How to afford travel is something many people think is out of their reach. Some people think that it costs tons of money to travel, but my hope for this blog is that you will see how easy it can be, even if you don’t make lots of money. I do simple things in my daily life that have become part of my lifestyle, which makes my travel affordable.
How You Can Afford Travel
Are you a coffee drinker? I love coffee and drink it daily. I almost never buy coffee outside of my house. Of course there are times when my need for caffeine means I have to buy it, but for the most part, I make my coffee at home with a coffee maker. So how much do I save?
Let’s say a cup of coffee is $5 and you do that 5 days a week. That’s $100 month and after a year that’s $1200.
For $1,200 you can have 2 round trip tickets to Africa if you get the right deal!
Okay, so you may be thinking, “But what about when I get there? A place to stay is so expensive!” Not really. There are plenty of options, you just have to do a bit of research (or hire me to do it for you!). Hostelworld, Couchsurfing, and apartment rentals are great alternatives to staying in hotels.
You know I’m an airbnb vixen but I get great deals on Hotwire and Agoda when I need a hotel. If you want to try Airbnb, use my discount code and get $40 off your first stay.
What Expenses Can You Do Without?
Do you need cable on every TV you have? I have 3 tv’s and had cable on one. The bill was $35 and I got tired of paying that. So now I don’t have cable at all. I use Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime, I don’t miss having tons of movie channels. Most people pay around $100 a month. That’s $1,200 a year!
Do you buy a new car when your old one has its 4th or 5th birthday? I had a 2001 Prius that was paid for. I had it until the car literally stopped working as I was driving down the street. I now have a 2011 Honda Crosstour with no car payment.
The average car payment is $554. Let’s say instead of getting a new car, you keep the car you have and continue to put that amount of money into a travel account. $554 for a year is $6,648. You can have a couple of vacations for that money.
Do you eat out often? I bring my food to work everyday in this sleek lunch bag. I also cook at home almost every day. If the average lunch is around $10 and you buy lunch everyday that’s $50 a week, $200 a month, $2,400 a year. So let’s add up all of the possible savings.
No coffee = $1,200
No cable = $1,200
No car payment= $6,648
Make lunch= $2,400
$11,448!
That’s it! Does that sound difficult? It really isn’t and once you get accustomed to doing these things it just becomes a way of life. Hopefully these tips have helped you and you can start saving!
Do you have any tips for saving money for travel?
This article added an overlooked perspective. The idea of a vacation becomes real when you break down the expenses. It gives a girl something to aim for!
The new design will attract many people, very fresh and harmonious.
I don’t want to give up my coffee. I’d rather whine about not being able to afford to travel. 😉 Just kidding. Who knows that affording travel was just a few simple tips away?!
Whine away! But seriously, just a few adjustments can make all the difference! Thanks so much for commenting 🙂
Couponing is my source of saving money and went on two cruises in 2015! I’m certainly thinking of cutting cable.
My cousin coupons and she is so good at it! I could never get into it.
I absolutely love your site. Do you have a YT channel? I have flown buddy pass several times, partly because so many of my family members works for Delta. I am also an extreme couponer which allows me to save lots. I am looking to step my game up with the travelling. As I have been as a standstill for a couple of years (Flying places that is). I come to your website while at work and needing an escape, lol 🙂 I love my day time job but would absolutely LOVE to work as a travel agent part-time (over night and on weekends)
Hi Roni! I was wondering if you had any thoughts on Layaway airfare programs? Have you ever head of them? Would you be willing to do a post on what you know or have found out about them?
Thanks!
I think another thing to avoid is mindless shopping for new clothes. I used to buy items every few weeks and would never even end up wearing them.
Some people ask me how I travel so much but they go shopping every single month!
Wow. I never thought this way. I need to cut down some of my luxuries
Thanks for sharing tips. Started saving from today for travel
Wow. I never thought this way. useful tips for savings.
Glad you found it helpful!