Often people will ask me how I afforded to travel for so long, many people believe that travel has to be expensive, but the truth for me is that traveling is actually cheaper than living at home. When you factor in expenses like rent, power, food, insurance payments and so forth, living at home is actually quite pricey. I work for myself and all I need is a working Internet connection and I can run my business anywhere in the world. I know not everyone is as “lucky” as me, but I didn’t start out like this. I had a traditional job, worked for a while, saved and worked along my travels. How effectively you finance your trip will make a big difference as to how long you can be away and what kind of trip will have. Here are some tips so that you can have your dream holiday:
Photo: 401(K) 2012
1) Start Saving… Yesterday
Saving is one of the best ways to ensure you have enough funds for your trip. If you’re planning a trip a bit in advance, you can even look at setting some investment packages so that your savings grow while you’re planning your trip. If you invest wisely, you can end up with surplus cash ensuring you can have your dream holiday. There are lots of options available, but look into Scottish Friendly’s My Choice ISA for a good introduction.
2) Stop Drinking
Sorry if you’re a lover of beer, wine or spirits, but the truth is these things eat a big hole in your wallet. If there’s no hope of you curbing your weekend drinking, at least try to drink at home or buy your own spirits to save serious cash. Drinking in the bar on the weekends is an easy way to spend a few hundred dollars – in a night. Imagine sipping your favourite beverage on a beautiful beach in Thailand for 1/10th the price.
Photo: Stephanie
3) Set Clear Goals
Setting clear saving goals is one of the best ways to motivate yourself and ensure you manage to get away on your trip. At certain saving points, start booking parts of your trip, such as your flight tickets, hotels etc. That way you’re getting things out of the way, but you’re also moving closer to your final goal which is hugely motivating in itself. Setting clear goals both in terms of saving and booking will help make the trip a reality.
These are my favourite tips for quickly financing any travel that I do. To cheapen your trip while you’re away, consider staying in hostels, woofing, becoming an au pair, teaching English overseas or even working in a bar – the options are limitless.
