I love to travel. My parents instilled in me a love for exploring the world and learning about new cultures. We went all over the US, and to Kenya, Rowanda, England, and Italy. I kind of got to live the highlife if we're being perfectly honest.
But let's face it, I am not really rollin in the big bucks over here to support my wanderlust. I mean, it could be done on an itty bitty budget if I were to hitchhike and train hop and stay in hostels and dumpster dive and all. And while I am definitely not against any of those things (in fact I'd really like to lower my traveling expectations a bit), I am probably just not ready for them yet. In the meantime, I want to travel, but I don't really want to pay for it. So what I'm trying to say here is that it's the best of both worlds that I want, really. I would like my cake, and I would also very much like it eat it. And I don't think I'm alone in this. Following my recent trip to Europe, I received a lot of questions about how we did. So I've decided to do a little series on travel tips for the fellow travel enthusiast on a budget. TRAVEL TIP 1: DREAM BIG My first tip is to dream big. I know this sounds weird, considering that is seems more economical to dream small. However, I think it is important to explore what it is about travel that you love, and realize that you don't have to compromise your aspirations. What are your dream experiences? What places are on your bucket list? Who would you love to meet, and what would you love to eat? I think that being on a budget can tend to make us cut back so much that we don't really end up getting the full experience that we were looking for in the first place. As my husband often explains, "You usually get what you pay for," and if you're hungry for seafood and you compromise on fish sticks, you're probably not going to feel satisfied or happy. Now, while I don't think he is always right on this matter (I will explain why later), I do think that he has a point. If you want to go to Italy, you want to go to Italy! Don't trick yourself into thinking that you would rather go to little Italy because it's cheaper. You wouldn't rather it, and at the end of your trip you'll probably still want to go to Italy. Now that you're dreaming big, I am here to tell you that it can be done without squelching your entire savings fund. (Unless you also quit your job at the same time and your husband quits his job, and both of you don't work for 3 months, then it might squelch your savings fund.) I'll prove it to you in tip number 2!
1 Comment
Kristi Birch
2/9/2014 10:09:01 am
Great post. Can’t wait for tip #2 : ).
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ELLEfeminist. linguist. traveller. foodie. crafter. ARCHIVES
January 2018
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