11 Ways To Make Money For Travel Before You Go
Congratulations! You’ve made the decision to travel! One thing though…you’re going to need MONEY to get you there. I’ve told you how to travel Europe for free and travel forever once you’re on the road but unless you plan to hitchhike and sleep under the stars, you’re going to need to make money for travel beforehand. Saving money for travelling can be a pain in the butt. Here are 11 easy and awesome ways to make money for travel right now!
Make Money For Travel
1.Know What You’re Spending
Time to get focused. Before you go any further, write down what you are spending weekly. Do you have direct debits? Write that down. Are you paying for student loans, rent, utilities, transport costs, social activities, your weekly food shop, the gym? Sometimes we have no idea what we’re spending. If this is the case for you, keep track of yourself this week and see what comes up. You’ll learn a lot!
After writing your list, cancel everything you don’t need (be strict and honest with yourself) and write down the exact amount of money you do need to pay your essentials.
2.Set Up A Travel Bank Account
Put ALL of your extra money, after you’ve deducted your essentials, in a savings account. Out of sight, out of mind, that dream trip you’ve always wanted is going to come sooner with your money ready and waiting!
If you’re wondering how much you need to save in the first place, this Budget Calculator is a lifesaver.
Right, let’s get started on how to make money for travel!
Cut Back On Spending
You gotta do it. If you want to make money for travel, you need to reign it in. Without realising it, most of us overspend everyday. Here is what you need to watch out for.
3.Transport
Are you driving to work? I understand for some of you this cannot be changed (hello American friends!). Hear me out though. It may be cheaper to car share, take public transport, ride a bike or walk. Not only will you be looking after the environment and getting fitter…you are going to be saving your precious pennies.
4.Drink
Oh my…coffee and alcohol. It’s so good but it’s sooooo bad for your wallet.
Don’t you dare think about buying that morning coffee. Yes, I know it’s your treat, but those coffee shops are charging you way too much. $5 every work day = $100 a month = $1200 a year = 2 good months in South Asia! Make your own or if you really must go in there for your morning fix, get the cheapest one: ‘Expresso to go!’
Alcohol. Yes, it may make you dance like Shakira (never a bad thing) and it may help you tell that person you have a crush on that you think they’re awesome. Yet, if you want to make money for travel, go cold turkey or get some bevvies from the supermarket. You’ll save so much money you’ll be laughing.
One more thing! Water! Do not buy bottles of water! Use a reusable water filter like Water To Go (Teacake readers get 15% off at checkout with code TEACAKE15).
Oh…and if you smoke, it’s time to quit those nicotine sticks too.
5.Food
It’s time to throw the takeaway menus in the bin and delete your local pizza delivery’s number from your phone. Roll up your sleeves and put the apron on babe because it’s time to make your own lunch and meals.
At the start of every week make a meal plan and stick to it. Extra bonus: you’ll be eating healthier and losing those extra pounds if your body feels it needs to.
6.Clothes, Accessories and Beauty Buys
We all want to look good and look after ourselves, but there are cheaper ways to do it. Are you working out at the gym? Cancel your gym membership. There are so many ways you can work out at home and outdoors in the park using your own body weight.
If you’re getting your hair cut every 6 weeks, make that time 2 months. You can easily get away with that. Are you dying your hair? Do it yourself or go natural. Much cheaper!
When clothes shopping, think second-hand rather than buying everything new. I got some awesome travel gear through clothes swaps and grabbing deals on Amazon. Only buy necessities. Ask yourself, ‘Do I need it?’ If the answer is no, put it down and walk away.
When it’s time to leave, check out my backpacking packing list for essential gear and my travel gifts for women which will really help maximise your travel experience!
7.Sell Unwanted Items
Get selling your unwanted clutter online for extra cash. If you don’t already have one, set yourself up with an eBay account. It is free to join (so no excuses). You can then sell your old clothes, books, electrical items etc on there or Gumtree. You can even set up a yard sale.
8.Find A Roommate
If you do have your own place, you could open up a spare room and make money from it on AirBNB. It’s a great way to make money with a resource you already have and you’ll meet other people travelling, which is a true inspiration!
Talking about your own house…cut back on your utility bills by making sure you only have the heating on when you need it, your lights on when you really need them and all of those electronics off when you’re not using them!
9.Get A Second Job
Make use of your spare time and get a second job. If you have a Monday to Friday job, then why not get a second job at the weekend? Or look for freelance work on websites like Fiverr or Upwork. Or you could simply do extra handy man work, some babysitting or become a tour guide in your local area.
You can leave for your travels even earlier if you want to travel and work at the same time too. I funded my first 5 years of travel by Teaching English Abroad and loved it!
10.Look For Bargains
There are also, plenty of ways to save money when it comes to booking your travel. Always look for deals and make use of comparison websites.
I love using my Skyscanner app to find the best flight deals daily. Download the Skyscanner app here!
For accommodation, I recommend using Agoda for hotels and Hostelworld for hostels.
If you’re not signed up to AirBNB yet, you can also get $37 in travel credit free from me right here!
