I have a friend that I jokingly say pinches pennies. Well maybe I’m not joking. He writes down when he “splurges” on a $2 soda. He keeps track of everything he buys, big or small. Despite the pennies he is always pinching and my claims that he would dive for a dime on the ground if he saw it, he has traveled to more countries than most people I know. He has spent over two and a half years living in places far away from his home. He may not be a rich man, but he is certainly well traveled with unending perspective. He cuts back on daily luxuries so that he can spend his money traveling, learning languages, and meeting people all around the world.
Collecting spare change or skipping that weekly happy hour with friends contribute to most travelers’ ways of saving money before they hit the road. Regardless, I am still left with the question, “why not save money by traveling?”
Pinching Pennies
Upon returning home from all of my travels, long or short term, I recognize how travel has saved me money back home. The next time you travel, rather than cataloging all of your expenses on your trip or only focusing on money saving tips before you leave, consider these money savers that come post travel. They may give you that extra excuse and cash to keep on traveling.
Travel Minimizes
The night before I pack, there are always those things that will not fit in my bag. At the time, I feel like I am parting with a dear friend in that prized tank top that just can’t find a space to rest. In the moment, I think it will be detrimental to my trip if that pile doesn’t make its way in my suitcase. They never are. I never think about those piles back home that I did not pack, that wanted to make the trip, but just didn’t fit in with the others.
When traveling, we are forced to only take what we need. Two pairs of jeans will suffice on a vacation. Not every perfume or cologne we have received each Christmas from Grandma needs to make its way into our bags. You are forced to carry on your back only what you need for that time period. Every time I return from a trip, I am reminded that I don’t need many of things I yearn for in my daily life. While traveling, you forget about all of those things. You get used to only having one or two of everything rather than ten. Travel has made me a minimalist. You only need what you can carry. While I may sound like a well-off hobo, you can thank me later when you don’t spend money upon returning home on that 15th pair of sandals. If you don’t need it traveling, you don’t need it at home.
Found in an Italian market, the only outfit I need in life.
Travel Appreciates With Value
When I lived in Italy, I became accustomed to searching for Internet, living without heat and air conditioning, and not buying snacks throughout the day (gelato being the only exception). Internet did not come instantly and easily like it did back home. At home, I wake up in the morning and my Internet is ready and waiting for me. I don’t have to walk all over the moon to get a signal. If I’m cold, I turn up the heat.
After traveling, I find I can get by without these luxuries or at least on a more limited basis. The way you travel brings to your attention the luxuries you do have and how much you should be using them. You may be able to cut down that air conditioning bill upon returning home or get rid of some of those channels in your pricey cable package. Travel makes me appreciate the little things I don’t have on those days, months, or years traveling. Those things I do have will start to appreciate in value. I become more grateful and less inclined to splurge after roughing it on the road.
Who needs a fancy pants gym when you can make up weird exercises for free?
Spending Travel Money Tends To Satisfy More Than Money Spent At Home
A friend of mine who has not traveled extensively recently joked to me, “I can’t take my car to my grave, but I can take memories.” In an effort to cajole her into visiting me this summer, I enforced this statement she uttered. Spending money on travel I always say is not really money. The money turns into priceless experiences. Sure, if you spend so much to drum up a debt, those experiences may not be so sweet, but if you are smart about your limits, travel can be incredibly rewarding.
The next time you dine out or go on a shopping spree, think about the places you could be seeing and the experiences you could be having for the same price. Rather than a shiny new car, I can have a shiny new memory of eating plate after plate of pasta while listening to Italian chatter at a home-stay in Italy. I can go see Petra rather than have a new couch for my living room. For me, travel money isn’t money, but rather priceless experiences and visions. Money spent at home seems to carry less life behind all of the bills and the jingle of change.
Have you found travel saves you money at home? I would love to learn others observations of their spending upon returning home after traveling. Share your experiences in the comment box below.
