Scotiabank Gold American Express® CardScotiabank Gold American Express® CardEarn up to 50,000 bonus Scene+ points + no annual fee in your first year

Europe and Morocco: two months of travel and remote work on a budget

Europe and Morocco: two months of travel and remote work on a budget
Share

As a digital nomadI travel about 5 to 6 months a year while working remotely full time. This fall, I wanted to revisit my favorite destinations in Europe and Morocco and travel for a long time on a budget.

This two-month trip allowed me to witness a world record in the Berlin marathon, hike through the villages of Cinque Terre, visit friends in Portugal, take part in a festival in the Agafay desert, surf the waves of Morocco and end my stay in the City of Light.

I managed to spend less than $900 on my flights while reaching a new Marriott Bonvoy Elite status and earning more points through it all. Here are the strategies I used to travel on a budget.

Several reviews, itineraries and hotel reviews will follow in the coming weeks and will be added to this article.

Destinations

My trip allowed me to visit the following destinations: Berlin, Milan, Cinque Terre, Lisbon, Porto, Paris and Morocco (Marrakech, Agafay desert and Taghazout).

Several guides will be added here on these travel experiences and destinations:

Transportation

Tips for flights

I managed book 8 flights for a total of $820. Adding in cabs, trains and buses to get from one city to another, the total for transportation remains under $1100. My strategies for traveling on a budget involve a combination of a few factors:

  • Flexibility in destinations and dates; I often took flights on Tuesdays, for example
  • Travel by carry-on only, save on baggage fees and wait time
  • Travel in shoulder season; Europe and Morocco are very pleasant to visit in the Fall
Europe and Morocco: two months of travel and remote work on a budget - Google Flights Recherche Europe

For my flights, I mainly used Google Flights strategically with the help of this guide and by exploring different options for the cities and countries I wanted to visit (Germany, Italy, Portugal, Morocco), then took the opportunity to add a few days in Paris since the price of the Paris-Montreal flight was incredibly low.

Here is the summary of my flights, the airlines used and the days of the week (which influence the price):

FlightDatePriceAirline
Montreal – Dublin (stopover in Toronto)September 20, 2022298 $WestJet
Dublin – BerlinSeptember 21, 202262 $Ryanair
Berlin – MilanSeptember 26, 202282 $EasyJet
Milan – LisbonOctober 8, 202288 $Tap Air Portugal
Porto – Marrakechoctober 24, 202258 $Ryanair
Agadir – ParisNovember 11, 202250 $Vueling
Paris – MontrealNovember 20, 2022182 $Air Canada
Total820 $

Airport lounges

Since I was a regular visitor to airports, I took the opportunity to visit the VIP lounges. My Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card gives me 6 passes a year to the lounges associated with Dragonpass. I spent time in airport lounges in Dublin, Berlin (where I met runner Eliud Kipchoge, shortly after he set a new world record!), Milan and Agadir.

This allowed me to save money on many meals and continue my work day since high-speed Wi-Fi was always included.

Accommodation

I often travel solo and like to join communities of digital nomads while having some comfort and fast Wi-Fi; this is what guided my accommodation choices. So I opted for properties tailored to young professionals with coworking spaces like the Moxy and Selina hotels.

Since lodging costs can go up very quickly when traveling for months on end, I booked a mix of hostels, hotels and apartments using the Booking.com and Hotels.com platforms where I often find good deals with the Genius and Hotels.com Rewards loyalty programs.

Marriott Bonvoy Hotels

J’avais une occasion en or d’atteindre un nouveau statut Élite Marriott Bonvoy et j’ai donc profité de ce voyage pour y parvenir. J’ai notamment pu séjourner gratuitement pendant 6 nuits dans des hôtels à Berlin et à Milan en échangeant 79 500 points combinés à l’astuce de la cinquième nuit gratuite et finalement, en utilisant mon certificat annuel de nuit gratuite.

À lui seul, mon séjour à Berlin dans une période de forte demande m’a fait économiser près de 2 000 $ en réservation d’hôtel.

Voici mes avis d’hôtels visités lors de ce voyage qui seront ajoutés au fur et à mesure ici :

Using my paid stays at Marriott Bonvoy hotels, I earned over 18,000 points through this promotion since my reservations coincided with the offer period.

Travel Tips

Staying connected

Since I was changing countries almost every week, I opted for the quick and easy eSIM option with the Airalo application. I would buy the right package for the next destination often when I was at the airport or when I got there so I could instantly stay connected, which saved me a lot of time.

Only in Morocco, where I stayed for 3 weeks, did I buy a tourist SIM card from the provider Orange since it was much more affordable (11GB for $10, valid for one month).

In telecommuting mode, data also played an important role in places where Wi-Fi wasn’t strong enough; to be able to take calls or just not have to interrupt my work day.

Foreign currency withdrawals and payments

ATM fees as well as the 2.5% conversion fee add up quickly abroad, especially on long trips.

With a view to continuing to earn points while traveling, I most often used my Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card, which saved me the 2.5% conversion fee.

Annual fee
$150
Our valuation
$350
Milesopedia first-year estimateFirst-year valueWelcome bonus$350Total$350Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
Welcome offer
Up to 35,000 points
Ends Nov 1, 2026
Apply Now

on Scotiabank's website

With this welcome offer for the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card +* CardMC, you’ll earn 25,000 welcome bonus Scene+ points after charging $2,000 in purchases to your account within the first three months.

Plus, every year, earn an annual bonus of at least 10,000 Scene+ points when you charge at least $40,000 in purchases to your account. In total, the offer represents up to 35,000 Scene+ points and a value of up to $1,250 in the first year, including rewards, savings on foreign transaction fees and airport lounge access.

