I know you’re are all wondering, how does a recent college graduate manage to save money for travel?
Well, honestly, I ask myself this same question. I wonder if it is really worth it to spend so much money on travel when I have bills and student loans to pay. I wonder how other people are affording to travel.
The main thing to consider is: how much do you want to travel? Just like anything, you must want it.
It is worth it to me. Travel makes me feel free and independent. I love learning about other cultures, eating new foods, and taking pictures. So I make room in my budget for travel and with these tips you can too!
Here’s some tips so you can start budgeting for travel.
How to Save Money:
- Budget your money. Cut spending wherever you can. One way to do this is to limit how many times you go out for food, drinks, and other activities. Find a fun recipe online and cook for yourself! Have friends over for a game or movie night. Brew your own coffee so you don’t have to stop at Starbucks. It seems like small amounts, but it can quickly add up.
- If you must eat out, find deals! Use Groupon to get deals or visit your favorite restaurants during happy hour.
- Use an app. I have been using Qapital, an app that lets you save money without thinking. It basically functions as a savings account through Wells Fargo. You connect it to one or more accounts and it will pull money out of these accounts based on rules you create. You can have it simply round-up to a dollar with every purchase or you can set it to save when you don’t spend money at a particular store. I think it’s a great concept because I don’t have to think about saving and I don’t let myself pull money out of that account.
- Cut down on the unnecessary things. If you have a closet full of clothes (like me), do you really need to buy more stuff? One thing I usually spend a ton of money on is Christmas shopping. Consider if you really need that stuff and maybe opt for doing secret santa, white elephant, or a group activity instead of getting a ton of presents.
How to Make Extra Money:
- Market Research. This is one of my favorite ways to make an extra buck. Market research companies set up discussions, tastings, or other group activities for other companies to research their clientele. They usually pay around 50 to 200 dollars for an hour or two of your time. Check out Ingather Research (Denver) and Fieldwork (several states), for market research studies you can participate in. Follow them on Facebook for updates! Also check out Respondent, focusgroup.com, and User Interviews.
- Get a part-time job. If you are really interested in saving money for travel, earn extra money working a part-time job. Set that money aside specifically for traveling.
- Get paid to do data entry or freelance work online. Check out these sites:
- Take online surveys or app surveys to earn small amounts of cash.
- Donate clothes to Plato’s Closet or other clothing stores.
- Donate plasma. If you aren’t squeamish, you can donate plasma for 20 to 50 dollars each time, depending on weight. Find a donation center near you with this site.
- Find a credit card that will get you cash back rewards, allowing you to save money as you spend! The Discover it card allows you to earn 1% cash back on everything and 5% on rotating categories as long as you activate them. The Chase Freedom card also gives 1% cash back on everything and 5% on different rotating categories. You can also get $150 after spending $500 in the first three months.
How to Travel Smartly:
- Get a travel rewards card. If you know you want to travel, this is a great investment. Depending on the card, you can get points for booking flights and hotels that you can redeem on more travel. I’ve been using the Bank of America Travel Rewards card for less than a year and I already got a free trip out of it by booking my flight to Belize through them. This card appealed to me because there is no annual fee, but if you are willing to pay a fee, there are also other great cards. Most travel cards also don’t charge international transaction fees, another thing that can help you save money during travel.
- Find cheap flights. There are so many sites out there to help you find discounted flights, there is no excuse. Scott’s Cheap Flights is an email subscription that sends you good deals on flights. You can pay to get the premium version or just use the free one like I do. I usually use Google Flights to search for flights because it gives you multiple airlines and makes comparing cities easy with the map function. When booking, use an incognito window. Compare with sites like momondo and Skyscanner to make sure you are getting the best price. Travel Pirates also has deals on flights, but you usually have to book a connection flight to major cities.
- Travel to cheap destinations. Looking for budget travel in Europe is a lot more difficult than South America. Choose international destinations where the dollar is stronger than their currency. There will be time for traveling luxuriously, but when you are young you can be a little more flexible.
- Stay in hostels. I have not yet taken up this piece of advice. I know many people successfully travel this way and love it. If you are looking to step it up a little, Airbnb is the new way to travel. Generally it is much cheaper than a hotel, especially if you can split the cost with one or more travel companions. However, I would always compare prices with hotels to ensure you are getting a good deal.
- Limit the number of cities you visit. Transportation can get really expensive. Opt to stay in one city for longer and you easily save money. When I went to Paris over spring break, we chose to stay in one city instead of forking up the extra cash. The great thing about this is that you can explore more of the city in a week than you could in a day or two. There is so much to do in a city like Paris, you won’t be bored.
- Travel by foot. Walking is free! If you are close enough to the main attractions to get around on foot, I recommend it. Other benefits? Walking off all the yummy calories you’ve consumed and being able to see parts of the city you would probably miss if you were on a train or car.
- Be flexible. Take advantage of deals. Don’t get your heart set on one place, at one time, in case a cheaper option presents itself.
- Travel in the off-season. I love the off-season! Fewer people, shorter lines, and better prices. Just watch out for bad weather and closures. Read about my experience traveling to Belize during the off-season.
How to stay for free
- Many people allow others to stay in their house for free and pet sit while they are away. Check out these sites to become a house-sitter:
- Another option is to do a work away, where you agree to volunteer for a certain number of hours in exchange for a free stay somewhere. Here are some websites to get you started:
These budgeting tips can help anyone save for the trip of their dreams. How do you save for travel?
Great ideas
Thanks!
Thanks for the tips! 🙂
Anytime, friend😊