I'm coming up with a budget, and while I know it's tacky to discuss finances, this might help you if you're trying to plan your own trip around the world.
First of all, decide how much money you're willing to spend total (duh!). The reason this is important is because when you're out experiencing the world and feeling the vitality of nature or whatever, it's hard to stop yourself from just blowing it all! Do some research about the places you're going in order to approximate what things cost and make a budget (give yourself a little more than you think you need). Also, make sure you have a little extra money set aside, in case of emergencies (back home or on your travels). Not only did I make a yearly and monthly budget, but I even broke it down by week and day. Of course I'm not going to keep track of every single penny, but it's good to try to approximate how much you're spending. In some countries we'll stay well under budget and in others we'll be spending more just on necessities. In the end, I'm hoping it will average out.
Decide what's important to you. Is it nice accommodations, expensive food or fun excursions? Unless you're Tom Cruise (totally dated reference, sorry), you can't afford to have it all. Our bucket list includes lots of excursions and even visits to neighboring countries. Lower on our list are expensive restaurants and super fancy condos. We want really basic apartments (since we don't plan to be there often), but some sort of kitchen and internet are on our must-have list!
Don't forget the stuff you still need to pay for back home! We still have to pay for our storage space, our phone bill, our travel agent, our dogs (if something happens) and Aaron's union dues. Try not to give yourself bills to keep track of every month. If you can't pay them off for the length of time you're going to be gone, find someone you trust and give them the money to pay your bills monthly (my mom is in charge of our phone bill).
Don't forget to notify your bank/credit card companies of your travels. For Capital One, it can easily be done online (but only for two months at a time, meaning I have to remember to update it every two months). Failure to do this will result in a freeze on your account because they will think it has been stolen. And without money you will be sleeping on the street in a foreign country. No bueno.
Our monthly budget includes room and board, food, transportation and excursions, but not flights (we're purchasing our flights separate). While neither of us is particularly good at budgeting, we're going to have to get good fast because we won't even make it half a year without really sticking to it. This means no excessive shopping, eating at home or on the cheap whenever possible and taking public transportation. I know it sounds less like a vacation and more like just plain shitty, but I think once our fat asses get used to it, we'll actually really get the feel for each place, having really lived like locals. Plus we'll be saving money to do way more fun stuff! That's the goal anyway.
HOMEWORK: Start a vacation fund! Find an old jar, shoebox, even open a bank account and put a tiny bit of every paycheck into it. It can be as little as $1, as I know saving extra money can be hard. I can tell you it will be well worth it because having the dream to travel and something to look forward to (even if it's way in the future) can really keep you going in times of stress, sorrow and hopelessness. I can tell you that I have felt all three just in the last week, and the thought of being on a beach with the waves crashing at my feet calms me. It hasn't been easy to pack up and situate my entire life into boxes and plan to leave my pups behind, but my wanderlust sustains me. I hope it can do the same for you.
First of all, decide how much money you're willing to spend total (duh!). The reason this is important is because when you're out experiencing the world and feeling the vitality of nature or whatever, it's hard to stop yourself from just blowing it all! Do some research about the places you're going in order to approximate what things cost and make a budget (give yourself a little more than you think you need). Also, make sure you have a little extra money set aside, in case of emergencies (back home or on your travels). Not only did I make a yearly and monthly budget, but I even broke it down by week and day. Of course I'm not going to keep track of every single penny, but it's good to try to approximate how much you're spending. In some countries we'll stay well under budget and in others we'll be spending more just on necessities. In the end, I'm hoping it will average out.
Decide what's important to you. Is it nice accommodations, expensive food or fun excursions? Unless you're Tom Cruise (totally dated reference, sorry), you can't afford to have it all. Our bucket list includes lots of excursions and even visits to neighboring countries. Lower on our list are expensive restaurants and super fancy condos. We want really basic apartments (since we don't plan to be there often), but some sort of kitchen and internet are on our must-have list!
Don't forget the stuff you still need to pay for back home! We still have to pay for our storage space, our phone bill, our travel agent, our dogs (if something happens) and Aaron's union dues. Try not to give yourself bills to keep track of every month. If you can't pay them off for the length of time you're going to be gone, find someone you trust and give them the money to pay your bills monthly (my mom is in charge of our phone bill).
Don't forget to notify your bank/credit card companies of your travels. For Capital One, it can easily be done online (but only for two months at a time, meaning I have to remember to update it every two months). Failure to do this will result in a freeze on your account because they will think it has been stolen. And without money you will be sleeping on the street in a foreign country. No bueno.
Our monthly budget includes room and board, food, transportation and excursions, but not flights (we're purchasing our flights separate). While neither of us is particularly good at budgeting, we're going to have to get good fast because we won't even make it half a year without really sticking to it. This means no excessive shopping, eating at home or on the cheap whenever possible and taking public transportation. I know it sounds less like a vacation and more like just plain shitty, but I think once our fat asses get used to it, we'll actually really get the feel for each place, having really lived like locals. Plus we'll be saving money to do way more fun stuff! That's the goal anyway.
HOMEWORK: Start a vacation fund! Find an old jar, shoebox, even open a bank account and put a tiny bit of every paycheck into it. It can be as little as $1, as I know saving extra money can be hard. I can tell you it will be well worth it because having the dream to travel and something to look forward to (even if it's way in the future) can really keep you going in times of stress, sorrow and hopelessness. I can tell you that I have felt all three just in the last week, and the thought of being on a beach with the waves crashing at my feet calms me. It hasn't been easy to pack up and situate my entire life into boxes and plan to leave my pups behind, but my wanderlust sustains me. I hope it can do the same for you.
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