Whether it’s a river cruise in Porto, Portugal, a slow safari in Kenya, or a summer wandering the Mediterranean, getting ready isn’t just about what goes in your suitcase. It’s about setting yourself up to travel with confidence, comfort, and a sense of calm.

Start with Smart Packing

After years of travel (and a few forgotten toothbrush moments), we’ve learned that packing light is the difference between breezy adventure and shoulder aching regret. The secret? Focus on what you’ll really use. Comfortable shoes, lightweight layers, and breathable fabrics are your best friends on the road.

Keep your essential items for carry-on luggage close: medications, prescriptions, a change of clothes, snacks, and anything valuable or irreplaceable. Airlines lose bags, it happens, so make sure your carry-on can get you through a couple of days on its own. We also like to stash a small bottle of laundry soap and a quick dry outfit. You’d be amazed how far that one outfit can take you.

Take Care of Health and Dental Work Early

Nothing ruins a sunset over Santorini faster than a toothache. Before you go, take care of your checkups and any dental work you’ve been putting off.

If the cost feels steep, consider financing ahead of time with options like Cherry Payment Plans, which let you spread payments into smaller, manageable chunks. Many users of Cherry and Sunbit services say the easy online application and zero credit impact check make it stress free, perfect if you’d rather save your travel cash for gelato than root canals.

Ask your dentist for their application link or check online directly for promotions or zero interest periods. Getting it done before you leave means fewer surprises mid trip and more smiles for the photo album.

Money Matters (and How to Avoid Stress)

We’ve learned this the hard way: travel goes smoother when you practice careful money management. Start with a clear budget that includes flights, accommodations, meals, and a fun fund for experiences you can’t resist once you’re there. Then, pad it by about fifteen percent for the unexpected, because there’s always an unexpected.

Use more than one payment method. Bring a main credit card and a backup, some local cash, and a debit card. We always set up account alerts before leaving so if anything odd happens, we know right away. And if you’re hopping between countries, check your bank’s currency conversion fees. Those little charges add up fast.

Keep Safety Top of Mind

Peace of mind is priceless when you’re halfway around the world.

Staying safe isn’t about fear, it’s about taking proactive measures for your home and while you’re away. Before you leave, pause your mail, set a few lights on timers, and ask a neighbour to keep an eye out. Lock windows and doors, unplug non essentials, and double check your travel insurance details.

On the road, we stick to simple habits: well lit streets at night, keeping valuables tucked away, and always knowing our route back to the hotel. A small safety kit with a flashlight, whistle, emergency cash, and passport copies goes a long way. We’ve carried one for years and have used it more times than we’d like to admit.

Plan for Memorable Experiences

Once the logistics are done, the fun begins.

This is your moment to slow down and savour.

If you’ve got the time, choose experiences that immerse you in local life, maybe a host family stay, a gentle walking tour, or a scenic train route like the Trans Siberian or the Glacier Express. The goal isn’t to rush through your itinerary; it’s to collect stories you’ll still be telling at your next family dinner.

Travel at any age is a gift, but traveling with experience is the sweet spot. A little planning now saves a lot of stress later. So take care of the essentials, plan your finances wisely, and protect your home and health before you go. Then get out there and enjoy the world, it’s waiting for you.

This article isn’t just about sparking wanderlust; it’s your practical guide to making those travel dreams a reality.

Charles, the kids and I have traveled to dozens of countries using the tips in this article. Whether you’re craving more time, hunting for budget-friendly adventures, or seeking opportunities that blend work and wanderlust, this guide is your golden ticket to more travel adventures.

How to Travel More

If you want to travel more this year, this article can help! Use my hands-on actionable advice to get you on your next flight to somewhere amazing!

Let’s get right into it! Here are 27 actionable travel tips that are all about maximizing your time, stretching your dollars, and embracing every opportunity to explore the world.

Collect and use credit card and loyalty points

Let’s start with something simple. If you don’t have one already, switch your current credit card to one that lets you get travel points with every purchase. Just pay it off in time so you don’t end up having to pay interest!

Be flexible with your travel dates

Having flexible travel dates can save you a fortune on travel. Try traveling during the shoulder season, or scoring deals when they come up, instead of having set-in-stone travel dates. Embracing a go-with-the-flow attitude can open up a world of unexpected discounts and unique experiences

Set travel alerts for fare deals

If you find a flight you like, set a travel alert to let you know when the price drops. You can do this on Google Flights, Skyscanner, and other flight aggregators. Just make sure you have a good baseline on typical prices so that you have something solid to compare it to.

One way to do that is to choose a farther date in the future than what you’re hoping for, preferably outside of peak season like Christmas. Usually, the farther out you buy your plane ticket, the cheaper the flight however deals can pop up anytime so be ready for them.

Be flexible about your destination

Looking at different destination alternatives lets you take advantage of the best flight and accommodation deals available, regardless of the destination. This flexibility can stretch your budget and introduce you to hidden gems and unexpected adventures that you might not have considered otherwise.

Tip! To find cheap, flexible flights, use the Google flights Explore feature. Just enter your home airport, or other airports that aren’t too far away. Leave the destination airport blank! Then click the Flexible dates to see all destinations and prices. It then shows you a map and what fares are to different cities. Play with the trip length and trip duration. There’s even an option to select fixed dates if your travel dates aren’t flexible.

Get a job that lets you work as you travel

Work as you travel, whether you work remotely for your existing employer, or get a job at your destination. If you’re under 35, look into getting a working holiday visa. Check out our article on 45 great jobs you can do while traveling the world (and how to get them) for more helpful details and tips.

Focus on less expensive destinations

Travel to pricey destinations really adds up, with flights, hotel prices, taxi fares, and even food costing more. Instead, keep your eye out for great deals to less expensive destinations.

Travel light

Most airlines charge for checked baggage these days, and many charge for carry-on as well. The lighter you pack, the fewer fees you’ll need to pay for baggage so minimize your outfits, always carry a change of clothes in your allowed private bag and even look into sharing larger checked on luggage if you’re traveling with your family, loved one or someone you implicitly trust.

Take less expensive, shorter trips

Use your weekends and time off to maximize travel, and explore closer to home. Opting for shorter, more frequent trips can offer a refreshing change of scenery without the hefty price tag of longer vacations.

Visit friends or family in another city!

If you can stay with someone, it can be a great way to save money on accommodation, and also gives you a chance to reconnect with friends or family and create new memories together. Looking to visit an area you once had family in? Check if any extended family are still in the area. Not only can it save you money but it might be a great way to reconnect with lost relatives.

Take trips for a specific purpose

Take a trip for a specific reason, like a conference, or to take a class to learn a new skill. For example, you could travel to take language immersion classes, a cooking class, or learn to SCUBA dive. Then, rather than just seeing the trip as a personal indulgence, it can be for direct personal growth which can benefit you even more in the future.

Use your paid time off

If you have a full-time, or even part-time job, use all of your paid time off. Use those paid holidays and personal days to get you where you want to be.

Shockingly, most employees in the US don’t use all of their vacation days. Less than half of US workers used all of their vacation days in 2022. Don’t be that person! Prioritize yourself, and travel.

