With the progressive rise of the forty in many countries, it is not surprising that we, tireless travelers, are already beginning to make plans for our next adventure.
For those who are starting or dreaming of starting a life of travel, it may seem prohibitive to afford a life of travel. But as people like Jillian Johnsrud demonstrate – even with modest incomes – we can save enough to afford our travels.
Jillian states that at one point and with an income of $33,000 a year (just over the U.S. average), she was able to get out of debt, buy a home and afford 6-8 weeks of travel a year.
The “secret”
People like to talk about “formulas” and “secrets.” In reality, when it comes to money, there are no formulas. Only smart decisions and a strict focus on the goal we want to achieve.
The driving force behind this is discipline and fuel is our desire to achieve those goals we have set ourselves.
In the case of getting enough funding for our adventures, we have proven time and again that by doing small actions we achieve accumulated results that allow us to finance our adventures around the world.
We share here 17 tips to save for your next trip.
1. Visualize the goal
The first thing is to set yourself and visualize a goal. We can never say enough how important visualization is, imagining ourselves already living and enjoying our dream destination, although at this moment it may seem a little distant.
The Mystical Wisdom says that where you put your attention on that you become. We believe that this is certainly the case.Some call this “Law of Attraction” or several other names.
What is certain is that even quantum physics says that the role of consciousness, of attention, is decisive for events to occur.
2. Control your expenses
Keep track of your expenses. What do you spend your money on? Write down every time you make an expense. It includes even the smallest or most insignificant.
We are guided by one rule: every expense we make must be essential and fully justified. If it doesn’t comply with this, we cut it off.
You’ll be surprised to see how many superfluous things you throw money away at unconsciously.
3. Reduce parties and events
It’s happened to all of us: even events we didn’t think we were going to spend on end up being a hole in our budget.
Many times, we take invitations to events that we don’t really want to attend. But we do it out of education, not to offend or even out of inertia. If this is a non-essential event and will not produce any long-term pleasant experience, consider not attending.
You can also organize meetings at home and invite friends and family and in which attendees contribute something.
4. Eat and watch movies at home
Even after quarantine! Many people are not aware of the enormous expense that accumulates eating on the street (even cheap fast food) or going out to the movies too often.
With so many online tutorials to prepare delicious, fast and nutritious recipes and with so many streaming services or movie downloads, eating and watching movies at home is easier – and cheaper – than ever before.
5. Don’t buy right away. Make a list
There is a simple action that has saved us a lot of money. It turns out that most of the things we buy are driven by the momentum of the moment. Then we do this: we write down what we want to buy and after a few days we review the list.
We found that, by subsequently reviewing the list, our desire to acquire the object or service in question had been diluted.
It was a whim of the moment, an impulse that, as such, did not pass the test of time.
6. “Tithe” about your income
Make the habit of allocating a percentage of your income for your next adventure. It is a kind of “tithe”. You determine the percentage, but if you do it on everything that gets you in money, you will find that there is enough that you can gather with this system.
And with that money that you set aside, change it to hard currency (dollars, euros) if you live in Latin America or in an area with more vulnerable currencies. Thus the risk of depreciation (devaluation) will be lower.
7. Garage Sales
Periodically, it can be once a year, take everything you have in the closet and sell what you have time that you don’t use. If there are garments with more than a year that you do not wear, it is very likely that you will not miss them. So turn them on.
The benefit is twofold: you will live in a clearer and less crowded environment (and believe us when we tell you that you will really feel lighter and freer) and by organizing a “garage sale” you can make some money for your trip.
8. Tap into your talents and earn extra income
Leverage talents and skills to make extra money. In our case, we did commercials for television (a.g. If you are fluent in another language, you can consider giving classes at home (you charge more for moving).
If you have a talent for baking, crafts or dancing, you can sell your products and even make tutorials that you can sell on platforms such as Udemy or Teacheable.
9. If you are going to be given a gift, ask for it in cash
We only do this with people we have a lot of trust in. And yet, we explain that it’s for our next trip.
Never do it with people with whom you don’t have an intimate friendship or family relationship, because it can be taken as rude.
10. Beware of waste of services
Use only electricity, water, the phone for the essential minimum. In countries where electricity and water services are expensive, this is an important way to cut costs.
Actions as simple as turning off the light of an environment where we are not or turning off the shower faucet while lathering can bring you even closer to that adventure you dream of.
And besides it is ecofriendly!
11. Review your statements
Be aware of all the charges they make on your cards. Sometimes, banks use codes that we do not understand and you are within your rights to ask them for explanations about every charge they make to you.
It happened to Yuliana once the bank was making an unauthorized charge to cover possible card thefts without warning. For months, you were charged this unsolicited service. When he saw what was happening, he simply called to end that service.
12. Minimize your phone plans
This is essential. For example, during the pandemic, we cut off the wifi plan from the cell phone. After all, being almost all day at home we used the wifi of our residence.
Find the option that gives you more for less. Try negotiating with your current provider to see what it offers you. Some operators to avoid losing customers offer more attractive plans if they are confronted with similar plans cheaper than the competition.
13. Share expenses
If you live in rented housing, share it with peers. In this way you will be able to distribute the expenses – not only the rent – among all.
You may have a romantic idea of living in an artistic and bohemian loft or attic, shrouded in mystery and not with several noisy friends drinking beer. But that’s when you should prioritize your dreams.
14. Minimize car use
In almost all countries, fuel is expensive. If you have your own vehicle, do not use it unless it is very necessary.
On the other hand, be aware that it is not good either to have a car long standing.
Use a bicycle to transport yourself in places where you can. It really is a very pleasant activity and, at the same time, it improve your cardiovascular capacity. An enhanced cardio is an important asset to your globetrotting life.
15. Beware of ant expenses
We call that myriad of insignificant expenses that we don’t pay attention to “ant expenses.”
But, like an anthill with thousands of ants, the action together, the sum of those expenses constitutes an enormous amount of money squandered on banal matters.
To identify them, be aware of each expense you make keeping a note of each one. You will find that, for example, the accumulated expense of buying that mint candy that you usually eat, results in a not inconsiderable outlay.
Such an outlay takes you a little away from your next adventure.
16. Subscribe to airline newsletters
It’s a great way to stay informed of plans and discounts in real time. Airline prices fluctuate greatly according to a multitude of factors.
But those offers don’t usually last long, so being up-to-date in real time allows you to make quick and efficient decisions when it comes to purchasing air tickets.
17. Apps and offer websites
There are apps and websites and coupon sites, which keep you up to date with weekly deals on products and services of any kind.
This, if used wisely, can result in significant savings. But remember: don’t get carried away by offers.
Just acquire what you really need.
Conclusions
Each of these tips, in isolation, represents a small saving or slight cut in our expenses.
But if it becomes a habit to do them all, the synergistic effect on our budget is immense.
We have seen this countless times. We are not millionaires, however we manage to carry out our passion of traveling on modest budgets.
And a philosophy of life that guides us and has helped us in that sense is our commitment to collecting experiences, more than things.
Experiences fill you, they become part of you.
Experiences don’t get dusty, things do.
And you, do you have any tips to save?
Leave us a comment!
