How To Save Money to Travel More

We all have that one friend who is able to travel, and is always out on one adventure or another.  Our lucky friend is off seeing the world and we are stuck at home unable to afford the luxury of travel. We might even feel a little bit jealous at times and wonder how we can save money to travel more.  I get asked this question all the time and I’m going to let you in on my little secrets on how I save money so that I can travel more.

10 Ways to Save Money so you can travel more often

We all have the freedom and the ability to travel more often just like that one friend does if we really want to.

10 Ways to Save Money for Travel

  1. Make Travel a Priority
  2. Cut Down Expenses
    1. Walk Instead of Drive
    2. Stay Home
    3. Eat at Home
    4. Skip the Coffee
    5. Quit Smoking and Drinking
    6. Need vs. Want
    7. Travel Savings Account
    8. Save Your Pennies
    9. Wrap Up

Make Travel a Priority

Making travel a priority is step number one in saving money to be able to travel more often.  If we want something badly enough, we can always find a way and be dedicated and make it happen.  This goes with everything in life not just travel, but for the purpose of this article we will focus on saving money for travel.  In order to be successful saving the money we need for travel, it is imperative that the desire to travel is made a priority.  If this step is skipped, saving money for travel won’t be successful.

When I made the decision that life was too short and my primary focus turned to travel (next to my family and my employment of course), I sat down and took inventory of all of my current expenses.  Since I am a solo traveller, travel is much more expensive, but I was shocked to see how many areas of my life could be changed in order to save more money for what I loved to do the most…travel.

Cut Down Expenses to Save Money for Travel

Walk Instead of Drive

In this day and age, we think nothing of hopping in the car and driving to where we need (or want) to go, failing to plan our errands in advance.  There are times when we may find ourselves out, only to realize that we had forgotten to pick up something that we think we might need.  Then off we go again.

to save money to travel more often, consider walking rather than driving. It also saves time and money if you pre-plan your errands
Save money to travel. Walk, don’t drive.

Not only will we save time when we pre-plan our errands, we will also save money by not using as much gas (and we all know how expensive gas is these days).  Before running errands, take the time to determine what is needed for the week, plan your route, and get it all done at once so that you aren’t taking the car out as often.  Better yet, leave the car at home and walk whenever  possible.  Not only will you save money, but you will also get in a bit of exercise and save a ton of time.

Stay Home

Going out shopping or to the movies encourages more spending.  Change your lifestyle when you aren’t travelling to be more of a homebody.  Take up new hobbies, become an avid hiker (which is free and healthy), or entertain your friends at home.  Just stay home more often.  Everytime we leave the house it does cost money.

Stop Eating at Restaurants and Getting Take-Out

Most of us are guilty of either going to a restaurant at least once a week, or at the very least getting take-out.  I always did this on a Friday night.  As somebody who loves going to restaurants, I found this a tough one to give up, but travel was more of a priority for me, so give it up I did. I do occasionally treat myself by going to a restaurant every month or two, just so I don’t feel like I’m missing out on one of my favorite things to do.

Skip the Timmie’s Run

Canadians will know exactly what I mean by this one.  We love our Timmie’s coffee, and I certainly am no exception.   I use to stop for a Timmie’s every night after work and two or three times on the weekends.  My weekly coffee bill often exceeded $15.00 per week.  Although it doesn’t sound like much, over a month that’s $60.00.   That $60.00 has gone a long way to help me save money so that I can travel more often.

Quit Smoking and Drinking

This is a biggy!  Yes, I was a smoker for my entire life until almost 5 years ago.  I decided that I wanted to begin to travel 4 or 5 times a year, and quitting smoking was the only way that I would be able to do that.  With cigarettes in Canada being $16.00 a pack (at the time I quit), I made a HUGE savings for my travel fund.  It certainly wasn’t easy to quit after smoking for 45 years, but my desire to travel and see the world was much greater than giving myself shitty health.

Need vs. Want

Finally, when cutting down on expenses, ask yourself, do I really NEED this?  Or do I just WANT this?  It is amazing how much we buy just because we want it.  If serious about traveling more often, especially as a solo traveller, it is important to purchase only what is needed and forgo the wants.