Organize your time off with a calendar

To help maximize your time off, use a monthly calendar, and block off days where you have extra time off (like a three day weekend). From there, consider adding additional vacation days to extend your travel days. Sometimes you can easily arrange a 5 or 6 day vacation around long weekends with only a day or 2 taken off. The bonus is that week long rentals are often much cheaper per day than weekend only rentals meaning it might not cost as much as you think it will.

Look into travel opportunities with your current job

Would your employer pay to send you to a conference, or to another place for training? Are there positions available with your company in other locations around the globe? Exploring these options can turn professional commitments into exciting travel opportunities, blending career growth with the joy of exploration.

Negotiate for a higher wage, or more vacation days

Earning a higher income is always good, but if your employer isn’t willing to give you a raise, then consider asking for more vacation days. You may be surprised! Many employers don’t have much flexibility in their budget, but they can negotiate on time off. If they’re not budging on paid vacation days, you may be able to negotiate unpaid days off which you can leverage the cost against traveling in the much cheaper shoulder seasons compared to around Christmas or busy school holidays.

Tag along on your partner’s work trips

If it’s possible, join your partner on work trips. You’ll likely be able to stay in their hotel for free (or a small fee), and just have to pay for your own transportation and other expenses. When they’re busy, you can explore the area on your own then meet them for supper and other shared activities.

Also, try to book them around weekends. Most companies are paying for the flights anyway and it costs them nothing extra to fly the employee home on Friday night than it does Sunday afternoon. Even paying for the extra nights hotel on your own still allows you to save on the flight costs and any savings is a bonus here.

Reduce your expenses and save money for travel

This can be a hard one, and of course it’s not possible for everyone. That said, if you’re in a position to take a hard look at your expenses, it’s a great place to find funds for your next trip. Of course this might mean you need to switch your priorities.

Would you rather spend money on an expense like getting a new coat, when your old one is fine, or would you rather put that money in a travel fund? Would you consider getting a roommate, rather than living alone, if the money you save was spent on travel?

Everyone’s situation is different of course, but zeroing in on cutting costs can make a big difference to your travel budget and it’s amazing how just doing a few things like cutting down your Starbucks coffee or eating out a bit less can rapidly grow your travel fund.

Get a side hustle

If you have the time and energy, a side hustle can really help you save money for travel.

This can be something as simple as getting more shifts at your current job, or getting an entire new gig on the weekends, or even driving for a ride share or food delivery app. Either way, if you have the time and motivation, it means more money in your travel fund.

Start a travel savings account

Start a special travel account, and put your travel savings into this account only. It’s so motivating to see your travel nest egg grow! Watching your travel fund grow is not just encouraging but also makes your travel goals more tangible and achievable. It also helps differentiate between your bill paying account and savings accounts. The trick is to not dip into it for other things.

Try housesitting or a home exchange

Accommodation is one of the biggest costs in travel, so if you can swing a housesit, then you can save big bucks. This approach cuts down on expenses and offers a more authentic living experience as you travel.

Lower your expectations

By insisting on only eating out at restaurants, staying only in hotel rooms, and taking taxis or tours everywhere you go, you may be pricing yourself out of a vacation. You can save a ton of money by traveling on a shoe-string budget, preparing some of your own meals, staying in a hostel bed or AirBnB style place with the family, and taking buses, trains and walking everywhere you go.

Some of my favorite travel memories include taking a local, overnight bus in Turkey, and eating fresh berries bought from a local fruit vendor in Ecuador. Neither cost a lot but left a lifetime travel impression.

Consider traveling, and sleeping, in your vehicle.

Van life isn’t always as fun and easy as YouTubers would like you to believe, but if you’re the adventurous type, and you have a vehicle that would work for car camping, you may be able to save a carload of money by sleeping in your car. Want some inspiration? Check out our favorite Travel YouTubers.

Talk to travelers!

One thing I’ve learned about myself is that it’s a heck of a lot easier to do something if I spend time with people who’ve actually done the thing!

By hanging out with travelers, you’ll be inspired by their stories, gain some fantastic travel advice, and hopefully absorb some of their adventurous spirit! One way to get that information is online, another can be as simple as visiting your local backpacking hostel. Nearly every place has one and if you don’t hear 3 or 4 different accents in the first 10 minutes then make sure you’re there around meal time.

Find a travel partner

Sometimes the barrier to travel is not having someone to travel with. Both Charles and I struggled to find a travel partner before we got together, so I feel the pain of this. If you want to travel with someone, consider signing up for a group tour, or ask friends and family if they’d like to travel with you.

We’ve since learnt that once you get out there, there are tons of people with the same desire to explore who are also looking for others who share their passion to travel. The hardest part is often taking that first step.

Consider going solo!

Sometimes life just won’t divvy up a travel partner, so consider traveling alone. I get it, solo travel can be pretty intimidating, but I really wish I’d taken the jump and traveled by myself instead of waiting so long for a travel partner!

Visit a friend for your first solo trip

Do you have a friend who’s moved away? Consider visiting them for your first solo trip. Having a friend at your destination is a great way to make a solo trip easier. You may even be able to cut expenses by staying with them!

Create a list of places that you’d love to travel!

Sometimes, getting your wishes down on paper can really help motivate you to make your travel dreams come true. If some of the items on your list are more expensive, or require more time than you have right now, focus on the places you can visit sooner!

Beware of analysis paralysis!

Just like anything in life, you can spend all of your time reading blogs, watching YouTube videos, and planning your trip! Instead of putting off your trip until you’ve found the perfect price and destination, start with something small, even if it’s just a weekend trip to a town nearby!

Your passport to adventure awaits!

And there you have it! Remember, travel isn’t just about distant lands; it’s an attitude, a way of embracing life with curiosity and joy.

So, start that travel savings account, pack your bag for a weekend getaway, or chat with your boss about work travel opportunities. Adventure doesn’t always knock twice, so start using these tips right now, and turn your travel dreams into reality.

Do you have any tips for how to travel more? Share them in the comments – we’d love to hear them!

Bon voyage! – Micki

If you travel a lot, you know how important it is to find the best flight deals. Spending too much on flights means that you have less money to enjoy great meals, fun activities, and cool accommodations.

Have you thought about using a VPN to save money on your next trip? A Virtual Private Network (VPN) can help you get cheaper flights by hiding your location and making it appear as if you’re browsing from a different country.

It’s honestly much easier to do than you might think to use a VPN on flight tickets to save you money.

Why does using a VPN save money?

Airlines and travel booking sites use a pricing model called dynamic pricing. This means that prices can change depending on factors like your IP address, your purchase history, browsing habits, your ZIP code, demand and supply, and even which Wi-Fi you’re connected to, among other factors.

Using a VPN to change your IP address to another location means that websites might show different prices based on that location. This means that if you use a VPN to change your location, you may get a cheaper price if the new location has lower demand for flights.

A bonus is that you can also use a VPN to find lower prices on hotels and even car rentals using the same idea!

Does changing the IP address impact the price of an air ticket?

Important! This is definitely not a guaranteed method of saving money on flights. It really depends a lot on the pricing model the website is using for flights, and whether or not prices vary on location.

Even though this isn’t a 100% guaranteed travel hack, we’ve had great luck in the past booking flights in different countries, at prices that were much less than we’d seen in Canada.

For example, while in Mexico, we found cheap one way flights from Cancun, Mexico to Madrid, Spain for $160 USD all in. Similarly, while in Istanbul, we were able to book a one-way flight from Istanbul, Turkey to Toronto, Canada for just $288, including taxes and fees. That’s far cheaper than we’d found while physically based in Canada.

