Money for Travel

I get asked a lot where I get all my traveling money. The truth is rather complicated - a combination of luckiness, hard work, austerity at home, and a low-budget travel style. And maybe that doesn't suit you. Maybe you don't get the scholarships I get, maybe you have more expenses than I do at home, maybe you put fancy clothes at a higher priority than I do, or maybe you think hostels are icky and wouldn't touch couch class with a ten foot pole. For whatever reason, maybe you can't travel as much as I do. But you can still travel. You can still go somewhere, do something. And if you really think you can't, look at your habits. I realize the following example doesn't apply to everyone, but it applies to a lot of the people say, at my University, who always tell me how much they envy me and wish they could travel as much as I do.

Coffee.

A lot of people make Starbucks their default study location, or swing by the campus cafe on their way to early-morning lecture. I guess they see a nice, hot coffee as a luxury they can afford. But it's totally unnecessary and way overpriced. You can just drink water for free, or, for pennies, you can make the coffee at home yourself (and yes, even the fancy flavors). But, it's just pocket change, right?

A normal latte or cappuccino or whatever at a cafe where I live cost an average of about $3. A Cafe-au-lait, for example, is $2.45 for a small and $3.00 for a large, while a Cafe Caramel is $3.25 for a small, $3.80 for a large.

$3 a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks in a year, is $1,092.

Let's say you would spend the 92$ on the supplies to make your coffee at home, so that's $1000 saved, in one year, from dropping one small habit.

I'm positive I could swing a modest European trip for that amount. Certainly, it would pay for half of a grand one, since it more than covers airfare, and that's the main cost for a budget traveller.

Example: I've seen tickets to London and Paris for around $600. You could get a solid week in hostels/cheap hotels for $200-250 more, and spend the last $150-200 on decent food... or you could save money by couch-surfing, eating cheap, etc, and have PLENTY for day-trips, museums, etc.

A week in Europe or a year of brand name coffee - for me, the choice is easy. But it's one each person has to make for themselves.