Tips for Saving Cash for Your Travels

Getting our money organised and in a large amount ready for our travels takes true dedication, commitment, and planning. It’s incredibly hard work, but I can assure you that it’s absolutely worth it.
Having been there myself and gone through the process of saving for a trip quite a number of times, here are some of my favourite tips that work for me.
GIVE UP THE COFFEE AND THE BOOZE – I understand that these might be two of the biggest things you live for in life, but man, do they cost money! Giving up these is the ultimate sacrifice. If you can do this, you can do anything! Let’s break it down; the average takeaway coffee is about $4. Having one of those delicious flat whites daily, will cost you over $110 a month. This works out to cost you around $1,300 a year, straight out of your pocket! If you can cut back, even if that means still having one a week, you’ll be saving some serious cash. The same goes for drinking alcohol, and having heavy weekends hitting up the clubs. Not having to pay for entry fees, or your friends round of drinks will definitely give you that bit of extra money.
START A DEDICATED TRAVEL FUND – Starting a new bank account dedicated solely to your travel money will be really helpful to you holding onto that hard earned cash. Be sure to give it some love and feed it weekly, or monthly. To make it easier on yourself, you can transfer the money straight from one account to the other. Online banking makes this super easy! But most importantly, be sure to make a promise to yourself not to touch it until the travelling begins!
LEARN TO COOK – The cost of constantly buying your food, whether it’s from a café on your lunch break or dining out with friends three nights a week, seriously adds up! It’s a smart move to learn to cook for yourself, and it will impress your family. So, head to Google and learn the basics! Prepare your own food and drink to take to work, and romantically dine with yourself in the evenings. Plus, these newly learned skills will come in handy when you’re travelling.
WORK, WORK, AND MORE WORK! – I’ll admit, this is a bit of an obvious one, but it’s still worth a mention. Unfortunately we can’t click our fingers and have our bank account magically bursting with cash! So the only way that can truly happen is through hard work. So increase the hours, if you’re willing to, you could even get an extra job, and be sure to work hard.
Some travellers like to take their saving practices to the next level, to the more extreme side of things. They might sell their car, end their Netflix or Foxtel subscription, cancel their gym membership, or maybe even move back in with their parents!
There are also a few simpler, less life changing ideas you can consider. This could include getting less haircuts, realising those manicures aren’t really that necessary, and ending those weekend shopping trips. Your bank account will most definitely thank you!
The money you save at home will allow you to do more amazing things when you travel!
Written by Katherine Reynolds
www.katthewanderer.com / facebook/katthewanderer / @katthewanderer