How to Afford Travel 2020
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How to Afford Travel in 2020 with these simple tips to follow!
Updated: April 30,2020
When friends and family see how often we’re on the move, one of the first things they ask is "how do you two afford go everywhere?"
It’s almost as if every answer we give them is never heard they assume we’re rich, and they choose to not hear any information we give them what so ever. It’s 2018 after all and if you’re not winning then you’re losing, when it comes to taking advantage of all the cheap travel opportunities that are in front of us. We are literally in the golden age of travel!
We’d like to share with you some tips that helped us start journeying around the world, and hopefully get you out of your seat a bit and learn how to afford travel!
WHERE DO YOU BEGIN?
Well...in all honesty, it begins with the mentality that you, yes YOU can travel! Once you break free from the mindset that it's impossible, you will see how fast it can and will happen. It’s the key component that’ll drive you and motivate you to get out of your comfort zone and broaden your horizons. We know it’s tough to let go of routine, but once you do the rewards are endless!
Pick Your Destination
Where to begin? Pick a location!…Then you’ll know how much money you’ll need to affordably travel
Where are you looking to go? First and foremost, figure out what you want to get out of traveling. Is your idea of travel a relaxing retreat with sand between your toes? Perhaps an island in the Caribbean is the place for you. Or, if you're the adventurous type, how does a trek through the Himalayas sound?
Once you have a solid goal in mind on where you want to go and the types of excursions you'll be taking, it becomes that much easier to begin budgeting your next big adventure.
Saving Up
The key to smart travel is learning how to save and knowing where to cut back
Now that you've got a goal in mind, you're going to want to consider the overall cost of your trip. Remember to consider this—a trip is not only made up of airfare. When creating your travel budget, you need to take into account accommodation costs, meals, transportation during the journey, vaccinations, visas, activities, etc.
Most of us don't have the luxury of thousands of dollars just sitting there waiting to be used on a plane ticket. In order to fund our first big trip to Southeast Asia, we really had to buckle down and start to think about where our money is going, and it was a huge test of will. You will always have those temptations to waste that $5 on a coffee, or spend $100+ on a fun weekend at the local bar with friends. But when you stop to think about it, those $150-$200 weekends can easily turn into $8-10k a year - and that alone is plenty for a global getaway!
If you're looking to travel on a budget, there are a surprising number of destinations that can fit the bill.
Do your homework
Researching and being patient is one of the biggest components in how to afford travel
Most people assume you have to be extremely wealthy to be able to afford travel. That is just not the case 9/10 times. You can afford to travel many places on a wide variety of price ranges. For example, Myanmar is an extremely affordable destination once you save up for your plane ticket, and you can easily live on a shoestring budget there. We managed to make it through Myanmar for less than $30 a day, and that’s including several coffees, beer, and accommodation. The internet is a giant playground of information just waiting to be played with, if you can’t find budget guides or how to’s for destinations then you’re not working hard enough.
Finding the right flights
If you're flying, you can begin by mapping out destinations within your budget by simply going to our “finding the right flights” article. That has a full in-depth breakdown of how to successfully look up and book your flights for the best price and best time.
Pro Tip: The good thing with google maps is that you can see all the destinations in the world for those given dates to find the best price. Even if you don't intend on leaving anytime soon, you can have a look at the cheapest times of the year to fly and where to go.
Pack Smart
Check the weather or climate of the country you are planning to visit during your trip dates to know what type of clothing to bring. Avoid choosing clothes made out of heavy material, and do not carry unnecessary items during your trip to lighten up your load. Make a list of everything you may need to pack for your trip, and try to narrow down the list to just your travel essentials. Pack everything in a lightweight travel backpack to avoid paying for check-in baggage fees.
Try Couchsurfing
Couchsurfing is a trustworthy and legit company within the travel community. What started years ago only as a site where backpackers and hosts could find each other and connect has now transformed into a full blown app that connects travelers of all sorts while traveling. You can meet for coffee, explore, go out for dinner…etc. When we talk about traveling cheap, traveling smart, or traveling free, this should be the first tool you use when trying to do so.
