"Life be Life-ing". Bills are due, responsibilities are real, and being spontaneous can feel replaced with mortgage payments, car notes, unexpected roof replacing (me this year), and trying to maintain (especially in this economy). Somewhere along the way, many people believe that traveling is reserved for the rich. I disagree.
Travel is not reserved for people in first class seats, luxury resorts, or trust funds. Travel is for anyone willing to prioritize experiences, plan intentionally and move within their means.
If you wait until you have all the money or with the hopes of becoming rich one day, you may never take that opportunity.
While you wait for the perfect financial moment, I'll be somewhere collecting stamps in my passport, memories in my camera and priceless life changing experiences.
People think that traveling has to be this extravagant occasion for it to be worth it.
I have heard people say to me that they aren't willing to travel to certain parts of the world unless they are in first class. Great! Awesome, guess what? My economy seat got me there along with everyone else on that plane. If you have the First-class money, baby buy the seat, but this one isn't for you.
You don't need 5-star hotels and champagne upgrades to feel alive in a new country.
Listen to me, all you need is a clean, comfortable hotel in a great location, an airline deal (I recently found a roundtrip flight to Greece for $352!-direct may I add), a carry on bag, great walking shoes, an appetite for street food, curiosity and the willingness to go. That's it and that's all!
I call my style of travel: The comfortable traveler.
Not hostel living if that's not your style (There's definitely levels to this).
Not blowing money to impress (I am pretty money conscious in general, after all I am not rich....YET)
You can have responsibilities AND see the world.
These are some things that I personally do or don't do to have travel experiences:
- I do not get my hair done. I have always been creative in this area, I have been doing my own hair over the last 10 years, it's just not an expense I am willing to dish out, when I can do it myself. Many women spend 100's of dollars on vacation maintenance, if that's your thing, cool, but this is for my money conscious people. (Hair, lashes- I do...I will get my nails done but press-ons are also an option).
- I try to have my trips paid in full BEFORE my trip. This takes the stress out of coming home and having a big bill, I can come home, my bills are still paid and I can actually look into the next trip. I know a lot of people use credit cards for the points, etc. FOR ME, this aint it, I want to come home and not have a big ass bill to worry about (If you have the cash flow, do you, again, not for the average earner).
- I pay in installments. For example, if I travel with a Travel group, you are making monthly payments for flights and lodging and you are finished paying months before your trip. This allows you to travel stress free because your trip is already paid in FULL. Just focus on saving your spending money.
- Have a Vacation or Travel Fund. I set a vacation fund up with my job. Each check, an amount comes out and I receive that money in a lump sum at the end of the school year. You do not miss the money coming out of your check (you choose the amount) and you can use that money to book a flight, pay back on a trip or use for spending money on an upcoming vacation.
- I travel for EXPERIENCE; I am not traveling to do the same things in other countries that I can do in my home state. ie. Big extravagant brunches or laying on a resort for 7 days in a pool (No shade, been there done that). Everyone has their preferred way of a vacation or travel experience! I want to be with the people, engulfed in culture and learn as much as I can. So, I limit expensive dinners and restaurants and eat locally!
- I STOPPED CLOTHES SHOPPING FOR TRIPS! It took me awhile to realize that shopping for vacations where people have not even met or seen me before is the biggest waste of money. You are spending hundreds of dollars on clothes BEFORE the trip. Nope. I have accumulated enough nice pieces that I can and do shop my own closet. This saves soooooo much! You have clothes at home! I am proud to say I have not spent money in 2026 on clothes.
- Choose a niche to shop when you are looking for souvenirs. I like to buy coasters from different countries and a handbag that represents each place I visit. This helps you not just shop for random souvenirs that you will place in a box and forget about years down the line. I use my coasters all over my home and one thing I will do is wear my handbags. It gives meaning and a great conversation starter.
- Track Flights. Do not just go with the first flight you see. Spend a little bit of time to do research and track flights. You will be notified when those prices fluctuate. That is how I found the roundtrip flight to Greece for $352!! I had to do it!
- Do not be afraid to use a Travel Agency that curates the trips for you. Not only do they plan all excursions, flights, hotels, but you also have a personal tour guide that is native to the country to take you all over! This not only takes the stress out of planning, but also saves money because it is already planned for you. You are not blindly spending money trying to find things to do.
- Learn the Public Transportation system. It is so much cheaper than spending money on Ubers to travel everywhere. ( I am not going to lie, I do frequent Ubers especially if I am traveling alone, use your best judgement). I will say with this recent trip to Greece, I utilized the metro system. So, instead of paying $60 for a ride from the airport, I spent $10 on the metro! (opt for the scenic route, its adventurous)
- Utilize social media to your advantage. Look up things to do and places to visit on Tik Tok and Instagram to see how other experiences went, you can find out prices, do's and don'ts and even ask questions.
- Be open to have new experiences and talk to people, they will tell you where to go! Have fun! Live life!
Stop waiting for perfect! Go, but within reason. Traveling has been an amazing experience.
You learn yourself more.
You move smarter.
You appreciate moments deeper.
Travel teaches you confidence, adaptability, gratitude and perspective. Life is so much bigger than bills, routines and stress.
I say all of this to say. Traveling does not have to be super expensive. Be smart about it. You may have to make some sacrifices a long the way. But trust me, it is so worth it! Book the flight!
While some people are waiting to afford their Business Class flights, I'm already boarding (hair flip).
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