Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
A friend of mine was in his 50's.....single........lived in a smaller , older , trailer house in the country and had a factory job.
When he and his siblings got a small inheritance e from his father passing away, he used it for a lengthy African hunting trip.
If I was in his situation that would have been the last thing I would have done but he said he enjoyed it and never regretted it and certainly could never do/afford it again.
I traveled a lot with my parents growing up. My dad grew up in Switzerland and knew Europe well. My parents were quite well off financially and wanted to go to exotic places, I was just along for the ride.
Aside from those who are wealthy, are in the military or have a job that entails it (sales is best for that), some economize greatly. My father talked of someone he knew who was single, no children, had a decent job but lived in one rented room and was able to get to work without driving (thus greatly reducing the two largest costs of living). That allowed a lot of trips. Being flexible: airlines still fly Thanksgiving and Christmas, but not many people do, so you can get good deals.
1. Selection bias: Those individuals most likely to have traveled the world, for whatever reason, are more likely to frequent this forum and are thus disproportionately represented here.
2. Dishonesty: Individuals posting to support political, ideological or personal agendas are underpinning their arguments using false claims regarding their travel experience.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
41,936 posts, read 36,981,862 times
Reputation: 40635
I earn little and live in a high COL state. I plan to spend 5-6k on a trip to Asia this fall. Been saving over a year. It is priorities. I haven't bought clothes, haven't eaten out and eschewed dating to be able to save whatever I can to do the trip. It is all priorities. I got rid of my car, live in an old apartment, and am largely a homebody between trips.
This is a question that has been on my head ever since I joined these boards (well long before but this is the only place that focus on it) and have seen so many posters talking about their expericnes over seas. I just read this thread and this poster said something along the lines of "I have lived in the Caribbean and traveled to 5 nations/territories (multiple islands) thus far. I briefly studied in the UK and traveled to 8 European nations in total". How!?
What is it exactly that people could do for a living at where they are able to afford the cost of flight, room and board and traveling expenses and food. If you studied aboard--that is still very expensive! Cost of tuition is more not to mention you generally have to make an upfront payment fee to the school to even be considered. Just how much credit do you have ? I am sorry but these trips sound as if they are reaching into the 5-10 thousand marks and for people like me that is really pushing it beyond the limit. Credit ? I doubt many 'smart' people would willing put themselves in that much debt for this.
How are you guys able to take time off of work for such a long period of time and not in the least bit be concerned about money or other issues. I am asking because (much like everyone else) I desperately want to travel more but I severely lack the funding to do so. I am a college student who just recently got released from a temp job who has about 3 months left on a car payment. I wont even mention how I see my living situation changing soon.
So please inform me. You guys are clearly doing something I am not. If you do not wanna spill 'The Secret" then damn it (!) PM me because I wanna be in on this secret society!
The secret is having a large disposable income. Otherwise it's scrimping and saving or going into a lot of debt funding a trip you couldn't afford in the first place. The students I knew in college who studied abroad came from wealthy families. Working stiffs' kids didn't go abroad nor did those who put themselves through college.
If someone is in Europe, they can see multiple countries pretty cheaply by using rail passes and staying at hostels or other cheap lodging. Especially if they aren't fussy about hotel quality or cleanliness, and they're travelling with someone who can split the bill. Hotels in less attractive neighbourhoods are much cheaper than staying in the popular areas of European cities. You can see a lot of the sites on foot and some places, like old churches, don't charge any admission fees. Some people save money by buying food at cheap grocery stores and eating in their hotel rooms instead of dining out at restaurants when they travel.
If you live in North America, travelling to Florida, the Caribbean or Mexico once a year is not that expensive. There are lots of cheap, borderline rundown hotels down there as well as the posh ones. They often have last-minute package deals advertised through airlines, travel websites, etc. Once again, it's even cheaper if you can split the cost with a travel mate.
If you live in the U.S. and have family and friends scattered around the country, and they're open to the idea of you staying with them while travelling, then you've got yourself big savings right there on your lodging. Travel by car or bus or train, and you can see a lot of America without spending a huge amount of money. Or search for vacation packages like weekends in Vegas advertised through airlines, travel websites, etc.
