World Travel Hackers 2024: advice from the experts

Are you applying to be one of Kiwi.com’s World Travel Hackers this summer? We spoke to some of our previous winners to find out their experiences, what they learnt, and any advice they can give our 2024 World Travel Hackers!

With the ultimate summer job returning in 2024, bigger and better than ever before, what advice should you listen to when applying? Well, who better to talk to than people who have already been there and done it? We chatted to four of our travel duos (Amin and Nathan, Kat and Cezary, Bianca and Miles, and Rafail and Thanasis) that took part in World Travel Hackers 2023 to find out all about their experiences.

First — and most obvious — question: why did you apply to be a World Travel Hacker?

Rafail: ”Well, I saw it as a fantastic opportunity to gain new experiences, explore different cultures and create amazing content while traveling to six diverse countries.”

Kat: ”Same. The highest motivation we had was to explore and come together with people with the same passion.”

Amin: ”I wanted to win the competition, mainly! I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do it; I was quite sure we would be able to create the content on time. I also saw World Travel Hackers as an opportunity to get a taste of South America.”

Nathan: ”Amin and I actually met while traveling so of course I said yes because I like to get out of my comfort zone: that’s where you find the most amazing experiences and make unforgettable memories and that’s what I hoped being a World Travel Hacker would give me.”

Bianca: ”Me and Miles were in a long distance relationship at that point and only the thought that we might have the chance to travel together for the whole summer gave us goosebumps. So, of course, the main reason we decided to participate was to see each other as soon as possible. Besides that, we’re both pretty creative people so the opportunity to get paid for traveling and making silly little videos sounded surreal.”

So did it meet your expectations? What was the biggest surprise and what challenged you the most?

Nathan: ”It was actually better than I expected; Amin and I were supposed to travel for four weeks but ended up continuing our journey and traveling for two months in total. There were so many surprises, but people actually recognizing us from the videos was the really surprising one. I didn’t expect that our journeys would be followed by so many people!”

Bianca: ”Yeah! None of us had worked in the social media field before being World Travel Hackers, so the fact that the Kiwi.com team trusted us and our skills felt like a HUGE responsibility but an ENORMOUS blessing at the same time. The biggest challenge for us was probably to plan all the content and to plan our time between resting and just enjoying the journey and the actual work we had to do.”

Cezary: ”I’m not sure it met my expectations because that was the thing: we didn’t know what to expect so… the biggest challenge was to manage everything by ourselves and learn how to create.”

Amin: ”Agreed! I think the time restraints were the hardest part. One month for six countries is not ideal!”

Thanasis: ”But that was my biggest surprise: how much I learned about efficient travel planning and budget management. The biggest challenge for me was staying organized and creative while constantly on the move.”

Miles: ”The team at Kiwi.com was always helpful and responsive whenever we needed some support. The World Travel Hacker experience surpassed all my expectations, it was a beautiful learning experience and we made countless memories.”

How did becoming World Travel Hackers affect your relationship? It’s a long time to spend together and we know it might have been quite stressful at times…

Amin: ”We became even closer I think. We were friends before, but after World Travel Hackers we became superfriends. Before we headed to South America I thought we might want to kill each other after a few weeks… but nothing bad happened haha!”

Nathan: ”I was a very little bit nervous about how it might go, but we made a great team. I did more of the content planning / creating and he was more the travel planner and the creative mastermind. We became good, close friends; it’s weird traveling without him, I miss it.”

Thanasis: ”Yeah, it brought Rafail and I closer together. We had our hard times, for sure, but we came out stronger and with enough inside jokes to fill a comedy special.”

Kat: ”We were already a strong duo — we hoped! — and this trip just brought us more beautiful memories.”

Miles: ”Traveling as a couple has its stressful times of course, but it also showed us how compatible we are.”

Bianca: ”Miles is my favorite travel buddy ever and the main reason for that is the fact that he CALMS ME DOWN. It’s so easy for me to get stressed because of small things and having him joking around and not taking everything so seriously helped me a lot!”

Miles: ”Well I couldn’t have done it without Bia, she’s the best travel buddy in the world. She’s so smart and her ability to plan and organize was what truly made it the trip of a lifetime.”

With all that in mind, what’s one piece of advice you’d give people applying for World Travel Hackers 2024?

Rafail: ”Be flexible and creative. Embrace every moment and be open to unexpected experiences.”

Cezary: ”Create a script before you’re going to film anything!”

Miles: ”If you’re chosen, go all-in: see, do, eat, and explore things you may never have had the chance to do before. It’s a very unique opportunity.”

Nathan: ”Absolutely. You won’t regret it. Just do it. Life is boring when you don’t take risks and try new fun things. Oh, and choose someone you know you can travel with!”

Amin: ”Don’t overthink it and just start working on your application.”

Bianca: ”You’ll be fine, I promise!”

So would you recommend being a World Travel Hacker as a summer job? Would you do it again?

Miles: ”I’d do this for a job every summer for the rest of my life if I could! It’s amazing and I’m so grateful to have been a part of it.”

Bianca: ”We literally do not think there’s a better summer job!”

Kat: ”We would do it again, of course! It’s nice to show and influence others to follow their dreams and step out of their comfort zone.”

Rafail: ”Absolutely! It was a unique and enriching experience that I would definitely do again. It’s a fantastic opportunity to grow personally and professionally while having the adventure of a lifetime.”

Amin: ”I would, 100%, I think it was a fantastic opportunity and I will be forever grateful for it. It really pushed our boundaries in terms of what we thought was possible. I wish I could push myself like that normally without needing weekly calls with you guys! We miss you! Can we apply to be World Travel Hackers again? That would be so cool.”

Nathan: ”If you have a spot left, let us know!”

So what are you waiting for?