Wondering why you cannot afford as much travel as you would like? By simply adding a travel fund to your budget you will not have an excuse any longer!
Adding a small travel fund does not need to be overwhelming or overly complicated. Whether you have an extra $5 a week, $100 a week, or $500 a week to set aside, it can go a LONG way.
But how can you stay organized and meticulous so that your efforts can stay consistent?
Ways to Consistently Set Aside a Few Dollars a Week
The first and most time tested way is the old school way of having a piggy bank. Yes, this is old school but it still works! It works even better if you consistently have lots of change in your pockets. Then it grows fast too 🙂 Simply put your piggy bank or change dispenser in a spot of the house where it is abundantly seen. Then you have no excuse for the money not to grow!
Start a separate savings account specifically designed for setting aside money for travel. Use one that allows you systematic withdrawals from your checking account. This allows you to grow a travel fund worry free week after week. Simply just decide how much you can withdraw from your checking account each week, and then pick the day of the week. My two favorites I have personally used are Smarty Pig and Capital One 360.
Sell stuff regularly. Sell your stuff that is sitting around the house on Craigslist or eBay. Chances are, you have things in your house that are more valuable to someone else then they are for you. Sell it! All that money goes in your quickly growing travel fund.
Start a side income designed to build your side travel fund. Do you have a talent that can potentially make you money? Or do you have time to learn a skill that can make you some extra money? There are so many ways to supplement your income these days, take a look at Sidehustle Nation for all the different types of ways to supplement your full-time income! Maybe one day your little side income can make you serious money. That is when travel gets a whole lot easier 🙂
Get volunteer contributors for a trip! If you really have no budget, you can start a volunteer travel campaign and actually be given money to travel! For more info, check out Fund My Travel and Go Fund Me.
Start couponing. Using all the money that you save from couponing to directly put into your travel fund. A great reference for finding the best deals is Fabuless Life.
Budget a specific category for travel. If you already have a budget, great! Then this is easy. But if you don’t, this can require a little legwork. Make your budget, and then decide with your family what you can reasonably spend on travel each month. This is what my wife and I do now, and it certainly helps! Now we know what we can spend, and what we can’t. Our problem was that we spent too much. Now we can do just as much, but we prioritize better.
These are just a few of my ideas on how YOU can start a travel fund to travel more! Do you have any great tips I am possibly missing? Post in the comments below!