There is nothing better than achieving your travel goals, especially when you can stick to a budget. Many times, individuals who are planning a trip think of it as a task that is going to destroy their savings-- paying off debt for months after your travels, or having a lack of cash to use for day-to-day life as a result. In reality, creating a travel plan with a budget in mind isn’t as bad at is seems, and will save you a lot of worry and stress about the financial aspect of your trip. Here are some tips for implementing your dream travel plan, while keeping money in thought.
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1. Set Achievable Goals
Before you move forward with building an itinerary, booking flights and packing your bag, it is essential to write down your travel goals. This list can include specific locations you want to explore, how long you want your excursion to be or the amount of money you would like to spend. Without realistic goals, most likely, your travel plans won’t follow through and certain aspects of your trip sadly won’t actually happen. Always develop goals that are achievable in order to avoid disappointing moments during what is supposed to be a really exciting time of your life.
2. Outline a Budget
After you’ve established your goals, it is now time to focus on your budget. What are the details you can save money on? How much is your trip going to cost in total? Whether you are traveling solo or with a group of friends or family members, allocate a specific portion of your budget towards housing, food, activities, transportation and additional, inessential purchases. When you have a general idea of your budget, you’ll know you’re setting limits and determining what you can afford.
3. Make Saving a Priority
Months before you set off on your expedition, look into a variety of ways you can save some cash. Analyze your spending patterns to figure out what you can cut down on. Are there certain memberships you can cancel? Is there a student loan you can refinance? Can you purchase that vanilla latte once a week instead of everyday? Make saving a major priority when investing in a trip. As a result, you’ll have more cash to spend without totally breaking the bank.
4. Create a Travel Plan
After dictating your goals, implementing your budget plan and looking into cutting down costs, it is now time to outline your itinerary. When you have a specific location in mind, look into restaurants, housing and events that aren’t extremely costly. The more you research, the most likely you’ll find some cheap finds that are worth every cent spent.
5. Consider Cheap Transportation Options
Transportation is a huge part of traveling. If you’re planning on going to a location that requires the purchase of a flight, bus pass or a train ticket, it is going to cost money to get from point A to point B. Instead of looking into the best transportation options, filter your search to show the cheapest tickets and pick the one that works best with your schedule. For flights, there are certain days and seasons when particular airlines have discounts. The biggest mistake you could make is to skip over comparing airfare on more than one resource and just booking something because it is your favorite airline. You may miss out on a great discount opportunity and pay more than you originally planned to.
6. Pack Less
While you’re packing your belongings, always consider doing so on the lighter side. Not only will this give you more room to fit other things you may find during your travels, but it will ensure you aren’t paying an extra fee for a bag that exceeds the weight limit. If you plan on bringing a carry-on, only pack the essentials. If you know you won’t use it during your travels, don’t bring it with you.
Here are Under30Experiences, we offer trips to fit your budget! We handle all the logistics and planning to help take the stress out of travel and help you achieve your bucket list goals. Learn more about what we handle and start planning your next international trip!