I have to agree whole heartedly with everything you have just said. I get so tired of listening to people complain about not having money to travel, yet the memories you take with you, the people you meet and the way you grow are priceless compared to the mortgage you have to pay or the new outfit that’s the new trend.
Travelling also makes you be more healthy and eat better. Not necessarily money saving, but definetly a benefit to your health. When at home I lazily choose to hit up the fast food joint but when travelling that option isn’t always available, and you learn new dishes with new ingredients. I always take home those recipies in an attempt to bring that culture back home with me.
Great post Suzy. I know it won’t be until I’m on the road that I will really appreciate the money I have put aside. While right now it feels like I’ve just save this money and will waste it away in Europe.
I know that the sights, sounds and experiences I encounter will be worth every penny of that money.
I really liked this. To be honest, I never looked at money spent at home as money I could be spending to travel. That was mainly because money wasn’t really the issue. Getting time off was. Now that I have a long-term goal and saving is of the utmost importance, the ideas in your post are resonating.
Great post! A few summers ago, I backpacked around England and Scotland for 2 months. Setting out, I couldn’t imagine how I would make it through with only the clothes etc. in my pack (itself the size of a small person.) On the road though, I didn’t even need half of what I brought…I can’t wait for my next trip, now that I know I don’t need much more than a change of clothes and a toothbrush!
So true that money spent traveling packs more of a punch than money spent at home! Never really thought of it like that, but I’d so much rather have one week abroad when I actually try whatever activity, whatever food, whatever drink!
Loved this post. One quote that I stumbled across when I was deciding whether or not to go to France was: “Stop living for THINGS. Start living for EXPERIENCES.” I immediately wrote it down and stuck it on my bathroom mirror (per my post, I really do that) because I wanted to remind myself that instead of new jeans or shoes, I could be exploring the world.
In terms of saving while traveling, I always think about the bills I’m NOT paying- no electricity, no car insurance, etc. And that makes me feel better about buying another pain au chocolat.
This is a great post! I am personally quite frivilous in my day-to-day life to begin with. I have a few splurges, but am happy without “luxuries”. Unfortunately, despite having the money to travel it’s different focuses in my life that make it more of a challenge to get away. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to travel quite a bit when I was younger. Now I’ll settle for packing up the fam for a little roadtrip, or maybe a short plane ride to see family that’s not right around the corner
Great post that I totally agree with! Before living overseas, I would buy one DVD set a month as a little present for myself while I was working. Of course, I didn’t bring them with me overseas and since I have been back, I put away the money I would have spent on mindless crap into an account for more travel. I def. debate buying “stuff” for no reason anymore.
Hi Suzy, great post! I don’t remember the last time I went shopping and I don’t really care. I’m planning a couple trips this year and I’d rather use my money for those trips!
Love this post Suzy. I just found you today so I will be immersing myself in your tipsy travels and whatever else I find on here! Pennies DO add up – I have over $600 in my change jar right now that is going toward a trip to England and Portugal this fall. That’s almost my plane ticket and I still have 4 1/2 months to go! AND I plan on picking up a little bit of work while I am there so that always helps!
I enjoyed your post, Suzy.
I think learning this lesson from travel is something that independent travellers are more likely to come away with than the average person going to the typical mass-market destinations, such as Disneyland, Hawaii, Vegas, or an all-inclusive resort. It’s part of the general consumption pattern that doesn’t provide a profound experience to provoke introspection.
There is also the matter of habit. When you travel abroad, you are seeking a different experience. Therefore, you expect things to be different. However, when you return home, you fall back into your routine and normal lifestyle which drive your consumption habits. These are also influenced by your family and friends via your interactions with them (e.g. let’s go out for dinner!) and peer pressure — have to buy a house, a nice car, the latest gadget, etc. To break out of that, there is always the possibility that your relationships will become strained as your non-conformist behaviour may generate ribbing, criticism, or even ridicule. If you embrace independent travel and a simplified lifestyle that facilitates personal growth through exploring the world, one should be prepared to lose friends, even old friends. What you will find, however, is that you will develop new relationships with people you meet who share your interests and grow in the process.
