As I begin this post, my friend Kim is somewhere on a tour traveling through Morocco, Spain, Greece and Turkey. On Facebook, she’s posted pics of herself riding camels through deserts, standing on colossal monuments and relaxing poolside sipping tasty drinks in some exotic locale. Incredible.
Over the years, Kim has visited Australia a couple of times, backpacked through Europe and skied in Whistler, Canada. She leads an exciting life, enriched by experiences most people only dream of.
On the surface, Kim might appear to be wealthy, but that is far from the truth. She comes from and is, currently, middle-class. What Kim has going for her are traits and habits that would benefit anyone desiring the experiences she’s had, but think they can’t afford.
Setting Priorities
Early in her life, Kim decided that a lifestyle of travel would be a top priority, so she began working numerous positions in the tourism industry. She works very hard at saving money, while taking advantage of specials and deals that she finds. At times, she meets her travel goals by working two jobs at a time or sharing expenses with like-minded friends and family. And Kim always keeps her priorities straight during the hard times when money, motivation – or both – is in short supply. All of this isn’t to say that Kim doesn’t have fun when she’s not traveling. She just keeps her overall goals in the forefront of her day to day decisions. And, she’d be the first to tell you it’s worth the effort.
Kim’s simple, straight forward approach works for her, allowing a major excursion every couple of years. Still, knowing her approach wouldn’t fit every situation, I decided to examine what other travelers do to afford their wayfaring dreams.
Different Strokes for Different Folks
As with most ventures in life, the approach to financing your dream trip depends on your unique situation. Some people have a great credit card with a decent rate and lots of rewards. They find a good deal to their desired location, make the purchase and go, and then pay the balance off over time. Other people begin a general travel fund and pay into it monthly. As the balance grows, they keep an eye open for deals and specials they find on the internet, along with signing up to receive notices via e-mail from online agencies. Then, when the right deal comes at the right time, they pounce. Still, some will make an initial purchase with a travel credit card and work to pay it off before they travel, which might make sense if the savings and rewards of an early purchase are just too good to pass up. Of course, many travelers use a variety of flexible methods to meet their goals.
What’s Your Approach?
In the future, we’ll explore ways to save money that may benefit your travel goals, no matter what approach you decide to take. But for now, I’d like to know what works for you and your family. No doubt, your approach could benefit someone in our SeaTac Park family. We welcome your thoughts and ideas today!
