How to Make Travel Affordable

Don’t let “lack of money” hold you back from having more travel in your life.  If you really want to travel, you can find the money with small lifestyle changes a little planning.  A friend of mine packs his lunch everyday instead of eating out – quick $2,500 a year towards that dream trip!

It’s really about priorities.  Just like any major expense, if you want it badly enough you will find a way.   Pick your dream vacation.  Find out what it will cost.  Decide how to get there and stay focused.

Of course, the first thing is to get rid of debt.  Clean up your finances in general and stop paying interest on things you don’t need to be.  A house?  Okay.  A new pair of shoes?  Not so much.  You get the idea.

Once your financial house is in order and you have decided where you can create a travel fund in your household budget, why not look at generating some extra income?  Here are a couple of ideas that may or may not be feasible in your life, but I’m sure they will get you thinking in the right direction.

1. Rent out spare rooms or take in a roommate.  Why shoulder all of your living expenses alone when you can get a little help?

2. Take a second or part-time job.  If your responsibilities allow it, what better way is there to generate more income?

3. Work a little overtime.  Some positions offer the opportunity to work extra shifts or extended shifts.  If your job pays overtime, all the better!

4. Ask for a raise.  The worst thing that can happen is you are told no, and the best thing is you have more income for that travel fund.  Obviously, ask for the raise based on merit, not because you want to travel more.

5. Tutor local kids.  Is there a subject you are exceptionally good at?  Share that knowledge, help out a kid and get paid for it all at the same time.

6. Use technology to save you from yourself.  Use automated withdrawal to move a set amount of money every month into your savings account.  If you never see it, you’ll be surprised how much you don’t miss it.

7.  Put tax refunds into your travel fund the second you get the check.

8.  Empty your pockets of change, take it to the bank regularly and put that in your travel fund.  My parents had a penny jar.  Once a year, as we headed to the beach, they turned it into paper money at the bank.  That was the family’s spending money for the week.  I suggest you save quarters today, that was quite some time ago and pennies went further.

If you implement just a few of these ideas, or sit down and think really hard about how you can add generously to your travel account and then do it, that dream vacation will be a reality.  The best part is, you’ve developed new habits, and the next dream trip will be that much easier to bring to fruition.