Over the years, as my travel experiences have continued to take me around the United States and the world, often I hear comments and questions from friends who ask something like “How can you afford to travel so much?” Or “You must be rich.” Hardly!
While I will pause and say I’m blessed to be in a position to be able to afford travel (most people around the world still can’t travel as much as this), I would add that the average American can certainly travel about as much as I do – if it’s a priority to them. Here’s 5 tips on how you can travel more:
1. Budget Your Travel
When I put together my annual (and monthly) budget for all my life expenses – rent, car insurance, health care, food, etc., I always have a monthly budget line for travel. It has changed from year to year, depending on my circumstances. But it remains a constant thing I think about. If you want to do anything in life, it must be in your financial planning. No matter what your income, there are always tradeoffs in what you spend money on. Some people buy fancy clothes and watches; others spend money on new cars every few years; others buy bigger houses with larger mortgages; some spend money on fast food or going out to dinners at restaurants and alcohol at bars; as for me, I balance all things with the amount of money I want to spend each year on travel. I’d rather spend $1,000 on a 5-day trip to Mexico City instead of cable for a year. Almost three years ago, I got rid of cable altogether. That was about $1,000 a year back into my budget (not to mention the time away from the tube). The last time I bought a car was 2007 (that’s 14 years ago). I still have that same car and haven’t had a car payment in 10 years (saving me over $5,000 a year). If travel is important to you, prioritize it in your budget.
2. Do Your Research
When I am planning for a trip, I take a lot of things into account. First, there’s the flights. I often use Kayak.com because it runs all the different airlines. It lets you see the best routes and prices based on those routes. This allows you to see whether or not you prefer taking a nonstop flight or if it’s worth trying to go a different route for less money. You can also play around with the dates and look at their calendar to see if there are other less expensive days to travel (if your dates are flexible). In other words, it does an easy comparison. From there, I also check many different hotel sites, including hotels.com, hoteltonight.com, as well as Airbnb, and perhaps my favorite hotel chains such as Marriott.com. This also gives you a sense what the price points will be on the ground. Even better: if I have friends locally or can split rooms with friends or family (including home stays such as through Airbnb), it can really cut down on costs per person. Once on the ground, I will also primarily use the TripAdvisor app to search for good restaurant reviews, which usually includes menus and price points as well (be sure to read the comments, not just how many stars it was rated). And, whenever possible, sometimes it’s great to plan ahead for certain food and beverages it might be nice to have at your lodging location. For me, I often hit a local grocery store upon arrival to a new city and get things like bottled water, breakfast items, and snacks that help me save money on what would be more expensive food and beverage purchases at restaurants and convenient stores. Every bit of savings adds up!
3. Cash-in your rewards
If you travel for work, whether frequently or even occasionally, be sure you are signed up for all the rewards programs on every airline, hotel chain, or rental car company. Even if your employer is paying for the expenses, you can usually collect the points. And, where possible, find a good credit card for your personal expenses (and business expenses if you’re a business owner) that offers good rewards for travel. For me, the Chase Sapphire Reserve has been ideal the past four years. I also recommend letting my friend Allen Walton, a Featured Innovator in the Fearless Journeys community, do this work for you. For a small annual fee, he’ll put together a plan for what credit cards are best for you and your lifestyle and how you can maximize points for travel. He takes multiple international trips each year all paid for by points. Check out his website at: FlyGuyTravel.com. After you’ve built up a certain number of points in any or all of these areas, it’s time to cash-in and make your travel work for you.
4. Take advantage of business travel
Stay over for more fun!
The next time your company flies you somewhere for work, ask if you can stay a few extra days – paid for by you, of course – and just take the flight back home (that they were paying for anyway) a few days later. This takes advantage of saving you a round trip flight and the time it will cost to travel on a separate vacation. If you can work-in a weekend, you may not even have to take many vacation days – if any. For example, I was sent to Seattle for a conference from a Tuesday through a Thursday. My brother flew up from California on Thursday and we enjoyed Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights in Seattle and both flew home on Sunday. That Friday was going to be a travel day for me anyway. Instead, I took no additional vacation days off work and my brother and I split a hotel room for three nights, while enjoying a city that was pretty new for both of us. I tend to do something like this a few times a year and actually get to enjoy the different parts of the country I’m sent for work. If you are married, you could try seeing if your spouse could join you in your hotel room while you work – or fly up and do an add-on weekend like my brother and I did in Seattle. And if you happen to have friends or family in a city you’re sent for work, perhaps you’ll save the additional expense if those friends or family are able to host you for a few extra days. Just be sure to buy them dinner or bring them a house gift – much less costly than spending money for a hotel room! And, you’ll have quality time with the ones you love while also having the opportunity for a local to show you around. There’s no better way to experience a new place.
5. Work remote from a travel destination
In 2021, many companies are allowing more of us to work remotely than ever. Working remotely doesn’t mean you always have to work from home. You can often work from anywhere. It’s best to give your boss a heads up if you do intend to work from the beach or a mountain getaway. And it’s also important to make sure you have good WiFi access and cell phone coverage wherever you intend to be. This kind of work-from-anywhere can allow you to “escape” your usual home environment while exploring a new destination. Some people might even consider working for a longer period of time, perhaps even a month or longer. I have a friend in Washington, DC who just spent a few months working a very high-level federal government job -- from Puerto Rico! In this kind of long-term setup you might even consider renting out your home on Airbnb – and perhaps think of it as a temporary housing swap. You might even turn a profit while working from that vacation getaway. While you may still have those usual working hours, this allows you to explore a new city or country on the nights and weekends. It’s also a great use of time and expense!
If you would like help to plan a trip, like any of the ones mentioned above, but simply don’t have the time, I am happy to help you save money with a little extra planning. Please send me an email at fearlessjourneysLLC@gmail.com and we can discuss appropriate rates based on the assistance you need. You’ll soon discover how much money you’ll actually save letting a professional do the work for you. In the meantime, I hope you use these tips to travel more and experience new places and people while discovering new perspectives. You won’t regret it.