I spent a good part of my teenage years being antsy at not being old enough to travel alone, so I'd read books about grand adventures and wistfully wait for the day when I could pack my bags and go somewhere "exciting". My first chance to travel alone was at 17, however my first opportunity to travel alone abroad was at age 20. I remember seeing a commercial for British Airways with discount flights to Europe. I promptly called the airline (yes, this was before the days of mainstream internet use) and booked a ticket to London. That was the beginning of the beginning. Nearly everything I've done, and more importantly haven't done since then has been to facilitate my being able to travel wherever I like, whenever I felt like it.
Most people know where they would like to visit, but they're just not sure how to get the money or time to go about it. I have a few suggestions to help women who are interested in seeing the world or just their part of the world.
The crucial first step to planning a vacation, adventure or a combination of both that I call a "vaventure" is of course making sure you have the money and resources to do so successfully. If you're a trust fund baby this article probably is moot to you, for the rest of us however I've compiled a few suggestions, tips and tricks for doing getting the bucks and the most bang for them.
Step 1: Daily Savings. Limiting one's spending isn't always easy, and is rarely pleasant, so a long time ago I instituted a "per day" savings policy. Be it 25 cents or 25 dollars, it's easy to save cash daily in addition to whatever general savings plan you have in place. By using this method I decided to put away $5 a day, whether it was a lip balm I decided not to purchase, cookies that I didn't buy (and didn't need) and so forth. It was skipping out on one of the impulse purchases that I would make on a daily basis. $5 a day is $150 a month. Not a whole lot, but it is certainly better spent towards your travel dreams instead of store coffers.
Step 2: Use points. Airlines and Hotels have instituted rewards systems where you can get tickets and free hotel stays by collecting enough of them. Don't have any points? Ask for them. There are always people online willing to trade and sometimes give away points that they will not be using. Try trading services with various jet hopping professionals in your area. Use a website like points.com to help you manage them and obtain more. Don't be afraid to mix and match. For example if you're heading to Brisbane from New York, and you have enough points to buy a one way ticket to L.A. with Delta Points, enough Qantas points to save $300 on the LAX to BNE, round trip flight with their Points and Pay program, and enough American AAirpass miles for a one way trip back from LAX to JFK, it's worth doing. Yes, it's possible you may miss a connection, but if you plan accordingly with enough time in between flights, this is less likely to happen, and you've turned a $2000 ticket into a $1200 ticket. That's $800 you can use for lodging and expenses while in Australia.
Step 3: Charge. As women we often do things for free that people should charge for. Whether it's babysitting, graphic design, cleaning and so forth we often let friends slide for things that could bring in additional income. If you don't feel right asking money for things that you used to do for free, find someone who will pay you to do it, and when you're asked to do it as a favor from someone you know, you can let them know that while it would be your pleasure, you have a job doing that particular work, and you currently need the money to pay for an important trip.
Step 4: Sell items or a service. Most of us have things that we could part with or know how to do something that someone else doesn't want to or know how to do. Go through your home and look for all new and like new products, designer and big brand names will garner the most cash. If you're selling a service, think of five things that you enjoy doing and who might need or want that service and market accordingly.
Step 5: Focus. It's easy to get distracted by other things. Saving for a trip shouldn't make the rest of your life a hardship, but it's easy to spend money on things that you don't need and more importantly don't even want. Focus will help you to say no, to going to the movies for the 4th time that month, saying no to that just once a month is $25 more towards your trip.
Many Safe & Happy Travels to You!
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