It wasn’t until the end of 2015 that I realized I go away a lot. Most of my trips are domestic, but I think going away at least once a month, even if it’s for a weekend or day trip is good for me. We’re in April and I have already been to Atlanta, Cartagena, Delaware/Maryland and my cousin is taking me to Barbados in a few days. In addition to having no children or dependents, but mostly practicing methods for traveling and working full time, here are three ways I find extra money to travel. Even if you’re not single, you can use these options for traveling with a family. It may take some time, but it can definitely work.
Cut Costs
After seeing a $130/ cable bill when I barely watch TV, I canceled my subscription and signed up for a basic Hulu package instead. I also use Netflix and Amazon’s streaming services saving almost $100 a month. You can also bring breakfast and lunch vs buying them every day. Working in a city where almost everything is doubled, I can save about $30-40 a week or more by bringing my food to work.
Get a Travel Savings Account
I’m going to just put this out there: spending instead of paying your bills isn’t smart…AT ALL. Please make sure you’re up to date with any payments before going on trips. There’s no need to stunt on the gram when the bill collector is calling; you’re only fooling yourself. With that being said, getting a saving account specific for travel is a good option for having money for travel. Figure out what your budget would be for your upcoming trip (or trips), and save until you reach that goal. After joining the Live Richer challenge last year, I discovered 360 Savings by Capital One and Barclay’s Online savings. These are just a few high-yield online savings accounts available. Just do your research to find out which options are best for you.
Take Advantage of Flight & Hotel Deals
Since being heartbroken about missing that under $200 deal from NYC to Dubai glitch fare, I’m always looking for a flight deal. Join travel groups online, group chats via WhatsApp, or follow sites that post regular flight and hotel deals on social media. You can also use Google Flights, Skyscanner, or the ITA Matrix to find out what the price for a flight will be during the time period you want. Money saved from that deal can always go towards special dining, buying gifts, or anything else.
What are some other ways to find extra money to travel?
Saving money is always good, but though I love to travel I am not very good at saving :/
Important things to remember. It IS all about priorities.
Great tips! We’ve in the last time started to save more together, so each month we transfer a certain amount of money to a joint (travel) saving account. We also try to cut down on unnecessary stuff to buy, and we try to book flights when we come over a great deal. This year we spent one month in Australia, and we could travel there because we got a great deal on flight, and in May we’re going to Beijing. We had no plans of visiting China this year, but why not when you find cheap air tickets on sale?!
I just cancelled my cable for some extra travel cash too! Good tips.
All good tips! I really feel happy when I am planning a trip and luck out and find an excellent deal online. I then put the money I saved towards my next trip 🙂
$200 from NYC to Dubai! Wow! Growing up, my parents always put the money from grocery coupons into a travel account.
Such good tips. There are so many costs you can cut. That $3 coffee a day adds up to enough at the end of the year to take a nice trip!
Great tips. I have done a couple of these, including cancelling the cable subscription. I purchased Roku boxes for each of my televisions. I don’t miss cable at all.
My goal has been to take at least two legit vacations a year. One with the family and one with just the Husband. I’ll definitely try some of these tips.
We are definitely cutting our cable cord when we move to our next home. I can’t wait to use that money for savings.
Seriously I have friends that can be traveling but they just have to spend money on excessive food outings each week (lunch everyday – going out to restaurants every week) splurge on drinks…and by the time the realize it they spent $400 just on food. That was a flight…honestly if you want to travel you will budget for it.
Great tips! We have a savings account specifically for travel. I usually plan what trips we are going to make at the beginning of the year and we go from there!
Planning far in advance has really saved me money. Doing a money box challenge just for travel is a great tip as well.
Cutting costs is a great way to save for a fab vacation. Brew your morning cup of joe at home! If you eliminate that daily cup of coffee at StarBucks thats $5 a day/$25 a week or a $100 a month. Save that for 6 months and off to Las Vegas or the Caribbean you can go!
Love these tips, gorgeous! Especially the deal alerts.
Great tips! I need to start a savings account just for travel!
These are great ideas! My husband and I put money in our savings every month for travel and it really helps. We also utilize frequent flier miles to help cut airfare costs.
LiveLifeWell,
Allison
I just had a conversation about travel logistics and finances for traveling with two small children. Now I am planning my first trip with a toddler and an infant. Wish me luck.
It’s work, but definitely worth it. I started doing family trips with my sister and her kids and they STILL talk about our travels. All are domestic, but we’re thinking of going somewhere international next year or 2018. Good luck!
I can always use some extra money to travel. Great tips!!!
It’s hard giving up those things we want so it all comes down to what’s more important traveling or shopping
Yes. I realized I didn’t watch so much TV so it was easy to get rid of it. Lol I’m a recovering shopaholic. I definitely learned to shop off season and during big sales.
Easy tips! Getting rid of cable is a great idea for saving some travel cash or a bill or two.
My cable bill was way too much! Especially since I live alone and was barely home
Very helpful. Extra cash during travel is something everybody wants
Great tips. Very informative.