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Are you dreaming of exploring new destinations but worried about the costs? Learning how to save money for travel is essential for making your adventures a reality. Whether you want to experience the vibrant cultures of different countries, enjoy breathtaking landscapes, or simply take a well-deserved break, careful planning and smart budgeting can help you stretch your travel funds. 

7 Tips to Save Money for Travel

From creating a budget to finding creative ways to save, these tips will ensure you can enjoy your journey without breaking the bank. So grab your passport and let’s get started on making those travel dreams come true!

1. Create a Budget

No surprises here, but the first step in learning how to save money for travel is figuring out how much you need to save. For how long are you planning to be abroad? Which country or continent are you wishing to explore? Are you looking for affordable places to travel to? Or are you a fancy hotel-seeker, a hostel-dweller, or are you camping wherever you can find a spot? These things and more need to be considered when you are planning a trip.

Insider Tip: Make sure to overestimate how much you’ll need. There’s nothing worse than getting one month into a three-month long excursion and realizing you’ve already spent your savings.

2. Start Using Cash

It’s easy to swipe your card at the grocery store, café, restaurant, or shopping center. However, when you pay in cash, it becomes harder to ignore how much you’re spending. If you’re wondering whether going abroad is free, keep in mind that managing your expenses is key. After setting up your budget, consider your monthly expenses and how much you want to save. From there, decide how much you plan to spend on food, activities, and other items during the month. Withdraw the amount you’ve allocated for these expenses in cash, and you might be surprised at how much you have left at the end of the month!

Expert Tip: If you do have remaining cash, factor that into how much you take out next month. You’ll save even more in the long run.

3. Get Creative in the Kitchen

More importantly – stop eating out if you want to save money for travel. Once you’ve been saving for some time, you’ll start to realize that items you order at a restaurant could be easily created at home. In fact, cooking can be a fun, cheap activity to do alone or with friends! There are countless sources online for delicious, inexpensive recipes. Create a meal plan, and head to the supermarket. It’s usually best to shop around the store’s periphery with the produce, meats, and dairy products. The inner aisles typically play host to the many processed foods – and those add up quickly on a shopping receipt!

Money Saving Tip: Make extra helpings of recipes and freeze them for quick lunches and dinners. You’ll be surprised just how much you’ll save on those unplanned meals.

Tips for Saving

4. Take Advantage of Great Deals

Watch out for discounts and coupons at your favorite stores and supermarkets! If you are in desperate need of wardrobe additions – head to the “Final Sale” section, where you can find excellent items for much more reasonable prices. Looking for a night out or a fun weekend excursion? Explore websites like Groupon or LivingSocial to sign up for free and enjoy thousands of great deals on restaurants, products, and activities throughout your city and beyond.

Insider Tip: Download apps or sign up for newsletters at stores you frequent most. Discount codes and coupons will automatically be sent to you, and the cashier will happily scan the barcodes on your phone.

5. Enjoy the Free Things in Life

Even with great coupons, the reality is that you may want to wait and spend that money on your trip. Look for free things to do in your daily life. Go hiking or wandering through a state park, spend an afternoon at a unique museum with no entrance fee, attend a free concert or theater performance, see if there are any fun festivals happening in the area, and more.

6. Build a Support System

Sticking to your budget is hard work. That’s why we would suggest finding someone who can keep you accountable. This can really be anyone, although it may be best to find someone who you see or talk to on a daily basis. Having an understanding third party during this time will be extremely helpful, not only to keep you on track to accomplish your goal, but also for mental support as well!

7. Be Realistic

No matter how much planning you do – life still happens. Some months, you are going to spend more money than you originally intended, and that is okay! When you’re traveling you’re bound to hit some bumps in the road, but don’t worry too much. Move on, and start fresh next month.

Saving Tips

Start Saving Money for Travel!

Saving money for travel is all about balance, creativity, and staying committed to your goal. No matter if you decide to join an internship or volunteer program overseas, figuring out how to fund the experience is a crucial part of the process. We’re also here to help you find more ways to fund a travel abroad program.

BONUS: Interning, studying, or volunteering abroad with World Endeavors? Be sure to check out our Scholarships Page!

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