Saving for travel? Top ways to save money for your next trip

Have you been scrolling on Instagram, wondering how all those travel bloggers and influencers manage to afford their lifestyle? Here’s a secret: Travel is cheaper than you think. And the below tips will help you save for that incredible trip faster than you had ever thought possible.

Here are some top ways to save money for your next trip:

Know your outgoings

It can be easy to assume that you simply have too many bills to pay to be able to save for travel. But you may be surprised at just where your money is going. The best thing you can do is take a week and make a list of absolutely everything you spend during that week. You’ll be surprised at how quickly those Starbucks lattes and happy hour drinks add up.

Once you’ve made a list, take a look at the bills you’re paying. Do you need both a Hulu and Netflix account? Or could you easily do away with one of them? Are you using your food subscription account? Or maybe you’re eating out three times a week cause you’re simply not prepared? When you start taking a good, hard look at the way you’re spending, you can begin to see where you can cut back- and that money can be spent in Bangkok, Budapest, or Barcelona.

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Stay home

It may sound obvious, but the more time you spend at home, the less money you’ll generally spend. That’s because it’s easy to try to keep up with friends and family members when you go out for a few drinks or eat at a nice restaurant.

Instead of going out to eat, invite some friends around for a potluck dinner. Instead of hitting the bar for a few drinks, make it a cocktail night at your house. See the theme here? Not only will you still be able to play your favourite games, have fun, and socialise, but you’ll also be saving money so you can get overseas sooner.

Set a goal

It’s no use just saying you’d like to “travel one day.” No one is going to get motivated with that. Now’s the time to get super specific about exactly what you’d like to do. Decide where you’d like to go. Maybe you’ve always wanted to see Rome, or you want to backpack around Southeast Asia. Start doing research and get excited. Write down all the things you want to see and do. This will help you stay motivated so you can save as much as possible.