If there is one thing I struggle with the most, it is finding the discipline to save for a long trip.
At first, it was just my school schedule that kind of conditioned me to travel for nothing longer than a month.
Then I realized, I kept going on short trips because once you get a taste of the traveling life, you just don’t want to stop. For me at least, when I would return home from a trip, my biggest concern was when can I travel again?
Because after epic adventures, you come home feeling like society is just bland and school and work are the biggest drag. So the minute I would have enough money for my next adventure, whether it be a week or a month, I would go!
But then I would come back feeling unsatisfied, because I didn’t have enough time to get to know the country, and my wanderlust came back ten times stronger. Soon enough, the temptation to go on another short trip emerged.
My news feed was full of people starting their next trip. My travel friends told you to meet up with them for the next adventure, and I even started looking at cheap flights around the world. But before I accidentally ended up in Peru for two weeks, I needed to figure out how to stay on track for my big trip. My trip that will take more than half a year to save for.
But a trip that would be so worth it, because I would see Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand. But it can’t happen if Peru comes up in August or if Greece happens in September.
Ultimately, I’ve learned that it comes down to do you want a small cookie now or do you want the whole box later?
So what did I do to remind myself that the whole box of cookies is worth the hassle?
Make a Vision Board
Have I already lost you? A vision board is a board with pictures of what you want to accomplish.
In this case, my mission is to stay on track and save for Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand. So I would cut out pictures of volunteering with elephants, the beaches in Vietnam, the epic diving in the Philippines, kangaroos and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the glowing worm cave in New Zealand, and lots of money!
Then I would put it somewhere in my room that guarantees I regularly see it. This technique is literally keeping your eye on the prize.
It will constantly remind you why you’re doing what you’re doing and will also help you visualize your dream trip. When you can do this, it makes the trip feel more real. When you can see your trip and get excited about it, you’re less likely to think about your small trip to Peru.
Try To Be Thankful For Where You Are Right Now
I live in southern big city North America and although the concrete jungle is just not for me, I still find a few reasons to like it. My friends and family are here. It is not cold here.
Even though I absolutely love hostels, nothing beats the comfort of home and it’s easy to work on my blog while I’m at home. We have great hiking in North America.
This is an amateurs list, I know, but if you start writing why you’re grateful for where you currently are, it can really put things in perspective. It will give you a more optimistic viewpoint on what your town has to offer, and remind you that you don’t need travel to make your life awesome.
Your life is just awesome, because you’re an awesome person.
So if you can make anywhere awesome, you’ll be able to tolerate your hometown a bit more and stay in place until your big trip!
But Also Feel Free To Spice Up Your Life A Little!
If you ever get bored of the same old routine while you’re saving, shake things up!
One of the reasons I love travel is because I am constantly exposed to new and exciting things. But this isn’t exclusive to travel!
If the wanderlust is coming at you hard, try to pick up a new hobby like rock climbing or acro yoga, or go out with your friends. Even just changing up your routine a bit can help. Really anything that makes you happy, do it!
Exercise is seriously one of the best things that you can try though! It is just known to make people happy for some reason! But cookies after working out also make me happy!
Tell Other People about Your Long Trip
When you say things out loud, believe it or not, it has a better chance of become reality.
This is because when you say your thoughts out loud, you verify to yourself that it will happen.
Try saying “I will be going to Thailand in January” instead of “I might” or “I think I’ll be going to Thailand in January.” Not only does this method help you make your trip more likely to happen, but it also helps keep you accountable.
You can even go one step further and ask someone to keep you accountable. Better yet, you can even start sharing your financial progress with people. Sound crazy? It’s actually just the power of social pressure, but in a positive way. This little pressure works in our everyday life as well.
It’s probably the reason you didn’t cancel lunch with your friend even though you really would have just rather taken a nap. Well, it works the same way when you’re saving for travel. If you share your financial progress with your best friends and family, you’ll still probably stay on track and achieve your goal because of social pressure.
But that pressure would be heightened if you post your progress on social media.
If you aren’t comfortable doing that, that is perfectly understandable! But if you are, go for it! It almost guarantees that you’ll stay on track and save for your long trip. You can even start a gofundme page if you want people to join your journey.
Curb Your Wanderlust By Going On A Domestic Or Super Cheap Trip!
Saving for a long trip doesn’t have to mean all work and no play!
If you’re absolutely dying to go somewhere, check out some cheap domestic places to visit for a weekend or week. You can even use your travel connections!
By the end of June, I’ll be going to Florida to see one of my best friends and hopefully do some ocean loving! In October, I plan to go to Canada for four days to see my sister-in-law’s family and check out the Banff National Park in Alberta, hopefully to hike some mountains and see the rare northern lights.
But I don’t plan to spend much money at all, because I’m close to people there. So, I won’t have to pay for accommodation or transportation.
This will cure my wanderlust, allow me reconnect with amazing people, and help me stay on track for my big adventure!
Post by Angella Grey, the marketing manager at The Vacation Rentals Experts – an online and offline digital marketing agency that creates marketing solutions for vacation rentals, holiday homes and brands.
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