurous dad means he may be less interested in receiving a fancy tie or printed socks for Father’s Day and more hyped on the idea of a weekend spent together at his favorite National Park. While that might make him more fun than your average pops, it also tends to make him hard to shop for. What do you get for the guy who (rarely) wants anything?  

The answer is any of the Father’s Day gift ideas on this list, each of which will upgrade his travel game and help him get prepared for his next adventure, from a solar-powered fitness watch to cooking gear that is perfect for breaking out on camping trips.  

Our picks for the best Father’s Day gift ideas for 2024

Stanley adventure full base camp cook set.

Buy it now at Stanley

If Dad is the chef of the family, this comprehensive 21-piece cook set by Stanley gives him a chance to show off his skills outside of the home kitchen. It’s ideal for bringing along on a camping or road trip , stocked with all of the kitchen necessities for making and serving a pro-level meal around a campfire. It includes everything from a stainless steel pot and 3-ply frying pan to plates, bowls, sporks, and even a dish drying rack. This is a great gift for Father’s Day if your pop loves camping.  

( 8 camping cookware sets we love )

Snowpeak Takibi Fire & Grill

Buy it now at REI

Grilling over an open flame is a beloved pastime for Dads and nature lovers alike, thanks to the easy, hands-on experience it provides, as well as the ability to cook up something delicious anywhere you go. This Takibi Fire & Grill by Japanese brand Snowpeak can make it even easier for him to fire up some burgers, shrimp or seasonal vegetables, whether he’s in the backyard, at the park, or at a campsite. The modular five-piece set includes a Grill Net, Grill Bridge, Pack & Carry Fireplace, Baseplate, and Carrying Case and is crafted from high-quality stainless steel.  

Marshall Stockwell II Portable Speaker

Buy it now on Amazon

A good portable speaker is a must for any adventurer, and this timeless option by Marshall delivers both function and aesthetics. Three class D amplifiers power this compact speaker’s subwoofer, as well as its front and rear-facing tweeters, delivering clear sound that will turn wherever Dad is into a party. It’s quick-charging, reaching six hours of playtime in only 20 minutes, connects to smartphones via Bluetooth, and is water-resistant, so he can easily bring it to the lake or by a pool.  

( The best camping gear, according to National Geographic staff )

Yellow Leaf Signature Hammock

Buy it now at Yellow Leaf

There are few moments more relaxing than those spent gently swinging in a hammock, which is what makes this one by Yellow Leaf a great gift for Dad. Made from a soft-feel yarn that is both quick-dry and fade resistant, it can be hung outdoors or indoors for achieving that down time he deserves. It’s available in a wide range of color options, from bold to neutral, and is handwoven by craftswomen of the Mlabri Tribe in northern Thailand, helping to empower ethical job creation.  

( 10 of the best hammocks for camping and backpacking )

Parks Project Yellowstone Geysers Trail High Pile Fleece

Buy it now at Parks Project

This cozy fleece sweatshirt from Parks Project is made from high-pile fleece, offering a stylish and comfortable option for Dad to throw on whether he’s relaxing at home or off on an adventure. Button snaps at the top allow him to adjust the warmth level of the fleece, and the wavy retro design, available in both blue and green, is inspired by the geysers of Yellowstone National Park. A certified B Corporation, Parks Project also contributes funding, education, advocacy and more to vital park projects in the United States.  

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV Camera

A picture says a thousand words, and using the right camera always helps to tell the story. This mirrorless DSLR by Olympus is compact and lightweight, making it ideal to bring along while traveling. Besides offering a 20.3-megapixel Live MOS sensor, it also has in-body 5-axis image stabilization, helping Dad capture crisp images even if he or the subject of his photos is in motion. It has other unique features as well, from a dedicated Selfie mode to art filters that can be employed to add a specific feel to his photos.  

( The 9 best digital cameras for travelers, according to National Geographic )

AeroPress Go Travel Coffee Press

Compact and portable, this brewing device was designed for coffee lovers on the move and would make for a great gift, especially paired with a nice bag of beans. Despite its small size, it’s durable, making it perfect for Dad to bring backpacking or camping or simply to brew a cup at the office. Its all-in-one design includes a mug with a lid that doubles as a carrying case, and it brews up to three cups of hot coffee in about a minute or cold brew in around two.  

