Earlier this summer, my husband and I moved in to a house with 4 roommates and the two of us shared a single car. We gave up restaurant meals, TV, and even made do with holes in our sneakers that had literally been worn for hundreds (thousands?) of miles.
Then we realized we were crazy.
(On the bright side, we did go to Europe.)
Riding an alpine coaster in Churwalden, Switzerland
Let’s face it: travel is a very expensive hobby but it’s not one I plan on giving up. Over the past few years, I’ve lived a modest lifestyle in order to save up for a few weeks of travel. My peers paid for Starbucks, manicures, and retail therapy instead. Now I’ve traded in my corporate cubicle for self-employment and I have to think even harder about how to afford travel.
Luckily, there are definitely still ways to save money so you can travel without implementing drastic measures. After trying the extreme, we’ve transitioned back to a reasonable, moderate lifestyle. We build savings for the next trip, still pay our bills and save for retirement and other life goals, and keep a little extra to enjoy “life at home” by going out on dates or with friends every once in awhile.
Making Travel a Priority
Travel is a trade-off, just like everything else in life. If you want it, you’ll have to make conscious decisions to sacrifice purchases like new outfits, season tickets to your favorite sports team, or unnecessary home improvement projects. However, with the right mindset, these changes can be applied to every single person. Stop telling yourself you can’t afford to travel and start thinking that it’s possible if you try.
Yes, you can afford to travel — but you’ll have to give something up in order to do so.
How to Afford More Frequent Travel
1. Cut Your Habits In Half
Expensive oysters that I can only eat half as often as I want to.
Quitting something cold turkey is difficult and frustrating, making it easy to slip back into your old habits. On the other hand, cutting back gradually can lead to long-lasting changes while still letting you indulge a little.
Head to happy hour twice a month instead of every week, order a small latte instead of a large, or consider carpooling once a week. Cutting your habits in half is enough to lead to significant savings without feeling deprived in real life all the time.
Once you’re comfortable with the normal, consider whether or not it’s worth cutting things in half again — in my case, there were a few things I was willing to cut back on even more (and a few where I was happy with the balance of modest savings without further cutbacks).
2. Chase the Deal, Not the Destination
Central America can be an affordable place to travel all the time!
The best advice I ever received on saving money on airfare is to “chase the fare, not the destination” (thanks Seth!). Don’t plan a dream vacation to a particular destination; instead, get inspired on where to go by waiting until there’s an amazing sale. I went to China because I found airfare for $450 and I’m one of few people who have ventured to Phoenix in summer because the resorts were dirt cheap. These are ways to save BIG money instead of looking for $40-50 savings when you have set destinations and dates.
If you who can’t wait around for great sales and unknown destinations, focus on a vacation spot that’s cheap all the time. My 9-day trip to Nicaragua cost me $564 and I managed to find $2 hotels in Nepal. No, that’s not a typo!
3. Do It Yourself
Anytime you do something yourself instead of paying a service provider, you’re saving money on labor.
Start small: make your own lunch instead of ordering take-out or be like me and trade shoulder rubs with your spouse instead of paying for a massage. Paint your own walls instead of hiring someone in and learn how to change out your car’s lightbulbs. I promise, it’s all easy.
Clearly I won’t do everything myself, but think about when it’s absolutely necessary to hire professional help versus doing it yourself. Hint: YouTube is the world’s greatest instruction manual.
4. Ask for Discounts
It’s always worth checking for savings and hopefully you are already in the habit of googling coupon codes for online shopping or looking for hotel discounts. However, many discounts aren’t publicly advertised.
Call in and ask your cell phone provider if you qualify for a discount because you’re with a preferred employer, re-negotiate your internet bill, and see if you can get annual fees waived on a credit card. You’d be amazed at how much you can save simply by asking. No, it doesn’t always work, but it only takes a few minutes to ask.
5. Try Free Alternatives
El Morro National Monument: a FREE way to explore New Mexico
Sometimes you get what you pay for, but a lot of time free options are more than adequate. I stream Pandora instead of paying for iTunes downloads, borrow audiobooks from the library, and decorate my home with hand-me-downs from friends and family.
Some free alternatives haven’t worked out for me (I need a gym membership for motivation instead of running outside), but unless you try it, you’ll never know. Chances are, you’ll find a few alternatives. Hint: there are free alternatives while traveling as well.
6. Take Advantage of Loyalty Perks
I can’t afford luxury unless it’s free. (Intercontinental Amsterdam)
My first free travel was a hotel room in Philadelphia, courtesy of IHG Rewards. I was hooked, and then moved onto free train rides, domestic airfare, and eventually business class flights to Europe.
