There are many ways to cut back and start saving for travelling, but keeping momentum and sticking to your savings plan can be hard. Especially when you are seeing your friends and family spend freely on social media and in person, but hopefully with these tips and some determination you will be saved up in no time and ready to book that first flight out of your home country.
Birthday & Christmas Wishlists
Flights, accommodation and expenses can all add up, however so can the equipment. We initially started our equipment list as a checklist so we didn’t forget to buy anything essential, however when it came to birthdays and Christmas, our checklists became really handy when friends and family started to ask what we wanted.
We were no longer wanting gifts as we would only need to put them in storage for a few years whilst we are away, or we would have to get rid of them.
So instead we sent our list out when someone asked what we wanted, and in the long run it helped us both save a fair bit of money on our travel equipment and get exactly what we wanted. This kept us happy as well as our family as they felt like they could be involved in the preparation of our adventure.
If you want to read more about what was on our travel checklist, check out our other articles on packing lists and gear, or sign up to our newsletter for free templates and guides.
Interest-Free Credit Cards
When it comes to making large purchases, interest free credit cards are fantastic for helping you save money. Personally, we think paying interest on anything is a waste of money and we would always look for ways to avoid this.
To find your best interest free credit card at the time you are looking for it, we would check moneysavingexpert.com as this allows you to put in what you are looking for and compare the different cards available to you. You are also likely to get a time-limit on how long your credit card will be interest free, then it will go up to a high interest level, so be careful to check how long this lasts for. We like to make a calendar reminder on our phones so we never end up getting charged.
When it comes to preparing for travel, you will likely be making some large tech purchases, from new laptops to cameras, and one easy way to save a little bit of money that will help you save for travel, is by using an interest free credit card. This means you won’t be paying interest on your purchase in any way, from either the retailer or the bank.
Shopping Lists & Meal Planning
With inflation going up and up, one of the ways we were able to cut down on weekly food shopping and put more money away for travelling was making meal plans, which we were then able to make shopping lists.
This was not only great at cutting down on food waste, but really helped us stick to a budget and stopped any spontaneous purchases.
We genuinely get a lot of meal inspirations from social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, and we add the meals to our list. When it comes to making a meal plan, we can pick the meals we want for that week, and can easily write a list using the videos to get all the ingredients.
When it comes to making our shopping list we usually group all the ingredients that can be found together in the shops to make shopping quick and seamless.
Hosting An Evening In
Another way we were able to start saving money for travelling was hosting nights in our apartment instead of going out. Making a theme night where everyone brings something, was not only fun but a great way to save on going out. Even hosting where we supplied the food and drink, we found it less expensive than having a day out or meeting up with people.
One way to keep your evening cheap is to have a signature cocktail, that way you only have to buy one lot of ingredients.
For food we usually make something cheap and easy to cook in a large portion such as a curry or chilli that we are able to pop in the slow cooker while we prepare everything else. This also normally leaves us with leftovers for the next couple of days or our friends can take portions home. Hosting a night in will not only make your friends and family appreciate you going through all of this effort, but they could end up hosting a night in for you, saving you even more money for your travels.
Buying Your Phone Instead Of Upgrading
Our final money saving tip for preparing for your travels is not to upgrade your phone. Not only will it be a waste of money when you go travelling as you will have to look at e-sims so you can text, call and use data, but it also costs more to get a new contract and spend £70+ a month. We save so much money by looking at second hand or refurbished phones and purchasing them outright. We also put this expense on our 0% interest credit cards, We can then pay the cost of the phone off way quicker than it would to pay off a contact.
Final Thoughts
Overall, saving money for travelling can be hard, life in the UK is pretty expensive and it feels like you go outside and get charged £30 just for existing. However if you follow our money saving tips, you should be able to reach your target amount and jet off to your dream life. If you want any further money saving tips for travel, read our article with 10 more tips.
Have any money saving tips that will help your travel savings grow? Please comment below and share your tips with the community.