Travel More & See The World - How To Begin Saving The RIGHT Way

Imagine this; Summer is approaching, you're seeing everyone going on vacation to the most beautiful destinations around the world, and meanwhile, you keep putting off your dream destination because "it never works out". That is what I am here to help with.

Learn the secrets to traveling the world how you want and when you want. And no, you don't have to be rich or need a bunch of credit card points.

What are the first steps I should take?

To start, set up an automated savings account that sets funds aside on a weekly or monthly basis. I suggest using Acorns, Oportun or Brigit, although there are countless options to choose from, I prefer these the most. The listed apps will gift you free money just for setting up a savings account!

Before you start, be sure to set not only realistic expectations, but ones you are also comfortable with. How? The 50/30/20 rule for your earnings: 50% should go to your needs (ex; bills), 30% to your wants (ex; subscriptions & eating out) and 20% to your savings & debt. This savings calculator from NerdWallet will give you the numbers for you, just using your monthly income, with an article that dives much deeper into this budgeting system.

If you are opposed to using third-party apps, start a savings account with your bank! You can set automatic deposits and if you don't trust yourself, set it to be locked or inaccessible online. You would have to visit the branch and request a withdrawal.

Next Up....

Remember this:

Income does NOT matter if you wish to travel, as long as there's a steady income, you're golden.

Now in complete transparency, you will need to make sacrifices. Cut back on the subscriptions, eating out or simply overindulging your "wants", aka buying too much stuff. Luckily, these days there's an app for everything, including spending trackers and bill managers.

I suggest checking out Rocket Money, Pocket Guard or Bobby (my fav), they all offer different varieties of tracking and monthly subscriptions range from $2-$12. BUT, for the sake of actually saving up instead spending more, I suggest going through your bank statements instead.

After you are set up in that regard, use one of my freebies, the "Change Challenge" template, to help you kickstart your savings journey.

What if I don't make that much money?

Don't Forget Your Free Items HERE!

What can I do while I save up?

Okay, at this point, your savings account should be all set up for success and you got rid of the extra expenses, or at least some. What's next?

Now, let's find out how to locate cheap flights. Most people are aware of Google Flights and Kayak, but let's dive a bit deeper. In order to truly locate deals, you can either lets sites like Going find them for you, or use Secret Flying & Airfare Watchdog to discover deals, cheap vacation packages, hotel discounts and much more.

Before you begin browsing on ANY site to search up flights, make sure to

1. Clear all your cookies and browsing history.

2. Use a private browser, or "incognito" mode.

3. Be open to your travel dates, flexibility is key to travel deals.

4. Research other nearby airports you may be willing to travel to.

5. Book separate, one-way flights, as sometimes its cheaper than roundtrip. (Research first!)

These steps alone will assist in locating budget friendly options, both domestic & international.

And accommodations? Aren't resorts and hotels expensive?

While sites like Airbnb & Vrbo are known to provide inexpensive stays that are more spacious & personable, there are also very expensive listings. Similar to hotels, there is a varying range of prices, with pros and cons to BOTH sides.

In saying that, it's not often you find a decent hotel priced under $30/night compared to the mentioned companies. It comes down to preference; do you want amenities? Or do you want more space? Looking for a more casual trip or an immersive one?

To bring this to a close, there is no concrete answer, but you have more ease finding inexpensive options on short-stay rental sites. You can also earn sky miles with Delta when using Airbnb!

Don't Forget Your Free Items HERE!

To Summarize...

It is very much possible to travel with a small budget. You have to be willing to adjust and may have to step outside of your comfort zone, but if the desires' there, it won't bother you in the least.

I encourage you to start with a local trip, maybe even a weekend outside of the city or a road trip with a few stops.

The world is huge, it can be intimidating, but as I see it, it's holding its arms out wide, welcoming you to explore as you deserve to do so.

Life doesn't have to be all figured out, there's no specific path for anyone to follow.

I wish you the best of luck!

NEXT BLOG:

Build Passive Income While Traveling (Available Soon)