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Most people will answer this question by telling you to book your flights early, travel during the off-season, stay outside the tourist areas, or bring your own food.

That is all good advice.

But my best tip for budget travel is different:

Give the trip a job.

If I am going to spend money traveling, I want that trip to create something. I want it to produce a relationship, a business opportunity, a story, a video, or a memory that will stay with me long after the hotel bill is gone.

That does not necessarily mean taking the cheapest trip possible. It means getting the greatest possible value from every dollar you spend.

Cheap Travel and Smart Travel Are Not the Same Thing

You can spend very little money on a trip and still waste every dollar.

You can also spend real money on a trip and come home with experiences, relationships, knowledge, content, and opportunities worth far more than the trip cost.

That is the difference between cheap travel and smart travel.

A cheap traveler only asks:

How little can I spend?

A smart traveler asks:

How many things can this trip accomplish?

Can you visit several places along one route instead of making separate trips? Can you meet someone you have wanted to do business with? Can you learn something that changes your direction? Can you document the journey and turn it into content? Can you build relationships that continue long after you return home?

When one trip accomplishes five different goals, every dollar starts working harder.

The Modern Day Dealer Road Year

I have been thinking seriously about making 2027 an entire year on the road with Modern Day Dealer.

The character would be the 1970 Chevelle.

This will not be a trailer queen hauled from one car show to another. The plan is to build it into a reliable, LS-powered driver and then actually drive it—possibly 40,000 miles across America.

I want to take that car to the places automotive people dream about:

Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit.

LS Fest in Bowling Green.

The Tail of the Dragon.

The Triple Nickel.

Major auctions, races, rallies, cruise nights, dealerships, junkyards, and legendary roads.

But the big events would only be part of the story.

I want to visit subscribers’ garages, meet builders, sit down with dealers, find incredible cars hidden in ordinary places, and stop at cigar bars in cities all over the country. I want to talk to the real people who keep American car culture alive.

And at night, wherever the road takes us, we go live.

Live From the Road

I can picture it already.

Modern Day Dealer broadcasting live on YouTube and TikTok from a hotel parking lot in Tennessee, a subscriber’s garage in Ohio, a cigar bar in Texas, or the side of the road because something broke on the Chevelle.

No fake television drama. No script pretending that everything went perfectly.

Just the real story unfolding as it happens.

Where are we tonight?

What did we find today?

Who did we meet?

What broke?

Did the Chevelle make it?

Where are we going tomorrow?

TikTok can introduce the journey to people who have never heard of Modern Day Dealer. YouTube can become the permanent home of the story—the live broadcasts, polished episodes, Shorts, interviews, garage tours, and everything else we capture along the way.

Eventually, I will need a full-time camera guy traveling with me. But his job will be much bigger than simply holding a camera.

He will be a road producer—capturing the moments I cannot film myself, helping manage the live broadcasts, watching the comments, organizing footage, keeping the equipment running, and making sure Video Chris has everything he needs to turn each stretch of the journey into complete episodes.

I live the story.

The team makes sure the story is not lost.

One Trip Can Create an Entire Content Machine

Think about what one good day on the road could produce.

A morning drive becomes part of a long-form episode.

A conversation at a dealership becomes a Short.

An unexpected car becomes a walkaround video.

A subscriber’s story becomes an interview.

A breakdown becomes the moment everybody remembers.

The nightly live lets the audience experience it with us in real time.

Then the same experience can become a blog post, photographs, social-media posts, and future conversations.

One day of travel could create a week of content.

That is what I mean when I say every trip needs a job.

The gas is not only moving the car. It is moving the story forward.

The hotel is not only providing a place to sleep. It is putting us in position for tomorrow’s episode.

The miles are not only taking us across the country. They are building the Modern Day Dealer brand one town, one person, and one experience at a time.

Travel With Purpose

I have spent money in my life chasing things that did not build anything. Most people have.

That is why my thinking has changed.

I do not want to travel simply to escape my real life. I want travel to become part of the life and business I am building.

That does not mean every moment needs to make money. Some of the greatest value will come from the people, the memories, and the freedom of driving an iconic American car across the country.

But if the journey can create those memories while also building an audience, growing a business, strengthening relationships, and documenting a piece of American car culture, then it is doing more than one job.

That is real value.

Give the Trip a Job

So, what is my best tip for budget travel?

Before you look for the cheapest flight or hotel, decide what you want the trip to accomplish.

Do not just pick a destination. Pick a purpose.

Build several stops into one route. Meet people along the way. Learn something. Create something. Document it. Let the trip become part of a larger mission.

The cheapest trip is not always the smartest trip.

The smartest trip is the one that gives you more than it costs.

In 2027, I do not just want to travel across America.

I want to build something across America—one road, one car, one story, and one live broadcast at a time.

— Nicholas Francis
Modern Day Dealer