How to Save Money for Travel (even as a student)

Because it takes more than just will power to travel.

Make traveling a priority

Nearly everyone wants to travel, but just wanting to isn't enough to make it happen. You have to make traveling a priority. Saving for your next trip (or for a yet-unplanned-trip) has to be a part of your budget. If it's not something you regularly save for, you'll never have enough money saved for the trip.

Have a specific goal

Figure out how much your trip will cost (approximately) and figure out how much you need to save daily/weekly/monthly for that trip.

If it's a $2,000 trip in 4 months, you have to save $500/month, $125/week, $17.86/day. 

Having it broken down like that can make it seem more feasible. When I'm saving for a trip it helps to remember that the cost of a movie or dinner at a restaurant is all I have to save for the day to meet my goal. 

Don't have a specific trip to save for yet?

I always use $1,500 as my starting point for a trip. Some trips are less expensive, of course, and a lot of trips cost more. $1,500 is a safe goal for when you don't have a goal; it gives you something to work toward until you plan another trip.

Do side-jobs

Now that you have a specific goal, and you're making it a priority to save for, you need to find the money to save.

Whether you have a job or not, doing side-jobs can be easy and can make it seem easier to save.

Find an extra babysitting job once a week, tutor someone one or two hours a week, or become a dog walker. There are so many options for small jobs that can help you save so much more. When I'm in a crunch for money, I use Care.com to find people who need one-time babysitters. When you get these jobs you're guaranteed the amount they post, plus you'll be in their contacts if they ever need a babysitter again.

Put 100% of the money from these jobs into your trip savings. It can be enough to meet your goal for the week if it's profitable enough.

Crowdfund

So I've never done this one personally, but I have seen it done. If you're going on a volunteering trip, or a big trip to Europe, or somewhere else educational, this may be ideal. 

Write a little bit about your trip, why you need the money, and ask your friends/family to give a little money to help you pay for it. You probably won't get 100% of the funds you need, but it's better than nothing!

Couponing/ finding discounts

It's fairly easy to find discounts on things you buy on a daily basis. You can you RetailMeNot.com or similar sites to find discounts. You can also sign up for the Starbucks Rewards Program to get a free drink after you purchase 12 (once you become a gold member). 

The discounts can add up fast. Use whatever money you save with the discounts you find to put toward your trip. You won't save for the whole trip this way, but it'll definitely give you a good start!

Cut out the fluff

It's easy to say, difficult to do. 

Cut out one thing per day/week that costs you money. Do you go to Starbucks everyday? - replace that with the new Starbucks K-Cups to save yourself some money. Do you go out for lunch everyday? - take your lunch to work once a week. Do you have a weekly date night at the movies? - get a movie on your computer to watch instead!

Just one thing per week can save you more money than you might think! I used to go to a movie about once a week- it's $10.50 for the ticket, which I always factor in, but I never thought about the cost of popcorn and drinks. It can end up costing about $30 just for a movie- that's a lot of money.

Save your $5 bills

This is a weird trick my roommate started using. She was talking about how no one really values $5 bills (I'm not sure how true that is) and declared she would start saving every one that ever came into her possession. 

She used a card more often than cash, but she still saved a ton of money by doing this. She ended up with about $200 at the end of the semester. She said she barely thought of putting the bills away as her saving money or losing spending money; it just kind of became a habit.

I've started doing this (along with saving all my coins) and have saved a ton already. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who uses cash.

Do you have any weird tips/tricks you use to save money?

Is Success Really Measurable?

I've always wanted to be "successful" in life (as most people do, I'm sure). But I mean, I was, and am, the spokesperson for traditional ideals of success. I studied hard in high school so I could get into a great college (I was going for an Ivy, which didn't work out but I do believe NYU is better for me anyway). I have big dreams for after college- getting a job at a super big bank or something of the sort, making six-figures in the first few years and seven after that.

