How to Build up Your Travel Savings, Quickly and Easily
One of the biggest reasons behind why people don't decide to travel has to do with money. Depending on where you want to go, travel can be expensive and the thought of saving thousands of dollars for one trip can be a daunting task. Fortunately, with the right frame of mind it can be incredibly easy to budget your income and save for travel.
When I decided I wanted to travel, I was able to put away $400 a month despite only working part-time at a $12,000 a year job. I found that by making travel my priority, I was able to cut out expenses that weren't important to me and reach my savings target of $25,000 before I left the UK.
How bad do you want to travel the world? If it's the one thing that you want to do more than anything else -- if travel is something that consumes your every waking minute then it's time to do something about it.
By making travel your priority you'll find yourself easily saving thousands of extra dollars a month.
Cut out Unnecessary Expenses
I used to buy a Starbuck's coffee every day before work and college. I also used to go to the college cafeteria and buy my lunch. I worked out that if I were to cut out the $5 a day I was spending on coffee, as well as the $7 a day I was spending on lunch by taking sandwiches I made at home, I'd be able to save an extra $360 a month -- that's $4320 over the space of a year! That $4000 could last you six months in Southeast Asia, all from cutting out a couple of unnecessary purchases.
There were plenty of other expenses I cut out, too -- chocolate bars and candy, sodas -- saving myself several $100 a month in the process.
$15 = One Day in Thailand
You can travel quite comfortably in Thailand on $15 a day -- that covers accommodation, activities, food, everything. So, when you start thinking about spending some money -- a fancy dinner, a new outfit, a night out with friends -- estimate how much you think the night will cost you and then convert that into Thailand travel funds. Whenever I did this and realized I could either spend $50 on a new coat or I could have an extra three days on a tropical beach in Thailand, there really was no question.
I turned down invitations to spend time with friends, offering instead for them to visit me and have a movie night, I was extremely proactive at saving on my house bills and would switch off everything I wasn't using, as well as use blankets instead of heating in winter.
Sell Anything You Don't Use or Need
One of the great things about backpacking is that it shows you just how little you need to survive. When everything you need for the next six months fits in a 50 liter backpack, you really do start to wonder how on earth you managed to own so many possessions back home.
With this in mind, start taking a look through what you currently own and see if there's anything you can part with. For me, this was dozens of items of clothing, all of my CDs and DVDs and pretty much anything I wasn't going to be taking traveling with me. During this time, eBay was particularly helpful and was the sole website I used to sell everything I owned.
Though saving up for travel can be a daunting task, just a few simple steps can get you on the right track to spending less. Cut out unnecessary expenses, remind yourself that saving a few dollars can get you a long way in a cheap country and start selling things you don't use or need