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Tip 0062 A coffee a day is $1300 a year
Story 11 Little or big treats
Story 12 Exit plan

Finances

Finances

 

Not prying into anyones affairs this section is all about money. Now we've got your attention.

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As with all processes here we refer you to the separate sections of "Reasons for travel"

Tip 0060 Be realistic.

 

Why spend $5000 on a 5 day extravagant travel experience, when you can have 5 one week trips for $1000. That's 5 days travelling against 35 days. Or even 3 months round Asia for the same cost. That's 92 days of travelling. Of course there will be some that are happy to splash out on an all frills and spills travel experience and that's great if you can afford it or want that really special treat.

Tip 0061 Ways of saving

 

Here we try to cover all aspects of finance from saving up for a travel stint, to having enough money to travel forever.

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We hope to cover being able to travel for ever and ways of saving or using funds for travel. Again we refer you to our "Reasons for Travel" link for a more detailed look at each individual case.

 

Ever had a bucket list and stare at it, not only thinking "one day I will do this" but also thinking "how the heck can I afford it"? Well it's true, travel costs money and there's no getting away from it but travel can be a lot less than you think and can be very affordable if you're smart.

Tip 0062 A coffee a day is AUD$1,300 a year.

 

Now we're not advocating giving up anything at all but just be mindful of what your priorities are.

Tip 0063 Life is full of the big pleasures also.

 

Now we don't ask you to go without but please bear in mind that all the little pleasures in life add up to some really lovely big ones too, like GetOutGoTravel! 

 

We also show ways of cutting the costs of travel.

Tip 0064 Impromptu travel

 

If you have flexibility in your work, job or life where you can travel at a moment's notice or you have no commitments, liabilities or dependants, then we recommend you start looking for last minute deals, pre booked deals or distant bookings where you can book say a year in advance. These are so much more affordable and plentiful all over the world.

Story 11 Little or big treats

 

I had an employee who we worked out hadn't had a day off work for nearly three years, including weekends and bank holidays. I called him in for a meeting and the discussion of time off came about. On probing further he told me he couldn't afford to take time off and certainly couldn't afford a holiday, having a wife and six children to feed and look after.

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I said you must be able to afford a holiday with all the money I pay you and jokingly said it's all that money your spending on cigarettes. He argued that his cigarettes didn't cost that much and we proceeded to actually cost out his spending on this only. Not only was I shocked but he too was shocked and quickly worked out that he could afford two international holidays a year with his whole family.

 

With the sudden realisation of what his family had been missing out on, apart from him being able to be at home more, he threw his packet in the bin and never smoked again.

 

Moral of this one:- Individually, things seem cheap.

 

So realistically travel is a great motivator to save, to focus and to even change your life.

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We go straight to those of you that say we can't afford to travel. Apart from the case story above, have you seriously ever thought travelling is important for you? Then we have a few ideas that might enthuse you.

Tip 0065 Budget for travel

 

Try not to get yourself in debt whilst on your travels . Set yourself a budget both during your travels and pre travel. It is important that you research and plan your travels to accommodate your budget. This makes for a pleasurable experience where you're not constantly worrying what the aftermath is going to be and enjoy the moment.

Tip 0066 Stay on track 

 

If you are able to save for your travelling then great, if not then here are just a few pointers for you.

 

Stay on track, set your goal and stick to it. This is no different to going to the gym or dieting. Sometimes it's difficult but the rewards are many and once you've succeeded it all becomes easier next time.

 

So yes give up one coffee per day and have one at home or that impulse buy bar of chocolate at the checkout. Buying provisions once a week instead of the trip to the local store 4 times a week (this is where your planning comes into its own). Buy your winter clothes in the summer and visa versa. Eat before you go food shopping, this will save you thousands.

Tip 0067 Little by little

 

It sounds ridiculous but believe us, "you will save a fortune" by saving the odd penny here and the odd penny there. Stay focused and you will easily be able to afford travel with not much, if any sacrifice at all.

Tip 0068 Third world travel

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Try looking at travelling to third world countries that are a lot more affordable. Cost of living is miniscule compared to back home and everything is cheaper. Often you can live like kings for next to nothing, so if you want that 5 star hotel experience at a fraction of the cost, this is where, or not, to splash out.