Being able to use rewards points for free travel can take a lot of time to master but it is incredibly lucrative. If you’re short on time to learn the ropes, even minor discounts like free lounge access at airports or free breakfast at hotels can stretch your travel dollar.
For me, travel is still a priority and one trip a year probably isn’t going to cut it, so I’ll be looking for money-saving tips and discounts right with you.
* * *
How do you afford to travel? Please share your secrets in the comments!
Brandy says
This is such a timely post for me, Becky! Up until now, I’ve saved money to travel by living way below my means – namely, having three roommates. At this point in my life, though, I’m over having roommates, and want to get my own apartment. Problem is, that’s going to take up a huge chunk of the money that I would normally spend on travel. So, I’ve got to come up with some other ways to save money so I can still afford to travel.
Becky says
@Brandy, Good luck with your savings! If I come up with more options, I’ll share them!
AndreaOnVacation says
I’m a big fan of $1 oyster happy hour specials now! I definitely save the spa treatments for out of country travel too! It usually ends up being a better service and much, much cheaper! Can’t wait for the New Mexico posts- I’m heading there in the spring.
Becky says
@AndreaOnVacation, Happy hour specials can be great! For New Mexico, start with these ones from last year:
https://sightdoing.net/roadtrip-albuquerque-el-morro-el-malpais/
https://sightdoing.net/journey-million-lightyears-away/
Scott @ VacationCounts says
Glad to read more great tips on how to find ways to save money to take more vacations. If travel is your passion, there are so many simple ways that many of us never think about to move money from regular expenses into the vacation budget column. Like getting rid of cable TV or lowering your auto insurance premiums by raising your deductible.
I agree that asking for discounts has to become a regular habit – one which budget travelers need to feel comfortable with. What’s the worst that can happen… they’ll say no?
On my blog I just published a post with 16 ways (I probably could have made it to 20 but my typing fingers got tired 😉 to save for travel which your reader should appreciate as well.
http://www.vacationcounts.com/16-ways-to-save-money-for-your-next-vacation/
Happy Traveling…
-Scott, VacationCounts – Take More Vacation Time Off
Becky says
@Scott, Thanks for sharing your tips! Every idea is one more opportunity to save for travel.
Sharon says
I wish I can save money by having roommates but I am married and have 3 school age kids, and we happened to live in one of the most expensive housing area in Silicon Valley! That being said, I have been taking my kids on two-week vacations each summer and each holiday the past few years. I keep cost low by booking early, often staying at two-bedroom timeshare units at nice resorts, utilizing hotel points and airline miles as much as I can. I wish we can travel more but we are limited by school and sports schedule.
Becky says
@Sharon, It sounds like you’re still using creative solutions! Hope you have great travels coming up 🙂
Shelby Vogl says
What a great article!!! For me, it always seems like it’s impossible to save money to travel but you gave some really good tips! My biggest weakness is shopping but hopefully once I can get that under wraps I can afford to travel to new places. Thanks for the article!
Becky says
@Shelby, I think the first tip to cut things by 50% is a good way to get things under wraps! Let me know if you have other tips 🙂
Crystal Le says
100% agree with chasing affordable airfare and then planning your trip around that. There’s also a fun element of surprise when doing so and admittedly makes for a MUCH better time than anxiety-ridden searches for cheap fares to your dream destination.
Becky says
@Crystal, Where have sale airfares taken you? My best unexpected find was Beijing 🙂
Kathleen says
Thank you so much for this post. I always say I don’t travel because I can’t afford it but you are right, I could afford it if I made some changes to how much I spend. I never really thought about that.
Becky says
@Kathleen, I think it’s possible (assuming that you prioritize travel more than those other items you’re spending on)
Jennifer says
Love it, love it, LOVE IT! I am addicted to travel, and I’m always down to save some green. Thanks!
Becky says
@Jennifer, I understand the addiction 🙂
Audrey McClelland says
Anyone who travels even a little bit should bookmark this. We travel quite a bit, and it can be expensive. Anything we can do to cut costs is always welcome.
Becky says
@Audrey, So true that it’s an expensive hobby! :-O
valmg @ Mom Knows It All says
I love to travel and wish I could do it more. Unfortunately our finances are simply not in a condition that permits it at this time.
Becky says
@valmg, Never a good idea to go into debt for a discretionary purchase, so smart planning on your part. Good luck saving!
diane says
These are great tips. I must admit, we focus completely on the destination and not the deal which costs us a fortune. We really should just start looking for cheap options and then go wherever it takes us!
Becky says
@Diane, I’ve done it both ways and there is definitely merit to knowing where you want to go…I just can’t do that every single time.