Travel Planning Budget Tips
2013-02-28
by Nomadic Matt
Travel Planning Budget Tips
Planning a trip around the world can be both an exhilarating and nerve racking experience. Where do you start? What do you do? It’s a subject that can take up a whole book! When people ask me what the one best thing they can do is, I tell them it all comes down to creating a budget.
When people find out I’ve been traveling the world for more than six years, they just assume that a) I come from a rich family, b) I won the lottery or c) I have a sugar mama! How else could I afford to travel for so long? Well, none of the above. There’s no secret to long-term travel. It’s simply about knowing how much you have to spend and what you want to spend it on.
For example, when I travel, I allocate a significant portion of my overall budget for activities, dining out and experiencing the local nightlife, because that’s what is most important to me. Others may want to explore a destination as part of a tour group or splurge on a five star hotel. The point is, no one wants to fly all the way to France to make meals in a hostel every night just to stay on budget. Traveling is all about the experiences you have while away, and by budgeting well, you can be sure not to miss out on what you feel best defines the destination or destinations you’re visiting.
Here are a few steps to get started:
Decide where you want to go -
Picking where you want to go is the most important first step. It helps you plan better and makes your trip more concrete. It’s a lot easier to say “I am going to Paris” than say “I’m going somewhere in Europe.”
Plan how long you’ll be away -
How much does it cost to travel? I don’t know – how long are you going away for? After all, how do you know how much to budget and save for if you don’t know how long you will be gone for? You don’t need an exact number but a rough figure can help.
Research costs –
Find out the average costs of travel in each place you want to visit. You can begin with my travel guide section or simply go buy a guidebook. You can’t realistically budget for activities if you don’t know how much they cost.
Follow these tips and you can rest assured that you can make the most of your trip without having to extend any credit lines from abroad!