So, you’ve booked the one-way ticket in search of the trip of a lifetime, and your only goal to save up and travel as far as possible.
Picture yourself watching the sun go down in Santorini, or dancing the night away with new life-long friends in Budapest. The dream is all too real, except for one small problem. You’re fresh out of money, and your parents will not help you out with this one.
We all deep down know what we really need to do. FYI – it’s not buying lottery tickets or deciding now is the time to write a best selling book. Read on for some seriously useful tips on how to save for your next epic adventure.
1. Give up the luxuries.
Unfortunately, forking out for a cup of coffee daily adds up very quickly. If you calculate how much you spend on coffee monthly, you could probably afford a one-way Ryanair plane ticket. It might be time to give up your expensive coffee habit for the time being. Save those pennies for coffee and tiramisu in Italy, or a Vietnamese coffee if you’re hitting up Asia. It’s all about cutting out the luxuries. Sorry, but true.
Other luxuries include, wait for – shopping. Do you really need that dress or those sneakers? You can easily spend the price of a good day trip or several meals whilst travelling on stuff you just don’t need. Plus, remember you can always buy clothes or shoes in exotic cities you visit, that I can guarantee, no one else you know will have the same of.
One final luxury you should look into giving up is the car. Yep, we went there. It’s time to start taking public transport, cycling or walking. You’ll save money on petrol, car maintenance and overpriced parking fees.
2. Shop smarter.
This might be sad to hear, but buying gourmet food at the supermarket is literally emptying your pockets necessarily. Do you really need to buy that jar of juice or those super-fancy raw protein bars?
There are always alternatives and that includes supermarkets. Look through the junk mail and search for the shops that have the best specials. Circle what you want and take it with you and stick to the catalogue people. Seriously.
Also: avoid buying food on your lunch break and just make it at home instead. Of course, it’s tempting to grab a sandwich on the go but forking out cash daily for your lunch adds up.
3. Get house-savvy.
This one you might not like, but it will save you a small fortune before travelling. If you have the option, and if you can handle it, move back home with your parents.
Think: you probably won’t have to pay for bills and if you ask them nicely, your parents will charge you below the usual rent for your old room. You could save a ton of cash a month and you may even get a rest from doing your own washing.
Otherwise, if you’re renting alone or believe you’re paying too much, look for other alternatives. Get a roommate if you have room, sharing the costs will reduce money spent on bills and can also lower your rent.
Speaking of bills, keep an eye out for ways to save money on them darn things. Turn off the lights, take shorter showers and hang out your washing instead of using the dryer. Energy bills are the real money killer.
4. Finally, be brave, honest and compromise with your friends.
Sometimes, your friends might not understand why you can’t go out for dinner, or go out on the town as often as you might like to. Be brave, stand up for yourself and explain to them how important this journey it is to you.
Make a note to compromise, host a dinner for them at home instead, even just suggesting to all chip in for a pizza night will save you money. Sometimes you might feel a touch of #FOMO, but remember partying in Barcelona will be wayyy better than partying at your local nightclub.
It is important to remember that even though on your journey through the world you will make new friends, your friends at home will be there when you return.
Using these little initiatives will pay off in the long term, and please, don’t spend whatever saved money you have on lottery tickets! You’re off on an unforgettable trip, you can’t get much luckier and richer than doing that.
Ready for that unforgettable trip? Start planning your next adventure with Topdeck here.
