travelrob

I know a lot of financial experts say to skip travel if you're poor.I totally disagree with that.Travel can open the door to business ideas and jobs.It also acts as a strong motivation to make more money.The very planning and saving for trips can lead to different opportunities.If you have kids,travel opens their eyes to careers they haven't thought of and colleges they might like to attend in the future. On top of all that, planning of trips brings happiness and of course travel is educational.

You might ask though,"How am I going to pay for this travel having only a very limited income?" Below, I'll tell you some of my current ideas and how I'm paying for travel in the future.I have tried to include examples that most people can easily do.This is just a sampling,but as you will see, even these small steps add up. I'll give the total amounts too for these steps. I didn't even include things like selling extra stuff on E-bay,couponing, and buying flights and hotels with frequent flier miles or points.I also didn't include working overtime or getting part time jobs outside the home.

Now, let me get to the specifics. I suggest opening up a travel savings account at the bank to be used only for travel.

I'll cover three main aspects of budget travel when you have a limited income.

1. Ways to cut back on expenses to save for your trips.

2. Earning extra money to pay for some of the travel.

3. Planning trips that are inexpensive.



1.Ways to cut back on expenses to save for your trips:
(My projected savings for these three things I listed are $1292.00)

Here are some recent things that I did to save money. First I canceled my cable provider ,Comcast, which I had both cable and internet with.They were costing me $85 a month.I switched to internet only from AT&T and regular free TV. AT&T costs me $23 a month now.Also, they sent me a credit to take care of the self installation fee,so switching was free. Savings- $744.00 a year . I'll put that $62 each month in my travel savings account.

Then, I'm getting Republic Wireless for my cell phone. Cost- $19 a month, including unlimited talk, text, and web.The last cell phone I had cost $50 a month.Savings $372 a year.So I'll put the $31 a month savings in the travel account.

I eat out at restaurants about twice a week.Most of the time it's an inexpensive meal like a hamburger or a sandwich.I'll order tap water and save $2 a meal , that I would of spent on a drink.Not only is it a healthier option, it's a painless way to pocket some savings.Savings - $176.00 a year.I'll put the $16 a month savings in the travel account.( I only counted the savings for 11 months, because I'll order drinks on trips)

If one has dependent children,consider saving part of the Earned Income Credit for travel.The amounts can be several thousands for people with limited incomes.I realize most people need to pay off bills too with the money,but the majority of people use at least part of it to buy things. Saving part of your tax money for travel ,is a great way to kick start your travel savings account.

2. Earning extra money to pay for some of the travel:
(My projected extra income is $1800.00) *This amount can go up to $6000

Since I no longer have cable TV,I spend more time on the internet.I have been doing small jobs on Amazon Mechanical Turk.They pay for small tasks or writing.Normally a very small amount ,but it can be fun and it's extra money. I'm making $150 a month for an hour or two a night so far. Projected earnings $1800.00 a year, Now, if a person gets qualified for top tier writing on Crowdsource,through Mechanical Turk,the income from that can easily go up. One can make $6000.00 a year for those couple of hours a day.

3.Planning trips that are inexpensive:
(Most of my domestic trips are under $600 total and my international trips are between $800-$1400 total)

One really needs to be flexible on dates and destinations to get great airfares. Check Airfarewatchdog or check flexible date searches on sites like Kayak, Google Flights, etc.Over the past decade ,almost all my airfares to Europe have been for under $500 rt total. Buy when you see a great price.The savings really do add up.

After buying your plane tickets,make sure you check hotel booking sites like booking.com,Hotel combined,Room 77, AirBnb, etc. to see accommodation prices.Again ,book when you see a bargain. There are also free accommodation sites such as Couchsurfing,so research that more if you are interested in free stays.

Look into cheap forms of local transportation.An example would be buses in Europe like Eurolines or Megabus. Sometimes specials can be as little as a few dollars. Budget airlines like Easy Jet are also good for traveling between cities.And when you see a great price,buy.

