Drum roll!!! Here are creative ways to save money for travel.
Have you always wanted to take a vacation but lack the ability to save up money to fund your trip?
You keep letting some guilty pleasures rob you off the chance of visiting some of your favourite destinations?
How many minutes a day do you spend looking at the travel section of your daily newspaper or travel blogs and sites, even pictures of exotic locations on Instagram and Twitter?
Saving money can be a challenging task, especially with the country’s dwindling economy.
Nevertheless, there are a few creative ways which you could put money together to make your travel fantasies become reality.
DRAW UP A BUDGET:
The first step I would recommend would be to draw up a budget and stick to it religiously.
Although it is impossible to completely plan for some miscellaneous expenses that may pop up on your trip,
it is still important to work with a budget.
Draft an estimate of what you (and your family or friend (s)) intend to spend.
Include costs like flight/bus tickets or fuel (gas), if using a personal car.
The duration of the trip, feeding as well as accommodation expenditure should also be taken into cognizance.
SET UP A SAVINGS ACCOUNT:
If you have multiple bank accounts, it is advisable to dedicate one of those accounts to saving your money.
If you don’t have one, then it is pertinent to set one up where you could put away money for your vacation.
One way to ensure you never dip into this savings account is to avoid installing the bank application on your phone because it makes transfers and buying airtime easier and could be tempting.
SPEND LESS ON FOOD:
Packing your own breakfast as well as lunch could also help you cut down on costs.
Instead of spending money in eateries or cafés at work, you could eat breakfast before leaving for work and pack your own homemade lunch to work.
When at home, cook for yourself. Avoid fancy restaurants, expensive cuisines and the likes. I
f you must eat out, then you could cut down from 5 times a week to at least two times a week.
Because preparing your own meals at home would save you a lot of extra money which you could add to your “Travel fund,” so to speak of.
TAKE THE BUS MORE OFTEN/CARPOOL WITH A FRIEND OR CO-WORKER:
If you have a car, you could let it rest for a few weeks or months while you save some money.
Using public transportation would indubitably save you from the need to buy petrol (gasoline) or spend money on any repairs to your car that may arise.
Taxify (Bolt) and Uber are fantastic options if you’re looking for reliability and safety while navigating your city.
Also, you could carpool with a co-worker who takes the same route as you every day.
Even if it means strolling to wait for them at the side of the road, carpooling with them to work and back wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
BUY TICKETS IN ADVANCE:
If you already know at what dates you’ll be traveling,
you can save more money by booking for your travel tickets in advance (you can do this on Travelstart), probably months before the desired date of your trip, as ticket prices usually skyrocket as the date draws closer.
You can often get a better deal if you track the prices and pick out the cheapest time/date that fits your schedule.
DRINK/SMOKE LESS:
Do you have a bad habit like smoking or drinking alcohol?
Well, that is another activity that could put more holes in your savings than a perforator on steroids.
Let’s say a pack of cigarette is N300 and you smoke four packs/day, that is N8400 a week and N36,000 a month.
Imagine if you didn’t smoke and had that extra 36k at your disposal.
So, it is advisable to reduce spending money on cigarettes, drinks and other such vices, as it will save you some money as well as your life.
BUY IN BULK:
Though not everybody likes the idea of buying items in bulk, for the items, you constantly use around the house.
The best way to cut down on the prices is to buy them in bulk.
Daily things like sugar, toilet paper, food seasonings, salt, laundry detergent and soap are best bought in large quantities.
because the prices are considerably lower compared to when you buy these items in pieces.
GARAGE SALES:
Think about all the items in your house and single out the ones you have used in the past year.
These items are probably just cluttering to you, contributing to gathering dust in your store or garage.
However, to some other people, they might be useful.
Therefore, instead of letting them waste away, why not host a yard sale or a garage sale and sell the items you no longer have any use for.
If you follow these creative ways to save money for travel, you will travel to your dream destination.
