How to Travel More in 2019 - A Practical Guide
I get asked all the time by friends and family how much vacation time I have because it seems like I’m never home, or they think I’m rich because I’m always flying somewhere. Neither is true! lol.
I simply make the most of my time and money to maximize my travels. With increasing costs of living especially if you live on the East Coast like I do, saving for a vacation can seem like a gargantuan task where something more important always comes up. Well I am here to tell you that you do not need a six-figure salary in order to afford at least two vacations per year. Here are some tips for how you can travel more in 2019!
PRIORITIZE TRAVEL
If you want to travel more, you must make it a priority. I no longer spend money on designer handbags or go out every weekend to the club. Save those entrance and drink fees and go to local spots that are free and BYOB. Now just because I don’t go clubbing anymore doesn’t mean that I don’t have fun. It usually is centered around a celebration like a friends birthday where my spending is justified.
I keep my wardrobe simple. Since I spend 5 days a week at work, I generally just rotate the same 10-15 outfits. It helps with getting dressed in the morning and easy on the pockets since I am not buying new clothes every weekend. Of course I have other staple outfits in my wardrobe for all seasons, I also keep these to a minimum. My motto is, if it fits I’m wearing it, even if its 10 years old! If you like to hit the mall weekly or routinely shop online, try only shopping once a month and see how much money you’ve saved. I bet you’d have enough for a round-trip ticket somewhere.
BE FLEXIBLE
There are always flight deals popping up to various destinations around the world but you have to act fast on them because they disappear just as fast. This means that you have to be flexible with not only your time but the destination as well. Let’s say you have some time off in August and you want to go to Jamaica but the prices are way above your budget. Don’t cancel your plans altogether, just find an alternate destination. I love using Skyscanner to search for destinations during a specified time. Simply enter your departure airport, enter in “Everywhere” for the destination and your selected dates. The results will show you everywhere from cheapest to highest available routes for that time period. You may end up traveling somewhere you never thought of going!
USE YOUR TIME OFF
I know so many people that do not take their allotted vacation time each year because they don’t have some big trip planned. If your days off are limited, maximize your time off by extending company holidays. By strategically planning out your time, you can plan in advance for places you’d like to go. Millions of Americans don’t use all their vacation time each year which is honestly bad for your mental health. Don’t be one of those people!
CREATE A TRAVEL FUND
Set a goal and then set aside a pre-determined amount from each paycheck that will go towards a vacation. If your goal is to take two vacation this year totaling no more than $600 each which is $1200 for the year, then determine how much you need to save from each paycheck to reach that goal and make it automatic. Chose a savings account that earns interest (i.e. online savings accounts) that take at least 2-3 business days to transfer the money. Using this type of account, you would be less likely to withdraw from it unnecessarily. Set up automatic withdrawals for the same day your paycheck hits. You’ll never miss the money and you’ll be saving towards your goal with a little extra interest. To find an online savings account with a high yield, I suggest going to NerdWallet to compare products.
EARN CASH & AIRLINE MILES
One of the biggest ways to earn cheaper travel is to earn airline miles, or cash by redirecting all the purchasing you currently make. If you are an online shopper like my myself, you can earn cash back on your purchases, even on travel by using Ebates. Ebates allows users to earn cash back on their purchases by shopping through their referral site. You can even earn cash back in-store for certain retailers. There is even a Google Chrome extension that you can add to your desktop that will notify you if a website you are currently on has a cash back opportunity so you never miss out. I recently earned $82.36 on a recent stay at the Holiday Inn just by booking through Ebates! Use my unique code here to sign up and get $25 when you make your first purchase through Ebates!
You can earn airline miles in a variety of ways that do not include signing up for a credit card (although you earn a lot more faster this way). Many of the major airlines like American Airlines, Delta and United Airlines have a dining program that is free to join. Simply create an online account and link your debit or credit card and earn miles each time you dine out. Please note that all airline dining programs use the same backend service so you can only register one card per program. For instance if you have one debit card and one credit card, you can sign up for two dining programs using one card linked to each.
Here are the links to the dining programs to sign up!
American Airlines - The AAdvantage Dining Program
Delta Airlines - SkyMiles Dining
United Airlines - MileagePlus Dining
United Airlines and BP Gas also allow members to earn miles at the pump! BP Driver Rewards allows you to either earn cents off at the pump per gallon or United MileagePlus Miles. Guess which one I chose? If you choose to earn miles, you'll earn up to 3 MileagePlus miles with every gallon of BP fuel purchased. Plus you'll earn a 200 bonus miles for making your first transaction after linking your debit or credit card. PROTIP: If you link a cash back rewards credit card or an airline branded credit card, you get to double dip on the miles earned! Click here to sign up to start earning miles at the pump.
I hope these tips help you to travel more in 2019. Tell me your thoughts in the comments below 👇🏾, I’d love to hear from you!
