Show me someone who doesn’t like to travel and I’ll show you a flying elephant. We all love to travel, the golden opportunity to visit new places, meet new people, learn another culture, taste new cuisines, and most importantly create memories that will live with us forever!
Indeed, travelling has so many benefits, whether it’s for official purposes or leisure! However, lots of people find it difficult to fulfil this passion because of the financial aspect involved.
I would like to point out that travelling is not an expensive hobby as many people think it to be and putting together the funds needed to make a trip is way easier than you imagined! Let’s start off with the right mindset knowing within yourself, you can actually achieve your set goals is important, as this will boost your courage and self-discipline.
Get your figures and create a budget
Planning ahead and getting all the information you need for your dream vacay is essential. Make enquiries with Airlines, travel agents, and hotels on estimated prices for certain travel dates. When you add up all the estimated costs involved, make a clear budget for yourself.
Put down an estimated figure of the money needed and then make another list of how much you earn and spend monthly or even weekly.
Consider other factors
Taking time to think about where or how many places you would like to visit is valuable. Asking yourself practical questions like what you would like to do on your trip or how many days you would like to spend, gives you a chance to properly plan ahead.
You need to consider the fact that a trip to France or Greece from Nigeria would cost you more than a trip to Ghana or within Nigeria. Also, activities like zip-lining, scuba diving, water motorbike, etc, would cost more than visiting the museum or public park. All these factors will help you know how much you need to save up.
Cut down your spending
This involves having a close look at your expenses over a certain period of time. Placing them in order of priority and cutting off unnecessary expenses.
Avoid clubs, parties, or lounges where you spend a lot of money or better still relax at home and watch the television. Try as much as possible to cut on your utility bills, like electricity, gas, and water.
Separate your savings
When you save up money for travelling and other needs together, it tends to look bigger than usual. If you have ₦50,000 saved up and ₦40,000 is for future travelling, while ₦10,000 is for unforeseen expenses. You may see a lovely shoe or bag on sale and you quickly take out ₦20,000 from your savings and tell yourself you will replace it.
That’s how it starts and in most cases, the money is never replaced. This is where self-discipline comes in.
It is advisable to open a separate savings account for your travel plans that you do not have withdrawal access to for a period of time. That way there will be little to no temptation on spending it.
Keep rent low
For those of us who are not landlords and do not stay with our parents, rent can eat a big chunk of our income. It is wiser to stay in an apartment where rent is at a minimal amount or better to get a flatmate to split rent and other bills with you.
Get a side hustle
Look for flexible part-time or remote jobs/businesses that you can generate extra cash from. This may include taking online surveys, virtual assisting, marketing products and so much more. You may also work extra hours at work if it would come with overtime pay.
Sell out what you don’t need
We all have items around us that we do not use and most likely do not need. It could be a microwave, fridge, rug, or even books. Dust them off and sell them online or to interested buyers.
These are smart tactics to get yourself visiting new places in no time. It is a gradual process and requires a lot of determination, however once you can pull this through, you are good to go anywhere!
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