People always ask me, “How can you afford to travel so much?”
Truth is, I’m no Scrooge McDuck – but we do have something in common besides the fact that neither of us likes to wear pants. We’re both penny pinchers.
It’s not that I’m ungenerous; I’d just rather use my money to travel the world rather than to fill my life with stuff. I have it pretty good – I’m far from destitute – but by cutting back on some frivolous spending I have more money to spend on seeing the world.
These are some of the best ways I manage to save money for travel.
Public transportation is the way to go – unless it isn’t, in which case you should car pool as much as you can. Petrol is expensive and, although public transport can be incredibly painful, it’s often far more cost efficient to pay someone a couple of bucks to take you to work than to pay for the upkeep of a car.
Keep a close eye on your finances. Take some time to compare options for bank accounts and choose the one that works best for you. Then monitor what goes in and, more importantly, what goes out. Ever find yourself wondering “where did all my money go?” Well, now you’ll know exactly where it went.
Cook more. Believe me, as the editor of a restaurant review website, I know how tempting it is to eat out every night of the week – but remember that it’s in your best interests to cook at home more. You’ll save money and, depending on what you eat, it might even be healthier for you in the long-term.
Drink (slightly) less. Now, I’m not about to advocate complete prohibition – but perhaps you could reign it in a little bit? I know I’d rather spend my hard-earned money on beer in a foreign land than in the same-old collection of pubs and bars where I go every Friday and Saturday night.
Sell, sell, sell! Got some stuff you don’t need anymore? Sell it online or have a garage sale. One man’s stuff could be another man’s plane ticket to some place exotic.
Make your lunch. Sometimes I feel like if I eat another ham sandwich for lunch at work I’m going to scream. But then I remind myself that I could live for a week in Southeast Asia on the amount of money I save by not buying my lunch every single day.
Double your money at the racetrack or in Las Vegas. I’m only kidding; that would be terrible financial advice!
How do you save money for travel? And what’s your best piece of advice for would-be travellers?
Good, solid advice and you had me laughing, too. Thanks for the tips.
No worries! Thanks for making my day with the kind feedback!
Great tips. Hopefully it’ll help more of people (me included) to save up and be able to explore more.