Traveling is no longer just for the rich or retired vacationer! A lot of the younger generations are taking advantage of studying abroad, and even those new to the workforce are still finding spare change to put toward their travel dreams!
When I was in my Master’s program, I was only allowed to work part time on my student visa, but I still found ways to live well and travel! I never felt that I couldn’t go somewhere just because I couldn’t afford it (which I often heard from my peers)...
However, that’s not to say that I was living some luxurious life and always “making it rain!” I had a tight and well thought out budget, which allowed me to prioritize my goals and splurge where I was willing to splurge (while cutting back where I was willing to cut back).
This means, I clipped coupons, I kept careful watch over my investments, and I cut out some “unnecessary” spending where I could. Now, I realize that not every person is willing to cut corners where I was. For example, when I was in my Master’s program I cut back on my €140/month hair salon trips and started paying €15 at a salon that offered dry cuts super cheap. BUT, once I could work full time again this was definitely something I went back to splurging on. Personal choices.
I’ve put together a basic frugal worksheet, which you can see some of the areas I worked hard on or cut back on when I was earning significantly less and still wanting to live a certain lifestyle of travel and fun! This is just the tip of the iceberg if you can believe it, but looking like you have your **** together actually takes a lot of behind-the-scenes work!!
It’s all about priorities for me, so let me know which of these you already do, which you could consider doing, and which are just too “not worth it“ to afford your dream travels!