Aesop Departure Kit  

Buy it now at Aesop

Keeping fresh while traveling can certainly be a struggle, but the Departure Kit by Aesop offers a helpful solution for maintaining hygiene on the go, containing essential products like toothpaste and hand wash, as well as more luxurious additions that Dad can add to his routine, like a hydrating face mask and lip salve. Proper hygiene while traveling not only safeguards his health but also keeps him feeling clean and comfortable throughout his journeys. Aesop products are all unisex, with refreshing and herbaceous scents and non-toxic ingredients, making them ideal for gifting.  

( The essential camping checklist for beginners )

Away The Everywhere Bag

Buy it now at Away

When it comes to weekend trips, a versatile luggage companion is key. The Everywhere Bag from Away is just that, providing a roomy but not bulky bag that Dad can bring along whether traveling across the country or just a few counties away. Crafted with water-resistant nylon, it helps ensure your belongings stay safe and dry in any weather, while minimalist leather straps make it an attractive bag. Multiple pockets and compartments can help keep his essentials organized and easily accessible, and you can pick from several classic colors depending on his style.  

( The 8 best travel backpacks )

Nimble CHAMP Portable Charger

Buy it now at Best Buy

A dying cell phone can be inconvenient at best when exploring a new city and a major concern when exploring a new trail. Make sure Dad doesn’t encounter either situation by equipping him with a reliable portable charger, like this compact option by Nimble. Smaller than a deck of cards, it can fit into his pants pocket or a front backpack compartment and is able to charge two devices at once, from a phone to headphones or a portable speaker. For the eco-conscious recipient, they’ll be glad to know it's crafted from 90 percent recycled plastic.  

( The hiking gear you shouldn’t leave home without )

KREWE Colton Aviator Sunglasses

Buy it now at Krewe

This pair of sunglasses by KREWE has an effortlessly cool vibe and is available in both polarized and unpolarized colors. If Dad spends a lot of time outdoors, polarized sunglasses would be a good choice to help protect his eyes from glare that he might encounter from water, snow, or roads, providing him with clear vision while he’s biking, boating or walking around. The sturdy shape of these aviator glasses is flattering on most face shapes, with a durable frame made from 12K gold-plated stainless steel.  

LifeStraw Go Series Stainless Steel Water Bottle  

LifeStraw first launched at the turn of the century to strain Guinea worm larva out of drinking water in Africa, and since then has been innovating in the name of bringing clean water to vulnerable communities. Most recently, their unique filter has been developed into a water bottle, making it a helpful travel companion for visiting places without reliable, potable water. The membrane microfilter in their attractive water bottle, available in several colors, filters out contaminants and lasts up to one thousand gallons.  

( 6 of the best water bottles )

Arc'teryx Gamma AR Soft-Shell Pants

Outdoor gear is rarely stylish, which is what makes pieces by Arc’teryx stand out. Their designs, including these soft-shell pants are both classic and durable, with a wind- and water-resistant fabric that helps keep the wearer’s legs dry. A gusseted crotch and articulated knees make them easy to move in, even when hiking or rock climbing—a great addition to Dad’s closet for his next adventure.  

Garmin Instinct Crossover Solar    

If Dad has been using the same old watch for as long as you can remember, you might want to consider an upgrade for him this Father’s Day. Garmin is an outdoor-minded company that specializes in GPS technology and wearables, and their Instinct Crossover Solar is a rugged outdoor GPS smartwatch that harnesses solar power to extend its battery life. Its durable design is built to withstand harsh environments, making it ideal for Dad’s outdoor adventures, along with GPS functionality that offers navigation and tracking features for when he goes hiking or running. He’ll also be able to use it to track his health and fitness, from stress tracking to his sleep scores and more.  

( 6 of the best sleep trackers, from rings to smart watches )

Leatherman Arc Multi-tool

Buy it now at Cabela's

The right multi-tool will help Dad lighten the load of his toolbelt, like the Arc by Leatherman, which weighs less than nine ounces and features 20 different handy gadgets in one. It’s the first multi-tool with a MagnaCut steel blade and also contains everything from multiple drivers to a bottle opener, a pry tool, and even a mini saw. This is one of those simple Father’s Day gift ideas that can give a ton of value.  

( Everyone needs a multi-tool. Here are 10 we love )

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