As a travel addict, I have learned many things in my course of traveling and cost effectiveness. Traveling comes natural to me, but it isn’t something that I do all the time. What I have learned throughout the years is that traveling can get expensive. I’ve done budget airlines, splitting gas on road trips, couch crashing and only eating fast food until eventually you get sick and splurge on a real meal. There isn’t any experience that I would trade for the world, but it’s no fun having to worry about budget and money when you are adventuring your little heart out.
When I studied abroad in the Czech Republic, I had a very small budget that I stretched to the corners and beyond. I wanted the experience that everyone had, cool hotels, adventurous excursions, luxurious lattes…but my wallet didn’t account for that. Spending months traveling without making an income can be difficult, but if you are smart about your money before hand, you won’t have to worry about it while your zip-lining through the Amazon jungle.
Have Enough Time to Plan?
Back in March, my fiancé (now husband) was accepted into the Berlin Opera Academy for the summer (super exciting!). After jumping for joy and plastering it all over social media, we realized that his trip was only three months away. We immediately researched plane tickets and had found the best deal through WOW air (also, if you’re wondering if WOW is as wow-some as they market themselves…that’ll be another post).
I had decided that I wanted to join him on this once and a life time experience. I didn’t plan for an international trip this year, but luckily I had saved enough money that I would fork out a plane ticket. Since I booked this trip about four months out without a travel fund, the expense for my ticket came out of my regular savings account. It was very spur of the moment. So, I threw it on my credit card (hello, travel points!) and lived frugally the next four months.
PSA – I recommend that if you are planning an international (even domestic-depending on the time of year) trip, start saving months in advance. Start saving before and after you buy your plane ticket. It helps a lot in the months leading up to your trip.
Pike Place Market – Seattle, WA, USA
Tips To Save Before Your Trip
So, you have decided your destination and there is nothing going to hold you back from your dreams. Except, maybe the money. Traveling isn’t cheap and although it can be affordable, it is still a nice chunk of change out of your wallet. The best advice I have on saving money for your trip, is saving before you leave. No one wants to skimp out of fun excursions or nice meals while they are on a trip. Here are some tips and tricks on saving money while you are still state side.
1 – Look at Current Expenses
Before you do anything, take a look at your expenses. If you aren’t aware of how much you are spending, how would you know how much to save? To be honest, I used to never look at my monthly bank statements. I would see that I still have enough money in my account, so I am good to go! But, after looking at how much I spend on things I don’t need, I realize how much I should cut back.
I recommend taking a look at those statements and really breaking down how much you pay for what. There are certain things that we have to pay for, like:
Rent – Unless you are able to move in with family or couch surf, this one is kind of unavoidable.
Gas – Don’t have a car? Good for you! But here in southern California where public transportation is extremely limited, it becomes difficult to get around without a car.
Food – I don’t think I need to explain this one.
I work an entry level job, aka I don’t make a lot of money. If I’m able to do this, so are you. So, take a look at those statements and skip the Starbucks every day.
Which brings me to point number 2…
2 – Cut Down on Going ‘Out’
This is the biggest culprit in the loss of money. How many times do you come back from a night out or a weekend with friends and go “I can’t believe I spent that much!” Guilty. While it’s nice to grab brunch with your old college roommate, it’s equally nice to cook up some eggs and bacon at home sans pants. Because, do people actually like putting on pants to go out?
Here are some ways to really cut down the cost of going out.
1. Go Grocery Shopping
Getting lunch with your co-workers every day is a great way to socialize and get out of the office. But it’s always a huge expense that could be cut back on. Head to your local super market and grab some groceries that you can make for the week. Meal prepping will save your life because you won’t have to worry about scrambling to put your lunch together before work every morning. This will save you a boat load of money. Just think, one meal at Panera Bread is around $12. Even if you do that twice a week, that’s $104 a month and $1248 a year! That’s your plane ticket to Europe!
2. Skip the Morning Starbucks
Or for me, it tends to be the afternoon – I’m going to fall asleep at my desk – Starbucks. Invest in a coffee pot, a grinder, and some coffee beans. It will taste better (does anyone actually really like Starbucks coffee?) and you’ll save all those pennies so you can splurge on that fancy cappuccino in Italy.
3. Skip the Bars
Or don’t. Just don’t buy any drinks. Offer to be DD, your friends will love you for it so they don’t have to pay for a Lyft or Uber. Or, if being DD isn’t really your thing (definitely not mine), pre-game with the alcohol you bought grocery shopping. A $15 bottle of Vodka serves a lot more than a $15 drink at the bar. Plus, pre-gaming is always more fun than actually going out.
