Who and What is Trip Coach?
We’re Mike and Anne Howard, seasoned travelers who will teach you everything you need to know to take a long-term trip–anywhere in the world and on any budget. Using the knowledge and experience we’ve gained during our ten years traveling around the world, we’ve crafted HoneyTrek Trip Coach: in-person workshops tailored to each student to ensure you have the support, tools, and skills to make your journey a reality.
What can Trip Coach teach me?
Our time-tested and approved tips on budgeting, route-planning, transportation, visas, packing, lodging, health, safety, communication, technology, photography, volunteering, travel blogging and so much more.
How to…
- Get free lodging in nearly every major city in the world
- Rack up frequent flyer miles and save thousands on flights (so far we’ve earned 2,692,429 miles and saved $33,713 on 152 flights we’ve bought with miles. That link is every single flight since we left home, Jan 22nd, 2012)
- Pack the perfect combination of gear, tech, and clothes (and equally important, what NOT to pack)
- Turn your smartphone into a travel ninja (best apps for GPS, finance, currency, language translators and more)
- Avoid buying bottled water, saving approximately $1,000 per year (without using those gross iodine tabs)
- Line up the right credit cards and bank accounts to save over $2,000 per year in fees
- Get off the beaten track and experience the most awe-inspiring places on Earth
How much does it cost to take a long-term trip?
This is different for every traveler and depends on your comfort needs, speed of travel, and what regions of the world you wish to see. If you follow our tips and tricks you will be able to travel the world for under $40/day. To see where your travel funds stand, add up your available savings and divide that sum by $40–that’s how many days you can travel. Say you have $5,000 saved up, you can go on a 125-day journey throughout Asia, Central America, Africa, and/or Eastern Europe. Or say you didn’t have any money saved, we’ll work with you on a small-dose savings strategy where if you put in $10 a day for two years, you can then go travel for six months without working on the road. If there is a will, there’s a way!
How does Trip Coach work?
Every Trip Coach course is a one-on-one Skype session where we address your travel questions and give you unparalleled advice. It begins with a questionnaire so we can tailor our course to your exact needs and trip, followed by the course of your choosing. There are three levels of Trip Coach service; as they go up, more topics are covered in greater detail and cater more to your specific trip; plus there is increased support during your RTW travel planning process and on the road. The Boot Camps are made to dig deeper into specific travel topics of interest. When you complete any of the courses, we invite you to join our Trip Coach Graduates Group to gain access to exclusive resources, travel news, and most importantly a community of fellow RTW travelers.
Level FREE: Curiosity Calls
Want to see if any of the Trip Coach or Award Travel courses would be right for you? Let’s chat!!! We offer anyone a free ten/fifteen-minute consultation. Head here to pick a day & time that works for you
Level 1: Q&A Session – View course details here
Level 2: Power Course – View course details here
Level 3: Master Traveler Course – View full program details here
Boot Camp: Award Travel 101 + 201 – View full program details here
Boot Camp: Housesitting 101 + 201 – View full program details here
Boot Camp: Winning at RV & VanLife – View full program details here
Boot Camp: Travel Blogging – View full program details here
Boot Camp: Honeymoon Planning – View full program details here
Why should I pay for Trip Coach?
Reason #1: Our travel tips will save you at least 5x the total cost of your course. Guaranteed! If you return from your RTW trip and you don’t think Trip Coach saved you at least 5x the cost of our course, we will refund 100% of your course.
Reason #2 (the most important reason): We will teach you how to become a savvy, safe, strong, independent traveler who’s ready for anything. Our training will build your confidence to get off the tourist track and elevate your trip from just connecting a string of beautiful sights into a life-changing journey.
Who can benefit from Trip Coach?
- Someone who realizes that a two-week vacation once a year is simply not enough
- Someone who thinks that waiting until you’re 65 years old to hike glaciers, take up surfing, and party at Rio’s Carnival seems a tad late
- Someone who has a job, maybe a house, and real responsibilities but can’t quite figure out how to put them on hold
- Someone who has read travel blogs and guidebooks but realizes the value of sitting down and talking to someone who can directly and specifically answer your questions
- Someone who has traveled extensively but never for more than a month at a time
- Someone who has dabbled with rewards programs and frequent flier miles and is ready to start earning hundreds of thousands of miles per year.
- Someone who believes life is short and it’s time to get after it!
TESTIMONIALS
–John G., Trip Coach Master Course graduate | –Jared & Rikki, Trip Coach Power Course graduate |
“It was amazing to have someone to talk to that’s been through this situation and can understand and advise on the various obstacles of RTW travel. Anne & Mike are personable and professional and have tons of great advice to give. At first, we thought three hours would be too much time, then when we started listing our questions we had a lot of ground to cover. We also so happy to have a lifeline to turn to when we are on the road and get more personalized recommendations and feedback.”
