Tips and tricks I’ve used to add more travel and adventure to my life without going into debt
If you’re like most people, you get about two weeks of vacation per year, three if you’re lucky. I don’t know about you, but 1-2 vacations a year is definitely not enough. Having a healthy work-life balance is very important to me so I figured out how to travel more with less money.
These tips will include a variety of ways for you to add more travel to your life without going into debt doing it. And no, I’m not going to suggest you quit your job and become a digital nomad. These are tips for the average person with a full-time job.
I make travel a priority so I have always managed to travel quite a lot every year. Yes, even before I became a travel blogger and writer. When I had a full-time corporate job, I was constantly getting asked, “How do you travel so much?!”
Over my years of working in the corporate world of Marketing and being restricted by vacation days, I have come up with the best ways to utilize days off for maximum travel and adventure. Hopefully, some of these hacks will help you get outside and see more of the world.
Ready to learn how to travel more often with less money? Let’s go! Here are my pro tips on how I maximize the number of vacations I take every year.
5 Tips for More Frequent Travels
1) Take full advantage of long weekends to travel more often
In Canada, we have a long weekend almost every month. When you maximize these days, it adds up to a lot of mini-vacations a year. Research where you can go that is a short distance away and explore these places.
Yes, it may take you a little longer to get to your destination of choice on a long weekend Friday after work. But waking up Saturday morning somewhere new makes it worth the time and effort. I’ve been in my car for several hours longer than normal due to long weekend traffic, but I have never regretted a trip.
2) Add a vacation day here and there to random weekends
Instead of saving all your days for one major vacation, think about using some of your vacation days to extend a weekend or two. This enables you to get away for several smaller trips. This works especially well when you tack on an extra day to a long weekend.
I once worked with a guy who didn’t like taking long trips so instead he took off every single Friday during the summer. Imagine having two months of long weekends? What a great way to travel more often with less money.
3) If you travel for work, add some time off to turn a work trip into a vacation.
My last job sent me to both Las Vegas and Orlando. You better believe I added a few days to the end of both trips to turn them into vacations. This might be my absolute favourite way how to travel more with less money because your flights are already paid for.
I have never had a boss who said no to me when I asked for vacation days after a work trip. This is the absolute best way to explore a new city and save money because you don’t have to pay for your flights.
4) Visit family or friends
It’s true that visiting people doesn’t always feel like a vacation, but if you are in need of an escape and are tight on funds, this is the ultimate way to cut costs and still go somewhere. If you have a free place to stay, you can definitely travel more often!
Before you write off wherever you have friends or family living, take some time to research the area. I bet that with a quick search, you’ll find that whatever city you are researching, there is fun stuff to do!
5) Take a staycation
And finally, never underestimate the power of a staycation. A couple of years ago I wrote a blog post about the value of staycations. I still firmly believe in them. Often when we get an overwhelming feeling that we need a vacation, all we may need is a true ‘day off’ to unplug and unwind.
A spa day or a weekend spent being a tourist in our own cities can actually feel like a vacation. It’s not often we take the time to go out and do the activities that visitors experience. I bet that if you searched for the top activities in your city, you haven’t done them all.
How to travel more with less money – a mindset shift
Now that you’ve learned my hacks on how to travel more, you may be thinking to yourself that a weekend getaway isn’t a vacation. It is! I want you to reframe your perspective on what you consider a vacation. One of the ways in which I am able to get away so often is that I utilize weekends and explore places that are close to home.
Not every vacation is going to be a week on the beach, or an 8-hour flight away. By shifting your perspective on what a vacation looks like, you will be able to go on more trips and feel like you’re on vacation a lot more often.
Conclusion – How to travel more with less money
Remember to always manage your expectations before any trip. By setting intentions for what you want to get out of your trip, you are more likely to have a great time and feel like you had a vacation.
Even if it was just a quick weekend getaway. By maintaining the mindset that vacations take on various forms, all of the trips you go on, even staycations, can feel like a true holiday.
If working for yourself and becoming your own boss is something you have been considering, check out my interview with entrepreneur and author Kelly Trach. She offers some great insight into how to work for yourself and make money. Once you discover your genius, it’s all about monetizing it. Check out the post for all the details, including her free online quiz to help you find your genius.
If you’re looking to travel more – for free – and who isn’t, then check out these travel hacks and points tips.
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