We are harangued so much by constant exhortations to buy through advertising, that it is very difficult not to do so. The North American lifestyle is also marked by a slavishness to work, so we are looking for conveniences that will save us time. In fact, it’s those conveniences that burn a hole in our pocket. Take a simple thing like coffee. If you make your own at home, you can easily save hundreds of dollars per year.
On a final note, a way I help myself avoid being put in a situation where I’m forced to make a decision to buy something is to limit the chances of that happening by reducing my exposure to advertising or the opportunities for impulse purchasing. I don’t have cable television and I avoid shopping malls. Instead, my leisure time is filled with activities that are going to help me with my travels, such as learning a language, reading, researching, and meeting new people who come from the countries I am interested in travelling to. Sure, I’m treated like an outcast at times, but that doesn’t bother me. The people who treat me that way are the ones who are missing out. Once they find out what I am doing, they are often the jealous ones.
What a great post! I complete agree with the experiences over things point of view. We are about to embark on a long term travel trip and are selling pretty much everything in our apartment. You wouldn’t believe the amount of STUFF we’ve accumulated over the past three years of living in an apartment. After reading this post I can’t imagine the number of trips I’ve thrown away in favor of buying stuff I’m now desperately trying to get rid of! The only redeeming thing is I’m getting some cash back out of these material objects I can put toward generating some wonderful new experiences!
Don’t forget about the fact that traveling full time is often cheaper than your combined rent/car/food back at home!
Amen! I’m actually a lot like the friend you describe—although my splurges tend to be a little more extravagant than a $2 soda, I keep track of everything I spend and hold myself to a pretty tight budget. But the thing is, I never feel deprived or like I’m making sacrifices. Saving for something you love makes saving easier, and I never lose sight of when I’m “splurging,” big or small.
Definitely related to the first point. When I’m traveling in a third-world country, I really see how much money and time (to make the money) I waste on shit I don’t need, that doesn’t really make me happy. But, I gotta say, when I’m in Europe or the US, my busted travel shoes and worn-out jeans start looking mighty sad next to all the cute girls’ clothes… 😉
This is very interesting, Suzy. I really like focusing on the money I’m saving while traveling because it makes me feel not quite so bad about the money I’m spending. I do save quite a lot – my utilities bills decrease but I’m not home, I’m not spending money on gas, and my business expenses are entirely obliterated because – I’m not working! In any given traveling week I save maybe a couple hundreds dollars.
Food for thought, I will pass this on to Mel to read for sure
I totally agree with everything you wrote. Since start of this year, I promised myself to travel some more and visit places I haven’t visited before. And I did! I still do. Because of this, I cut down on the money I spend partying, buying overpriced food at home, attending events, having expensive coffee and drinks, etc. They do add up in the long run and help me do more travel adventures.
Reading this post, I also realize how lucky I am. I may not be rich, but I am still able to buy stuff (like new sofa and stuff for the house) which give me so much joy. I guess it all depends on the things we value the most.
I also realized that those extra pairs of shoes I bought and still haven’t worn until now should’ve just gone to my travel savings. At least now I know better. Thanks for this wonderful post. 🙂
So true. It’s amazing how caught up people get with “stuff” until they 1) realize how little they actually need and 2) realize how little most other people in the world have.
A lot of people think that traveling is cost-prohibitive. In many ways, I think the opposite is true.
One of the great unifying characteristics of travelers is that they learn how very little they need to enjoy life.
When I return to America I’m always stunned and the huge houses and number of possessions that people have and take for granted…
Right now I’m trying to decide if I ever want that kind of (stable but oh-so-limiting) life.
Just read the caption on the denim vest and jeans outfit. I can’t wait to see you rock that one.