Saving Money for Travel

In addition to all of the money saved by cutting these unnecessary expenses, there are also additional ways to save money in order to travel more frequently.

Travel Savings Account

Once you have reviewed your weekly/monthly budget, determine what you can afford to set aside.  Open a separate bank account strictly for your travel fund.  Deposit the determined amount either weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, into that account.   Do not have this travel account linked to your debit card, so that the only way you can access it is to go into the bank.

Save Your Pennies

This strategy has always worked for me and I am surprised that more people don’t use it.   I have a large jar (it’s actually a 2 foot plastic beer bottle), that I put all of my change into.  When it comes time for me to travel, I roll it up and exchange it for bills.  This strategy pays for all of my adventures and/or tours when I am travelling. It is a great way to save so that you can have those little extras when travelling.

save all of your change to help you travel more often. This can help to cover the cost of any adventures during your trip
Save your change. This adds up quickly and you can use this money for tours and adventures during your travels

Save Money to Travel More – Wrap Up

In short, saving money to travel more often takes a lot of dedication and determination, but by following these simple, and sometimes not so simple, steps, you will be travelling more frequently in no time at all:

  • make travel a priority
  • walk, don’t drive
  • pre-plan your errands to do all at the same time
  • stay home more often
  • cut out (or cut back) on eating at restaurants and take-out
  • stop the Timmie runs
  • determine WANT vs. NEED
  • open a savings account dedicated to travel only and don’t link your bank card to this account
  • count your pennies
Join Just One Passport to gain the confidence so you can travel solo like a pro and love it.

SAVE MONEY AND MONEY WILL SAVE YOU

If you want to save for travel and be successful, these are just a few methods of saving extra money that have worked for me.  We are all looking for ways to save money, whether it be for travel or other things, and I would love to hear what methods you use to save money so that you are able to travel more?

HAPPY SAVINGS 🙂

Kelly xoxo

PIN IF YOU LOVE TO SAVE MONEY 🙂

10 Easy ways to save money so you can travel more often

84 thoughts on “How To Save Money to Travel More”

  3. Kat Anderson

    I bought a fancy coffee maker so I never buy coffee out, but I am definitely guilty of eating and drinking out. It’s crazy the amount of money I’m saving during this pandemic not able to go out, lol!

    Like

    Reply

  4. Michelle Segrest

    These are fantastic tips! It’s so true that if you want to do something badly enough, you won’t mind giving up other things that perhaps you can live without. I love the tip about just being a homebody because when you are out and about it’s just too easy to spend money. I save that restaurant money so that I can enjoy local food when I travel, which is much more fun anyway!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. Jay Artale

    The Timmie effect is the same as the Starbucks affect! People spending $4-5 on a fancy coffee twice a day, five days a week soon adds up. It’s those little things that really add up don’t they? Small changes can make an impact long term. Me and my husband stopped celebrating birthday and Christmas with loads of presents. Instead we started going on travel adventure instead. That way we didn’t accumulate more “stuff” except memories. And the money we spent went on our love of travel.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Just One Passport

      Many people don’t realize how small changes can save a tonne of money. My kids and I have also stopped buying for Christmas and have started doing family adventure outings. They are all adults now so we have a tonne of fun!

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      Reply

  6. Carrie Ann | Should Be Cruising

    I agree that having the mindset of making travel a priority really helps when you’re cutting out unnecessary expenses. I used to spend way too much money on new clothes and home decor stuff until I realized I’d much rather use the money for travel. Coffee was a sneaky expense, too. I actually like my homemade cold brew better than Starbucks, and it’s so cheap and easy 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  7. pamelard

    People always ask how they can travel as much as me – and it’s pretty simple – it’s a priority. I value travel over most other things. So I use coupons, buy in bulk, and many of the things you mentioned, etc, to save money to prioritize travel.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. Farrah

    These are great tips! I try to walk whenever I can and have definitely adopted more of a “need vs want” mentality (I have too much stuff/clutter, so working on donating a bunch of stuff too)! Thankfully no smoking/drinking, and this quarantine thing is stopping me from going out to eat, so saving money there too. (Silver linings?)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  12. The Homebody Tourist

    These are great tips! I do most of these things to save money for traveling and completely agree with you that it is so important to make it a priority. If you value travel, you will find a way to make it happen!

