I’m so tired of people telling me traveling must be nice but it’s wayyyyy to expensive in their budget to even try! Traveling doesn’t have to be expansive unless you make it.
1.Lower your expectations for traveling!
Most people that want to travel to beautiful luxury places they see on Instagram but can’t afford It. They want to go to Dubai and stay in a 5-star hotel with a personal driver! Well, first things first is to lower your expectations for traveling! STOP looking on Instagram and making an expectation goal on how you need to travel. Not everyone can afford a hotel and flight for a week that will cost you 10K and that's just reality. If you can't you can't. Don't feel like you have to keep up with social media to enjoy traveling. Most people that watch your social media probably don't even own a passport and wish they could be where you're at!
If you want to go on a luxury trip in your budget try and visit places like Southeast Asia, where Thailand and Bail are located. In such countries, you'll be able to live like a King or Queen but won't break your bank! Even if you don't choose to travel to an affordable destination, try staying in a hotel in your budget and you'll still be able to see the same views! After all, you don't leave the country to experience the stay of the hotel. For most people its the experience of the country itself you'll get to explore, not the bed you sleep in!
2. Don’t be picky about your destination!
There are 195 countries and over 100 cities to choose from to make your travel destination. Choosing a specific destination can cost you depending on the time you want to go or it's just maybe an overall extremely expensive destination to travel to. This doesn't mean you can't vacation because it may be out your budget but it just might mean you need to change your destination to what you can afford. There have been times I wanted to travel to places like Barbados but the tickets($800USD per person) were way too expensive for me. The time I wanted to travel to Barbados was carnival season, which is one of their high seasons. In events like these, you can search vacation spots that are similar and cheaper for the time you want to take your vacation. Instead of going to Barbados, we found tickets to Guadalupe for $100USD and got almost the same Caribbean experience as we would in Barbados for less. We just weren't able to experience carnival but we were still happy we were able to take a trip to the Caribbean.
I even use this same rule for airlines and don’t stick to one specific airline. I’m really not picky who I fly with. Even if it’s Spirit Airlines which I must add, I dislike flying with them. Most times flying with Spirit, I almost always had an issue but if a find a ticket for 80$ guess who’s flying with Spirit Airlines? I am!!! The end destination is better than the actual flight!
3.Decide what's more important for your lifestyle!
You can’t always have both! Some people want a pair of $250 Jordan sneakers or a $1000 Gucci bag. If your anything like me that rather pay for a 250$ flight or a $1000 worth vacation, you might skip out on spending your extra money towards expensive items you don't really need. Depending on your lifestyle and what you want, you have to choose if you want a materialistic object that lasts a few months or an unforgettable vacation you'll remember for a lifetime! Not everyone can afford both! Put your money where you really want it!
4.Flying locally.
You don’t know how many times I’ve just flown into another country just to get to another because the flight was cheaper than going directly to the main country I'm heading too. This year the main destination we wanted to go to was Greece, but flying directly to Greece during prime time was over $1000USD PER PERSON! Instead of flying directly to Greece and spending over $3000USD, we needed to find a cheaper way into Europe! On SkyScanner we searched from New York to everywhere in Europe and found a one-way ticket to London for $200USD. From London, the tickets to Greece were ONLY $60USD per person! Now, that's what I call A bargain! Now saving over $3000USD on flight fare, we're now going to two destinations and can splurge A few more dollars on a nicer hotel. Sometimes you have you have to go on a scavenger hunt to find a flight deal but its sure worth the savings!
5. Put in the work!
Deals don’t always come easy! Sometimes you have to search for It. Don’t give up because you see a ticket to China for 1000$. Search other sites because not all booking fees & tickets have the same seated price! I can't tell you how many times I almost purchased a hotel stay, then remembered to check a second site and saved at least $100-50 on the booking! Don’t be lazy and try to search on at least 3 different websites! You don’t settle on the first car your going to buy right? Well, look up 4 more options!
Not only do I search multiple sites but I look up flights like it's my daily bread! You can't just search once a month and hope to find a cheap vacation deal....you have to find it!! If an airline is having a blow out sale, most sales won't last long and if you're not checking on the flights frequently or sign up for automatic emails you may miss out on that sale for the month!
6. Be patient and wait for the deals.
Sometimes there’s a specific day or month I rather go on a trip but there are no deals for the time I want to travel. Instead of going the time I want, I wait patiently and travel the following week or month that works better in my budget. My husband works in the education field and always has off for the most expensive times to travel. Christmas break is when everyone else wants to travel, so we stay home and try for a vacation the following month for Martin Luther King Day or Presidents Day that's a less popular week to travel.
"It's not about luck. It's about hard work and a relentless drive for constant progress."