There are plenty of other reasons to use a VPN when you travel as well, including:

• streaming your home country’s Netflix shows or local only websites
• protecting your privacy on the road
• preventing theft of personal information
• accessing social media sites that may be blocked in the country you’re visiting

Couldn’t I just use Incognito mode instead of a VPN?

Your browser’s incognito mode is great for hiding your browsing history from other people on the device you’re using and for less cookie tracking. However, incognito mode doesn’t change your IP address (your devices internet address, which most sites can track and get a rough approximation of your actual address) while a VPN will change your IP and help keep you anonymous.

Since your location is attached to your IP, incognito mode means that your location will still show to flight websites.

Can just changing the language save money on flights?

We occasionally see stories that changing the language on a website can save money on flights.

We’ve tried this language changing hack in the past, and had mixed results. It also means that you’ll need to book flights in another language. If you don’t speak the language fluently, even with Google translate, you do run a risk of not understanding the terms and conditions fully.

How to Use a VPN to Get Cheaper Flights

Here’s our step-by-step guide on how to use a VPN to save money on your next flight, in five easy steps.

Step 1: Choose a Reliable VPN Provider

The most important step, in my opinion, to using a VPN is choosing a reliable and safe VPN partner. They’re not all built the same, so it’s absolutely crucial to choose a reputable, safe VPN.

A good VPN should offer IP addresses in many different countries, strong encryption, and a no logs policy.

These days, I’m using Private Internet Access.

Private Internet Access (also known as PIA) is great at hiding your IP address and encrypting your internet connection. All PIA apps are 100% open source, meaning that you, and security experts, can look under the hood to see how everything works.

PIA has over 30 million downloads, and has been around for more than 10 years. It offers thousands of next-gen servers in over 83 countries and each US state, and there’s unlimited bandwidth.

This one’s hugely important for security, so I’m going to go full geek for just a couple of sentences here, and explain what everything means along the way. Here goes: PIA has an independently audited (by Deloitte) no-logs policy.

A no-logs policy means that the VPN provider doesn’t keep any record of what you do online. There’s no record kept of IP addresses you use, data you transfer or websites you visit, keeping your online activities totally secure and private.

If a VPN provider keeps logs, this means that someone could potentially access this information. The logs could be accessed by hackers, authorities, or simply advertisers. With a no-logs policy, there’s simply no information for the VPN provider to give out, even if they receive a request for user data, or if they’re hacked. A no logs policy helps keep your privacy protected and your sensitive information safe. And Private Internet Access is a great choice for this.

It’s also important to mention Private Internet Access can protect up to 10 devices simultaneously with just one subscription. This means you can use it for yourself and the people you are traveling with.

And if you ever have any questions, or would like more tips and tricks, Private Internet Access has a 24/7 Customer Support service, ready to cater to your every need.

Step 2: Download and Install the VPN Software

Once you’ve chosen a reputable VPN provider like Private Internet Access (PIA), download and install the VPN software on your device.

Just visit the VPN provider’s website, choose the plan that suits your needs best, and follow their instructions to download and install the VPN software.

It took me less than five minutes to download and install the PIA VPN software on my desktop. The process is intuitive and fast.

Step 3: Connect to a Server in the Desired Country

The next step is what intimidates most people, but it’s honestly incredibly simple.

Using your VPN, connect to a server in the country where you want to appear as if you’re browsing from.

Important: If you’re logged into your internet browser, be sure to log out. If you’re logged in, Chrome, Bing, or other browsers set your location based on your account information, overriding the change you’re making with the VPN. Also make sure you’re logged out of any airline or travel booking websites, for the same reason.

For example, if you want to book a flight, while appearing as if you’re in Mexico, you’ll need a VPN to connect to a server located in Mexico. This will make it appear as if you’re there, even if you’re actually in another country.

With Private Internet Access, all it takes is one click to connect to a server. Then you’re ready to start browsing and find those sweet, sweet deals.

Which is the cheapest country to set your VPN location to for the cheapest flight bookings?

There’s no firm answer to what’s the most affordable country to book a flight from. Prices can vary greatly, depending on both your departure date and destination.

That said, in the past, we’ve had good luck with these destinations:

• Mexico
• India
• South American countries, like Peru or Argentina

Other flight hackers often mention:

• Malaysia
• Philippines
• Singapore
• Australia
• India
• Portugal
• Thailand

So, you may have to play a little bit by changing your location a few times to see what lands you the cheapest flight.

Step 4: Start Searching for Flights

Once you’re connected to your desired country’s server through the VPN, start searching for your flights.

Try a travel booking website to start, as this will give you multiple flights and airlines to choose from. After that, be sure to try the airline directly, as prices sometimes differ directly from the airline and a booking website.

Prices will reflect the country you appear to be browsing from.

Tip: When at all possible, we book with the airline directly, as this makes changes to flights and communication easier. If you’ve ever had to deal with a large, faceless, travel booking website when changing a ticket, you’ll understand how frustrating the experience can be.

If you don’t find a good price, try changing your VPN’s country again.

For international flights, I get a baseline price by first searching from my home country. Then, I set my VPN to the country I’m flying to, to see if the flight is cheaper. If this doesn’t get a cheaper flight, I set my VPN’s country to the home country of the airline. After that, I start searching through the list of countries above, in step 4.

Step 5: Compare Prices and Book Your Flight

After you’ve searched for flights, it’s time to compare prices and book your flight.

Make sure to compare the prices with other airlines and travel booking websites to ensure that you’re getting the best deal. If you find a cheaper flight, consider booking it immediately, as prices can change quickly.

Important tip! Before you book, check the terms and conditions. I once found fantastically cheap flights from Quito, Ecuador to the Galapagos. Unfortunately for me, when I checked the terms and conditions, I found those cheap prices only applied to citizens of Ecuador. The flights were about 20% more expensive for us.

Step 6: Change the VPN’s location back

Once you’ve booked your flight, don’t forget to change the VPN location back. This makes sure you can keep browsing and downloading based on your default location.

So, does using a VPN to change your location get you cheaper prices?

The answer is yes. Sometimes it can be a simple, affordable, and effective way to save money on your next trip.

By hiding your location and making it appear as if you’re browsing from a different country, you can access lower flight prices and get more value for your money.

Just remember to choose a reliable VPN provider like Private Internet Access (PIA), connect to the desired country’s server, search for flights, compare prices, book your flight, and disconnect from the VPN.

Happy travels!

More great reads:

• How to Get High-Speed Wi-Fi When Traveling
• How Not to Fry Your Electronics Overseas: A Quick Guide
• Skyroam Solis Review – How We Get Unlimited WiFi Anywhere We Travel

To say we’ve moved around a lot is a bit of an understatement.

In fact, the longest we’ve ever stayed in one house since 2000 was just over two years. At last count, we’ve moved 12 times over the past 16 years, and that only includes places we’ve lived for six months or longer.

We’ve moved for almost every reason under the sun: for work, for family, for new adventures, to buy a house of our own, to save money, to store our things while we travel, and because the house we were renting was sold (happened twice now). Since 2000, we’ve officially lived in four different cities, plus a cabin by a lake.

