Inspirational Thoughts: Saving Money for Budget Travel 

I’ve written one blog post about saving for travel previously, but I think it is a topic worth revisiting in a different light. Everyone will have their positions and advice on this topic, but the bottom line is, only you can determine what’s worth giving up and what’s not when you’re saving for something big. Rather than giving a list of side hustles and cutbacks I do to travel, this is more of a pep talk. Because who doesn’t need the occasional inspirational message?

I’m not going to give you the “Dave Ramsey Speech” and tell you not to get your mandatory cup of take-out coffee in the morning if that’s the only thing that brings you happiness throughout your day. Saving for travel is a balance between keeping your current happiness level (even if it’s fueled by consumerism) and still cutting back in exchange for a travel savings account. Saving for travel is just like saving for anything else in your life, whether it be a new car, laptop, house repairs, etc. You have to make saving money a priority to achieve your travel goals, but only you can determine the sliding scale of that priority.

When I first started saving to travel, I often found myself falling into a pit of guilt when I would treat myself to a lunch out or a new plant instead of putting that money directly into my travel savings jar. Part of that deep guilt is the reason I was able to save so much money so quickly, but then again I think some of my mental sanity was the tradeoff. Don’t do what I did in the beginning- find the balance.

You may see others accomplishing their travel dreams or saving goals sooner than you but don’t let that get you down. Each person operates on their timeline and sometimes that illusion we see on social media of others accomplishing their goals is just that- an illusion. You don’t always see the behind-the-scenes sacrifices it took to reach some of those “Instagramable moments”.

You do you. It doesn’t hurt to listen to advice or stories from others working toward the same goals but pave your own path from the ideas you collect instead of taking the path that doesn’t fit your unique needs even though it’s already been forged. So keep saving, keep working, keep dreaming. You will get there eventually, I promise.