How I Afford To Travel The World

Like all great feats of magic, travel inspires a wave of emotions like no other: for without exploring, we are nothing. Oh woe to the one who mistakes travel as superfluous!

The insatiable desire to travel the world, to see and to experience has been embedded in my bones from the day I was born. Growing up we were so incredibly blessed to travel, to make memories and to appreciate culture. Now I am older, not so much wiser but certainly more set in my innate desire to roam from country to country.

Livsnjutare 

'One who loves life deeply and lives it to the extreme.' 

1. Be astutely frugal

Isn't that a mouthful? Before I travelled I always wondered how I could do it without sacrificing my lifestyle or forfeiting my entire wage. However the naked truth is, you need to sacrifice something. 

Let me share a simple method that changed my ability to save money.

It's so easy-peasy it hurts, which is ironically why most of us don't do it. I set up two bank accounts: one is for my living allowance and the other is for my bills and small savings i.e. nothing major like a buying a car, mortgage etc.

So - how does this work?

I'm paid weekly, so my pay goes into my account once a week and then I immediately send a bulk of the money into my second account. This means I know I will always have money in my important account to cover bills, the excess then goes towards whatever I want i.e. travelling. 

Guys, this is the simplest thing to do yet most of us never bother to. I started doing this several years ago and will probably do so for the rest of my life, it's that effective. The brutal downside is the fact it's hard to teach yourself to get used to this 'way of life'.

How?

You can't just pop out with your bank card and go wild. 

Why?

Because each week or month you plan ahead and set aside XYZ for living costs i.e. your lifestyle and you simply have to learn to live within those means. It's difficult, I won't lie but oh my it is so incredibly worth it. 

Tips:

- Set your second account up as soon as possible. Most of the time you can apply online and then pop into the bank uber quickly with your ID et voila, it's finished.

- Don't ask for a bank card for your second 'bills' account. This strict rule means you won't access it as readily. I only have online banking for my living account and it aids the frugal saving all the more. 

- You can set up a third account if you want to be super fussy. Go you! One for living costs, one for bills (and fun savings like travel/clothes) and the final one for important savings.

- Use your iPhone calendar to pencil in when your bills are due, when your money is going in/out and how much that leaves you with.

2. Do your research!

It would surprise you how many people travel but do absolutely no research. By now you'll probably know that Peter (my boyfriend) is a serial researcher. When we organise a trip he's quick to make a map, locate the best authentic restaurants, the quaintest streets to roam and all other essentials in-between. 

I mean, he takes it seriously. Like, he makes awesome google maps full of colour codes, walking routes and plans for our trips. It sounds insane, but it is fantastic and I love him so much for it! 

Someone please tell him he needs to make an app for this. Ahem.

You don't have to be Columbus, nor do you have to create an epic map but I do implore you to seriously prep and plan in advance. 

What's this gotta do with moola?

Well, picture this. You're in Rome, it's 28 degrees, your feet are sore and you're famished. Are you going to pick up your phone and look for a restaurant as you scroll through a few hundred trip advisor reviews, or are you going to plonk yourself in the nearest overpriced tourist trap restaurant?

In said situation, most of us would sadly choose the latter. 

What I'm trying to say is that the more you plan in advance, the more you allow yourself to explore and truly 'feel' the intimate core of a country within the frame of time you have. Importantly, preparation means you can plan financially. If you prep your days in advance you can set aside an exact amount of money for the day, and stick to that budget rather than waltzing onto the flight with a wad of cash hoping for the best.

Tips:

- This is one awesome seriously underrated tip: buy your money in advance. The economical situation right now is pretty unstable, one minute one currency is strong and the next month it's weak thus having a knock on effect for us travellers. I wish I bought Euros a few months ago when it hit a brilliant peak, I didn't and now I sorely regret it. The same goes for USD, it really sucks right now and I should've bought them in advance. Moral: don't miss out.

- Leave the bulk of your money in your hotel safe and take a set amount out with you each day. Simple, but effective. If you don't have it, then you won't spend it!

- When it comes to research, Pinterest is surprisingly full of awesome tips and locations. Sit down some evening with a bucket of green tea and explore it through your fingertips.

3. Just do it

Like anything in life, if you want it badly enough you'll find a way. I remember when I started blogging back in Autumn I found the lovely Jess Gibson of The Travelista. Not only is this girl smart, she's adventurous, funny and so incredibly down to earth. I found her blog, inhaled most of the posts in one sitting and to this day she still is such a lovely person to speak with!

What am I rambling for?

Simply because she's inspiring and you have got to check out her blog here. I remember one of her posts speaking poignantly, and almost powerfully to my heart. Whilst I can't quote it's entirety, Jess briefly and boldly said - if you want to travel, you'll make it work.

Ryanair. Cheap, irritating and as blue as an IKEA warehouse: it isn't the epitome of class, and it wouldn't have been my first choice years ago but now, I'll happily say yes. I'm flying to London soon for a mere £35 return. Crazy. It is actually cheaper for me to fly to London than it is to book a return train ticket to Dublin. 

What's the point?

We're human, and if you're female then you're probably already halfway to being a professional justifier. By this I mean you've an extreme ability to justify just about any (not so necessary) purchase. 

I used to buy a ridiculous amount of makeup. I mean, ridiculous. I've cut back in pursuit of living a happier life, one that's based on seeing this world, experiencing things and buying less 'stuff' for the sake of it. I now would rather buy expensive items infrequently that will last for years/decades, than buy cheaper items in bulk with an adopted YOLO attitude.

Sit down, think seriously about what you want and what you really don't need in this life. It all boils down to either one or the other. Do you want to explore, or do you want more stuff? Do you want the memories and experiences, or do you want the immediate comfort of 'new' items now?

The decision is yours, as is the power to enforce change and pursue what you want.

Tips:

- I used to order a lot of takeouts at the weekends with my boyfriend. Not only do I eat far healthier now, I don't order any and seriously, it would surprise you how much money you save.

- This is simply ridiculous, but don't shop on an empty stomach. Sainsbury's and a hungry Sarah-Louise do not make for a single digit till transaction. 

- Don't take your bank card with you if you know you don't need to. 

- There are actually an incredible amount of things you can do in life for free that are awesome (even here in Northern Ireland). My ideal date afternoon is grabbing a coffee to go in Established and popping to The Mac gallery in Belfast with Peter. It isn't even the fact we're choosing to spend less money, it's more about the fact we've realised we don't have to spend money to be happy. In fact, it pushes us to do more things that require communicating and actually enjoying connecting which is crazy wonderful!

Ps. You are super welcome to take any of the graphics on the blog or on my Facebook here and use/repin them :)