Saving for a RTW trip is a difficult task, if you haven’t done it before it can seem an extremely daunting task.
Your dream holiday seems so far away and scrapping together thousands of pounds can seem like an impossible way to achieve it.
But I’ve done it – twice in fact – and if I can do it there’s no reason you can’t, ask anyone – I’m pretty freaking useless!
The best way to get yourself on that plane and into the sun is to break it down, make it seem less daunting and soon you’ll have your pre travel stoke in full flow!
So let’s get started…
Make a Budget
First off make a budget. Write down your incomings, outgoings and be realistic. You need to budget in how much you’ll allow yourself to spend each month and how much in turn tha will allow you to save.
Getting into the budgetting frame of mind will also help you no end once you’re on the road with no income and every penny/cent/dollar/rupiah counts!
Stick To It
The worse thing you can do at this stage is start ignoring your budget! Be tough on yourself and stick to it. If after a few weeks you’re really struggling you need to sit down and redo your entire budget. Sure it might delay how soon you can leave but you need to be able to survive in the mean time!
Cut The Luxuries
Do you really need to spend £5 on a coffee everyday before work?
Could you save by making your own lunch rather than buying it?
It’s the little things that mount up extremely quickly and by cutting them down you can quickly find yourself with a heap of extra cash – you could use this to treat yourself or simply add a whole heap more to your travel funds, so take a look at your lifestyle and see where your money is going – you’d be surprised how much you can add to the pot.
But Leave Room For Some Fun
Sure the ultimate goal is to save as much as you can so you can have an epic adventure, but there’s no use saving for something if you don’t have a life in the meantime!
So in your budget schedule in some money for fun. I allowed myself one weekend a month of hardcore partying where I didn’t stress about not saving and it really helped keep me focused.
Get a bonus at work or have some money left over – split it 50/50, half as extra in the pot, half towards something fun.
If you’re saving over a year or so to fund your travels why not have a mini break to break up the time? You don’t have to blow your budget – maybe a staycation in the UK or utilise one of the low cost holiday providers like Ice Lolly to score yourself some cheap sunshine.
Even a short holiday will help remind you what you’re saving for and keep the motivation going.
Sell Sell Sell
If you’re heading away for a long time do you really need all your stuff sat there gatehring dust? I don’t mean sell your entire life – but have a real declutter of everything. Car boot sales, eBay, paw brokers, they’re all good ways to streamline life and get some extra money in your funds. At the end of the day they’re only things and wouldn’t you rather be chilling on a beach?!
Watch It Pile Up (Over Time!)
Stick to these mini goals and you’ll soon find yourself well on the way to a nice chunk of travel cash. And once you get to that goal the real fun begins and you can start booking trips, browsing brochures and begin the countdown to your flight – trust me, it might be a painful journey getting there but it’s all worth it one you’re sat on the beach, sipping a cold mojito somewhere tropical!
Good luck!
