An easy hike or eyelash extensions? A trip to Europe or a night on the town?
They are the trade-offs that must be made. As the Miami-based nanny started cutting back on daily expenses to put more money towards travel, Lourdes Camacho started weighing herself.
She remarked, “I realised I could have used that to travel to an other nation but instead I spent like $300 to $500 in one weekend in Miami.” I don’t have to do such things, you know.
The 31-year-old reduced her number of beauty appointments, began spending more time at home, prioritised travel and outdoor exploration, and took advantage of the freedom her employment provided. Her travel frequency varies, but in February she made five trips—including one with her company for their vacation—to San Francisco, Honolulu, and other places.
Every memory from each journey I’ve gone is in my possession.
According to a survey conducted in February of 1,000 U.S. adults by PayPal and Edelman Data & Intelligence, 73% of participants would change their everyday spending habits to increase their ability to travel.
According to survey responses, 42% of respondents said they would cook at home rather than go out to dine or order takeaway, and over 20% indicated they would forego social occasions like weddings or birthday parties in order to save money.
Also, nearly 20% of respondents stated that they were “ready to cut back on cosmetic treatments like haircuts, manicures, or waxes.”
Rob Jackson, a real estate agent in New York, has given up some things so he may travel more. The 36-year-old claimed to have visited more than 40 nations, travelling internationally on five to seven occasions year and locally every two months.
During the past ten years or so, it has undoubtedly grown to be a passion of mine, Jackson remarked.
As Jackson, 36, grew older, he claimed he gave experiences a higher priority than things. For example, he opts for a studio apartment over a larger residence and purchases less designer goods now than he did in his 20s.
‘I don’t have the fashionable clothes I bought when I was 22, but I have every memory from every trip I’ve done,’ I like to say,’ he added.
How do you budget for travel?
Dominique Broadway, publisher of Finances Demystified and a personal finance expert, advised prioritising your priorities when trying to save money.
I enjoy travelling, she declared. I’ll always make sure that everything in my life is in alignment to support that activity because it’s one of my favourite things to do.
If they won’t be there as frequently, for example, that might entail choosing to live in a smaller or cheaper home, Broadway said.
She added that if they are savvy, travellers can use their travel credit cards to collect rewards. For instance, a resident of Atlanta, where Delta Air Lines is headquartered, might want to apply for a card designed just for Delta.
Broadway added, “That’s going to allow you to be able to start travelling for free by doing something that you were going to do anyhow.” Paying your bills using those cards and paying them off at the end of the month or as soon as possible.
Broadway noted that consumers who reduce their expenditure would not see the benefits if they don’t save the money.
Basically, she added, “you’re going to spend that money on something else.” For instance, Broadway advised transferring the money to another account as if the person had continued to get their nails done every Friday so they could start to watch the money grow.
Your goals will determine whether you use that money to pay off credit card debt or whether you put it somewhere else, like a savings account.
Broadway said, “But you definitely don’t want to have it too close. “You don’t necessarily want to have it linked directly to your bank account because you’ll often just pull it back,”
She advised people to check in with themselves frequently, even every day, while they develop new spending habits, in order to hold themselves responsible. “Because you can rapidly see if it’s not functioning, and you can quickly make a change,” the person replied.
To get the most out of her investment, Camacho practises everyday savings and frugal vacation. She looks for cheap flights on Google Flights, stays in hostels or with people she’s met through Facebook groups for women travelling alone, and buys food from street sellers or grocery stores when she can.