So, you are starting to see how fun it is travel.What's next? Are you going to pursue it? Here are some of my tips for you that I learned through all those years of thinking if travelling is really for me.
Contemplateif you are really willing to give yourself to travelling. The first step is always the most challenging. Your parents might go against it. Understand them; they are just concerned for your safety. Once they see the photos of the wonderful places you’ve been and realize how strong you’ve become, they’ll be so proud of you.
Sort out your priorities. Do you want to buy that latest Apple product or go backpacking in Southeast Asia? If you can do both, good for you. If not, start ignoring your lust for the latest gadgets. I only buy a new phone when the previous one is stolen. I don’t even know the exact model of my phone. As long as I can send and receive calls and messages and connect to the internet, we’ll work out just as fine. Furthermore, I don’t eat in expensive restaurants. I went to Paris and ate noodles for breakfast, the cheapest burger I could find for lunch and another cup of noodles for dinner.
Invest on a good camera. Trust me, you’ll hate your smart phone for not doing justice on the beauty of the place. This is my only material luxury. I can travel without my phone or laptop but not without my camera. We go to places our parents might not be able to see personally. I guess showing them decent photos is the only thing we can do for them.
Invest on luggage and/or backpack. You don't want to your luggage across a country just because a wheel was broken on your first day. Have a range of them depending on the length and purpose of the trip.
Make an “insert-destination-here fund”. Based from your desired travel date, compute how much you have to put for a regular time interval and see if it’s realistic. If you’re a student, put aside a portion of your allowance each week. For employees, do it every payday. This entails a strict disciple since you have to make do with a lower budget. Just put your destination in mind and you will get through it J
Subscribe on promo alerts. Follow the Facebook page and Twitter of airline companies to be updated on their seat sales. While we’re at it, try to set aside at least a thousand for these instances. The airfare can go as low as P800 during piso fares. It’s heartbreaking just to let them pass because you don’t have enough money. Don’t worry about the other expenses. Usually, you will have around half a year until the travel date so there’s a lot of time to save.
Check deal sites such as Metrodeal, Ensogo and Cashcash. They are legitimate, as I have tried a number of their deals. You can really save a lot!
