Remote Roundup: Solo Travel Hot Takes, Nomad Budgeting, Rookie Mistakes, Cape Town & Mexico City (March 2026)

·1 hr 13 min·6 clips

Janessa explains why Cape Town's safety depends on your privilege and how Uber costs add up fast.

This episode of the Zero to Travel Podcast features hosts Janessa and Caitlin sharing personal updates and practical advice from their remote work travels. Janessa, the Partnerships Manager, is a seasoned slow traveler, while Caitlin, the Associate Producer, is a newer digital nomad with a year and a half of experience. Janessa details her current three-month stay in Cape Town, South Africa, highlighting the peak nomad season from December to February and popular neighborhoods like Seapoint and Greenpoint. She addresses common safety concerns, advising against walking alone at night or hiking solo, and notes that scheduled power outages, known as load shedding, are currently not a major issue. Accommodation in Cape Town is expensive, with Airbnbs typically costing $1,600 to $3,000 per month, and she recommends planning stays well in advance. Caitlin recounts her recent trip to Tepoztlán, Mexico, a "magic town" known for spiritual significance and a challenging hike to the Tepozteco pyramid. She then describes Mexico City's vast cultural offerings, including numerous museums, Chapultepec Park, and a vibrant Sunday scene where a main street is closed for cyclists. A surprising travel mistake Caitlin reveals involves unexpected tourist taxes on budget flights booked through Kiwi, which cost her an additional $120. Janessa explains her meticulous budgeting system using the app Trabee Pocket to track expenses, with a focus on accommodation and flight costs. She shares specific spending data, averaging $515 per month on accommodation in 2025 and $2,370 on seven international flights. For self-employed individuals, Janessa advises setting aside a percentage of income for taxes and creating a dedicated "Paid Time Off" fund, allocating money for about four weeks of vacation annually. The hosts' conversation is casual and relatable, blending personal anecdotes with educational tips. Listeners interested in practical digital nomad logistics, destination insights for Cape Town and Mexico, or personal finance management for irregular incomes will find this episode valuable. Those seeking highly structured, interview-driven content or destination guides beyond these two cities might prefer other episodes.

As heard by us

A practical remote-work roundup that treats travel budgeting and tracking as part of the story.

Zero To Travel treats its remote-work roundup as a practical look at how long-term travel gets budgeted, tracked, and adjusted over time. The strongest stretch is the money talk: accommodation in places like Cape Town is weighed against time in Bansko, and the approach leans on…

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