How YOU Can Afford to Travel: Part 1

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The number one barrier to traveling that I hear all the time is…”I can’t afford to travel.”

It is true that traveling can be expensive. If you are living paycheck to paycheck or getting by on a fixed income, then travel may seem like a luxury you just can’t afford.

But I believe the old adage, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way”. And that definitely holds true for travel!

There are so many benefits to exploring new places and getting away from your daily routine. And if you value and prioritize travel in your life, then you can and will find a way to afford it.

But I thought everyone could use some tips on exactly how to make travel more affordable.

I’ll admit I’ve been thinking about, and procrastinating, writing this post for a while. Partly because the topic of money can be rather sensitive. And because I don’t consider myself an expert when it comes to finances. (Although if you ask my husband, he’ll definitely say I know a thing or two about pinching pennies!)

But with travel (and blogging about travel) one thing I stand by is: You can’t put it off until everything aligns perfectly and you feel like you know EVERYTHING…or you will never go anywhere. You have to take some risks. And just get going.

With that same mindset, I want to share my 3 Steps to Making Travel Affordable:

1. Make More Money
2. Save More Money
3. Seek Out Travel Deals

Before you say, “Well, duh?!” and simply scroll away…hear me out.

Making travel affordable can be as simple as these three steps…but I didn’t say it was easy. As with most things in life, the devil is in the details.

Over the course of 3 blog posts, I will dig into each of these simple steps and provide you with some basic, yet useful strategies you can start using right away to finance the kind of travel you desire.

But First, Be Intentional

Before digging into ways you can make more money, it is important to be intentional about your travel plans. Having a road map (pun intended!) is crucial to carrying out your travel wishes. Affording travel isn’t always easy, and it is infinitely harder if your travel plans are completely ambiguous or way too far from reality.

So be intentional about where you want to go! If you haven’t already, check out my post about how to create your Travel Bucket List to determine the type of travel you want to take and the destination that’s next on your travel itinerary.

It is much more gratifying to set aside money for a long romantic weekend to San Francisco or the 2 week tour of Europe you’ve always dreamed about than it is to simply be saving up to travel more.

Be intentional about how you want to spend your hard earned travel funds!

When you have your travel destination in mind, making a few sacrifices here and there won’t seem quite as difficult. And based on how extravagant your travel plans are will help determine how long it will take to ensure you have the necessary funds.

SPECIAL NOTE: You will notice that nowhere in this 3 part series do I recommend taking out loans or going into debt to support your travel wishes. While that might work for some people, I find that even though travel memories last a lifetime, you don’t want the payments to!

Part 1: Make More Money

Now that you have a clear travel destination in mind, I want to share 5 possible ways you could make more money to fund your travel plans.

Sell Things

Whether or not you have embraced the popular Tidying Up concept, chances are you have some items around your home that you could do without. Why not turn those too-small jeans or just-not-my-style home decor into travel money?!

These days there are tons of options for selling your unwanted, but still in decent condition, items.

Consider having a garage sale or take your gently worn fashions and accessories to a consignment shop. Trade in books, movies, and games for cash at Half-Price Books or other similar used book outlets. There are even kiosks where you can trade in electronics for cash and storefronts that will buy your old gold jewelry.

Or cast a wider net of shoppers and pick your favorite online selling site.  From Ebay to Craigslist to Facebook Marketplace to LetGo. There are so many to choose from!

Just do your research first to make sure you understand how each vendor’s payment system works and make sure you are comfortable with how the exchange of goods will take place.

So start decluttering, and start building up your travel fund!

Uber and Other Apps

Recently my husband started driving for Uber…and he loves it!

It was easy and took just a few days to get approved. He decides exactly when and how long he wants to work.

On the spur of the moment, when he has a bit of free time, he can turn on his Uber app and start working. And whenever he determines it is quitting time, he just turns the app off. Of course, the more time he spends on the Uber clock, the more money he makes.