But I never stopped to think about what I really wanted when I was planning all of that. I didn't ask myself why I wanted it, though many people have asked me since I started school. The truth is, I don't know why I want to do those things, besides the fact that that's what I feel I need to be successful. Some people define success as becoming a doctor or a lawyer, or simply owning a house and having a happy family.

Then there's another type of person altogether- the kind that thinks happiness is the only key to success. You know, the "money can't buy happiness" kind. Personally, I've never been a huge fan of that kind of person because money can buy a lot of things that can make you happy, and isn't that kind of the same thing? (Listen to "Buy Me A Boat" by Chris Janson, it kind of explains my thoughts on that).

But then I come across people like Noelle Hancock who wrote this amazing story for Cosmopolitan about selling all her belongings and moving to an island. Reading that story kind of made me want to sell of my things and move to an island- you have to admit, it's kind of an exciting idea.

So I ask myself what I really want a little more often now. Could I still be successful if I move to an island I've never even visited?

How important is being successful to me?

I don't have it all completely figured out yet but I do know one thing: I don't see success as the traditional view society has of it. I don't think I'll be selling all my belongings any time soon, but I do think that's a definite possibility for me after I graduate college.

Success is such a broad word, I think everyone has to define it for themselves. Then you have to revise your definition of it over and over as your life evolves (or as you succeed) because living life without something to work toward is pretty boring, actually.

Some of My Favorite Trips

So this is my first post on Ambition & Wanderlust, and I'm super excited about it!

If you can't tell by the name of the blog, I have a bit of wanderlust. I've been to 35 states and 7 countries (if you count the United States as one). I'm constantly trying to plan more travel, but I put together a list of some of my favorite places I've been so far.


Paris, France

Cliché, right? It might not be adventurous, per se, but it is a fantastic city. Paris is somewhere I've wanted to visit since I was a kid; in fact, I took French classes simply because I loved the thought of Paris so much. There's so much to do, so much culture: from the Eiffel Tower to the catacombs. There's a little something for everyone in the City of Light.

The first time I visited Paris was the summer before my junior year of high school (it was also my first time going to Europe, and flying in a plane!) It was before I really knew how to travel, but I will never forget the feeling I had when I first laid eyes on the Eiffel Tower. It was a feeling I haven't had since; it took my breath away, it made me fall in love, it was everything I hoped for and more. The only thing I can compare it to is what I imagine love at first sight would feel like (and it kind of was love at first sight).

Here's a picture of me failing at taking a good travel photo:

(I'll get more into why that was such a fail of a photo in a post later)

Florence, Italy

Florence is a beautiful city. I love shopping in Florence, the food is amazing (pizza and pasta are my all time faves), and the sights are pretty beautiful too. I've been to Florence twice as well and I still haven't seen all the art and sights I'd like to see. If you're a fan of art (or even just want to see some iconic pieces of art), Florence is a great place for you too!

Capri, Italy

Capri is an island in the Mediterranean, and it is nothing short of amazing. I've never stayed in a hotel on the island (it's a very expensive island), but a day trip is enough to see most of what it has to offer. There are beautiful gardens, some fantastic shops- you can get custom made sandals, they're kind of a big deal- and you can jump off of huge rocks into the Mediterranean. I'm more of the adventurous type, so jumping off rocks is my activity of choice (also skinny dipping in the ocean, but that's a whole different story). 

I would also recommend the boat tour around the island, it's absolutely amazing to sail under the original Tunnel of Love, even if you're perpetually single like I am. 

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

I used to go to Winnipeg on a yearly basis with my French class in high school. There's so much to do in the city; there's French culture all around (especially in the Forks), there's some great shopping, and a ton of great restaurants. If you like international travel but can't afford Europe at the moment, Winnipeg is a great alternative.

I have a ton of other favorite places to go- it was so hard to come up with just a few to list. Do you have any favorite cities/countries/areas of the world that I didn't mention? I'd love to hear about them!

About Me

I've had wanderlust for as long as I can remember, but I've also been very ambitious for just as long. It's a tough act to feed both parts of my life, but I make it work. Learn more about me/ this blog here.