Most students who study abroad are from rich families who pay for their vacations as well as their studies. Some university students get jobs teaching English abroad after they graduate. So while they earn a living in Japan, Korea, or some other place, they have an opportunity to use their vacation time just travelling around the region.
Retirees are another group who travel a lot. If they have nice pensions or lots of savings, they can spend as much time travelling as they can afford. Some retirees regularly go on tours, and spend several weeks travelling every year. Or they visit their kids and other relatives and stay with them.
And some people just have careers with big fat salaries that give them the opportunity to live a life of luxury, which often involves travelling for vacations. Lucky them!
The travellers who impress me the most are the young ones who spend several months in places where tourists seldom go. Like south Asia, or rural Latin America, or the Pacific islands. That takes incredible self-reliance.
So please inform me. You guys are clearly doing something I am not.
Well, to start with RumNCoke..... When I was in college I never ordered rum. Or a Coke. I asked for a glass of water and put the money I saved in the bank.
Well, to start with RumNCoke..... When I was in college I never ordered rum. Or a Coke. I asked for a glass of water and put the money I saved in the bank.
It's this in a nutshell.
I'm not a fair representation because I'm a student and I still live with my parents, but basically 70% of the money I earn goes towards travelling. I spend around 3-4 months a year abroad. When I had a cell phone, I used prepaid services so that I was only paying what I absolutely needed to. Once I had a cheap plan, but I have scrapped owning a cell phone altogether since. If I go out drinking, it's usually once every two weeks and I refuse to spend more than $20 and predrink at home.
But suppose I got a not even that great of a job and started making about $2,500 or less a year.
Rent for a nice studio/1bedroom: 800-900
Groceries: 100 (easy if you know how to actually cook)
Internet/other services: up to 100
Going out: 200
Supplies: 100
That's less than 1400 spent in a month. As long as you get the time off, you can clearly afford at least one very nice, lengthy vacation by the end of the year, or several modest ones no problem. This is assuming you don't have kids or a huge debt burden I guess. But even if you have kids, probably you should be making more and if you analyze and restructure your budget, maybe it's possible.
It really is all about priorities. Maybe yours aren't around travelling and exploring, and that's alright. But the people who do seem to find a way to make it work. My friends don't understand how I afford it either, but their priorities are smoking a lot of weed and and buying records. Whatever floats your boat.
I'm not a fair representation because I'm a student and I still live with my parents, but basically 70% of the money I earn goes towards travelling. I spend around 3-4 months a year abroad. When I had a cell phone, I used prepaid services so that I was only paying what I absolutely needed to. Once I had a cheap plan, but I have scrapped owning a cell phone altogether since. If I go out drinking, it's usually once every two weeks and I refuse to spend more than $20 and predrink at home.
But suppose I got a not even that great of a job and started making about $2,500 or less a year.
Rent for a nice studio/1bedroom: 800-900
Groceries: 100 (easy if you know how to actually cook)
Internet/other services: up to 100
Going out: 200
Supplies: 100
That's less than 1400 spent in a month. As long as you get the time off, you can clearly afford at least one very nice, lengthy vacation by the end of the year, or several modest ones no problem. This is assuming you don't have kids or a huge debt burden I guess. But even if you have kids, probably you should be making more and if you analyze and restructure your budget, maybe it's possible.
It really is all about priorities. Maybe yours aren't around travelling and exploring, and that's alright. But the people who do seem to find a way to make it work. My friends don't understand how I afford it either, but their priorities are smoking a lot of weed and and buying records. Whatever floats your boat.
I hate to tell you, but you've left out transportation, utilities, insurance, medical co-pays, 401K/IRA deposits, and clothing. You can't eat a healthy diet on $100 a month. I don't care if you can cook or not, it's just not feasible. $200 would be a better number.
I do agree that it's all about priorities, but I think your youth is blinding you to the realities of adulthood.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
