Today I start my series on Travel!
This series has been a
long time coming
(I think I first mentioned it well over a year ago here,
whoops!),
but I suppose better late than never, right?
The idea for this series came about, because almost weekly I
receive emails from my readers asking me how we travel so much. Kevin and I had
the incredible opportunity to live, backpack and stay with friends in over 40
countries. I do not claim to be an expert, but I do hope that through reading
for the next month or two you will feel more equipped, more excited, and more
knowledgeable about all things travel related.
I’m structuring my series based on questions that you, my
dear readers, have asked me. I also have stuffed these posts chock-full of real
life examples. I don’t want to give you a bunch of theories that don’t work…I
want you to see how Kevin and I utilized these tricks to our advantage when
traversing the globe!
So… without further ado…the first installment of
The MAIN question that rolls in time and time again is,
“How do you pay for travel?????”
I’ve run into my fair share of people who are frustrated
about the costs of taking a trip, and find themselves getting overwhelmed by
the mounting expenses. “I can’t afford to go ANYWHERE” they cry, and then they
just give up. This, my friend, is a sad, sad picture indeed. Yes, travel will
obviously cost you something, but it doesn’t have to cost you your arm, leg or
baby -or even break your bank!
The next two weeks I will be squeezing in every last secret
I could come up with about how Kev and I have paid for all our trips! Today
though, you will be given the most basic lesson we have learned….
Prioritize your Everyday
Spending
While this may seem like a no-brainer, I’m not sure it
really is.
Travel takes intentionality.
Unless you are plain rich and rollin in the bejamins,
then thinking about your “travel budget” should be on your radar.
This means prioritizing what is important to you {travel}
and making financial decisions that help you save more for your trips!!
Unless you are plain rich and rollin in the bejamins,
then thinking about your “travel budget” should be on your radar.
This means prioritizing what is important to you {travel}
and making financial decisions that help you save more for your trips!!
Below is a list of ways Kevin and I have prioritized travel
in different seasons of our life.
Create a Travel
Registry for your Wedding Guests
From the get-go, Kevin and I knew travel
was a priority for us. Planning our wedding, we decided that we didn’t need a
whole lot of “stuff” for our future home, so in addition to a regular wedding
registry, we created a travel registry to help fund our then upcoming UK trip. We
used the popular site honeyfund.com, but instead of using this for our
honeymoon, we told our guests about our upcoming trip to the UK to visit
friends! We gave our wedding guests the option of purchasing “$50 towards a
rental car in Ireland” or “$100 for lodging in Scotland”. Our guest loved it,
and it was really popular! As much as pots, pans and dishes are nice to fill a
home, the memories Kevin and I have from exploring England, Scotland and
Ireland are irreplaceable!
Open a Travel Account
at the Bank
Once married, the travel planning continued. Kevin and I
opened up a “travel account” at the bank. We wanted to keep this money separate
so that it wouldn’t just get lost in our other bank accounts! Every time we
received money as a birthday or Christmas gift, we deposited it into the travel
account! . Instead of viewing Kevin’s “tip money” as extra “spending money” we
instead saw it as extra “travel money”, and that went into the account as well.
You may feel silly at first depositing such small amounts into this account,
but as the old adage goes “every little bit helps!”.
Use Second Hand
Items
As women, we have a tendency to love pretty things for our home! And
with good reason!! Our home is a place where magic happens, and as such should
be decorated in a cozy and beautiful way. However, a lovely home doesn’t have
to steal your hard earned travel money! When we were first married we furnished
our entire apartment with second hand items my parents gave to us! {We also
bought a few new items using gift cards from our wedding!} Another great
resource for finding free items is the craigslist.com FREE section! I was able
to score free bookcases from IKEA, and found a few free {and gorgeous!} chairs
on the side of the road! Seeing as “vintage” is all the rage, second hand items
might just be what you are looking for!
Penny Pinch when it
Counts!!
As consumers, we are faced with a wide spectrum of prices when it
comes to purchasing certain items! Often, choosing a more “affordable” priced
item will go a long way when saving up for travel! For instance, when I
purchased a new car a few years ago, I opted to buy the most basic model of the
Toyota Carolla. For a few thousand dollars more I could have had automatic
windows and doors (and that little clicker thing I REALLY wanted!) but instead,
I chose to save $3,000 and put that into our travel fund. And I’ve never
regretted that! I mean, come on…a candle light dinner along the canals of
Amsterdam, or a window that automatically rolls up?
Yup…I thought so:)
Spend Less, Thrift
More!
Here is where I think most of us female folk blow our money when we have
“extra”…SHOPPING!! I am guilty party numero uno! I love new clothes. However, I
learned a long time ago from my thrifty mother that travel will be remembered a
lot longer than expensive clothes! If you’ve been following my blog long enough
you’ve seen that I shop quite extensively at yard sales. {As evidence, you can
see my outfit post here}. Spending $10 on 6 items of clothing instead of $200
will just save you money! Another great resource is a new online company called
Swapdom. At Swapdom you make a profile, upload pictures of the clothes you want
to swap, and then find other users that want to swap clothes with you!
The Main Point:
The
bottom line is that Travel money is not going to just pop out of nowhere (if only, *sigh*). The best day to start
is TODAY! Talk to your bank about opening a travel account, or write down ways
you can start saving money in areas you find weaknesses with spending! We all
prioritize our money somewhere, so if you long to travel, start allocating some
amount towards your goal:)
To see Part 2, talking about Miles Credit Cards {they are AMAZING!!!} click here.
Happy Wednesday friends!!
Love Katie
Ps- tomorrow I start school! Pray for me!!!
