Making your travel goals happen starts with, well, knowing where to start.
"It's too expensive. I can't afford to go right now, maybe in a year or two"
I have conversations about traveling all the time. Often I'll ask them when they're going to go to that one place they've always wanted to go to...and get the above response.
Literally year after year, talking to the same people ends up with the same conversation. They haven't made any progress on their travel plans!
Maybe it's my slight obsession with traveling, but I can't imagine not traveling at least once or twice a year, even if only for a few days.
I can't imagine having a goal - travel-related or not - and not even make an effort to see if it's attainable.
For me, a high level of self-motivation has been instilled in me for as long as I can remember. If I want something, I go after it.
Do. Fail. Repeat.
If you fail, you'll learn something and be even more prepared to tackle that goal again.
If you succeed? Imagine it. Imagine how sweet success would feel. Imagine what success would look like.
Sometimes those travel conversations I have end up with the other person getting a little closer to seeing if their trip is attainable.
I'll say something like, "Have you checked Skyscanner? I saw roundtrip flights to Bangkok for only $675." And they're like "Oh, what?! Okay, I'll look into it."
It's time to break down the mental block where you assume the things you want in life are too expensive or too time-consuming or too unattainable.
And there's no better way to do that than with a quick, 10-minute plan!!
Can you afford to travel? Find out in 10 minutes with these quick steps
Step 1 (1 min):
Log into your banking app/website account. Write down or take a mental note of how much money you have.
Step 2 (4 min):
Put in a roundtrip destination with a ballpark idea of when you may want to go on Google Flights. You can search by month/year instead of a specific date to find the best rates.
Step 3 (4 min):
Go to Budgetyourtrip.com and select your destination and currency (I select USD to make it easier for me to truly understand how much it'll cost).
Select the number of days you're considering and travel style and it'll give you a breakdown of what the cost will probably be.
Step 4 (1 min):
With estimated flight and budget costs, decide to keep pursuing your trip for now, or setting a goal to make it happen later!
Please don't get discouraged if it's not in the cards right now (and see my tip at the bottom of this post for a work-around!) Set a savings goal and stick with it - even if it's not for a year or two, if you're set on making it happen, it'll eventually happen. :)
For anyone who is thinking, "I'm so busy I don't even have 10 minutes" ....
I know you guys are busy. So am I! We all have a ton of commitments (and distractions) taking up our 24 hours a day.
Here's where you may find ten minutes to do this:
waiting in line at Starbucks
the few minutes before a meeting at work while you're waiting for everyone to show up and get settled (assuming you're on time 😉)
when you check your Instagram or email notifications in the morning...instead of endlessly scrolling through the feed or getting lost in your inbox, go through these steps
when you're in public transport or someone else is driving
when you're waiting for your car at the car wash
*Think you can do this in under ten minutes?
Time yourself and let me know how fast you did it!
I'd be impressed :)
If you're truly invested in making it happen you'll move on to the next costs and see how much it will be, when you can go (even if it is next year or later)!
HUGE IMPORTANT TIP:
Working while you travel significantly reduces costs and can make your trip happen faster. I'm talking fun and rewarding jobs that include a travel component, or even online ventures where you can work from anywhere.
I've saved $10,000+ from working while traveling and created a free starter guide just for you that breaks down the steps. Sign up here if you're ready to stop dreaming and start TRAVELING. Much love 💛