One of the main reasons people say they can’t travel are for financial reasons, but I believe everyone has the ability to travel if they set their mind to it! I also believe everyone deserves to travel in their lifetime as you learn about yourself, other people, cultures, religions, etc. It is an eye-opening experience to be able to travel and everyone deserves a chance to visit a place they have always wanted to go. Like everyone else, I have multiple monthly expenses (rent, my car, insurance, etc.) and have a mediocre salary. But there are simple steps that I have taken to save money to travel and I have shared them with you below:
- Apply for credit cards that you can earn points or miles- I have two credit cards that allow me to earn points/miles with every purchase I make! I feel like most people use credit cards now, so why not earn points for flights, hotels, etc? Between my two cards, I already have enough points to get me a round trip international flight for FREE! Another great idea is to have friends refer you or you refer a friend. This gets both of you more points/miles! Below are the cards I recommend:
- Chase Sapphire: There are zero foreign transaction fees; you get 2x the points on travel and dining; and if you use the card to book a trip, you get trip cancellation insurance and emergency assistance services. You can travel stress free!
- Capital One Venture: You get unlimited 2x the miles per dollar on every purchase! And like Chase, this card has zero foreign transaction fees.
- Cook at home- this one is hard for me as I don’t enjoy cooking nor do I always have the patience for it. But it saves a lot of money rather than ordering food or going to restaurant. I have also learned that I can actually cook decently (meaning the food tastes good and I didn’t burn anything down). Take baby steps. If you eat out 5 days a week, trying cutting back to only 3 days a week. It will still make a difference!
- Sign up for airline mileage programs- Even if you don’t fly a lot, it’s still worth signing up for the airlines’ mileage programs. I recently went on a flight and ended up getting miles in my United account for flying with them. If you shop online a lot, then signing up for mileage programs is key to get to more miles for travel. A lot of the airlines partner with businesses and restaurants and if you buy through one of their partners, you can earn miles! I would suggest looking on the airlines’ websites to see which places you can shop/dine at to earn miles.
- Decrease drinking – this is a hard one since most social activities people take part in involve drinking. Plus, after a stressful work day who doesn’t like a glass of wine or a beer? I try to only have a drink or two if I go out on the weekend and I have stopped drinking during the week…for the most part. Sometimes there’s a special occasion that I’ll have a drink for. Another idea is to drink before going out so you don’t spend as much at the bars (aka a pregame or predrink). Or go out during a “happy hour” where the drinks are cheaper.
- Only buy things you need, not want- I’m not a materialistic person, so I actually save tons of money only buying necessities. I don’t buy tons of clothes, makeup, jewelry, the latest gadgets, etc. To me travel is more important than things, so I buy what I need! This can be hard, so start off small. Maybe buy one less shirt than you normally would at your favorite store or instead of buying designer clothing go with something less costly. If you are best friends with a coffee shop (like me..), try cutting down the amount of coffees you buy per week and try making coffee at home. I used to spend $3-4 everyday at Starbucks, but since I’ve cut that down I save ~20 dollars a week!
- Walk, bike, or use public transit- I have to drive for work, but other than that I try my best to walk, bike, or take public transit for all the other places I go. It may take longer, but it makes my wallet bigger. I save a lot of gas money. Plus, I get a workout in by walking or biking!
- Downsize and sell things you don’t need – people always have way too many things that they don’t use or need anymore. I’m guilty of this and still have some shirts that I wore my Freshman year of college (I’m now 26 years old..) or shoes I haven’t worn in years. There’s a great app called Letgo, Facebook Marketplace, or a website called Craigslist that allows you to sell used items in your area. Or you can take the old-fashioned route and have a garage sale to sell things you don’t need.
- Pick up small side jobs- If you have extra time during the week and feel really ambitious, finding side jobs can increase your savings account quickly. You can babysit, dog walk, or even become an Uber/Lyft driver to earn some extra cash.
- Rent your place out as an Airbnb- If you own a house or apartment you can rent out your place on Airbnb and earn money when you are gone for a weekend or on a trip. Or if you have multiple rooms, rent one out while your home if you don’t mind meeting new people and hosting them.
- Budget- If i’m being honest, I don’t budget. But for some, keeping track of all their expenses gives them an idea about what they are spending on things and what they can cut back on. Create a new account for travel expenses and set aside a certain amount of money each week to put in to that account.
Once you have saved up enough money, book that dream trip and create new memories! Check out my other blog How to Travel With Only a Carry-on to save even more money since you will avoid the checked baggage fee.
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