Many couples want to travel, and plenty would love to get paid to do it. But the road from paying for exotic travel to getting paid to do it is paved with broken bank accounts. It takes hard work and a lot of luck to be the exception to the rule but Kara and Nate Buchanan pulled it off.
At the moment, Kara and Nate have an estimated net worth of $2 million. Their journey has been fascinating so let’s take a look at how they managed to see the world and become wealthy.
Main Income Sources
1. YouTube – their YouTube channel attracts 8 million monthly views and 250,000 views per day. Based on a CPM of $5, the couple could earn up to $1,000 every day from YouTube ads.
2. Affiliate marketing and brand deals – they earn around $10,000 to $20,000 per month promoting products on Amazon and recommending credit cards to their audience. The couple sometimes accepts sponsorships, recent examples include Surfshark and AG1.
3. Daily Drop – they founded Daily Drop, a travel media company with over 1.5 million subscribers that helps readers maximize miles and points for cheap or free travel.
4. Course Sales – Kara and Nate sell two courses on their website: “30 Days to Becoming a Travel Hacker” and “How to Edit a Vlog”. The courses sell for $180.81 and $119.31 respectively. They bring in an estimated $5,000 to $10,000 per month.
Early Days
In many ways, Kara and Nate Buchanan were like many couples when they first tied the knot. High school sweethearts from Hendersonville, Tennessee, they were honeymooning in Belize when they first talked seriously about their urge to travel.
The Buchanans quickly set a goal of seeing 100 countries together and were willing to devote their entire lives to the cause. This involved a serious commitment to travel hacking as they dove deep into finding cheap ways to travel while making money doing it.
The key to monetizing their experience is through YouTube. They created their channel in 2015 and began uploading travel content in 2016. Their vehicle for travel was a Sprinter van, where they lived a minimalist lifestyle in order to travel inexpensively.
The pandemic stopped them in their tracks for a brief period, but that setback was temporary. At the start of 2022, they moved out of the van and returned to full-time suitcase travel, bouncing around the globe. They have since bought their first home in Colorado.
The Travel Adventure Gig
The titles of some of the most popular videos are a direct reflection of their adventures. “We Slept on the Side of a Mountain,” for instance, happened at the Peru Sky Lodge, which sits 1300 feet above the ground and is accessible only through climbing. When their special night was over, they zip-lined to complete this unique travel experience.
In Thailand, their travel experience took a completely different turn. Another popular video, “Thailand Capsule Hotel,” is also the title of the place where they slept during a layover in Bangkok when they found a hotel located in the basement of the airport.
Finally, there’s “Maldives Most Luxurious Resort,” which describes the villa where they took a break and enjoyed a night of luxury. The hotel had see-through floors that allowed them to view the water, along with a private water slide and a retractable roof.
Nate and Kara Buchanan are also committed to documenting their cultural experiences. They describe the towns they see and the foods they try. The result is an addictive viewing experience that helps explain how the channel has built up over 4.4 million subscribers.
The editing is first-rate, and the viewing experience is the equivalent of watching a legitimate travel channel, albeit with a very personal point of view. Kara and Nate have built one of the most successful travel brands on YouTube, and show no signs of slowing down.