On top of all that, we’re also frequent long stay travelers, so if you include all of our one or two month stays it would easily be triple that. As a result, we’ve become pretty good at packing and unpacking. Especially since for nine of those moves, our stuff went into, and then out of, long term storage.

So without further ado, here are some things we’ve learned about moving often.

Sometimes it’s worth it to spend a few $$$

Besides for memorizing the mantra always lift with your legs, we’ve also learnt that sometimes spending a few dollars here and there can pay for itself in peace of mind. For instance, whenever we’ve put our stuff into a storage locker we’ve always looked for temperature controlled, camera monitored indoor lockers for better security. This has cost us a few dollars more than exterior lockers, however the peace of mind that our things are taken care of gave us one less stress while we were on the road. To be honest, the price difference was minimal anyway.

Moving Tip #1: To save money, pack your own things and rent your own moving truck. Hit up the grocery stores for free cardboard boxes. Apple and banana boxes are our favorites.

A few other things we’ve also learnt are what to do with our pets while we travel (our cat goes to Grandma’s house) and what to do with our vehicle (RV storage yard). As we quickly found out, leaving the country for extended travel is almost never as simple as locking the door and walking away.

Moving Tip #2: If you move often, consider keeping your boxes. We used to flatten our boxes down whenever we could and put them out of the way so that when we moved next, we didn’t need to find new ones. Plastic totes are also a good idea since they stack well when empty and keep everything nice and dry when in storage.

Storage locker location is everything

Unfortunately, the last storage locker we rented was a few hundred feet from the entrance and we spent a couple extra hours loading and then unloading. Walking our stuff back and forth between the rental truck and the locker was brutal. That mistake ended up costing us extra money for the movers and tired us out quickly. It was such an inconvenience that we swore the next time we moved we would make sure our locker was closer to an entrance.

Moving Tip #3: Hiring a few extra hands to help load and unload your things is pretty cheap, saves friendships from being ruined, and lets you set up and dissemble quicker. Check Kijiji or your local paper for movers that charge by the hour.

Is it worth the move?

During a few of our shorter stays, we had to decide whether we should bring everything out of storage or leave some things in there that we knew we wouldn’t need. It might be tempting to just get rid of anything you weren’t using, however we stayed for a few summers and didn’t need our winter clothes or gear for those stays.

Moving Tip #4: A good rule of thumb is that if you don’t use something in a 12 month cycle, get rid of it. Same goes for clothes, toys and most definitely, electronics.

In the end, we decided that it would cost us more to store our extra stuff than transport it so we kept it with us. It also helped us keep our stuff together, since leaving things here and there could leave our things scattered around the country.

When moving, look at your timelines

It helps when you move around a lot to understand your motives.

Are you moving due to work, a change of scenery, family, friends or are you just a bit of a nomad like ourselves? Knowing you’re likely going to be moving again in six months or a year lets you figure out your best course of action.

For instance, we’ve had to completely furnish a house and then sell everything in a short while, simply because we couldn’t find a furnished home to rent for a short term stay in a certain city. It took us days to find and buy affordable furniture, then move it by ourselves, and then sell it all when we took our next extended trip to Europe.

That’s the year we perfected the art of buying and selling furniture on Kijiji and Craigslist. We were only planning on being there for four months, however, in the end, Micki’s work contract was extended.

There’s no way the stress and inconvenience would have been worth it if we were only there the four months we first expected.

Why buy when you can rent?

If we’d thought about furniture rental at the time, that year we definitely would have gone that route instead.

Renting furniture has become popular in the last few years, and it’s a great fit for people like us who move a lot. CORT Furniture Rental is a huge company with offices right across the US as well as globally. Looking at their online price lists, you can completely furnish a place for a fraction of what it costs to buy and when you don’t need it, off it goes. To be honest, it would have been handy during a few of our moves, simply because sleeping on an air mattress for a couple of months is never fun, and sitting on the floor eating supper loses its appeal after a few days.

The cool part about deciding to rent furniture is that you can rent by the piece, by the room or for the whole house.

When you compare how much people charge for fully furnished places compared to empty ones, you could rent from CORT and still be ahead while also getting to choose your own furniture. You also don’t need to worry about renting a moving van, or lugging around heavy pieces of furniture, since they do that for you.

CORT also has extra discounts for students and the military, so if you’re going to school someplace new next term or are being moved stateside for a short while with the military then you should definitely check them out.

Final Thoughts

As much as we like to travel light (hard truth, we always pack too much) and try to remain free of worldly possessions (sometimes it feels like our stuff owns us and not the other way around), the reality is that sometimes letting go of things isn’t all that easy. Sometimes, it’s just better not to own in it in the first place.

Like any city that caters to tourists, Cancun can be a budget-buster, but take heart. The trick to keeping your trip affordable is to get off the tourist track and find the local deals.

Tips for exploring Cancun, Mexico, on a budget

There’s a lot to do in Cancun, but it’s not always affordable.

These are our best tips for keeping your Cancun vacation budget in check. Check out our mega list of the best things to do in Cancun for options that cost a bit more or our things to do in Cancun with kids for even more ideas.

Strike Out on Your Own

Many of the local attractions around Cancun, from visiting cenotes to snorkeling with endangered sea turtles in Akumal, can easily be done independently. A quick taxi ride or even a quick walk can get you out of the hotel zone and into the heart of Cancun.

Take the Bus

Get familiar with the local colectivos or rent a car for a day to cut down on transportation costs.

The local ADO bus line runs comfortable, air-conditioned buses throughout the Cancun area, including down to Playa del Carmen, Akumal, and Tulum. Buses in Cancun run almost everywhere, and they’re affordable—it’ll only cost you 8.5 pesos (around one USD) to get from the Hotel Zone to downtown.

Skip the Snacks and Drinks at Your Resort

If you’re not staying at an all-inclusive resort, you’ll pay a premium price for the convenience of having snacks readily available at your hotel, so stock up when you are out and about and near convenience stores, gas stations, or supermarkets. You’ll save a fortune over prices at your resort.

Use a Daily Deal Site

Most people use local deal sites all the time at home, but don’t think of checking them out on vacation. Groupon’s Cancun site often includes great deals for local tourist attractions like Xel-Há Park. You may want to hit the Google Translate button, though, as many local deal sites (including Groupon) are in Spanish.

Eat and Shop Like a Local

In Cancun, as with most touristy cities, the highest prices are reserved for the areas with the most tourists. If you make your way outside of the Hotel Zone, you’ll pay much less at restaurants and shops. You’ll often also find a more authentic Mexican experience.

Turn Off Your Cell Phone

Use your hotel’s free Wi-Fi to keep in touch, or arrange a roaming plan with your service provider ahead of time. For local calls, you can save money by buying a local SIM (Telcel is the biggest cell company) and a pay-as-you-go plan if you have an unlocked phone.

Bring Sunscreen, Batteries, and Cosmetics

Imported toiletries and electronics often cost a premium in Cancun. If you do need to pick up something, supermarkets usually offer the best choice and the lowest price.

Pay in Pesos

Paying in Mexican pesos can help you avoid high exchange rates in shops, and even get you a better price. There are bank machines all around the city that will let you take out money in USD or pesos.

Don’t Be Too Shy to Haggle

Bartering is a time-honored tradition in Mexican culture, and you’re expected to respectfully haggle a bit when you’re shopping. Don’t settle on the first price they throw at you and take your time checking out the nearby shops as well.

