Le Pont d'Avignon
Here's a few ideas to help you save money for travel.
1) In your day to day life, take public transportation instead of owning and operating a car. Can you carpool? Do you need two cars in your family? Bike? Walk? Get some exercise. Reduce your daily transportation expenditures and save this money for travel instead.
2) Keep housing costs down and your housing modest. A big mortgage can occupy your income for years. You don't really need a big fancy house or apartment. If you want travel to be a major theme in your life, don't be grounded by high housing costs.
3) Save, don't spend. Don't spend any more money on things. Just don't! Make do with older stuff. Wear things out. Borrow things. Forget fashion. Eat more beans and less steak. Use the public library. Buy second-hand or wait for super sales. Fix things. Buy good used stuff for kids, there is lots of it around. Get them off the consumer treadmill. Spend time with them, not tons of money on them. Think before that cash leaves your hands!
4) Review your regular expenses and reduce them. What are you spending your money on? Designer coffee? Eating out? Check your phone costs, TV, computer, etc. How much are you really spending on this stuff? Are these luxuries you can do without? Give yourself a weekly cash budget.
4) Review your regular expenses and reduce them. What are you spending your money on? Designer coffee? Eating out? Check your phone costs, TV, computer, etc. How much are you really spending on this stuff? Are these luxuries you can do without? Give yourself a weekly cash budget.
5) Create a fund or account for travel and regularly contribute to it. Put money aside every payday and adjust your day to day spending accordingly. Some sort of automatic deduction into a special account is ideal, because you don't have to do anything to save, and you don't have this money readily available to spend. Save up the money for your next trip - don't borrow it, and you will enjoy the travel even more!
No matter how far off, always have a future trip in mind to plan and read about. This will keep you going.
No matter how far off, always have a future trip in mind to plan and read about. This will keep you going.