​Tip 0069 Travel further stay cheaper.

 

So many of you are put off by an expensive flight/trip to faraway places when savings on accommodation, cost of living, food etc, far out way the cost of the travel getting there and with airlines being so inexpensive these days, we would definitely recommend not putting limits to how far you travel.

Tip 0070 Free accommodation

 

Yes it's true, free accommodation! Ever thought of house swap, couch surfing and the like? These are not only great for free accommodation but you get to know the locals, get information on where you're going and sometimes guided tours for free too. You also build up a network of friends all around the world and have a place to stay wherever you go.

Tip 0071 GetOutGoTravel

 

You may not already realise but a lot of you could probably travel forever right now. Now this is a subject we will go into great detail elsewhere on this website but we will also mention it here.

Basically there or just a few ways of looking at it. You can travel with nothing, a little or a lot in the bank.

Tip 0072 You don't need much to travel

 

We start with nothing, or very little.

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This can be as little as a gap year from study with a little bit saved up to GetOutGoTravel the world, as often the younger generation decide they want some play time before they enter the world of head down, bum up, hard work till you retire. Or this could be the decision to try and see the world by working your way around.

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Both need little financing as you will and can work wherever you chose to travel to. The down side to this is that you may end up just doing exactly what you were trying to avoid in the first place. Many a time we've had friends of the kids come half way round the world on a so called gap year, only to find they've run out of money and either have to cut short their trip or find menial work to see them through the year and end up staying in one place only, feeling a little cheated.

Tip 0073 Blow your money

 

There are a lot that spend the first month or two living it up thinking this will last forever and then come down to earth with a massive bump and (a hangover headache). This is where you must be disciplined and stick to that budget.

Remember living in a cheaper country often means wages are lower and won't necessarily pay your way. You could end up stuck in the middle of nowhere trying to work out how you're going to get home.

Tip 0074 Exit plan

 

Always have an exit plan i.e., return ticket home. A little cash in reserve, even to the point of having contact back home where help is at hand. This is now a lot easier than the good old days.

Story 12 Exit plan from Stuttgart

 

Many moons ago I decided to work overseas as a carpenter, with the enticement of higher wages and experience.

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To shorten this a little bit on arriving in Stuttgart, the particular contract had already been completed and I was stuck with half a dozen others, out on a limb, with no job, little to no money and a bag of tools.

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Deciding to all go out that night and splash what little cash we had left, we all turned up at the embassy the following morning demanding to be taken home, (and I really believe some of us expected to go back in style).

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Our advice was now our country had joined the EU Common Market, our only choice we had was to find ourselves jobs and sleep on park benches. It took 3 days to scrounge enough money to get home including becoming stowaways onboard ship.

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Moral of the story. Nothing's changed much in all those years. You are pretty much on your own, so plan for exit. Also Embassy's/Consulates can offer guidance, checkout our section on Embassy's.

 

Travelling when financially independent

Tip 0075 Additional income

 

Here you probably won't need much financial advice other than tips of making the most of what you have, or supplementing your finances.

 

Have you looked at alternatives to funding your travel? Like getting a lodger/student or even using Airbnb, all of whom you receive funds for living with you for a short time. Ever thought of Subletting your home whilst you're travelling for additional income, of course make sure you're allowed on the rental agreement. How about renting your own property whilst away.

Tip 0076 House swap

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House swapping is now really a great way to see the world and if done cleverly saves an absolute fortune on accommodation when travelling. A fair bit of planning is needed here but worth the time and effort.

 

There are numerous ways of finding funds for, or while you're travelling.

Tip 0077 Travel for ever

 

You may not be completely independently wealthy, or think this can't be done but a life of travel is certainly doable. With similar ideas to the above if you own your home it becomes a lot more easier to have a life of travel and is done by many already.

 

Things to consider:-

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You don't have to sell up to travel and we wouldn't advise to do so, at least until you've tried travelling for longer periods.

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If you rent out for periods at a time and you come back earlier than usual, you still have other options.

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There are obvious financial advantages to travelling rather than property owning. No land taxes, rates and bills.

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There are issues later on in life regarding pensions etc.

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Possessions is a big one and what to do with them if you decide you have the travel bug.

We cover all these subjects in more detail on "Reasons for travel" see link and will be expanding more in the near future.

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