At some point in their lives a lot of people get the undeniable urge to buy a one-way ticket, pack up their belongings and seek out the trip of a lifetime. When this is their plan, they normally have two goals: travel as far as they possibly can, for as long as they possibly can. Unfortunately a heavy dose of wanderlust and an Instagram account set up specifically for your travel diary is simply not enough to take you on your wildest adventure. Before any of that, you need one thing: money. Money is the biggest obstacle that people wanting to travel for a prolonged amount of time face, and some people even let it stop them – but they shouldn’t. If travelling is what you really, really want then there are ways of making up the cash in order to fund your trip.
Give Up Any Extras
That’s not to say that you shouldn’t socialise, or club together with friends and family to throw a leaving party before you go, but just be mindful about what extras it is that you’re buying.
A prime example of wasting money on unnecessary extras, is people buying their lunch at work. A lot of people say they don’t have time on a morning to make themselves lunch for the day, and therefore they have to go out and buy lunch on their break. A lot of people use supermarket meal deals as an excuse for this “because they’re cheap”. Well, they might be cheap for a one off, but if you’re spending around £3.50 per day, five days a week, all the working year-round, that £3.50 can multiply very, very quickly. It’s not a big lifestyle change, it simply requires a little bit more preparation. It’s as easy as planning for your lunch meals when doing your weekly shop, then either getting up ten minutes early to prepare your lunch on a morning, or doing it on an evening then popping it in the fridge to keep it fresh. The same applies for coffee, a large flask will see you throughout the day and will be a lot more cost-efficient than buying several takeaway coffees through the day. You’ll be surprised at how much money you can save by making these small changes, and if you put it into your travel fund, you’ll be halfway there in no time.
Consider Your Living Arrangements
This is a big one, but have you ever considered how much you could save if you didn’t pay rent/have a mortgage? For a lot of younger people wanting to travel, if they don’t live in their childhood home, moving back in with parents could be an option. But what if the lease isn’t up on your rent yet, or more complex still, you have a mortgage?
Luckily for those renting, it’s not so difficult to change the name on the rental, providing you can find someone else to move in in a short space of time. However, if you own the property this can be a little more difficult. The selling process can be expensive in itself and take a long time to complete, but luckily there are other options readily available to us now. You could consider going with a quick sale company if you need cash for your house. This will not only solve the housing issue, but also will make your travelling fund a lot healthier. If you are really serious about travelling for a prolonged period of time but don’t know what to do with your home, this could be the right solution for you.
When You Shop, Do it Cleverly
Finally, because you need to eat to survive, there is no way that you can avoid doing a weekly food shop – regardless of where you’re living. However, there are clever ways that you can save money while you’re doing it.
One of the best places to start is by planning meals in advice, and making a shopping list in order to cater those meals. This way you’ll not find yourself buying unnecessary items that you’ll probably end up throwing away in the long run. Also do your research, and find out which supermarkets really do give you more for your money. Although a lot of people turn their noses up at budget supermarkets and go for the big names, nine times out of ten they’re the ones missing out because the smaller names often have the bigger deals. Nobody is saying ration yourself, but remember what’s important. You’re saving for that trip of a lifetime, and if you do it right, it could be just around the corner.
