I am constantly asked by friends and strangers alike, “How do you travel?” The biggest concern is usually money in their eyes. So I decided to make an entire blog post about how I travel. Eventually, I will break each one of these topics into a more in-depth blog post, but for now, I will cover my bases.
The Money
I’ll dive right in here as this is the most popular concern about traveling. How do you afford your travels? If I had a dollar for every time I have been asked this, I could buy a full price plane ticket every three months.
The myth – the myth about traveling is it’s very expensive, but a life of backpacking can be cheaper than you’d expect. As I stated, I will create a separate blog post that dwells into each section and explains it further.
Saving
Saving can be difficult, but there are tools to help you along the way. The one that helped me the most was Mint. I started budgeting my money accordingly and could see where a lot of my money was going to that it didn’t For me this was entertainment such as music shows, restaurants, and parties. I started cutting these out and cooking all my meals. Believe it or not, you can cook cheaply and still live a healthy lifestyle.
I will admit there will be some sacrifices here. This means living in a cheaper share house with multiple roommates or buying a lot of your things second hand. You can live life pretty cheaply without sacrificing happiness. You don’t always need brand new clothes, furniture, vehicles, etc. Start making your budget and saving your money. It’s a lot easier than you think.
Travel Expenses
Any travel extraordinaire can tell you, most of your money will go here, but that doesn’t mean it’s very expensive. There are a ton of ways to get around cheaply. Look into travel credit cards and which best fit your needs. This topic is worth of five different blog posts alone and there are a ton of resources and books that can teach you how to do so. I suggest starting your search here. Also, sign up for every reward program you can, even if you think you’ll never fly with that airline again. You would be surprised.
Once you’re on the continent, you don’t always need to fly. Do some research on the bus or train system as this will save you a lot of money. Buses are usually the cheapest way of traveling but also the most inconvenient. Look up rideshares on a website such as Couchsurfing. You may find someone going the same way as you and willing to take you along for the ride.
Keep a lookout for travel deals. I follow websites such as Holiday Pirates or Scotts Cheap Flights for flight deals.
Accomodation
Couchsurfing and hostels are my two biggest here. Hostels are a really great way to find cheap accommodation and meet people from every inch of the globe. You can also Airbnb pretty cheaply too, as you will find a lot of share housing that is the same price as hostels. This option is nice, but I don’t enjoy it as much as hostels. Airbnb for me is when I need alone or quiet time.
Also, making a post on my social networks have led to quite a few generous acquaintances housing me. Once you start a life of travel, you will meet friends along the way from every part of the world. Stay in touch and go visit them!
The Gear
Deciding what to travel with can be pretty difficult. As any nomad will tell you, travel light and don’t bring anything you will miss. I can not express the overpacking part. Remember, you can pretty much buy anything on the road. Just bring the essentials. You can find here what I count as the essentials and pack on my trip. The more you travel, the more you will realize what you don’t really need to bring with you everywhere you go.
Pro tip: buy a small bag – this way you won’t be able to overpack. I have traveled several countries with carryon luggage only.
Overcoming Fear
The hardest part traveling isn’t the money, it’s the fear of going. Once you overcome the fear of going out on your own, you will never look back. There is nothing like it.
Get Inspired
Inspiration will override the fear. I find myself looking up hashtags such as #instatravel or #travelgram on Instagram. I have a couple travel blogs bookmarked and I’ll start reading their recent travel blog posts. Don’t be afraid to reach out to people and ask questions.
Solo travel is life changing
Many people don’t want to travel because they don’t have anyone to go with them. The story of my life friends. I will admit, starting out can be a bit scary. Just turn on the news and it will care you to never leave your house. Honestly, traveling solo has been one of the most positive impacts on my life. I have learned things about myself that I would never learn unless I traveled solo.