If you've got high aspirations and a long travel bucket list, then this one is for you dear traveler.
I recently came across a picture which perfectly describes the vicious cycle of what it is like to travel:
It got me thinking about how the actual fun part (the travel) is over in a flash, but it seems to take forever to get the money together for it! #thestruggleisreal
Something I hear very often is that it is hard to save up for a trip with all of life's other expenses. You've got credit card bills, groceries, a car payment, maybe some student loans, and your minimum wage part time job bi-weekly paycheck just doesn't go far enough. Or, maybe even your grown-up full-time career job doesn't cut it either. Either way, you consider it a good week if you have enough leftover to buy your favorite bottle of wine! Trust me, I get it. I'm right there with you. And honestly, I'm still trying to figure it out too.
"You have to make putting money back for traveling a priority, because there will always be something else you can do with that $20 from your paycheck."
One thing that I think separates me from the others, is my attitude. Call it what you will, a YOLO attitude or maybe a care-free attitude, but I prioritize traveling. It's right up there with paying my bills. Why? It makes me happy and I'm a firm believer in doing the things that make us happy because none of us are getting out of here alive and our tomorrows are not promised. So, I think that's the first place that you have to start when saving up for your next trip. You have to make putting money back for traveling a priority, because there will always be something else you can do with that $20 from your paycheck. But will you ultimately remember what you spent that money on? No. With a trip, you most certainly will.
Now that you've made up your mind to prioritize saving your money, it's time to get down to the nitty gritty and WORK for that dream destination of yours. What do you do?
Start by putting 10% of your paycheck back for traveling. It will help if you have the overall estimated cost of the trip figured out and then calculate how long it will take for you to save money using this plan. If the length of time isn't satisfactory to you, or you already put a deposit down and you have a deadline to meet, it's time to get creative.
Disclaimer: The type of travel you are doing depends on what creative methods you should use for funding it. Something to think about is whether the travel is a personal vacation, study abroad experience, or mission service trip.
Ways To Save Up For Your Next Trip:
1. Pick up a quick job. This is one way to earn some extra cash every now and then based on your schedule and interests. For example, I am currently trying to get the money together to go on my second mission trip to Ecuador. I work part-time at a daycare and sometimes they don't use all of my availability. I have started picking up a quick job here and there doing some light housework, pet sitting, or a one-time babysitting job. This cash is like my own travel fund. 100% of the profits go straight for my travels.
2. Purge your closet! This one can be difficult. I don't like to get rid of clothes, but there could be things in there that it's just time to get rid of and in my case, it was 4 year old prom dresses. Try to think, are there any gently used purses or wallets, name brand clothes or shoes taking up space? What about an instrument or gaming device you don't use or play anymore? You can either post these items to apps like Poshmark, Mercari, or Ebay, do an old fashion garage sale, or go to a local consignment shop. Sell, sell, sell!
3. For service trips, consider using crowd-funding websites like GoFundMe and sharing your personal reasons for going on the trip, why it's important to you, who you will be helping, and why any donations to get you there are greatly appreciated. You can find templates online for how to write hand-written letters to close friends and family asking for donations (and in some cases prayers) with these same points of interest. These are just a few examples you could use for your own mission or service trip!
4. Coordinate a fundraiser with a group of fellow travelers. While this one might apply mostly to service trips, coordinating a bake sale or car wash with the people you are going on the mission trip with can benefit all of you by lowering the overall cost of the trip!
Overall, in my experience, if you are going on a study abroad or a mission trip, people likely want to help. When I went on my study abroad for just a month in Europe, my grandmother gave me money for food without me asking. Basically, if people know you're traveling to give back, help people, or better yourself they are likely to encourage and support you, either with prayers or money. It doesn't hurt to just put it out there, because if you don't try you will never know.
So now that you have done the work to collect the money, it's important to have a plan for storing it where you won't use it for something else. There are a few ways you can do this:
If you prefer a digital method, open a new bank savings or checking account where you can directly transfer money from your direct-deposit paycheck into it and call it your travel fund.
If you are a visual person, go on amazon and buy a cheap "Adventure Fund" piggy bank. You can watch as your stash grows the more you put money into it. It's also cool because you can place the piggy bank somewhere you will view it everyday, which will serve as a subconscious reminder to keep putting money back!
If you love to organize and already have an organizational system for paying bills, create an envelope for your travels and put money away that way.
By no means is this an exhaustive list of ways you can save up to afford your travel, but I hope these tips help spark some ideas which gives you a way to get started with saving for your next journey!
xx,
The Blue Eyed Bostonian
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