How to: Save Money to Travel

@ people who travel all the time, how do you do it? What are your secrets? Can I join on the next trip?
I recently started putting together my family tree, so that I can discover what cities my ancestors are from, and travel there someday. The problem? An average flight to Spain costs about $1,500, even if I wanted to fly 5 months from now! So, I got to thinking about (realistic) ways to save to travel.

1. Visit Penny Hoarder. This website offers a lot of tips on how to save and make money! Beware, however, some of these are not realistic in the slightest.

2. Create a second savings account. Having a savings account is important, but it sucks when you put away all of that money when you can't spend it. Most banks offer the option to create a second savings account, where you can put money, and take it out when you're ready to buy plane tickets, put aside money for a road trip, whatever!

3. Put aside your change. When I was younger, my mom and stepdad emptied their extra change into a jar in their room, and the ended up saving enough for a trip to Disney Land, in essentially just change.
If you, like most people, don't carry cash or change, try a "keep the change" program with your bank (Bank of America has it for sure). Basically, it takes the leftover change from your transaction and puts it into your savings account (ex. If you spent $14.50, your bank would take $15 from your checking account, and deposit $0.50 in your savings). Change adds up quick!

4. Cut back on expenses. This one seems obvious, and a lot of people are hesitant to do it, because they don't want to give up their coffee/lunch/beer/etc. It's really just as simple as finding a cheaper alternative (Ex: brewing coffee at home, rather than stopping at a coffee shop, or finding a cheaper place to buy your coffee. Or, when you go out to eat, getting a water instead of a soda or beer).As I said before, the little things add up.

5. Plan. If saving money is difficult for you, plan your trip to the smallest detail, that way you have a pretty solid idea of what your trip is going to cost, and you know how much to save. You can find plenty of websites that give you the cheapest travel option, so it'll help too.


Whether you're traveling internationally, or in the US, travel can be expensive. However, by putting aside our change and cutting back our expenses, Josh and I were able to afford a trip to Houston without breaking a sweat, If you have any travel tips, whether it be help saving, or help planning, feel free to share!


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