Have you ever hopped on social media and seen friends traveling all over the world? You “like” or “love” their pictures because you think it’s amazing that they’re able to see the world around them, but at the same time, you feel a tad bit of jealousy because you can’t figure out how they’re able to afford a life of travel and you can’t… In order for you to travel, you have to put in a request at work, hope that it gets approved, and if it does get approved, you have to make up the work for it… so it’s a whole process, to say the least, but affording a life of travel is definitely not an impossible feat.
Now, to afford a life of travel, you’re first going to have to establish what it is you really want to do. A lot of times, people confuse a life of travel with simply wanting to travel… There is a huge difference. A life of travel requires some major life changes, whereas wanting to travel often doesn’t require major life changes.
You really need to ask yourself why you want to live a life of travel… Are you just looking for an escape? Or are you wanting to fulfill your wanderlust and improve your mind, body and spirit? Because travel can not only give you an escape but traveling can improve your health in many ways too… According to NBC News, traveling reduces stress levels and boosts happiness. But regardless of your reasoning, the fact is that you want to live a life of travel
If you want to live a life of travel, there are a few things you’re going to have to let go of and a few habits you’re going to have to adopt. To live and afford a life of travel, here are some things you’ll need to do.
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Work on Growing Your Savings Account
Consider Selling Your Belongings
In order to live a life of travel, you have to have money and working on growing your savings is a great start. You might think that this is easy… you’ll just work some overtime here and there, and yes, that’s going to help but in order to really stack your money, you may want to consider selling some of your possessions.
Before you have a fit, just think about it. Once you do start traveling, you’re not going to be home, you’re not going to be driving your car… why not sell those items and have a nice cushion of money to sit on?
Change Your Spending Habits
You may not realize it but the things you spend your money on are probably pointless and meaningless things and if you eliminated those things, you’d save more money than you think! For example, maybe you enjoy going out for lunch on your lunch break… you don’t go crazy and order $30 meals but you will spend at least $10 for lunch every day… If you add those meals up, you’re spending $50 a week on fast-food when that $50 could go towards your savings.
As humans, we also tend to be tech or gadget enthusiasts and feel like we have to have all the latest in everything… if you really think about it, you’ll see that you don’t have to break the bank for the latest phone. Did you know that there are premium pre-owned phones you can buy that are in pristine condition and are a fraction of the cost of new ones, visit this site to browse some.? Can you really afford to pay over a thousand dollars for an iPhone? Even if you can afford it, why would you?
In growing your savings account, you’re going to have to put your spending on a major budget and consider selling some of your personal possessions, especially if you’re not using them. This process isn’t going to be easy, nor is it going to be quick, so be realistic about your time frame and give yourself at least a year to grow your savings.
Let Go of Your “9 to 5” and Become Self-Employed
As mentioned earlier, if you work a full-time job, you’re constricted to your desk, office hours, and allotted vacation days… if you want to live a life of travel, your traveling is going to exceed the vacation time you’re allotted, therefore, you have to go.
That’s not saying to quit your job before having your business set up. You’re going to still need a source of income coming in so you can live the life of travel you so desire. Some people will open their own ecommerce store and virtually sell products from all over the world. A laptop, some marketing knowledge and a solid insurance plan is from a reputable provider such as Simply Business is really all you need to get started. Some will become a virtual assistant, but there are all kinds of jobs you can work all while traveling the world.
Map Out Locations Where Your Money Will Go Far
This aspect is very important. There are places in the world that can completely run through your savings and then there are places where your money will go very far. Southeast Asia and South America are places where your money will definitely stretch but it all depends on what you’re looking for out of your travels.
While you’re still working and selling things to grow your savings, this is the perfect time to be researching different countries to see where your money will go the furthest. That way, when the time comes for you to actually start your travel adventures, you’ll be financially ready and will know exactly where to go!