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I grew up in a middle-class neighborhood in Panama City, Panama. My mom was a single mom and she had a job that allowed her to pay the bills and put food on the table. Back in the 80’s and early 90’s all the information we had about traveling was what we could see on TV, the newspaper or magazines. The highlight of the summer vacation was the trip to the closest beach or the fair in town. Back then, if you wanted to travel you would have to go to a travel agency and buy a package that would cost you an arm and a leg.
Traveling was a luxury. I remember dreaming about my “quinceañera” going on a cruise in the Caribbean but unfortunately, that was out of reach, or at least, that’s what we thought.
Today, technology has changed our lives in so many ways. We have so much information at the palm of our hands; all we need to do is to change our mindset. You don’t need to be rich to be able to travel and you don’t have to go to the other side of the world to experience other cultures either.
It’s All About The Mindset
Dreaming about a place is the easiest part. We all get excited thinking about that destination we would love to visit. We even start making plans, thinking about outfits and all the fun things we could do.
Some people think “I need the money first before start planning anything” or they shut down any idea right away thinking “that looks expensive, I cannot afford it” or “just rich people can do that”. But in reality, that’s not true. There are options wherever you would like to go and you can make it work.
If you think about it, we spend so much money every day on things that we don’t really need. For example, that coffee you buy every morning at the café before going to work instead of making it at home. Don’t take me wrong, we all deserve nice things and we don’t have to live restricted, but it’s about priorities.
For some people, it’s important to wear brand-name clothing, the most expensive sneakers; it’s all about appearances. What if you buy a good pair of shoes for half of the price of the branded shoes? Or why not buy one good quality pair of shoes instead of ten? You can use that extra money in something else. Ironically, the wealthiest people in the world wear basic clothing and just have a few things in their closet. Quality over quantity and again, it’s about priorities; they use their money in something else.
It is a good habit to save money. Open a savings account or just put money aside on a jar or envelope at home. Be serious about it, don’t make excuses to skip adding money. If you can afford paying 3 dollars for a coffee every day, you can afford to save 3 dollars every day for a trip that will make memories for a lifetime.
Let’s do some math, easy math I promise:
A $5 cup of coffee every day for a month = $150
$150 for 3 months = $450
Another way to put it, what if you don’t have any other option than to put that money away? will you go starving? you must likely won’t. I don’t know what your financial situation is right now but even if you put aside $1 per day you can take at least a staycation every year.
Depending on your bank account, you can set up automatic transfers to your savings account every two weeks or every month. If you have any doubts regarding savings or checking accounts go to your local bank and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Another option is to apply for a credit card so you can cover your expenses for the trip and then pay overtime. I like the Capital One Venture credit card because you earn points with every purchase you make and then you can redeem them to cover your travel expenses. Basically, you can write off half of your travel expenses if not all of them! It is great also for international trips because it won’t charge foreign transaction fees.
When to Book
Unless you don’t have the option to choose the dates you will travel (weddings, family reunions, work, etc.) taking in consideration some factors can help you save a lot of money:
- The dates are important when planning your trip. Most destinations are busier during summer or the holidays; therefore, everything is more expensive.
- Low seasons are for a reason. Maybe because of the weather (too hot or too cold), maybe because of nature (hurricane season for example). Try to find a sweet spot either a few weeks before the high season or right after.
- Book your flight as early as possible, at least 3 months in advance.
- This will apply to hotel reservations and car rentals too. The earlier you book, the better.
- Sometimes you can find good deals if you search for flights during weekdays and overnight. Just play around a little before booking your flight.
- Usually, flights are cheaper, landing and leaving between Monday to Thursday.
- I personally like using Expedia and Google Flights to find good deals on flights as these search engines compare several airlines.
- If the flight includes a carry-on even better. You can try to pack all you need in your carry-on and personal item only and save on baggage fees.
Destinations
- Research any requirements needed to enter a country. If you have to do any last-minute paperwork it will cost you double.
- Look into a domestic airport or a smaller airport you could fly into nearby your final destination. You’d be surprised by how nice domestic airports look, the lines are faster, and the flights are cheaper.
- If considering Europe, try flying into a hub and then to your final destination. For example, flights from the USA to Austria can be expensive but if you fly into London as the Hub and then to Vienna, you can save a lot of money because flights within Europe are inexpensive.
Accommodations
- Look into renting an Airbnb, the entire place, so you can cook and do laundry as you need. You can go out to a nice dinner one night but not every single night.
- If you don’t have another option than to book a hotel, find one that includes breakfast.
- All-inclusive resorts are great because you don’t have to worry about anything but to get there and you have the option to add activities nearby if you want.
Activities
- Search Google for free guided tours. This is very common in many cities in Europe and they are not bad at all.
- Another option to save on transportation and tours is to buy a Big Bus Tour. These are hop-on-hop-off tour buses with a scheduled route around tourist attractions in cities. And they are everywhere! USA, Europe, Latin America, and so on.
- Follow the locals. If you go to a popular tourist spot, it will most likely have higher prices than if you go to where the locals go. This will apply to restaurants and markets.
Set yourself for success
- Learn from other people who have been to the destination you want to go. This can help you in so many ways, from safety to finding hidden gems.
- Google, blogs, travel guides, Facebook groups all these are helpful. Knowledge is power.
- Plan your days ahead of time so you are not wandering around spending money unnecessarily in transportation or jumping on an expensive restaurant or activity that is not even worth it.
- Research, research, research.
You could choose to buy a travel package or work on organizing the trip yourself. Paying more does not guarantee you will have the best experience. Just by planning and researching you can save a lot of money and make that wish trip a reality.
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