This has been a great way for him to earn some extra travel money and be in total control of his schedule. Not to mention he has met some really interesting people from all over the world…and referred several of them to travelingtanya.com!

Consider giving Uber or Lyft a try for some extra income. (If you sign up to be an Uber driver, be sure to use Brent’s referral code: brents2817ue  Thanks!!)

If you prefer pets over people, Wag or Rover.com might be your next money-making venture.

Find an option you enjoy doing and in no time you will have stashed away enough cash for your next travel adventure!  While you are out seeing the world, you can make even more money by renting out your house on AirBnB!

Mystery Shopping

You’ve probably heard of Mystery Shopping…but have you ever considered giving it a try?! I recently became a Mystery Shopper, and it’s a lot of fun!

It definitely isn’t a get rich quick kind of deal, but you can make some money and get to enjoy eating out at a variety of restaurants. Sounds pretty good, right?!

My blogging buddy, Pam, at BeHealthyBeHappyWellness has been mystery shopping for nearly 25 years. So I was excited to learn more about exactly how Mystery Shopping works.

Pam created a fun course that walks you though how to get started Mystery Shopping and exactly what is expected of you. There is no free lunch after all!  Mystery Shopping is work, and Pam spells it all out for you in a series of short videos on Teachable.com.

After taking Pam’s course I was even more excited to get started. I’ve already completed 2 Mystery shops, and I’m excited to do more. I get to enjoy meals at new restaurants…and I’m taking my earnings and stashing them away for my next big trip.

Experience a fun date night with your significant other at a new restaurant AND earn money to feed your travel addiction…it’s a Win-Win!!

If you want to give Mystery Shopping a try I highly recommend Pam’s course! Feel free to email me if you have any questions!

Pick Up Extra Shifts

Depending on the kind of work you do, can you pick up a few extra shifts? Do you have the opportunity to work overtime?

If so, take advantage of this extra money. If you budget your regular income to meet your regular expenses, then this extra money can go right into your travel fund.

Most of us don’t like to work extra hours, but when you have a clear plan for how you want to spend the extra money, the sacrifice can be totally worth it.

If you can score overtime pay, even better!

Cash In On Holidays

Make your travel dreams known to your friends and family. It will help hold you accountable and may even help build your travel fund.

When your birthday or other gift-giving holidays roll around, you can gently encourage your loved ones to help financially support your travel dreams. Even people who don’t like the impersonal gift of cash may be inclined to give you money instead of a store bought gift when they know it will go towards a much anticipated trip.

If people ask what you want for your upcoming birthday, don’t be shy about sharing your travel plans. Gift givers can make their present even more personal by providing funds for a designated activity (such as a gondola ride in Venice) or presenting you with the local currency of the country you plan to visit.

And if a store bought gift is really the way they want to go, you can give subtle hints as to the travel accessories you’d like for your trip. Or take the not-so-subtle approach and provide links to the luggage set you would like, a pocket scarf in your favorite color, or the very practical outlet adapter you will need as you traipse across Europe!

 

Where To Stash All That Extra Cash

Now that you have ideas on how to make more money to fund your travel plans, pick one or two money making strategies you want to focus on. And when that extra cash starts rolling in, make sure you put it in a spot designated just for travel funds. Ideally this would be a separate savings account.

The key here is, don’t spend it! And don’t lump it in with your regular income or savings where it could easily get spent on other expenses. This is another critical part to being intentional with your travel plans.

So which money making strategies will you try out? Do you have other ideas for making money to fund your travel plans? Please comment below and share them!

Stayed tuned for Part 2 where Traveling Tanya will provide tips for how you can Save More Money…and live out your travel dreams!

** Get a jump start on saving for travel with my Vacation Savings Tracker! This handy tool is available on Etsy as a digital download.**

Wherever the road takes you, make it a joyous journey,
Traveling Tanya

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