With the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card, you earn 3 points per $1 spent at Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, Foodland and participating Co-ops, and 2 points per $1 spent at other grocery stores, restaurants, eligible entertainment and eligible daily transit. You earn 1 point per $1 on all your other everyday purchases.

These points can be redeemed against any travel purchase at a rate of 1,000 points = $10 (flights, hotels, all-inclusives and even Airbnb), or as cash back with Scene+ at the same rate.

The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card also offers:

  • No fees for foreign currency transactions
  • 6 complimentary airport VIP lounge passes
  • Excellent insurance for your travels and purchases
  • Visa Infinite* Concierge Services

We have named this credit card the Best Credit Card with No Foreign Transaction Fees in 2024, 2025, and 2026.

Annual fee

Primary card$150
Additional card$50

Annual income required

Individual$60,000
Household$100,000

Conversion fees

0%

Earning rate

  • 2xGroceries
  • 2xRestaurants
  • 2xTransit
  • 2xEntertainment
  • 1xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$650
2nd Year Value$397

Card benefits

Concierge service24/7
Airport lounge access$240

Travel insurance

Travel medical (under 55)Up to $1,000,000 / 25 days
Travel medical (55-64)Up to $1,000,000 / 25 days
Travel medical (65+)Up to $1,000,000 / 3 days
Trip CancellationUp to $1,500
Trip InterruptionUp to $2,500
Delayed BaggageUp to $1,000
Lost BaggageUp to $1,000
Flight DelayUp to $500
Hotel BurglaryUp to $1,000
Travel AccidentUp to $500,000

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionIncluded
Extended Warranty+1 years
Auto Rental CollisionUp to $65,000 / 48 days

When I needed cash, I used my debit WISE card at ATMs to avoid fees. In Europe I was able to keep the fees down to a few cents, and when I found an ATM, I could quickly transfer money from my bank account to my WISE account and then withdraw it. In Morocco, ATMs charged me 20 to 35 dirhams (less than $5 CAD), but I still managed to limit the fees by using my WISE card.

I explain how to use this card which has become an essential tool for saving money when traveling:

Use your Reward Points

Many credit cards offer the ability to redeem your points for travel expenses. So you can simply charge your travel expenses to your credit card without having to worry about using a particular booking platform. For example, I chose to use my American Express Cobalt® Card knowing that I could later use my Membership Rewards points to obtain a Statement credit at a ratio of 1,000 points for $10.

Our credit card selection
Credit cardAnnual feeWelcome offer
Annual fee$191.88Welcome offer
Up to 15,000 points
Apply Now
Annual fee$799Welcome offer
Up to 100,000 points
Apply Now
Annual fee$250Welcome offer
Up to 60,000 points
Apply Now

Bottom Line

When working remotely, it is possible to travel for a long time at low cost. Thanks to travel tips and rewards programs, going to Europe and Morocco for two months did not cost much more than my daily life in Montreal. If you’re interested in low-cost, long-term travel, there are a few strategies you can use to make it happen!

Stay tuned for future reports on my experiences on this digital nomad trip.

Do you have any questions about these strategies? Let’s discuss in our Facebook community!

Our featured card

Annual fee
$150
Our valuation
$350
Milesopedia first-year estimateFirst-year valueWelcome bonus$350Total$350Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
Welcome offer
Up to 35,000 points
Ends Nov 1, 2026
Apply Now

on Scotiabank's website

With this welcome offer for the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card +* CardMC, you’ll earn 25,000 welcome bonus Scene+ points after charging $2,000 in purchases to your account within the first three months.

Plus, every year, earn an annual bonus of at least 10,000 Scene+ points when you charge at least $40,000 in purchases to your account. In total, the offer represents up to 35,000 Scene+ points and a value of up to $1,250 in the first year, including rewards, savings on foreign transaction fees and airport lounge access.

With the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card, you earn 3 points per $1 spent at Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, Foodland and participating Co-ops, and 2 points per $1 spent at other grocery stores, restaurants, eligible entertainment and eligible daily transit. You earn 1 point per $1 on all your other everyday purchases.

These points can be redeemed against any travel purchase at a rate of 1,000 points = $10 (flights, hotels, all-inclusives and even Airbnb), or as cash back with Scene+ at the same rate.

The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card also offers:

  • No fees for foreign currency transactions
  • 6 complimentary airport VIP lounge passes
  • Excellent insurance for your travels and purchases
  • Visa Infinite* Concierge Services

We have named this credit card the Best Credit Card with No Foreign Transaction Fees in 2024, 2025, and 2026.

Annual fee

Primary card$150
Additional card$50

Annual income required

Individual$60,000
Household$100,000

Conversion fees

0%

Earning rate

  • 2xGroceries
  • 2xRestaurants
  • 2xTransit
  • 2xEntertainment
  • 1xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$650
2nd Year Value$397

Card benefits

Concierge service24/7
Airport lounge access$240

Travel insurance

Travel medical (under 55)Up to $1,000,000 / 25 days
Travel medical (55-64)Up to $1,000,000 / 25 days
Travel medical (65+)Up to $1,000,000 / 3 days
Trip CancellationUp to $1,500
Trip InterruptionUp to $2,500
Delayed BaggageUp to $1,000
Lost BaggageUp to $1,000
Flight DelayUp to $500
Hotel BurglaryUp to $1,000
Travel AccidentUp to $500,000

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionIncluded
Extended Warranty+1 years
Auto Rental CollisionUp to $65,000 / 48 days

Our editorial integrity

Our reviews and rankings are based on an objective assessment. Advertisers do not influence our content. We may receive compensation through some links; our analysis and opinions remain independent.