Be sure to join forums,read online info, read guidebooks, and look at websites like Price of Travel to get more info on budgeting and other aspects of travel.And research trip Insurance to see if it's right for you. All those are also a valuable source for picking free or inexpensive sights for the places that you are traveling to.

I registered through American Airlines to a site called e-rewards.They offer rewards at various companies for taking surveys. When you get up to $20 ,you can get a $25 restaurant.com certificate.That will really cut down on your restaurant bills if you travel domestically. I average one or two certificates a month. You can also use the credit for other things,but I think right now the certificates to restaurant.com are the best deals.

Good luck! I hope some of these tips help.Be sure to share yours below.

betty30

Thanks for providing this tips. Now, i will also get reward and when it is collected then i will plan my travel

travelrob

Thanks betty30. I'm glad you are able to use some of the tips.Let me know which tips work out best for you in the future.

Travelnut

Thanks for taking the time to share your methods... Retirement is not too far down the road, so savings will be even more important.

travelrob

Travelnut-You're welcome. Sometimes making a little bit of money at home can make all the difference in taking a trip.That's why I included Amazon Mechanical Turk.E-rewards also takes the sting out of eating out. I just tried to include things that anybody could do. Everybody can't qualify for the mileage credit cards or point hotel cc,but most everybody can do the above.

oh2doula

I took a part time job working at a local hotel to earn money to take my daughter to London for graduation - I only worked weekends but paid for our trip AND with the Friends and Family discount on hotel rooms I have saved money on domestic hotels!!
Thanks for a great post!! Wonderful ideas!!

travelrob

Thank you oh2doula. Great idea getting a part time job at a hotel chain! For years, I could work unlimited overtime. A bunch of my co-workers and I would stay to earn extra for an upcoming trips.And it helped that my colleagues reminded me I had to stay to pay for my trip. LOL Always helped motivate me to stay.

I was trying to write ideas that anybody can do and your part time job suggestion really does fit into most people schedules.

vitstour

Thanks for providing this tips. Now, i will also get reward and when it is collected then i will plan my travel. Thanks friends

Marty_B2013

Posts are best when the author has been there and done that - great to see your perspective as someone who has done each of your recommendations.
I'm interested to know more of your thoughts on budget transportation. That could either be an expanded part of this post or a follow up. While transportation can be the highest expense on a trip, there are certainly alternatives to high cost transportation (as you alluded to with being flexible with dates). As a part of RidePost.com I would be interested in your thoughts on ridesharing to lower the cost and increase the cultural engagement when traveling.

Thanks!

travelrob

Thanks vitstour And Marty_B2013.

I have never done ride sharing ,so I'd be the wrong person to ask.It does sound like an interesting idea though.I think you'd be much more informed than I.


Besides buses,Man in Seat 61 gives some good train discount sites. There are also a lot of good rental car searches. I've even seen some that let you rent cars from private individuals
And I already mentioned above some of the airfare search sites I use to get bargains

Marty_B2013

Thanks travelrob!

All the best.

MissGreen

There are now dating sites where you can list yourself as a travel companion so some supposedly rich person can take you away just so they have a date.???????

travelrob

MissGreen-I guess that might be an option for some people,although I don't know how safe that option is? Also ,I wonder what the "date" is expecting in return.

One other thing I forgot to mention is contests.I actually won a trip to England before. The funny thing was people before me didn't accept it,thinking it was a scam. I know travel contests scams are out there, but it's pretty easy to investigate first and see what are legitimate contests.

travelrob

MissGreen- I saw this on the TV show Nightline. I wouldn't recommend those sites to people, but your right those sites exist.

http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/vide...tions-18321034

Catoni

The article says, "I'll order tap water and save $2 a meal , that I would of spent on a drink"

I think the person meant to say "...would have spent..." or "...would've spent"

(would've is a contraction of "would have")

Very bad grammar..and simply wrong... to say "...would of..."

You should use either "would have" or "would've".

mlgb

Thanks for topping the thread Catoni. There are some ideas in the OP that I haven't hears about.

You must be having a very slow Sunday to make this your first post on Fodors.

crellston

I am sure that all our lives have been greatly enhanced by the lesson in grammar provided by Catoni ��