Some people live paycheck to paycheck. I live trip to trip.
The world says my name, and I love it. Places I’ve never been, exotic places with unpronounceable names. Water so clear that you can see the shadow of the ship, rippling on the sand at the bottom of the sea. An old walled castle, crumbling on a steep hill. Bustling cities that sparkle at night or wooded roads that lead off into nowhere… I love them all. I want to breathe the air, walk the roads, meet the people and eat the food.
Unfortunately, all of that requires money. And since I have a limited budget, I always have in mind to raise money for the next adventure.
Here are 3 steps that get me on the path. Use them to speed up your next trip abroad.
1. Make it real.
When your heart connects, your journey changes from being a “someday, somewhere” wave to being a real part of your real future. Suddenly this trip is urgent, urgent. It’s part of what you need to do, to be who you really are. And it is doable!
So make it happen. Create a Pinterest page, develop a favorites folder, save items of interest. Think about details. What time of year would you like to go? Rainy or dry season? Any festival you want to see? How much of the language can you learn before going? Cover a poster board with pictures of places that interest you, travel quotes that interest you. Work on an itinerary, investigate any hazards. Compare hotels, apartments and hostels. Put a local news site on your toolbar.
The dive starts now.
2. Be realistic with money.
You need a realistic financial goal, not one that will leave you stranded or scared.
Each trip has three basic money requirements: get there, stay there, and live there. “Getting there” is usually the biggest expense, but even if you fly, you can often get better deals if you focus. The Internet is full of good resources for cheap airfares. You can fly to a European hub city on an international airline, for example, and then take a low-cost airline to nearby countries. Play with it!
“Sleeping there” can be a huge expense, or it can be cheap, even free, depending on your choices. Willing to work for your room? Stay in hostels, or in an old convent with nuns? You can do it. You just have to do the research.
“Living there” is the cost of your daily living expenses, since you live somewhere else. Eating is part of living there, along with admissions, tips, and excursions. Drinking nights, buses and rental cars are part of life there. Explore local sources for travel within the country. They are often less expensive and more interesting simply because they are less “Americanized.” Live like a local in an apartment and cook some meals at home. Shopping for groceries can be an adventure in another culture!
3. Befriend your savings.
The money you save is not “money I can’t spend.” It is “the journey I am preparing to take.” Is for you. It belongs to me.
Give your trip a name: “Bali for New Years,” for example, or “Eastern Europe with Jack and Ellie.” Make a spreadsheet, or better yet, get a real ledger or notebook and put colored tabs on it. Keep track of your savings in your ledger. When you enter an amount, record it in one of your three basic categories: get there, sleep there, or live there. You might want to designate a bit for each area, each time you save, or finish one and start the next; that is my usual system.
The large amount that comes in first, directly from your paycheck, could be money for transportation. The money you make from overtime, or the money you make watching your neighbor’s kids on a Saturday, that could be a night in the overwater bungalow. When you stay home and eat cereal instead of going out with friends, and put the money in your account, that’s dinner on the beach.
To further encourage you, recognize how much you save as you go along. Basic airfare – consult. Between field breaks – check. Hotel in Singapore – consult. Hostel in Bali – consult. Romantic dinner on the beach – consult. You get the idea.
Naming things helps you remember what really matters. You may want a new car. You may want to go to Las Vegas with the wedding party. Or going out for dinner and drinks midweek, every week. And those are good things. But you probably can’t do them all and still take that fabulous trip.
You have to decide. Whether it’s between a dinner out tonight or a surf trip at some point, we’ll probably choose to go out tonight. But if it’s between dinner tonight and reaching my hotel goal tonight when I save $25 for the trip, chances are I’ll decide to stay home and eat cereal!
Planning your favorite things, learning about your new place, watching your resources grow—it’s an exciting part of the journey. And before you know it, you’ll be ready to adventure in a whole new place.