Wondering how to save money to travel more? A common misconception is that you need a lot of money to travel; this prevented me from traveling for years! I’m here to tell you that isn’t true. BUT I do think if you’re looking to prioritize travel, getting your finances under control is essential.

I’ll be sharing 5 things I do to help save money for travel, including tips to earn extra money and tips to cut back on your expenses! I promise, it is possible and SO worth it!

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1. Set an annual travel budget (and stick to it!)

First thing I do at the start of each year (or honestly usually before then) is set my travel budget. I usually start with the total amount I’m comfortable spending throughout the entire year.

Then, I’ll list out the big and small trips I want to take. From here, I’ll do a bit of research (googling flights, hotels, activities, etc) to get an estimate of total costs per trip. In terms of food + activities, I use an average between $20 – $100 per day, depending on where I’m visiting.

As I start booking the travel and finalizing the costs, I update my spreadsheet to see where I land overall. I also use this to gauge how much extra money I can spend on my trip. 

For example, if my flights were less than I anticipated, I’ll give myself a little extra spending money each day. Or if my flights were more than budgeted, I’ll look for slightly cheaper hotels to balance out the costs.

2. Start to track your spending

In addition to my travel budget, I also have a super detailed monthly budget. Every few months I sit down and make sure my budget is aligned with my values, and also that it’s realistic.

Go through your spending and make a column of “Needs” and a column of “Wants.” From there, determine your major categories – food, car, clothing, household, etc – and then break down your categories even further. For example, in my “Car” category, I have monthly payment, gas, parking and maintenance.  

Every time I make a purchase, I add it to my spreadsheet. I think this is so important so you can see where every single dollar is coming and going.

This can definitely be scary, especially if it’s the first time you’re really looking at your finances. But I promise you, knowing is so much better than not knowing. And you don’t even have to change anything right away! Just being aware of your spending is a great start.

3. Examine your recurring expenses

Look for small ways to reduce your monthly expenses! Especially in categories that are not your top 3 priorities. My top 3 priorities are travel (of course haha), health and my cat. So anything not in those categories I look to reduce as much as possible.

If you have multiple streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, etc), can you reduce it to just your one favorite? If you have an expensive gym membership you never use, can you switch to a less expensive gym or use ClassPass?

I used to have a pretty bad online shopping addiction and can honestly say I no longer randomly buy a ton of stuff online to make myself feel better. It took many, many iterations of these budgeting exercises though haha so not to worry if you aren’t there yet!

4. Find a side hustle that you enjoy

Nowadays with technology, you literally have so many opportunities at your fingertips to make money. What do you enjoy doing that someone would be willing to pay you for?

Do you love animals? Definitely check out Rover! You can house pets in your own home, or just stop by for visits! Many of my friends have had a lot of success with this app.

Do you have handy skills or the ability to do physical labor? Check out TaskRabbit! You can see what other people are offering, and set your own tasks and rates.

Do you have extra clothes laying around collecting dusk? Check out Mercari or Poshmark to start selling your old clothes for cash!

Do you like to create video content in your spare time for fun? Check out Billo where you can make videos for brands! If you want a $10 bonus, use the referral code 3HO7Y when signing up.

I feel like this section just turned into a big sales pitch for all these apps haha but seriously – so many ways to make a few extra bucks for spending money on your next vacation! You’ll also get a little extra bonus if you sign up with any of those links.☺️

5. Proactively limit your spending

What is your worst money habit? Whatever it is, figure out a way to proactively limit your ability to spend money that way. I read this tip in one of my favorite books, “Your Money or Your Life” and it totally changed my outlook.

Do you online shop so much that your card information is stored on your laptop/phone? Delete out your saved information so you need to type out your card number each time. Or do you have your credit card number memorized? Get a new card!

Whatever you need to do to add an additional step and force yourself to have a second thought about your purchase. It’s crazy how many things we buy “without thinking about it,” and it can really add up!

For example, I realized that I was spending a lot of extra money when I would go for walks because it was so easy to purchase things with Apple Pay! So, I literally just removed Apple Pay from my phone, making it harder for me to spend money unnecessarily.

Comment your best money-saving tip below! If you have any questions or are looking for more tips, send me a message on Instagram!

💙mariss