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  14. Kendra

    Great tips!! I often tell people that making travel a priority is the key–and have to point out the types of things I don’t do (fancy coffee, shopping sprees) so that I can go. And I built travel savings into my monthly budget. But I also love dining out so that doesn’t help my budget!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  16. stefastrolls

    Loved seeing this topic being written- it’s an enigma for many people, but it can be done! It comes down to balance, sacrifice & being proactive! Perspective is imagining where what you’re saving is going towards- I’d rather spend $100 in another country & possibly do something different than be at the local bar! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  17. Larch Gauld

    Some great tips! I avoid high street coffee shops and save my money for my travelling. My coin jar is not getting fed as much as in the past as using my debit card becomes so easy. Maybe I will go back to it.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  18. The Spicy Travel Girl

    I absolutely agree. Many people my age wonder how I’ve been travel so much because traveling is expensive. Funny thing is, much of these people are much richer than me! As long as you have enough to live comfortably, it’s all about priorities.

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  19. sarah

    Good tips and I did all of this because travel has always been the priority. I like to physically put the money away that I would spent on a cake and coffee, so I can actually see the savings. Saving quite a bit at the mo as can’t go anywhere lol.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  21. josypheen

    Great tips, although Timmies is such good value – imagine if you were buying starbucks instead of Tim Hortons!? 😉

    I have found some of my biggest savings by attempting to cut down on plastic(!) I swapped antiperspirant for an alum crystal (it’s mad that it works) and started making my own peanut butter/ cleaning products. It was a nice surprise to find out doing those things saves money as well as plastic. 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  22. Amanda

    Such a Canadian thing! Tim Hortons! haha! love it. This is a great post. My husband and I saved up to travel for year, however we ended up getting burnt out and came home for Christmas. Happy we did though, since the virus broke out a couple months after.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  26. Kathleen

    Great tips to save money for travel. That last one, saving your change, has done wonders for us. We have saved our change for probably 20 years. We’ve been able to buy 8 acres of land in Alaska with our change, buy a riding lawn mower for our house in Idaho and now we are saving again. This time it will be for a 30th anniversary trip. I’m glad you stopped smoking. Travel is much better than being unhealthy.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  27. Freya

    Great tips Kelly, a few of them I have only recently started implementing as a result of the lockdown. I’m definitely not eating out, driving anywhere or buying takeaway coffee right now 🙂 The small things really do make a difference. I don’t have a dedicated travel account though, so you’ve given me another good idea.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  29. revolvingcompass

    A really useful list for those who want to expand their travel budget. We do practice some of these like eating out really infrequently and that definitely makes a big difference

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  30. Yukti

    Saving money for travel is always what I also prefer. Going for walks is a good idea for saving money and also a good exercise too. I too love cooking at home instead of spending lots of money in restaurants. Avoiding smoking is a really a healthy tip to save money and health.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  31. Amrita

    These are really some great tips for saving money. And I think these tips are relevant for saving money for any thing, not only travel. Saving up the pennies is a great way to save money. The loose changes often add up to a lot. And yes, we often spend a lot of money on eating and dining out. Cutting them can actually save a lot of money for our travel fund. I don’t have a television at home. It saves a lot of time and also saves on the cable bill!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  32. Debjani Lahiri

    Those are some practical tips that I religiously follow in order to save money to follow my passion . Eventhough I have a full time job. I think it’s very imp that one should be clear of the priority and the kind of passion travel is it definitely requires money to be invested

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  33. Michelle

    Great tips!! Yes, travel has to be a priority. As, I have gotten older and “wiser” lol I have noticed travel just isn’t a desire for some and for others it’s not a priority, and that’s OK too. For us, it’s not the house or the cars, but the adventure we can have as a family. Now if we could curb the eating out we would have more funds!🤣

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  34. Anuradha

    Some nice times for saving money! We also investigate on where the money goes out, so that we can see if we can cut down the unnecessary cost. Also, we don’t do unnecessary shopping (clothes, shoes, bags and accessories).

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  35. Matt

    The coffee one is so true! $5 x 5 days a week quickly adds up.
    Last year I made the switch to 7/11 coffee $2 a cup so that I could still feel a little bit of the coffee buying luxury, but even that amount was a big saving.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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