Speak a Little Spanish

You’re less likely to look like a tourist, and get a better deal, if you negotiate prices or give taxi directions in Spanish (even if your Spanish is a little rusty). Many restaurants even have a separate, cheaper menu printed in Spanish.

We’re huge fans of the free, easy to use Duolingo app, which lets you learn languages for free.

Check out our reviews of Lingoda or Rosetta Stone for kids or Promova or Babbel Live.

Look for the bargains

Don’t let the fear of high prices keep you away from enjoying the sunny sands of Cancun. With a little bit of preparation and planning, you can catch some rays and save some pennies as well.

Even popular attractions like Xcaret and Xel-Ha have discounts! Children from 5 to 11 years old pay 50% of the adult price and children under 4 are free of charge. Must show ID at the Park’s box-office. Xcaret is an eco park with a sample of Mexico’s culture, nature, food, music and beauty.

Buy on-line now and get up to 15% off.

Whether you’re backpacking on a round the world trip, spending your summer in a villa in Europe (lucky you!), or planning to spend a few weeks driving around the USA, one of the hardest questions you’ll have to answer is: How much money do I need to travel?

Charles and I have had to answer this question for every trip we’ve taken since we started traveling together in 2002. Along the way, we’ve found some helpful tips and resources for figuring out a budget for even the most complex of trips.

We’re going to be doing this a bit old school today, but it’s easy and it works. Before you start, grab a pen and paper, a napkin, or just get ready to jot down some quick notes on your computer.

Where do I start?

Figuring out a realistic ballpark figure for your trip shouldn’t be a long, painful process. To give you a good idea of how much you’ll need should take less than a half hour.

I’m a huge fan of the back of a napkin approach for getting a general idea of costs. Once you get a good estimate and decide to go ahead with your plans, you can play with the numbers to get a more precise figure. I find that a quick estimate is almost always bang on.

How much your trip costs will depend on a few things that you’ll need to figure out before you can crunch numbers. To begin, sort this information out before you start:

• Where you’re going
• How long you’ll be in each destination
• How many people are traveling together
• Your style of traveling, be it hostel bunks and street food, cooking while staying in homes or apartments rental, or higher end hotels and nice restaurants
• When you’ll be at your destination (prices are higher during peak season)

What you’ll need to spend before you leave

These include immunizations, travel insurance and gear like a new backpack or new camera.

Immunizations and Vaccines

To figure out what vaccinations you need, check out the incredibly helpful tool on the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) website. Then, do a Google search for travel vaccination clinics for your specific city, and pull the costs for the vaccines from there. Don’t forget to add in the cost of an initial consultation and any subsequent visits.

Tip: You may be able to save money by having the vaccinations done directly at the pharmacy or your family doctor’s office if these services are offered where you live. Depending on the vaccination and who administered it, it might also be eligible as a personal tax write-off.

Travel Insurance

A good place to get a baseline quote for travel insurance is SafetyWing Nomad Insurance, who offers travel insurance to residents of over 10 countries. We’ve found their prices to be among the lowest.

SafetyWing Nomad Insurance covers nearly every country on the planet.

Travel insurance can be pretty confusing and full of jargon. If you’re from Canada, check out Canadian Travel Insurance Review, while New Zealanders can check out New Zealand Travel Insurance Review for tips and overviews of travel insurance. Australians can take a look at Australia Travel Insurance Review, a website for independent, in depth reviews on Australian travel insurance companies.

Airfare

To get a baseline price for airfare, you should look at about a month’s worth of prices. We use Google Flights (which will show a month’s worth of fares), or Skyscanner, which will let you look at up to an entire year’s worth of prices in one search.

Click here to search Skyscanner.

Want to get a great deal on your flight? Check out our post Six Quick Steps to Nailing the Cheapest Flight. If you still have some flexibility in where you’re going, check out our tips on how to find the cheapest flights from your destination.

Tip: Don’t forget to add in extra charges, including charges for extra carry-on and checked baggage. You can find baggage costs for almost every airline out there at SeatGuru.com.

Accommodation

Where you stay is one of the biggest variables in travel. You can spend anywhere from thousands a night on luxury suites to staying for free with a friend or Couchsurfing.

Are you a luxury traveler who only stays in five star hotels, a family that does best with a house or condo rental, an ultra-budget backpacker who stays in hostel dorms, or even someone who’s willing to test out free Couchsurfing accommodations?

Long Term Travelers

If you’re planning to stay in one place for a month or more and live like a local you can get some great information on monthly rents from Numbeo, a seriously addictive crowd-sourced cost-of-living comparison site.

Check out listings on Airbnb as well, as this will give you a good baseline for long term accommodation aimed more at tourists (with more modern conveniences).

If you’re traveling long term, don’t forget to factor in discounts for weekly or monthly stays. As a general rule of thumb, we’ve found that most home rentals charge the same for a month long stay as a two week stay. Hotels and hostels also often offer good weekly and monthly discounts.

Backpackers

We like to use Hostelz.com to get baseline prices for dorm rooms and budget hotels. They have a huge selection of rooms all over the world.

Vacationers

We love Booking.com for budgeting for shorter stays, as they have a huge selection of hotel rooms and have a lightning fast search engine. Numbeo also has a hotel prices, but we find that their numbers are a bit harder to navigate than simply looking at a hotel search engine.

Food

Where and what you eat is a huge factor in your travel budget.

In general, eating out costs a lot more than making all (or some) of your own meals, with the exception of countries like Thailand where cheap, delicious meals often cost less than hassling with cooking for yourself.

Eating in

Use the awesome Numbeo, a crowd-sourced cost-of-living comparison site, to get ballpark prices on standard groceries like milk and bread.

Tip: To get an idea of your own personal costs, check out the prices for your home country as well so you have a proper baseline to compare it to. It generally helps if you already have a good idea of what your current eating in costs are as well.

Eating out

Again, Numbeo is a fantastic resource for getting the average cost of restaurant meals, whether you prefer inexpensive local fare, fast food, or a sit down restaurant.

Tip: The more meals you eat out the quicker your costs will skyrocket. Try saving some cash by eating in for breakfasts and bagging the occasional lunch.

Alcohol

It’s pretty easy to spend more on alcohol than food, especially if you’re in the habit of spending evenings out drinking. You can find the cost of a bottle of beer or wine in the Market and Restaurant sections of Numbeo.

Total Food Budget

Once you pull all these numbers, you’ll need to roughly figure out how often you eat in vs out, and then figure out an average of how much you’ll spend per day.

Quick tips for saving on food: Always carry a snack, like a bag of pretzels or nuts, to stave off expensive trips to vending machines or convenience stores. Try to get breakfast included in your room rate, but if this isn’t possible try to get a kitchen (or at least a small fridge or microwave) in your room for snacks, breakfast and quick, light meals.

Transportation

We’ve included airfare in a separate category, so these tips just reflect local transport at your destination.

Again, Numbeo comes to the rescue with estimates for local taxi, bus and gasoline costs.

If you’re traveling in the USA or Canada, we love GasBuddy, which gives generally reliable crowd-sourced prices for local gas. You can also get the free iOS app for GasBuddy, or on Google Play, Blackberry App World or on Windows phone.