4. Have An At-Home Cinema
Going to see a film these days has become insanely expensive. Even if you don’t buy any concessions, the price for two tickets can be a dinner date for two. Nowadays with streaming websites, it seems that you can watch a brand new film from the comfort of your own home. Invite some friends over, whip up some popcorn ($4 for a box rather than $4 for one handful), and turn on the film you’ve been dying to see. Plus you can pause it if you have to use the restroom.
3 – Pump the Breaks on Shopping
In essence, all shopping is the same. You go in for a new pair of sunglasses and come out with a new dog bed for the dog you don’t have yet. I used to buy new clothes quite often, I would spend my time scouring the dollar section at Target or buy random stuff from Amazon that I thought I needed. But now, I can’t remember the last time I bought an item of clothing that was for me, purchased a million cute sticky notes for work, or ordered meaningless crap with the click of a mouse. I’ve grown to accept the fact I may not be as fashionable as others, but I get to travel the world, and I would say that is much better.
So, drop the keys, resist Target and do something else productive with your time rather than shopping for crap you probably don’t need. Would you even bring it on your trip with you? Probably not.
4 – Drop the Subscriptions/Memberships
Before you decide to nix these subscriptions, take a look at how much you are using versus how much it costs. Having a gym membership might be worth it to you if you go every single day. But for me, I keep spending $29 a month for this stupid fitness app I don’t even use. Since I don’t use it, I keep forgetting to unsubscribe, until I see the automatic payment go through at the beginning of the month. So, I unsubscribe and just use the outdoors and fitness center at my apartment complex. Free is always better. I know people who fork over $40 a month for gym memberships. I don’t think I would use it enough to get my money out of it. There are so many affordable gym options (Plant Fitness) that are just as good, at half the cost. So if you need the gym, maybe look for a more affordable option.
Here’s another tough one: Netflix/Hulu/HBO, etc. If you don’t have cable, which I don’t know why people do these days, getting rid of your movie and television streaming services can be tough. How are you going to watch the new episode of The Path?! There are many free streaming options out there that you can find just about everything. Or, cuddle up with a good beak and use those brain cells!
Széchenyi Thermal Baths – Budapest, Hungary
5 – Create a Savings Plan
This is probably the most important factor in actually saving money. If you are serious about traveling, then it is a must to set up a savings plan. A step up from that, create a savings account through your bank specifically for your travel funds. Because I have been saving for a wedding this year, I didn’t set any money aside to travel (besides my honeymoon). So, when our trip to Berlin came out of nowhere, I had to use money from my checking account to pay for the flight (womp womp). But, now that I am going, I have been able to save for the past couple of months for accommodations, food, etc. PLUS what I normally wouldn’t save and used just for fun outing purposes, I am putting away to pay myself back for the flight.
My recommendation is to save as much as you can each month and never take anything out of your savings. Budget wisely and be aware of hidden costs. For me, I put away about $300-$500 every other paycheck. If I know that I have a slow month of nothing really going on, I’ll put more into my savings.
See how much you need, budget wisely and tie that money up into a savings account.
6 – Make Money
Not everything you have to do has to be geared toward just saving your money. If pinching pennies is tough on your paycheck, there are multiple ways to make more income and save that money.
Sell Stuff
Go through your room, closet, garage, anything and set aside a pile of what you rarely ever use/wear. If you haven’t used it or worn it in over 6 months, chances are you never will. So throw it into a “sell” pile and get selling. If you live in a house, host a yard sale for your community and put out everything you want to get rid of. If hosting a yard sale is too difficult for some (i.e. you live in an apartment) put up a posting on Craigslist! Just selling clothes? Apps like Vinted and PoshMark are great for selling recycled clothing.
Babysit/Dogsit/Housesit
Know someone with little ones who need a night out? Offer to babysit while they have a date night. I do this once a week and even though it isn’t often, the extra cash is nice to have in my pocket. Like dogs more than kids? Sign up for Wag and become a professional dog walker. Or look for local adds for people needing a dogsitter or housesitter while they are on vacation. You make the rate and usually get paid in cash.
Drive for Uber/Lyft
This is one I have yet to do, but I know some people who drive for Lyft or Uber just on the weekends and make about $500 a month! Ask yourself, is making money for travel worth giving up a couple nights of your weekends?
While there are many more options out there to save and make money. These are my tried and true tips to help anyone save money with a desire in their heart to travel.
I would love to hear about ways you have saved or made extra cash for your adventures? Comment below!
rooted in wander 