–Kerry & Chris, Trip Coach Power Course graduates.
(Check out their trip blog: Passport Penguin!)
“Trip Coach gave us the information, support and inspiration needed to leave our jobs and travel the world. Their comprehensive course and guidebook saved us precious time, money, energy and frustration! We have no doubt it’s worth every penny and more. It was so beneficial to have real people to ask random questions and feel supported. We couldn’t imagine life without the Master Course- every minute of wisdom laid a foundation for us to create our own trip and to travel better. In one word, Trip Coach is simply invaluable. Thank you Mike and Anne!”
–Ryan and Blakely Downs, Trip Coach Master Course graduates
(check out their trip blog: RTWLovers.com)
“As soon as our first session was done, we both looked at each other and say “Phew, thank God for them! How would we do it without Mike & Anne as our travel coach?!” They’re so easy to talk to and make it super easy to ask questions. They shed light on things we didn’t even think about and although it is nerve-wracking – it’s what we needed to hear. They gave us the tools, the knowledge and the confidence to know that our dream was most definitely becoming a reality. The advice they give is unparalleled and more importantly, the support and encouragement they give is priceless. We truly know that they believed in us and, and in a world where this journey is not “normal,” having people support you is crucial. There are not enough words to begin to express our gratitude towards Mike and Anne, but one thing is FOR SURE…if you have a calling to travel the world, look no further. HoneyTrek Trip Coach is your ticket to living a life you can look back on and be so proud about.”
–Lisa & Sean, Trip Coach Master Course graduates.
(Check out their trip blog: The Table Trail!)
“Having the chance to speak with someone and ask specific questions was wonderful and really helped so much in our preparation for our RTW trip. At first I had to convince my boyfriend to do the Trip Coach course because of the cost, but after after spending days and days researching information for our massive adventure, I felt having a real contact to speak with, hear advice from, and be able to ask questions would be invaluable. After hearing their strategies and advice will easily save more than we spent on this course. Mike and Anne did an amazing job packing in everything we wanted to know in such a short period of time. They were accommodating with our schedule and fit the course around a time that was best for us. They really put us first and made sure we got everything they promised. We would absolutely recommend Trip Coach to friends and family that are interested in doing an extended trip like this!”
–Danielle & James, Trip Coach Power Course graduates
“I met Mike and Anne at a really pivotal juncture in my life. I had made the decision to quit my job and move from NYC to take a career break a few months prior but was experiencing a lot of doubt and anxiety around the decision and how to make it all really happen. Not only did they quell my doubt and anxiety about taking big solo trip, but they presented a very clear pathway of how it all can materialize. The session was packed full of great information related to planning, budgeting, tips and tricks, and tons of resources that I am still culling through. I will reference this new knowledge during my own career break over the next 6-12 months, and anytime I travel in the future. I strongly recommend anyone who is entertaining the idea of a career break or long term travel (or even a short trip could be made more meaningful with their advice) to connect with Mike and Anne – it will change your life forever!”
–Hai Phung, Power Course graduate
“My husband surprised me on Valentine’s Day with a Trip Coach Skype session, and I’ve got to say, it definitely beat chocolate and flowers!!! Mike and Anne gave us incredibly helpful tips for accumulating airline miles fast, making extra money before our trip, putting together a packing list, route, and much more. They told us things I wouldn’t have even thought of in a million years! Our session with them will easily pay for itself on our trip and even more importantly has given me the piece of mind to move forward with our year abroad. Thank you so much Mike and Anne!”
–Alex & Jim, Trip Coach graduates
“Mike and Anne offered us invaluable information and insight that helped guide our planning from start to finish. With their help we streamlined our packing list and were able to downsize our luggage to just a 40 liter backpack each for our round the world trip. They also helped us earn over 60,000 miles to use on our flights! They had great advice on which electronics to bring (and which to ditch), budgeting on the road and safety. We are super excited to visit their specific off-the-beaten-path recommendations in Turkey and Indonesia. Our Trip Coach course with Mike and Anne not only helped us be more prepared, but got us unbelievably excited for our upcoming adventure!”
–Katy & Mike, Q&A Skype Session
“Mike and Anne gave me so much inspiration and detailed trip planning ideas and support. Even though I only had two weeks before my departure, their input was invaluable and gave me some much needed confidence in the areas I was concerned about. If anyone is thinking of taking a long trip you should definitely reach out to them!
–John G, Trip Coach Master Course graduate
“Getting on the phone with Anne and Mike and talking through what we were looking for in a honeymoon…that helped me define our approach to the entire trip! From their hotel and activity recommendations to mileage tips, they have experienced it all first-hand so having their input is very valuable.”
–Matt & Jacqui, Honeymoon Planning Boot Camp