Tips to Make Your Next Trip Happen

Plan Ahead: 
Write down where you want to go on a trip. Which ones are realistic for you this year or next year? Pencil that ish in! Traveling can be so refreshing and can bring clarity and gratitude into your life. Do any of your friends or family members live in a location on your list? Ask them if you can visit, but make sure you know good guest etiquette(i.e. clean up after yourself, make a dinner or two for them, get them a bottle of wine, don't be needy, help with the dishes or laundry, wash your linens before you leave, etc...if you're an enjoyable guest to have, they will want to have you back!) If you don't have anyone to visit, look into cheaper alternatives to a hotel, like couchsurfing.org, airbnb.com, vrbo.com, homeaway.com (I've had great experiences with all of these). In taking the time to coordinate with friends, hostels and/or couchsurfing, I've traveled to Lake Tahoe multiple times, Dublin, Paris, Amsterdam, London, LA, Florida, Oregon, Montana, Seattle, Colorado, San Francisco, Atlantic City and South Carolina. Figure out how many days off you have at work and talk to your boss or business partner about taking a long weekend or a week off. If you don't ask, the answer will always be no! Make the goal and then work toward it. It might take months or years, but if you make it a priority then you can probaby find a way to make this trip happen. Figure out an amount that is doable weekly or monthly and start saving today. If you have direct deposit at your job, open a separate account and direct a certain amount there every pay period. Start with a couple dollars a week and try to increase it over time once you get used to living without the first amount. If you make a couple extra bucks one week or if you get your tax return, put it in the savings account instead of spending it. If you don't have direct deposit, put cash in a jar. Instead of spending $5 on coffee each week day, put that $25 in a travel savings account or jar. In one year you will have $1,300. As with any goal, make an outline and then take one step at a time.

POINTS: I have a rewards credit card, which accumulates points as I spend. I wait until those points rack up and then I use them toward flights or stays. It's important to learn how to use a credit card before you start doing this. If you pay off your entire last statement balance each month, then you will avoid all interest expenses. I always try to operate my finances as such, so as not to incur unnecessary expenses. I only put on my credit card what I know I can pay off at the end of the month. We also do a lot of our traveling using points through one airline. It pays to choose one and accumulate points with them. My boyfriend travels for work, so he accumulates a lot of points on his work trips. I also give him a lot of credit because he structures his credit card usage around how the different credit cards point systems' work. For example, he might use one credit card for groceries and gas and another for restaurants and travel, based on which card offers more points for which purchases. 

*Disclaimer: I'm not going to tell you that everyone can travel as much as I do. Some people have obligations that limit their ability to do so. Most people's priorities are different from mine. The ability to have freedom influences most of my decisions. I haven't had and likely won't have a fancy wedding. I don't have children. I rarely splurge and buy expensive things. I don't spend above my means. I don't have the newest phone, car or purse. I also know that I was more fortunate than most to have parents who could set aside funds for me to go to Spain twice with my High School. Those first couple trips opened my eyes to the world, broadened my horizons and showed me how much I love exporing new places and meeting new people. A few years ago, one of my best friends from college took me and another friend to Thailand. He traveled alone for his job so often that he was just happy to have some travel companions. I fell in love with Thailand on that trip....and with him. Since then, I've been able to see to A LOT of amazing places in Europe and Asia that I never would've seen, if not for him. I always traveled as much as possible, but these past few years of travel exceeded my wildest dreams. I otherwise travel to places where I have someone to stay with so I can get the local experience and keep my costs down. I've been extremely fortunate with the opportunities that have come my way, both in life and in travel. I am forever grateful and I never take it for granted. Think of the things you've done that you didn't think were possible, and thank about them! 

I know that "everywhere" probably isn't possible, but it's on my list anyway... because why not!? I've already done plenty of things I didn't think were possible in my lifetime, so why should we place any limits? Here are a some of the places on my travel bucket list: Bali, Germany, Australia, Dominica, Iceland, Switzerland, Jamaica, Bermuda & Costa Rica. What's on yours?? 

~Grateful Travels~