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Almost everyone wants to travel. We talk about it, fantasize about it and hold on to the good memories for months after we’ve returned home.
So why don’t people travel more?
Whether it’s a lack of finances or an overabundance of responsibilities, it usually boils down to an inability to fit travel into our lives. To make matters worse, people tend to turn the vacations they can afford to take into a big, stressful, expensive mess – killing their motivation to book another trip in the near future.
So how can you make room for more than one high-stress vacation a year? How can you make travel a sustainable, enjoyable and indispensable part of your life?
Find Your Destination
It’s easy to get overwhelmed when planning a big trip. The options can seem endless, especially if you haven’t traveled a lot. That’s why it helps to get clear on what you want to see and do on your trip. Ask yourself some of the following questions:
Once you’ve narrowed down what you’re looking for, try searching online for places or countries that match that description. Then, you can read online resources about those places and determine if they still sound like somewhere you want to go. This can include information tourism sites, travel forums and more.
Don’t be afraid to get off the beaten path. Just because millions of people flock to London and Paris every year doesn’t mean you have to as well. If Budapest is more your thing, then go there. Travel is not something most people can afford to do often, so it’s important to go where you want – not where you think you should go.
After you’ve determined your location, you need to find the best time to go. That will depend on when you can take off from work, how much travel costs during a particular season and what season you prefer to travel in.
Once you know when you want to go, you can start developing a rough budget. Then you’ll know exactly how much you need to save.
Fund Your Trip
If a trip abroad isn’t within your current budget, it’s time to find ways to make more money. A trip outside the country can cost several thousand dollars depending where you go. So how can you find that kind of money quickly? Try renting out your place on Airbnb.
Airbnb is a great way to make money for people comfortable with sharing their space. How much you earn depends on your city, the time of year and what kinds of amenities your home has. If you have an extra room it can be a great way to make between $66 and $111 a night for renting out something you’re not using. Some hosts make enough to pay their rent in full.
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Plus, you can rent out your room when you leave on vacation (or the whole place if you don’t have any roommates). Being an Airbnb host doesn’t require any special skills beyond being friendly and accommodating to tourists.
Some other money-making ideas include freelancing in your chosen industry, participating in clinical trials, tutoring college and high school students, and picking up retail shifts during the busy season.
Make Travel a Priority
Travel is on the wish list of many of my clients. The best thing you can do for yourself is set up separate travel savings account and stash money aside on a monthly or consistent basis to ensure you’re building up a fund to cover the costs of your trip. It’s easy to pull out your credit card to cover expenses, but your trip won’t be nearly as fun as if you head into it debt free and with the money available to cover expenses.
No matter how you choose to fund or save for your trip, the key is to make your travel plans as painless and straightforward as possible. Making room for travel isn’t just about paying for the cost – it’s about fitting travel into your lifestyle in a sustainable and enjoyable way.