Ever since Ed and I got married, traveling has become an essential part of our life. We have different personalities, yet we share the same perspective when it comes to travel.
Traveling, for us, is more than seeing new places, more than learning about the world we live in. It has been our favorite way to bond and get know more about each other. When we're out of our comfort zone, our strengths and weaknesses are revealed. When we're on the road, we learn how to communicate better. And when we share wonderful moments, we appreciate our marriage even more!
That's why we make sure to go somewhere we have never been once or twice a year. But how do we make our travels happen?
We work full-time with an average OFW salary. We have bills to pay, people to support and a future to plan; hence, preparing for a trip may seem like a daunting task. But, we found ways on how we can save money for our travel fund. Here are 8 of them:
1. We blog!
This blog has helped us fund our travels a little. Yep, only a little! Perhaps, the blog has not reached its full potential yet, but we are already happy with the little things we're getting from it. We have a passive income through advertisements and affiliate links. We also receive discounts on hotel rooms, if not complimentary. But rest assured, all hotel reviews in this blog, sponsored or not, are genuine and unbiased. We value trust more than anything else!
2. We use public transportation.
Ed and I don't own a car. Sometimes, we are tempted to get a license and buy a 4wd, but we often shrug off the idea every time we think about the efficiency of the Dubai Metro and the bus transportation system. Ed uses the metro, while I walk, to work! So, the money that is supposedly for vehicle insurance, servicing and petrol is the money that we use to see the world. How's that for a trade?
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| We're happy to live in a city with an efficient public transport system! |
3. We fly on low-cost airlines.
Air ticket can eat up half of our trip budget if we don't properly plan ahead. We usually search for deals 3 months before our travel date. We consider ourselves lucky if we stumble on to flag carriers on seat sale. But, most of the time, we trade in-flight dining and entertainment with pocket money by flying on budget airlines. Low cost carriers like FlyDubai and Air Arabia in the UAE, Cebu Pacific and Air Asia in the Philippines have made our travels easier on the pocket!
4. We only buy the things we need.
Because of our love for travel, we have learned how to identify our needs from our wants aka things we can live without! Believe it or not, Ed and I don't own a television set. We have a desktop at home where we can watch shows and movies; hence, a TV is not much needed. We have a "Collect moments, not things" mantra. I would rather purchase a flight ticket to my dream destination, than buy a designer bag. We also don't go on shopping sprees when we travel. And just recently, we started building a minimalist wardrobe which includes functional pieces that we can mix and match..
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| Less shopping. More of this! |
5. We lessened our coffee dates.
No matter how much we love spending our weekend afternoon in cafes, it is an activity we have to slowly let go. Think about it, two frappes cost as much as a full meal in a specialty restaurant outside the UAE!
6. We use discount coupons.
7. We do a restaurant research before our trip.
I'd be lying if I say we don't go on date nights anymore. Dining out is a guilty pleasure I could never give up; hence we agreed that we'd still eat out during weekends provided that we go to restaurants with Buy 1 Get 1 Free vouchers in our Entertainer Dubai app. So, there goes almost half of our dinner bill to our travel fund!
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| Delish dinner at half the price! |
7. We do a restaurant research before our trip.
Our itinerary includes not just places to see, but also restaurants to try. We usually check the online menu of well-recommended restaurants prior our trip. With this, we can save time and money since we already know where to go and how much to spend.
8. We stay in budget hotels.
Just like air tickets, hotel rooms can also take a huge chunk of money from our travel fund. During our first few travels, Ed and I were so keen on staying at fancy hotels with luxurious amenities. Then, we realized that all we need are just the basics - a clean room, a comfy bed and a hot shower - since we usually spend most of our time sightseeing. Good news is that there are several hotels built for budget-savvy travelers. These budget hotels don't have fabulous facilities, but offer comfort and convenience at cheap rates.
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| I love small hotels with 3-star service! |
So, those are the practical ways on how we save money for travel. I think, it all boils down to having a modest lifestyle, traveling smart and keeping your eyes on the prize! How about you? How do you save money for travel? Share some tips at the comment section below. :)
This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own.
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