So you save for a year while traveling

So you save for a year while traveling

"What are your New Year's resolutions?" I ask Peter. "Um ... I don't have any," he replies. "Slapdash", I say and refer to the nickname that I gave him at the beginning of our relationship: Slapdash Watson.

In contrast to him, I am one of the people who make lists (sometimes lists of lists) and do everything to check everything off. I even formalized the failure: I allow myself to leave one thing unfinished every year. Worse, I am known for doing lobbying at the list production app Evernote to make your deletion thicker. Yes, I am this person (it worked, okay, so whatever).

The point is that when I saved our trips, I had to take responsibility to ensure that we reached our target of £ 20,000. I should say that it is possible for two people to travel for much less than that, but since our trip includes some of the most remote countries in the world that are scattered over the largest ocean in the planet, we had to save a little more.

We planned 25 % for transport (boats, buses, planes, trains) and excursions with a large ticket (diving, whale watching, trekking macchu picchu - nothing of it is cheap). As a result, we remained a budget of £ 40 per day for accommodation, meals and everyday activities. This was sufficient in most places, but in others (rarotonga!) We had to stick to free activities (not that we would complain to lie on the Muri Beach or to hike The Needle).

We started saving a year before our planned departure, which means that we had to be pretty hardworking if we wanted to achieve our goal. Here you can find out how you save for travel for a year - and how you could.

Ask a salary increase

If you are exceptionally good in what you do (of course I am), then be brave and ask for a salary increase. Qualified employees are more difficult to get than they think, and most companies will do as much as possible to capture their best employees. If you have constantly performed well, no shyness to take on additional responsibility and take on an active role in the success of your teammates, ask you to increase a salary. I got a 16 percent increase in the middle of a merger because I believed in my own value.

Pull together

Bere up! Pull together! What? Now!?

It was pretty much the reaction that Peter and I had when we discussed this opportunity for the first time. We were both used to our own room, so the view of moving to my one-room apartment in Newbury Park was unnerving. Then we thought if we traveled together for a year, it would probably be best to make sure that we could live in a confined space. If you travel with someone and not yet live together, you should do this. It will probably have the biggest impact on your budget overall.

Give up your trucks

Fortunately, my biggest truck is cheap: chocolate. Peter’s, on the other hand, were a little more demanding for tax purposes, let's say. There was the morning coffee dwelling, his preference for Scottish whiskey and his smoking of various varieties. I can't endure smoking and I don't drink (yes, I'm square - we know that), so it was much easier for Peter to stop. We are still working on the coffee home.

Set limits when going out to eat

Alt = “Kia hugs a restaurant sign from Nando, as you save for travel“ Like every good bull, I have an epic touring relationship with food (yes, even nandos)

One of my greatest joys is to eat away from cheap Restaurants like The Kati Roll Company in the Oxford Circus (if you haven't been there yet, go there!) To medium -sized restaurants like Bangalore Express in Waterloo (if you haven't been there yet, go there!) To a little more expensive places like apsleys in Hyde Park (if you have not yet been there, you put the money in your Travel fund).

In our year of saving we swore ourselves not to eat more than twice a month, including with us. Sure, we violated the rules from time to time, but in general it worked because we gave something to us that we could look forward to and enjoyed the occasion. Having a quota can make a major contribution to strengthening your determination. We were also more diligent when preparing our lunch. After a while it got bored, but it saved a lot of money.

Cance off your subscriptions

I quit my Spotify, Sky+and LoveFil subscriptions. Peter quit his subscriptions for National Geographic and Sight and Sound. Sure, it was a small mistake in the budget, but each helped. Ask yourself whether you really need your subscriptions (especially the gym!), And if not, quit them!

Find free entertainment

That ties in at the above point. Use Spotify playlists on YouTube instead of Spotify. Instead of buying books, use Project Gutenberg that offers thousands of classics free of charge. Get a running app instead of gym and set off. Ask yourself on every occasion: "Is that worth a day on the go?" Most of the time the answer will be no.

Rent your free area

If you have a room free, rent it. If you don't have a room free, rent it! In our year of savings, Peter and I lived in my one-room apartment mentioned. This did not prevent us from setting up my living room on Airbnb as a "multi -bed room", in which guests have the room for themselves between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. We doubted that we would arouse interest, but in the end we had a steady stream of guests and met a lot of interesting people.

This is not for everyone, but if you really have to squeeze out every last cent, this is a great way to do this. I also rented out my parking space for a pretty penny, so if you have one left it on Gumtree.

If you want to try to host yourself, you can earn$ 50 after you have organized your first trip via this link.

Alt = "Airbnb-labet tips hosting"

Buy an annual ticket

If you live in a city like London, you may be able to get a strong discount on your travel price by buying a TravelCard for a longer period of time. For example, by buying a 12-month card, I saved almost £ 300 instead of a monthly ticket.

If your company does not offer a permanent card loan, you should consider taking advantage of your savings. The money you save will probably exceed all interest that you earn on the amount.

Sell ​​your things

We have set a lot of (mainly fitness -based) articles on Gumtree. There was my treadmill, Peters rowing machine, its dumbbells and also an old 4-trainer from his studies. This had the additional advantage of saving storage space. If you don't need it, put it on Gumtree or Craigslist. Just try it out.

Try to get free storage space

To our luck, Peter's parents offered (okay, agreed) to keep our things during our one -year absence. Ask around to see if your friends and family have free space to keep your things. As I said, every little helps.

Get a good travel credit card

At 31 I have never had a credit card. My Asian upbringing instigated me that we were not for fault. I have applied for a Halifax Clarity Card for free transactions abroad, but there are a number of options. I recommend Money Saving Expert to find the right thing for you.

In conclusion, I would like to say that everything was much easier than we expected. If your situation does not differ from our (children! Grandchildren! Credit card debt! Your name on the international search list!), There is no reason why you can't travel if you really want. 2015 can be your savings year and your travel year in 2016. You just have to make a decision.

Good luck!
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