By Emily Meyer

Traveller’s Tales – The Budget Traveller Part I

Aug 13, 2019 | 4:57 AM

The Budget Traveller – Before you go

It never fails. If I’m going on a trip that’s longer or more exotic than the week-long all inclusive, I’m going to get asked how I afford it. In the past five years, I’ve been to 19 countries on my own dime and today I’ll share with you the secret to affording travel. Before you continue, I will warn you that you probably won’t like what I have to say.

I’ve spoken with quite a few people recently about the void we fill with materialistic things while we are waiting to get where we want to go. Sometimes we don’t even realize we are doing it and the next thing you know, we’ve dropped hundreds of dollars on end of season clothing sales, or we’ve redecorated our bedrooms for the 3^rd time this year. Our boredom gets the better of us and all of a sudden any savings we had for a trip is gone.

We all have our priorities. If you don’t want to travel and instead you are happy spending your paycheck getting your nails and hair done, updating your wardrobe often, buying the newest appliance and renovating your kitchen, that is fine. I’m not saying the life of travel is for everyone, or that there is anything wrong with sporadic vacations down south. However, I can’t live like that. My sole motivation in life is travel. I want to go everywhere and see everything which means I have to be careful about letting that “in-between” boredom get to me.

Here are my suggestions for saving towards your goal adventure!

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Start a budget book: When I moved to Medicine Hat I decided to start keeping track of where my money was going. I set a monthly budget and allotted a certain amount to car expenses, groceries, utilities – all the not-so-fun adult responsibilities. I also put aside a small part of the budget for shopping and eating out, or “fun”. Watching where my money was going, and reflecting back at the end of each month helped me take more responsibility for my spending. All of a sudden, I was seeing just how much the, “two dollars on a coffee here and there,” really added up to.

Say no: Your friend wants you to come to the bar with them. You know if you go, you’ll want a drink. At $6 a beer, your entire “fun” budget for the month will be blown in an hour. So, just say no. You don’t want to cook dinner tonight and your friend asks if you want to eat out. Say no. This is a hard one to follow and I can hear the voices of the skeptics in the back of my head, “Well, I can’t live my life being that strict. What’s the point if I can’t enjoy myself?” Again, I’m not forcing this budget on you, but I am saying that I didn’t afford my travels because I slacked off of my rules. You have that monthly budget and if a night out pushes you over, you may want to think about saying no.

No excuses: One of the hardest parts about saving is not making excuses for yourself. Just because you stayed under your shopping budget last month doesn’t mean you should double it this month. Just because you got a bigger tip or worked some overtime doesn’t mean you can put that money towards getting your eyelashes done. Don’t say the words, “it’s okay because…” as this has a huge impact on that end goal.

Put money away every paycheck: You may think you need every dime of your paycheck to afford your life but chances are there are areas you can cut back if you are really motivated. Take a portion, even $100, and put it into a special “travel account” that you won’t be tempted to touch. Forget about the account for a few months and return to see that you now have the airfare to Thailand saved up.

Budgeting is hard work. It means missing out on some experiences now, to live your best life in a few months’ time. It isn’t for everyone, either. If reading this made your skin crawl, then travel may not be at the top of your priority list, and that’s okay. However, if you’re tired of seeing your friend’s travel photos and hearing their stories, wishing it could be you, take a second thought next time you take the credit card out to “treat” yourself.