Plan Your Epic Dream Vacation On A Budget
We get asked all the time, “How are you able to travel so much?”. The short answer, we plan really well. That’s definitely not the answer you wanted though. That’s only part of it. Honestly the biggest factor is that we are two single girls with roommates who have no ties down anywhere. No kids, no husbands, no pets (that we pay for), so besides our personal bills all of our money goes to ourselves. We are very fortunate that we are in that situation, and that’s why we take advantage of it right now. We know how to make travel more affordable.
It’s not easy though. We run multiple business’ and Ashley still has another full time job on top of that. She’s rolling in the cash way more than me that’s for sure! Most of our monthly bills don’t change (besides electric in the summer), so we know how much money we have leftover to spend on the things we want to do, which is mostly travel. We definitely make that our priority.
To be honest though, I never really felt like travel was an out of reach thing because we always traveled as kids. It was never the Ritz, more like our minivan driving all around the country, but we still did it. I truly thank our parents for always taking us around. That’s really where it all started. If you are one of those people who always thought that travel is out of reach, I’m here to tell you that it’s not. There are so many ways to visit your dream destination, you just have to be creative!
Plan & Book Early– Don’t try and book a huge vacation one month out. Depending on your destination you should be planning 3-6 months out.
Pick Your Dates Wisely– We always try to pick our dates off peak. We always go to the caribbean at this time of year because it’s most popular during the winter months. Do your research on the country to see what their peak and off-peak times are.
Track Flights– Track your flights on Google Flights for weeks to months. Have your funds available so you can buy when it hits a low price!
Pick What’s Important To You– If your accommodation is important to you, than spend less on food & activities and vise versa. Personally we usually pick a moderate accommodation. We like to stay somewhere nice, but we don’t need all the frills.
Save On Food– Unless you are a food critic, major foodie, or just completely obsessed with all things food, you can definitely save on this aspect. Don’t get me wrong, we still eat great and try everything the cities have to offer, but we have ways to save. Usually we only have two meals a day when traveling + a snack. We also share a lot of our meals, which can bring the cost down. If you are staying in an Airbnb and don’t care about food, shop at a local grocery store and cook your meals. International grocery stores are one of our favorite activities.
Use Public Transit– If we are in Europe we always use public transit. It is the cheapest and easiest way to get around everywhere. In the states we sometimes rent a car, but not always. It depends on if the city has a public transport system.
Stick To Budget– It’s easy to get carried away while you are travelling and spend so much money. Lots of shopping and lots of activities. Try to stick to your budget as much as possible, and build some wiggle room into your budget. Traveling is such a rewarding experience, but it’s not worth going into debt.
If you follow these tips you can plan an epic dream vacation, and stick to your budget!
-Shelbs xx