I created this post since a lot of my friends ask me how I save up for my travels. I am not rich in any way. Together with my husband, we are only making enough money for our little family. But aside from our needs and other stuff, (insurance, investmemts, etc., because guys, travel does not come first. Budget comes first.). we always set aside an amount of money for leisure and travels.
1. TRAVEL BUDDIES
Who are you going to travel with? You might now think of a friend or two at this moment but, are they not going to bail on you when the seat sale flashes? There are a lot of friends who will tell you that they will come with you but pass up when you get to the booking stage.
As for me, I always travel with my husband, my son and my mom. That is of course if my son doesn't have classes.
2. CHEAP FLIGHTS
I always book very early, say 10 months to a year before our flight especially if it's out of the country. You might say that that's too early but that's just right for me. It gives me more time to save for the upcoming trip.
3. DREAM DESTINATION
During a seat sale, you can't ensure that the country you like to visit is included every time. So choose at least three countries so that you have an alternative just in case and always make sure that your travel buddies know.
4. ITINERARY
Now that you have booked a flight. Check out the tourist spots that you want to visit. Check out the entrance fees, the restaurants around the place. Also check the season when you are going. All of these will help you to estimate the money that you will be saving.
5. SAVE UP
Now that you have a rough estimate of the total cost. (Don't forget shopping and pasalubong costs.)
It is now the time to save. Your budget estimate could be a big amount of money. But don't worry, here's how I do it. I count the number of weeks before our flight. Let's say my estimated budget is Php 50,000. I will divide Php 50,000 for the number of weeks. If I booked 8 months earlier, that will be 32 weeks before the flight. So Php 50,000 divided by 32 is Php, 1,562.50 per week, or we can round it up to Php1,600 per week so we'll have extra money.
Now I set a day where I set aside my Php 1,600 as travel fund . Then, I start to save and NEVER, EVER skip a week.
6. CLOTHING
If you're travelling to a different country, you want to prepare what to wear especially if it you need to bring winter clothes. Winter Clothes are expensive. I live in the Philippines so I don't get to use them very often. I can only use them when I travel to a cold country.
I buy ahead. I prepare my clothes before the flight. since I already started saving, I can now start to buy clothes. Buy clothes that you only need but also buy nice and comfortable ones. You will be taking a lot of pictures so also consider how it looks but of course, comfort comes first.
For shoes, I always go for trainers or sneakers wherever I'm going. I also bring my boots with me sometimes and a pair of nice pumps just in case a fancy dinner date is included in our itinerary.
7. ENJOY
You have successfully saved up and got everything ready for your trip. Your flight has finally come. YAY!!!
But no matter how you plan, there will always be things that will get out of hand. Learn to enjoy and go with the flow.
Xoxo,
Yinyin
