Jul 16

Jul 16 Ways to save for Travel

I get it. Traveling can be expensive. As much as I love being able to save money on my trips, there are times I want to be able to splurge on that nice hotel or pay for a cool activity. Trips can be a financially stressful thing, especially if you are going on a BIG trip! Below are some ways I have saved up or budgeted for my trips.

I hope one or more of these will help you reach your travel goal faster!

Sell your stuff!
Spring cleaning may be well over, but who says you can’t have a fresh start? Not only is it a great way to release some anxiety, but getting rid of those old clothes can mean more room for items from your travels!
Ask your boss for a travel bonus.
This is obviously a VERY personal decision and you would need to have a good relationship with your boss. At my company, we were actually gifted a travel/entertainment bonus last year. Basically anything travel related I could put on my corporate credit card up to a certain dollar amount so I wasn’t taxed like a normal bonus would be. It’s actually how I paid for my flight to San Diego as well as my flights at the holidays last year.
Tread lightly with this one, but even if your company doesn’t give a travel bonus, they most likely have discounts you can take advantage of. My sister’s company gives discounted tickets to Disney and other entertainment so you can save that way!
You know the saying, it never hurts to ask!
Use apps like Mint, Albert, etc to create a budget and wanderlust savings plan.
I recently started getting strict with my budgets now that I am wanting to make bigger purchases in my adult life. I also want to spend a little more to stay in nicer places while traveling as I get older (can’t crash in hostels forever friends!). Apps like these will let you enter in a savings goal and put small amounts into that savings depending on how much extra cash you have. It’s nice to not think about it, however make sure you pause it if you notice more is being saved than you’d like that month!
Ask for gift cards at the holidays that can be used towards your travel ( i.e. Airbnb, Visa Gift Cards, etc).
I know, it’s a very impersonal gift to give someone gift cards for the holidays…
But it can be a HUGE cost savings if someone were to gift you a gift card for Airbnb or even to gift you miles/points towards travel. If the friends and family around you know how much you love to travel, it will be a special gift! Travel is the one thing you buy that makes you richer, and even better if that trip was able to happen because of people you love. Just remember to send a picture or trinket after the trip is over as a thank you!
Want to save money for a honeymoon? Instead of asking for household items, set up a way guests can pitch in for items on your honeymoon through a registry!
Pick up a side gig (walk dogs, babysit, sell art, drive for Lyft…)
I personally have a few side gigs that bring in small income, including dog sitting occasionally. I try to make every effort to put all that side gig money directly into my wanderlust account and not touch it.
Use free apps instead of paying for walking tours like the one I used for Balboa Park or the app GPSmyCity.
Many cities also have free walking tours, but if you want to go at your own pace alone, the apps are another great option!
Space out your payments for the trip.
This one might be a no brainer, but try to plan your trips well in advance so that you aren’t paying for everything in one credit card cycle. For instance, my San Diego trip I paid for my airbnb in advance in March, then paid for some of my other activities in April so that by May on my trip I was only paying for food and transportation.
Use Rent The Runway for all your packing wardrobe needs to look chic!
This is especially helpful when you are traveling to a location with a totally different climate than you typically buy clothes for. No reason to waste money on a new winter coat for Iceland, you can rent one for the trip! I originally was just using their unlimited program for my San Fransisco trip, especially since they have a flagship store there so I was able to walk in and exchange my four items for new pieces halfway through my trip! Talk about saving space in my carry on! But I loved it so much over time I’ve been using it for day to day work clothes, when I need something a little dressier, or to accessorize an outfit. I love planning out outfits for trips this way too! Use my code below and let your travel fashion dreams come true!