Justine Miller and Keith Feldman are on a mission to go to each nation on the earth.

Each work for native tv information stations – Miller as a reporter, and Feldman as a photographer. For 5 months final yr, the married couple lived at house in New York Metropolis. For the opposite seven months, they traveled, visiting 30 international locations in 2021.

A job perk allows their voyages: Feldman can take prolonged sabbaticals from his job. In the meantime, Miller works beneath a contract contract, creating the right setup for a duo that prioritizes journey. Miller has visited 90 international locations, impressed partially by rising up in a household with a ardour for exploration, and Feldman has visited 55. They share these journeys with weblog posts and movies on their website and social media accounts.

Final August, the couple spent 16 days within the Caucasus, splitting time between Georgia and Azerbaijan. They documented their journey for CNBC Make It, holding shut observe of their funds all through the two-plus weeks. Finally, they spent roughly $7,226 throughout their journey, holding prices comparatively low by “various their experiences.”

“Typically, we’ll keep in a brilliant luxurious place or we’ll do a really costly exercise,” Miller says. “Different instances… we’ll have 50-cent road meals. We’ll stroll someplace as an alternative of taking a automotive. We’ll keep at a spot that is $7 an evening sleeping outdoors.”

This explicit journey doubtless would not be attainable proper now: The Caucasus, positioned between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, additionally consists of Armenia and elements of southern Russia. The U.S. authorities at present cautions in opposition to touring to Georgia and Azerbaijan, citing excessive ranges of Covid-19, the presence of Russian troops in elements of Georgia and “terrorism dangers” in Azerbaijan.

Feldman says Miller typically plans their journeys by researching lodges, actions and different logistics on journey social media accounts, web sites, blogs and magazines.

“I really feel like loads of instances when individuals journey, they perhaps go to their lodge restaurant or they go to a spot that is solely in a guidebook,” Miller says. “And never that these are unhealthy experiences, however giving your self the liberty to only cease and see one thing random… is what’s so nice.”

This is how the couple spent their cash exploring the Caucasus seven months in the past:

Flights and transportation

Complete: $3,723

Miller and Feldman booked their flights a few week out from their departure date, utilizing factors from a Chase Sapphire Reserve bank card as a result of worldwide aircraft tickets not often go on sale. They cashed in 195,600 miles, in the end paying $110 out of pocket for 2 business-class tickets on a Lufthansa flight from New York Metropolis to Baku, Azerbaijan.

“We cost every thing we are able to on the bank card, and generally we get double factors, triple factors, 5 or 10 instances the factors,” Feldman says. “These factors allow us to essentially maximize our journey expertise.”

As soon as in Baku, the couple spent $15 complete on prepare tickets to get to the countryside. They spent numerous their journey strolling or utilizing Bolt, an e-scooter app. In addition they rented one automotive in every nation, costing them a complete of roughly $578.

“After we see one thing, we pull over and get to expertise it,” Feldman says. “Whether or not it is a roadside corn stand, or, you understand, seeing a herd of sheep or cows crossing the street.”

From Azerbaijan, the couple hopped on a aircraft to get Tbilisi, Georgia, costing them lower than $200. Their most costly flight was returning house: Two tickets from Tbilisi to New York Metropolis value them a complete of $3,097.

Accommodations

Complete: $2,444

The couple booked 5 totally different locations to remain Azerbaijan. Miller’s favourite was a $30 one-night keep within the historic Sheki Karvansaray Resort in Baku.

“It was constructed within the 1600s, and silk street merchants going between Europe and Asia would really come and sleep in [those] actual rooms,” Miller, a self-professed historical past buff, says.

Usually talking, Miller and Feldman say, they prefer to keep away from vacationer traps – preferring as an alternative to be taught what “actual life is like” in a given area. For this journey, they spent about $16 every to stick with an area household for one evening within the countryside close to Ganja, Azerbaijan. They discovered the homestay alternative on reserving.com.

One among their splurge moments concerned the Stamba Resort in Tbilisi, one in every of eight totally different locations they stayed in Georgia. The posh lodge, a former Soviet printing press, was their most costly piece of lodging, costing them roughly $1,050 for 3 nights.

“It [had] superb service, stunning design [and was] actually comfy and clear,” Miller says. “It was enjoyable to remain in such a flowery place [and] dress up.”

Actions

Complete: $442

Through the 16-day journey, Miller and Feldman toured a number of comparatively cheap museums and took some native excursions.

In Naftalan, Azerbaijan, the couple skilled one of many area’s most noteworthy sources by the use of a crude oil tub on the Gashalti Well being Resort. The bathtub, meals and one evening’s keep on the lodge totaled $100.

Azerbaijan additionally has extra mud volcanoes than wherever else on the earth. The couple took a dip in a single for roughly $15 every. “It was this loopy feeling the place you actually really feel such as you’re suspended within the mud,” Miller says. “It is like an anti-gravity chair.”

Alongside the way in which, Miller and Feldman picked up souvenirs and stopped at photobooths – however principally prioritized spending on meals and wine.

Meals

Complete: $617

A lot of the couple’s meals value lower than $40. The notable exception concerned $217 caviar that they ordered for his or her anniversary.

“One among my favourite meals in Azerbaijan … was simply pulling over on the facet of the street at these little kabab stands,” Miller says. Every kebab solely value a greenback, Feldman famous.

In Georgia, the couple ate a number of regional specialties, together with khinkali – a kind of soup dumpling that ran for less than 35 cents apiece. “We discovered this one place the place you sit in a again backyard patio, woodsy location and so they simply introduced plates and plates of those dumplings,” Miller says.

In her pre-trip analysis, Miller additionally found Kakheti, generally known as Georgia’s wine area, which has been rising grapes for roughly 8,000 years. For 2 nights, the couple stayed at a “stunning wine [estates]” surrounded by vineyards. Their most costly wine tour included lunch, and value lower than $50.

Price range estimates for Miller and Feldman’s journey had been calculated primarily based on August 2021 conversion charges between the U.S. greenback and native currencies in Azerbaijan and Georgia.

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