Vietnam, Singapore or maybe Thailand has been infesting your Facebook feed and you have been dying of seeing those places. You really want to travel and experience them and have been day dreaming about it already. BUT! You don’t have the money. Like zilch, your payroll ATM is crying and you don’t even have money to buy coffee. Well here’s the thing. That exactly may be the reason holding you from traveling and seeing places. You don’t have a travel fund.
There are a lot of people at this situation. Most of the time, they rant about not having enough money or not having the money at all. Then you look at their situation. Single, no dependents and living this awesome lifestyle. See that last part, that could be the problem, you may be spending your money at the wrong places. Okay, okay, so you are thrifty but it just doesn’t add up and you still need more money. Maybe you are just not aware of the opportunities you have to earn more.
Here are some steps you can take to start creating that travel fund to make your backpacking dreams come true!
Side Jobs or Overtime
One of the most common recourse of people trying to save money. I have to say that it is just logical. If you work more you earn more! While I was still in the corporate world, I would work as much over time as I could to fund my travels. It was an easy source of income for me. The best part of it was that it didn’t feel so much of a burden since I was highly motivated by my impending travels.
Selling stuff over the internet is also a good way to get extra income. If you don’t have money to buy your merchandise, you ask friends who already are selling if you can sell their stuff at a small commission! You didn’t just earn extra that way but also helped a friend. You can also revisit your belongings and see what are the things that you no longer use, need or just want to dispose off. It may not need too much effort to post it online, then just tag friends or share it on your social media accounts!
You can also do freelance jobs with the skills that you have or maybe that hobby that you are really good at. You will never know that people are actually needing you service until you start telling people. Think of it, doing something you actually love an earning from it. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.
Don’t Eat Out Much
That occasional fast food or dine out with friends can be a little expensive. Honestly I think eating out is not a necessity. You can always bring your own food and eat with your friends at the office pantry! If you really can’t help your self eating out, try minimizing it by organizing lunch sessions once or twice a week with office mates. Every one can bring in different food choices that everyone can share! Not only this creates a better social atmosphere in the office it also allows you to take control more of your eating habits if you are aiming to living a healthier lifestyle.
Simple Friday Night Outs
Weekend parties can be really expensive specially when you are drunk already. LOL. Why not go out with friends over coffee and plan about your travels? Maybe go to museum and learn something new. There are lots of things that you can do without spending so much. If you really need that dose of alcohol, try inviting friends to a house party. It will absolutely save you a lot! Whenever I get the urge to drink, my main motivation to save money is the thought of “why get drunk locally when you can get drunk somewhere better!” Hahahaha…. I know it sounds crazy but it does work for me and it does sound like a good idea right?
Write Down Your Finances
It may sound basic, but how many of us really does this? Writing down your expenses, how much you have, how much money you have and will come will give you some sort of realization of your financial status. It gives some sort of motivation to see how my travel fund has grown from my starting amount. It gives this sense of accomplishment when you reach your goal or you are on track, while it also gives you some sense of being vigilant to your spending if you see that you are somewhat off-course.
Create A Travel Fund Account
Give your travel fund a home. Saving in a piggy bank could be good, but putting your money in a bank will give you more flexibility. Imagine, you were scrolling on your Facebook news feed then you see this post “Flash Seat Sale”. You scramble and try to book a flight only to be disappointed that you can only pay via credit or debit card. Sucks right? There are lots of banking options out there that lets you keep an account without a maintaining balance. I personally used a PSBANK Prepaid Mastercard to start building my travel fund. after some time I saved so much that even after traveling I’d still have spare money. At that point I opened a savings account already for more security features. Saving your money into such accounts also lets you track your expenses as each transaction gets logged online!
source: PSBank.com.ph
These are just a few of the things that I do to save money to travel. Reality check though, we all have our own priorities and travel may not be one of them for some of us. On the other hand, it isn’t also bad to treat your self once in a while or maybe this could be your reward to your self for a long time now. Travel may not be for everyone, I mean there are people who need to prioritize food over this privilege. But if you have the chance to give your self the opportunity to see the world, go ahead and grab it. I can assure you that it will open your eyes, heart and mind more ways than you think is possible.