If you’re renting a car, we like to get a baseline price from Expedia as it saves us having to search through multiple car rental sites. Most of the time (not always!), Expedia’s price is pretty hard to beat for car rentals when you factor in the included extras. Don’t forget to add the cost of insurance.

Tip: Make sure that you factor in the cost for transportation from your arrival airport. Many budget airlines arrive in smaller airports a good hike from your destination city.

Tours

You can find some great baseline costs for tours from Viator or G Adventures. Traditionally aimed more at young backpackers, G Adventures is moving more into the family and couples markets as well.

If there are any must see locations or must do activities (like ziplining in Costa Rica or bungee jumping in New Zealand) that aren’t officially tours you can still add them here.

Personal

Any personal items you use get included here, from prescription medicines to birth control to shampoo and deodorant. Since these usually apply wherever you happen to be, you can choose to add them or not.

Entertainment

We’ve included alcohol in the food category, so this is the place to best estimate cover charges for bars, concerts, movies and the like that you might do while on your trip.

Debt and Financial

Unfortunately, creditors really don’t care that you’re on vacation. They just care about getting their payments on time. Estimate the amount you’ll need to budget for loan and credit card payments while you are gone. Though they’re not officially part of your trip, you still need to ensure that your bank account can cover the costs while you’re gone.

Don’t forget to include checking and savings account monthly fees and ATM fees. You’ll need to check with your bank for specific fees, but it might be worthwhile looking for a card with zero foreign fees if you plan on using that card while you travel.

The Bottom Line

There you have it – factor all of these things in, and you should have a pretty good idea what your trip will cost.

Don’t forget to add an extra 10-20% to your estimates to cover unexpected expenses. Life has a way of handing out the unexpected

Wondering how you’re going to afford it now? Check out these posts for some help:

• How to Save Money for your Round the World Trip
• 45 Great Jobs you can do While Traveling the World (and How to Get Them)

Do you have any tips for figuring out a travel budget? Share them below – we’d love to hear what you think!

Eight months before Charles and I first started traveling back in 2002, I was a broke university grad with a student loan and almost no savings.

In those eight months I managed to save $17,000 and then travel the world for a year.

How did I save the money?

No, I didn’t have parents (or anyone else) who helped pay for the trip. My share came all out of my own pocket.

Honestly, it wasn’t easy, and it took a lot of hard work and hassle to figure out how to save enough money.

The first step is to find out where you’re pissing your money away.

A tough love, no-nonsense guide to saving money

I wish I’d had a no-nonsense guide to help me in the beginning, so I wanted to write this for anyone else wondering how to start saving money for a round the world trip.

Here it is: my tough love approach to saving enough money. Sure, maybe there’s a bit of a verbal spanking in here, but start with these tips and you’ll be well on your way to saving enough money to go on your own RTW trip. 

Wonder where all your money has gone at the end of the month?

The first step is to find out where you’re pissing your money away.

Sit down at your computer and bring up the last three month’s spending on the accounts you use most often, whether they’re your checking accounts or credit card. Take a good look. Where is your money going?

What you’re looking for here are ways to cut back. You may be surprised by what you find. Are you spending too much in bank fees? Eating out? Starbucks coffees? Cable TV? Rent? Car insurance?

Once you know where your money’s going, you need to take a hard, merciless look at your assumptions. What do you REALLY need? What can you live without?

Not all of the ideas in this article are going to work for you, but the goal is to get you thinking.

House poor

Having a roof over your head isn’t cheap. Could you move somewhere cheaper? Get a roommate? Live in a motorhome? Seriously, get creative. Think out of the box. Waaay out of the box.

Could you live for free if you took a job as a live in caregiver? Could you move back in with your parents for a while in exchange for work around the house? Any local Caretaker-Jobs that might work for you? How about being a Housecarers?

If you own your own place, then you’re going to have to make a decision. Is it time to sell? Can you afford to pay your mortgage, taxes, insurance and the like when you’re away?

Do you absolutely want to come back to the same house when you return? If so, can you rent your place out when when you’re gone to help cut expenses. For that matter, can you rent out your place now and live someplace cheaper until you’ve saved enough for your trip?

“You buy furniture. You tell yourself, this is the last sofa I will ever need in my life. Buy the sofa, then for a couple years you’re satisfied that no matter what goes wrong, at least you’ve got your sofa issue handled. Then the right set of dishes. Then the perfect bed. The drapes. The rug. Then you’re trapped in your lovely nest, and the things you used to own, now they own you.” Fight Club

Eating into the budget

Eat in. This is always the absolute staple of lists on saving money for a reason. Making your own meals saves a ton of money, if done right. Even a ready made meal and a salad at the grocery store should save money over eating out. If you can manage it, cook from scratch to save more. No skills? Pick up a library book on cooking cheaply or find a local cooking class. You can find a simple recipes online to get you started.

Forgo your morning latte at Starbucks in favor of making coffee at home. A French press is cheap, and makes excellent coffee, even for a huge coffee snob like me. At the very minimum, switch from your expensive specialty coffee like lattes and mochas to a brewed coffee at your local coffee shop; it’ll save you a couple of bucks a cup and over a year that’s hundreds of dollars right there.

The evils of drinking

A few drinks out on the weekends can absolutely slaughter a budget. Cut down on alcoholic drinks any way you can. Invite your friends over to your place for a few drinks before you go out, or limit yourself to a single drink or two when you do go out. If you can’t cut back, then at least slow down the amount or opt for the cheapest option (usually draft beer) or switch to a non-alcoholic drink.

Cut the cable

Cable costs can be ridiculous. Subscribed to HBO, Showtime, Super Channel or any of the dozens of movie channels out there? Sorry to say, they’re probably costing you a small fortune. If you don’t have one already, get an Amazon Prime or Netflix account instead of the more costly cable subscriptions.

Most shows these days can be watched online for free and if you need it on the big screen there are hundreds of cheap options to get it there from a Roku to an Android stick. It might be a hard pill to swallow but you can save some major money if you just cut your cable addiction completely.

Entertain me

Movies, concerts and the like are expensive. Hit the cheap theaters instead or go on discount night at your local movie theater. If given the choice, forgo the more expensive 3D options. Try to find free alternatives to concerts and cover charges. Look into your local entertainment guide for ideas on cheap night outs.

Miss hanging out with your friends? You can invite them over for a potluck night and stream a movie on Netflix or hit up your local library and see if they have any classic movies you can borrow for free.

“This planet has – or rather had – a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movement of small green pieces of paper, which was odd because on the whole it wasn’t the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.”
Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Death by 1000 cuts

There are a lot of little things that could be killing your ability to save. Gym memberships can be expensive, and so can shopping for clothes, buying apps and music, paying for high end haircuts and buying expensive birthday and Christmas gifts. Let everyone know you’re saving for your big trip and that it’s important that you save enough.

Make like a squirrel

It’s old hat, but it’s amazing how much you can save by socking away your loose change. We use our loose change for splurges when we travel. Thanks to our change jar, we’ve gone sailing in the Whitsunday Islands in Australia, and got our PADI Open Water SCUBA diving certificates.

Insurance

Car, life, home,tenant and all other types of insurance really add up. If you haven’t done this already, call around and get at least three or more quotes. You may be surprised.

