HOW ARE YOU AFFORDING THIS?

HOW AM I AFFORDING THIS?

...I’m sorry, did I forget to tell you I was a millionaire ??

No. Wrong. Not even close.

...Mom and Dad are funding this trip for me!!

Yeah right! Wrong!

You do not need to be rich to travel. Travel does not have to be expensive. I cannot repeat that enough.. travel DOES NOT have to be expensive.

SAVE YOUR MONEY

Now I have heard extreme stories. The ones where a certain species of humans leave for extended travel with nothing more than a few hundred dollars in their pocket and make it work. #incredible

That is not me.

Me, I saved. I have always been a saver, although I cannot take much credit for this.. at a very early age my father drilled the importance of a dollar and saving your money in my brain. I would come home from a baby sitting gig at the age of 12 and my father would stick out his hand for half of my earnings!! As you can image I hated this as a kid, but now i’d like to give a shout out to dad, thanks dad!  

Last year I started really hoarding all of my money thinking I would buy a condo in Chicago so that really helped. (goodbye condo)

I stopped eating out, I said no to concerts, movies, girls trips. I spent Friday and Saturday nights at home on my couch instead of racking up ridiculous bar tabs. I did not get my nails done, I bought no new clothes and stopped buying starbucks. It all adds up. Saving SUCKED at times, but I had my eye on the prize and in the end it's all been worth it.

Through saving I have managed to come up with enough to travel for the foreseeable future as well as 'come back' money. I worked hard. I got it done.

If you are thinking about taking an extended travel trip, start saving, and start now!

BUDGETING

Okay so I have money from working hard and saving.. “But still.. how are you affording this??”

This takes me back to my first point, travel does not have to be expensive!! I am not going to be staying in resorts, fancy 5 star hotels, lavish ships etc. If you know me, you know that's not my style. If it's your style… yes it is probably going to cost you thousands and thousands of dollars to travel.

I anticipate averaging about $40-$50 USD a day. Thats $1200-$1500 a month. AKA wayyy less than my cost of living now in Chicago, that would barely cover rent. We are very lucky, the US dollar goes a long way in various parts of the world. This combined with hostels, buses, eating local, bargaining and being smart about money on the road is going to get me through. Does this mean I am going to say no to a $100 dive trip in Belize, or a 5 day excursion to see the Bolivian salt fields... hell no!! But the $10 days where I am laying in a hammock editing my photos, reading, writing and eating from the local fruit stand will balance that out.

“Okay yeah but like flights are still going to be expensive!!”

-I have a ton of airline points due to credit card rewards and traveling for my past job (Thanks Workiva!).

-Most of my Central and South American travel will be over land. (I am not afraid of a 12 hours bus ride.. I’ve done a 30 hour before)

-Budget airlines all over the globe are cheap, especially when you purchase there.

-There are so many websites and apps now to alert of a great deal

-I can hop on any flight at anytime, I am not confined to normal day to day life restrictions or timelines etc to hinder this. There are last minute deals, I can fly at 2am on a Monday, I can travel to places in off seasons etc. It's all about knowing how to utilize travel resources.

Will my transcontinental flights be larger sums of money, yes probably! But not as much as I would probably pay when I have to go at certain times. Plus, I've saved remember, it's all in the budget!

Finding ways to NOT spend money

Maybe I get involved volunteering  or working the reception desk at a hostel for a month in Guatemala and in exchange they provide a place for me to stay with two meals a day. I can couch surf, house sit, do work aways. So many possibilities.

My biggest cost saver….

50 cent beers =)

Now a night out will only cost me like 7 bucks.

Jk I don’t drink that many beers in one night

(My mother is reading this)

Traveling is not necessarily a luxury, nor is the experience always luxurious. Many people equate the concept of traveling to a two-week holiday in Cancun or Italy etc. When we travel for months at a time, we don’t live in all-inclusive resorts or $200 hotels. We’re cutting costs, living in shared accommodations, traveling by public bus, keeping track of expenses and maintaining a daily budget.

No on ever said this was going to be easy. It’s not always glamorous, but that's part of the charm, plus, it means that we get to see the world.

Feel free to send me a message in the below contact box! What was your favorite part of this post? I would love to hear from you!