HOW TO AFFORD A LIFE OF TRAVEL
No, we don't have a money tree. No, our families aren't wealthy. No, we don't live off our parents. We have both funded every single trip we have been on since we were bitten by the travel bug back in 2009. How do we do it? It's all about planning, prioritising and compromising.
Planning Your Trip
What is your travel goal? You need to set a travel goal .. and stick with it! Map out where you want to travel, how long you want to travel for and the type of experiences you are wanting to gain. Once you can answer these questions you will have something to work towards and a goal you want to achieve - rather than having a general desire to simply "travel somewhere". For instance, your goal may be to backpack through Asia for two month on a $2,000 per month budget, or to live in Canada for several months. If you have a travel goal planned and organised, it will be easier for you to know what you need to do to do it!
How are you going to fund your travels? Unless you have a stash of money you have saved prior to deciding to travel, you're going to have to save some mullah to pay for your travels. If you want some easy tips and tricks to help you save money check out our more detailed post here. Remember, even if you put away $150 every month, that's $1,800 towards you next trip!
What about those pesky bills? If you have car insurance call the company and let them know you won't be driving your car and they will freeze your account. Same goes with your mobile service provider, gym memberships and your monthly internet bills. Of course, those with student, house or car loans - ensure you have enough in your bank account to pay them whilst you're away.
HOW TO AFFORD A LIFE OF TRAVEL
It's All About Comprise
We are suckers for luxury and convenience, but cutting out as many of these things as possible will make your savings account very happy with you. Do you really need to eat out every night when you could be at home practising your cooking skills? Cut out that cable tv bill, use public transport (or even better, ride your bike), cancel that gym membership and go for runs instead, do you really need that new top? There are so many small things you can do to get that savings up!
Accommodation Can Be A Money Muncher
These days we find that it is super easy to find affordable accommodation during our travels. Why not try out staying at a hostel? After doing a bit of googling you are bound to find fun and safe accommodation for $15-$20 a night! Want something even cheaper, why not try Couchsurfing - it's free? Simply create an online profile and request a couch. Couchsurfing also offers you the chance to have a local experience with your host.
What's our favourite source for cheap accommodation? AirBnB! Here you can book accommodation from hosts who put up there own home for "rent". You can either rent out a room or an entire apartment or condo for such a cheap price. We have planned our next 6 months of travel using AirBnB and saved hundreds of dollars!!
If you would like to sign up to AirBnB you can use this link here so you can receive a $30 AirBnB travel credit.
Are there any tips you can give us??
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Disclaimer: If you do sign up for the $30 AirBnB travel credit, we do receive compensation which helps keep Flying the Nest on the road longer.