Think you can’t afford to travel? Think again! Everyone- including you- can save up enough money to travel anywhere on this amazing earth. With a little planning and a lot of dedication, you can make every single one of your dreams of exploration come true. Here are a few easy and not so easy ways to save up every cent that you need.
It’s the Little Things
That Starbucks coffee that you buy every morning could pay for a bed for the night in Thailand. Is it really worth it? Everyday food and drink expenses add up very quickly. If you want to save some serious cash, you need to plan in advance and, if you haven’t already, you need to learn how to cook. Stop eating out and buying expensive drinks. A few nights out at a pricey bar could pay a month’s rent in many corners of the world. So, start packing your own lunches, bring a refillable water bottle with you and getting out of the habit of impulse purchases. If eating out is a regular habit, it might be hard to break but stick with it. Even buying a frozen pizza is a lot cheaper than having a hot one delivered to your house so work in baby steps if you need to until you reach your goal.
IT’S THE Big THINGS too
Think about all of your monthly expenses. Where is your cash going and is there anything that you can change? Don’t get stuck in a mindset that there’s only one lifestyle for you. Be ready to make the big sacrifices. Consider a housemate and living in a different neighbourhood. If you drive, look into your public transport options. What monthly subsriptions do you have? Travelling the world is a lot more interesting than sitting at home with a nice cable package, high speed internet and music streaming without interruptions. Make the tough cuts and just learn to adjust. It’s not forever and it’ll help you reach your goal so much faster.
Get insider knowledge
Ultimately there is only so much cash that you can save. The next most important thing is saving on your travel expenses. It’s absolutely critical to learn everything that there is to know about saving cash while you travel. Explore ways of getting free accommodation like Couchsurfing and volunteer programmes. Consider teaching English abroad. If you are serious about travelling long-term, start looking into career paths that work with a freelance lifestyle like teaching, blogging or programming. There are an infinite number of options out there. You just need to keep searching until you find the one that works for you.