See if your work, professional association, or university or college alumni association offers a discount. I saved about 20% per year (or $200) by spending 45 minutes phoning around for quotes on my car insurance last year. $200 is a pretty good wage for 45 minutes of work.

Getting around

Do you NEED two cars, or could you live with just one? Does your car NEED to be so new, upscale, expensive on gas or sporty? Could you possibly live without a car and walk or bike everywhere? This may be doable if you live in a large city.

Would it be cheaper to sell your car and rent or borrow one for the few weekends you need it, given the savings on parking, insurance, gas and repairs? At the least, can you cut down on its use and save money on gas and wear and tear?

Love to read or watch old movies?

Get familiar with your local library. Books and DVDs can really add up. Libraries are almost always completely free and many even have ebooks for your Kindle, Nook or e-reader. If they don’t have what you want, is there a local reading group that you could join that shares books? Do you have any friends or relatives that you can borrow from instead?

Banks and credit card fees

ATM fees are a killer. Switch to an account with a low monthly fee. Or even better, open a Charles Swab account (and no, we don’t get a cut if you open an account with them), which doesn’t charge any fees, even internationally, and use the card to save money on bank fees when your trip starts.

If you have a credit card, switch to a no annual fee card, or consider getting a card that pays you cash back or travel rewards points on your purchases. If you don’t want to switch your card, call the company and ask for a reduction on your interest rate or ask them to waive the annual fee. I asked my credit card company to waive the annual fee on my travel rewards card for three years in a row, saving me about $99 a year for 10 minute’s work.

Similarly, be careful with fees for things like international money transfers, currency exchanges and even Paypal fees. You can save a lot of money by making sure you’re not being gouged on wire transfers, and asking the sender to absorb any Paypal fees.

“It doesn’t matter about money; having it, not having it. Or having clothes, or not having them. You’re still left alone with yourself in the end.” Billy Idol

Smoking

You know what I’m going to say here. Oh my God, stop! At $10 or more a pack, smoking is one of the biggest roadblocks to saving. If you can’t stop, cut back.

Cell phones

If you have a long term cell phone contract, look into how you can cut your bill. Can you cancel the plan, or sell it to someone and switch to a cheaper pay as you go plan? While you’re at it, make sure that you have an unlocked phone that will work anywhere in the world. You’ll save a fortune wherever you travel by buying a pay as you go SIM card at your destination rather than paying outrageous roaming fees.

Credit Card debt

This one’s an absolute killer when you’re trying to save. You need to pay off as much of your debt as you can, as quickly as you can. If you carry a credit card balance, switch to a card with a lower interest rate, or a zero percent introductory fee.

If you’re carrying a large credit card debt, talk to your bank and get a low interest loan or open up a line of credit and move your balance to that. Maintaining a credit card balance at typical credit card rates (18 to 22%) is one of the worst financial mistakes anyone can make. You’re smarter than that. If you can change it, do it. NOW!

“Wars in old times were made to get slaves. The modern implement of imposing slavery is debt.” Ezra Pound

Student loans

If you have a student loan, it’s worth a look to see if you qualify to defer, cancel or consolidate your loan. There are programs that offer some degree of loan forgiveness or deferment for US student loans, student loans in Canada, UK student loans and student loans in Australia. We’ve known people who halved their student loans just by applying. If you qualify, that can severely make your life easier.

Income

Can you change your job to bring in more money? Can you pick up an extra job in the evenings? Can you offer to babysit, pet sit or cut lawns? Could you rent out your couch on Airbnb?

Looking to rent out your place in Airbnb? Follow our link to get started!

Even better, look into making some money when you travel. Check out our article on 45 Great Jobs You Can Do While Traveling The World And How To Get Them.

Sell your things

We all have too much stuff. It’s almost a guarantee. Is it time to lighten the load? Clothes you no longer wear? Furniture that’s just in the way? An old car parked in the yard? An expensive antique someone left you that has no business in your modern flat?

Not only can you make some decent money clearing out some of your things, it’ll make it one less thing you need to pack up and store when it’s time to go.  If you’re looking into selling some of your things, check out how to get more money selling on Craigslist or Kijiji.

Death by taxes

Think long and hard about ways to save money on taxes. Read online tips. It may be worth a couple of bucks to get your taxes done if you don’t have a clue how to file them, but there are also a lot of free tax filing options for those more who are more experienced. Is there any way you could qualify for small business or self employment deductions? If you get a tax refund, don’t spend it – put it in your travel fund instead.

“Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like.” – Will Rogers

Automate your savings

Set up an automatic transfer from you main account to your travel savings account. This way, the money will be out of your account before you get a chance to spend it. While you’re at it, get a high interest savings account. While interest rates aren’t especially high right now, every bit helps. If you’re Canadian, we like the free online savings accounts at Tangerine (they used to be called ING Direct). Use orange code 28025017S1 to get a $25 starting bonus.

Also try using a cashback credit card for purchases, and use a company like eBates to save money as well!

Having trouble sticking to these tips?

I like to keep myself on track by remembering what the money I’m saving can buy on the road. If a dinner out is going to cost $30, I try to remind myself that $30 could buy me a night’s stay in a very nice beach hut in Thailand, or a half dozen breakfasts of a fresh croissant and espresso in Paris.

Motivation

Tell your friends, family, co-workers and even the weird guy down the road about your dream trip. Let them know you’re doing everything you can to make your trip a reality. It will help keep you on track and at the very least make them understand why your shopping habits have changed and you’re opting out of the $180 concert tickets everyone is talking about.

Keep a photo of your dream travel destination as your computer background or as your phone’s backdrop. Set a goal, whether it’s time or a set amount of money and do everything in your power to reach that goal.

More help

Read Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez . This is the most hands on helpful book on money management I’ve ever read. There are great practical tips in here, but I love this book because it’s probably the only book I’ve ever read that teaches you how to make money your bitch.

It was originally written in the 1970s, and it can seem a bit hokey at times, and some of the investing advice is outdated, but it’s still well worth a read. I have an Amazon link here so you can check it out, but pick it up at your local library if you feel like saving a couple of dollars.

Overwhelmed?

Pick one thing on this list and do it. Then next week, pick another.

Do you have any tips for saving for a RTW trip? We’d love to hear them.

Photo by Jhong Dizon on Flickr.

And saving isn’t easy. 

You’re going to need some serious motivation to keep you going to save money for a round the world trip.

So here you are:  Our five best motivators to help you set up a savings account and start stashing cash away for your dream trip.

Tell the expensive cheese who’s boss. Seriously. Go to the expensive cheese isle. Look at how much a pound of gruyère costs. Figure out how much you spend on cheese in a month. If cheese isn’t your weakness, then go to your local electronics store, your coffee shop, comic book store, the place that sells life size gnomes – wherever you spend too much money. Facing how much you spend on trivial crap like this will motivate you to stop buying it.

In your face. Put a photo of your dream destination somewhere you’ll see it constantly. If you’re a smartphone junkie, slap your pic of Kilimanjaro on your iPhone wallpaper. If you spend a lot of time in the fridge (no judgement here), post a pic on the door. Heck, if it works for you, slap a photo in front of the toilet. Just make sure that it’s somewhere you’ll see it all the time. Looking at your dream destination keeps you focused on your goal when you’re tempted to blow money.