11.Stay Focused & Remind Yourself Why You Want To Travel
Living in a materialistic world is hard, especially if your friends are the types who want to go out for meals, have drinks on the town and buy the latest fashions on their next shopping spree. Constantly remind yourself why you want to travel and wake up every morning with this goal, to change your life, firmly in your mind.
Good luck traveller! I’ll see you on beach!
Related Reading
12 Awesome Tips For Starting Your Own ECommerce Business
17 fantastic jobs you can do to make money while traveling
How to stop going on holiday and travel full time
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24 Comments
Megsy2 December 2016
Stay focused is the most important! So often life can get in the way and you end up distracted - stay focused - buy the ticket - leave - never return!!!
Alice teacake2 December 2016
Never return! I'm digging that :D
Dariece2 December 2016
Awesome ideas for making money for travel! We used many of these tips ourselves - especially the selling of items, that's how we made a good chunk of change :)
Alice teacake2 December 2016
Ditto! I sold a ton of stuff before I left - the most hilarious thing was probably my car being stolen though. It was used in a high speed car chase after a bank robbery. Car insurance paid out way more than I originally paid for it. Now that's a way to sell you stuff before you leave haha!
Megan2 December 2016
Some fantastic tips here ... there are always ways to cut down and live more frugally to save for travel :) Getting a travel specific bank account is a really great way to stay on track and make sure you don't go backwards :)
Alice teacake2 December 2016
It's definitely true that if you don't even see that money (set up a direct debit) it will be way easier to save!
Patricia - Ze Wandering Frogs3 December 2016
Yes to all the above! Drinks do get expensive quickly. Now a beer or an espresso are a real treat! We did 2 garage sales too, sold well and made space in the storage!
Alice teacake4 December 2016
Nice one Patricia! Excellent point that selling your stuff actually gives you the freedom to declutter your life and leave!
Rob5 December 2016
I'm sorry, but did you just tell me to trim my wine budget?!?! Whatttt?!?!?!?!?!??! Actually, these are all excellent tips, but for sure, the strongest tip is knowing what you're spending to start with. For realz, we spent one night analyzing our budget and within two months had a new surplus that got us plane tickets.
Alice teacake12 December 2016
Bwahahaha Rob!! Love it but yes, good for you for taking a long hard look at the budget ><
Lara Dunning5 December 2016
Great tips for saving money for travels. I do some of these when I can like bike to work. Some of my goals for the upcoming year is to sell old stuff off, donate stuff I never use, and drink less. I think it will put me in a better space to travel.
Vyjay5 December 2016
Nice hacks for saving and traveling. There are only two ways one can manage the finances for travel. Cut down on expenses or increase your income. Ideally a balance of both is what one needs to aim for.
Stephanie Langlet6 December 2016
Great tips! That's so true that we spend each day money on things we could easily avoid!
Alice teacake12 December 2016
I still have to watch myself whilst travelling. I always ask myself...'Do you really need this?'
Elina7 December 2016
The problem with these kinds of lists is that they always somehow assume that I'm spending 5 euros on coffee every day :D It's hard to cut down on what you're spending if you're not really spending that much in the first place. However, there are some other great tips on this list that I think will be very useful! My personal way of saving is just working my ass off, I'm working three jobs right now and one of them (transcription work) is actually one where I can fully decide how much I want to work, and it pays all right if I'm quick. Students might also want to look into grants and scholarships - I'm currently waiting to hear if I'm getting one :)
Alice teacake12 December 2016
I hear you Elina! You gotta work hard to save that dough! I have my fingers crossed for you with the grant / scholarship. Let me know how you get on!
Laura13 December 2016
Those are all great tips. Not spending money on alcohol makes such a big difference! Looking back a few years, I cannot believe the amount of cash I wasted on going clubbing/ drinking. I also think it's important to be aware of the fact that travel doesn't have to cost much. In fact, you can pretty much travel for free if you choose to hitchhike and do couchsurfing. Of course some things you can't get around, like spending money on visas (ugh) or food (although sometimes people feed you when you're hitchhiking, especially in Asia). Workaway is also a great way to cut costs while travelling, it often also comes with free food
Alice teacake14 December 2016
Yeah. VISAS (urgh) and foooood haha. Expensive stuff but I agree that Workaway is an excellent way to get around that.
Shannon - Soleseeking8 April 2017
Great tips! I always insist that not being a tea/coffee drinker helps fund my travels. Unfortunately, my penchant for sweet treats probably counters any progress I make...
Alice Teacake8 April 2017
Hahaha hey Shannon! Ah dear that's so funny >< I think we all have something to treat ourselves and sometimes we just can't help it. Be money conscious but don't scrimp on treat happiness :D
BestTravelsandVacations24 April 2017
Yep Absolutely right dear. its really needed before travelling the beautiful world.
Hatton20 June 2017
I love your blog!!! These are such helpful tips!! I have been using the Mint app which is incredibly helpful for saving and budgeting.
Alice Teacake25 June 2017
Hey! Aaaaah yes I've heard MINT is really good. Thanks for the reminder on that one!
five little doves30 June 2017
Great advice! Half of the reason we don't travel as much is because we can't afford to travel. If we implemented some of your tips we might just be able to travel more often!
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