How To Afford Travel

Do you dream of travel but believe you do not have enough money to even take a vacation across town? Stop being frustrated and start learning how to afford travel to anywhere in the world your little heart desires.

Stop Believing Travel Is Expensive

“But it is so expensive” is usually the first excuse I hear when discussing travel and vacations with anyone. Most people say this before doing any real research into what a given trip would cost. If you are dreaming of spending two weeks in Paris then take some time to research flights, hotels, food, and attractions, and discover exactly what it would cost.

Don’t let any number you come up with scare you! Don’t say to yourself, “It is too expensive, I can’t afford it.”

Change Your Mindset – Change Your Life

Instead say to yourself, “So that is how much two weeks in Paris costs. How can I afford it?”

This is true of anything in life you really want to have that costs money. Switch it around in your head so that you begin to think about how you can earn enough, save enough, or do whatever it takes to afford your goal. It might take a month, a year, or even five years but when you begin to think like this you’ll discover that anyplace you want to travel to is within reach.

Save For Your Dream Vacation Later

Chances are you feel stretched pretty thin when it comes to your income today. You probably make just enough money to cover all your expenses leaving little room for savings or a vacation budget. This is what is known as Parkinson’s Law.

Parkinson’s Law states the demand of a resource (your bills) tends to expand to match the supply of the resource (your paycheck).

With this in mind begin saving for your vacation the next time you get a raise or find more income. This way you can maintain your current standard of living and eventually make those travels a reality.

So if you get a $100 a month a raise don’t change how you are living too much and put most or all of that money from your raise directly into a savings account designated for travel.

Seek New Income Streams

Instead of waiting for a raise try to find new ways to make money on the side, no matter how small they may seem. These days thanks to the internet there are plenty of ways to earn a little side money to put directly into that vacation savings without taking too much time from your life.

Take “retail arbitrage” for example. A fancy term for buying products on sale or clearance at your local store and then selling them on Amazon for a premium price. It is how Joyce and I completely paid for a recent two-week vacation.

There is a lot to learn about it and a ton of resources but this NPR story really sums up retail arbitrage well. For me, it has been the easiest and fastest way to make money on the side.

Also, consider driving for Uber if you have the time and the vehicle (be sure to consult with your auto insurance agent first). Or renting out a spare room on Airbnb, selling crafts on Etsy, hosting a garage sale, or sell thrift store finds on eBay.

Basically there are a ton of ways to make a little extra cash that you’ll only have to spend a few hours a week on. They can take time to learn but if you stay focused on the goal of your dream vacation I know you can find something that will work.

Back to my first point… the most important thing to do is to know how much your trip is going to cost. Don’t just end the discussion with “travel is expensive.” If you really want to travel and vacation in that dream destination you can figure out a way. I honestly believe you can travel anywhere in the world within the next year. You just have to stop dreaming and decide that is what you are going to do.

It is worth learning how to afford travel because the best things in life are not things!