Get out of the closet. Let the world know you’re planning your dream trip. Tell your friends, your family, your cat, heck, even tell strangers on the street (this one’s not advisable if you’re a New Yorker, sorry). Making your dream public will create consequences; your Mom will ask how your savings are coming along, folks at the water cooler will ask when you’re going, and your cat will lick its butt (OK, maybe telling your cat isn’t such a good idea). No one likes public humiliation and failure, so the threat of having to tell everyone you’ve fallen off track should keep you saving.

Take yourself out of the equation. A psychology prof once told me that willpower is an illusion; that we are just creatures of habit. Despite his habitual bad breath and weird penchant for cut off jeans, I think my prof was right. If you want to save, you need to create new habits. Set up an automatic withdrawal from your main bank account, and transfer it to a savings account that’s hard to access. No willpower required.

Find your idiot. A few years ago I wanted to learn Spanish, but I’ve always been terrible at languages. Then I met a Croc-wearing 44-year-old Vanilla Ice clone at a party who’d learned decent conversational Spanish in a year online.  That’s all I needed to know. If that idiot could do it, I could too. My Spanish still isn’t perfect, but I can ask where the toilet is and order beer, and I have Vanilla to thank. Find your own idiot to inspire you – one that makes you say – well if that jack!*s can do it, I can too.

I’ve got all the money I’ll ever need, if I die by four o’clock.
– Henny Youngman

Do you have any saving for travel tips to share?

Sure, it’s possible, if you stay in dorms or hostels in Thailand and live on street food. In fact, it can be a great experience, but it’s not right for everyone.

If you’re a family like us, or you just want to travel with a little more luxury, is it still possible to afford to travel for months at a time?

It is possible. In fact, you can take a career break and travel for a couple of months for less than the cost of a typical vacation. I’ll explain how we do it.

Charles and I are always asked how we can afford to travel for months at a time, especially with two little kids. As a family, we’ve traveled for months through Mexico, Costa Rica, the US, Asia and the Philippines. Trust me, we’re not lottery winners, or independently wealthy. We have to to work for it, just like everyone else.

We’ve learned some great tricks that might just help you take that dream long vacation. Stay with me, and I’ll explain how we do it.

A traditional vacation is insanely expensive

Because most people take their vacations at peak times like Spring Break or Christmas, they pay top prices for everything: food, hotels, airfare, tours and attraction tickets. Peak prices are almost always two to four times more than off peak rates!

On top of that, because they’re understandably trying to compress all of their fun into a short time, they end up paying for conveniences like restaurant meals and expensive tours, when they could do the same thing for a fraction of the price if they had the time.

We’ve all been there (us included), trying to schedule a vacation during time off from work, and stuck with crazy high season prices. There’s a better way.

Avoid the crowds and cut costs

By traveling off peak or shoulder season, you’ll cut your prices significantly. We just splurged for a night at the four star Delta Sun Peaks Resort in British Columbia, Canada for $102 during their shoulder season. The resort’s regular season rate is $189.00. Not only are prices lower during non-peak season, but it’s much easier to negotiate travel deals and added perks.

Save money by renting for longer

The savings add up. Not only can you reduce your rate by going during non-peak times, but you can lower it even further by renting for a longer period. This sounds counter-intuitive, but stay with me.

When you travel for a month or more, you can get a monthly rate on a vacation home or condo. As a rule of thumb, we find that monthly rates are about equal to what the owners ask for two weeks. This strategy works best with individual owners (rather than property management companies). Most owners are delighted to have their place rented out for a month. It’s much less hassle than having to deal with renting their condo out to different people, often just for a few days at a time. Plus, they’re guaranteed a certain amount of money for the month.

During our last stay in the Playa del Carmen, Mexico, we rented a gorgeous two bedroom condo, everything included, with a nice pool and a four minute walk to the beach, for $1,200 per month. If we’d been prepared to stay longer in the Mayan Riviera, we were quoted rates as low as $900 per month (for staying up to four months) for something similar. If we’d been staying truly off season (in the summer) we probably could have reduced the rate by a couple of hundred dollars more per month. We stayed for a month at the clean and modern Mango Condos in Tamarindo Costa Rica, for $1,200 as well.

Once you stay at a place more than a month, you can start to negotiate local rates. Landlords start to think of you more as renters than tourists, and prices go way down. The longer you stay, the cheaper your rent becomes.

Find a few condos you like through Airbnb (my new favorite for the lowest prices), HomeAway or TripAdvisor, and email the owners asking for their best monthly rate. When they email you back, ask for a further discount. Always be polite, and say that your budget only allows for a certain amount. This goes a long way towards getting someone to help you.

Looking for a great deal on your next Airbnb? Follow our link to get a $35 credit! (And we get a credit, too).

You can slash your accommodation costs completely by using a home swap service. This site lets you swap a stay in your home for a stay almost anywhere in the world. Because we’ve rented for the past few years, we’ve never done a home swap, but we’ll definitely give it a try when we own again.

House sitting or volunteering (some volunteer positions provide accommodation) may be a way to reduce your costs even more.

Shop like the locals

Because you can self-cater, you’ll pay much less than eating at restaurants for every meal. On top of this, in tropical destinations, fruits and veggies are a fraction of the price at local markets than at your supermarket at home.

Try to shop like the locals, and you’ll save a lot of money. In many countries, including Mexico and Costa Rica, locals buy most of their fresh food at outdoor markets for much less than at large chain supermarkets. We’ve found that we pay almost the same price all over the world for typical, packaged convenience foods in supermarkets however some countries sell staples like dairy or chicken for much less than at home.

When you’re somewhere for a month or more, you have time to scout the local restaurants, and ask the locals the best places to eat. Not only can this save you a fortune, but you can find some of the best local hangouts. Our two month stay gave us time to find some of the most affordable restaurants in Playa del Carmen. While you will be eating more because you’re staying longer, you’d be eating at home anyway, so there’s no real additional cost.

When you stay for a longer time, you have more time to explore the area, cutting down on costs for entertainment and tours. For example, a $85 whirlwind guided cenote and snorkeling tour in Mexico’s Yucatan can become a leisurely two or three day affair, costing a tenth of the price simply using existing transit.

Flexible travel times = cheaper flights

You can also save on airfare for a long vacation. During your typical one week holiday, travel dates are usually very constrained, because you want to get as many days at your destination as possible. With a longer stay, you have enough time to move your dates a few days in either direction. Having a little flexibility in your dates can save you a lot of money. In general, traveling mid-week (especially Tuesday through Thursday) is much cheaper than traveling on the weekend. On top of this, airfares are much cheaper during non-peak times, saving you more.

Our favorite airfare search tool is Skyscanner. Skyscanner will let you search a calendar of fares for up to one month, and give you results for airports near your destination and departure cities. Like any search engine, there are some smaller discount airlines (like Allegiant air) that aren’t included in their searches, so be sure to check discount airlines as well.

Click here to search Skyscanner.

Need some more inspiration? Check out 30Traveler’s list of apartment rentals you can score for $400 a week around the world.

What about getting time off work, taking the kids out of school, or being able to save enough money? 

These are great questions, and I’ll tackle them in detail in our next posts. Depending on your situation, dealing with these may be easier than you think.

If you’re a little further along in the planning process, check out what we do with our stuff when we travel.

Have you ever wanted to take an extended career break? If you had a few months off, where would you go?