I have a lot of people asking me how I am able to afford doing what I do as often as I do...I try to cram as many adventures into life as possible. I realize that it may look a little extravagant, but I can assure you that it's not really most of the time. I don't have a sugar daddy nor am I a trust fund baby. I've never inherited anything, no lottery winnings, no windfalls of cash. I've been promising a blog post for months and finally got around to it, so here you go :)
I feel like most people could do what I do as often as I do if they just put their minds to it. Everybody has different priorities and lifestyles and ideas of what they want to spend money on...I think that's the main trick. I work in tourism and believe me, if I took vacations like the 100 people a day that I talk to, I'd only be able to afford to take one trip a year too. I'd love to stay at fancy hotels and get spa treatments and have 5 star meals all the time, but that's not realistic for me. Sleeping in the car and not showering for a week straight isn't ideal, but it makes traveling possible for me most of the time, so that's how I roll. (BTW, this is a long post, so just prepare yourself) Below, I'll list some of the basics that make traveling easier for me than most.
I feel like most people could do what I do as often as I do if they just put their minds to it. Everybody has different priorities and lifestyles and ideas of what they want to spend money on...I think that's the main trick. I work in tourism and believe me, if I took vacations like the 100 people a day that I talk to, I'd only be able to afford to take one trip a year too. I'd love to stay at fancy hotels and get spa treatments and have 5 star meals all the time, but that's not realistic for me. Sleeping in the car and not showering for a week straight isn't ideal, but it makes traveling possible for me most of the time, so that's how I roll. (BTW, this is a long post, so just prepare yourself) Below, I'll list some of the basics that make traveling easier for me than most.
1. I don't have children
2. I'm in a relationship with a man that lets me pretty much do whatever I want. We don't share finances, so after paying bills, the money that I make is mine to do with what I choose.
3. I have a job where I make pretty good money per hour and I work 11 or 12 hours a day, 4 days a week. That means overtime pretty much every week and 3 days off. Sometimes, I work 11 or 12 hours a day, 5,6, even 7 days a week. During spring break, for example, I make 3 or 4 times what I make during the wintertime, so I am able to save up a lot of money during that time. It also affords me the flexibility of taking off as much time as I want as long as it's not during busy times of the year and I give them a couple of weeks notice to get my shifts covered.
1. I pack a lunch pretty much every day...a cheap one. My workday starts at 7, so I usually brew myself a cup of coffee and grab a yogurt and peach/orange/apple before I head out the door or maybe a packet of instant oatmeal. 9 times out of 10, I have a 19 oz can of Progresso soup for lunch. Even then, I usually order a case of 24 cans from Target or Walmart (whichever is cheaper) with coupons and get free shipping delivered to work...it usually ends up saving me about $1.00 per can compared to Sedona's Safeway. I'm a slow eater and work is busy, so that yogurt, piece of fruit, and can of soup will last me all day long. Occasionally, I'll have a hard-boiled egg or a granola bar or a couple of spoonfuls of peanut butter later in the afternoon to get me by. I realize that this may not be realistic for most people, but I'm "lucky" enough to have the slowest metabolism ever, so it just kind of works out. All together, that's about $3 a day for breakfast and lunch. If I do order lunch in, it's usually pizza. I can spend $7 on a pizza from Domino's and have it last me 3 days. I used to work at a coffee shop, and I was astounded at how much people spend on coffee per week, plus tip. You could be spending more grabbing a latte every morning than you spend on your electric bill every month.
2. I have the most basic cell phone plan I could find. I do pre-paid and bought a smartphone outright. I don't have a signal 25% of the time, but I do have unlimited talk, text, and data and international service for $40 per month. Again, not realistic for a lot of people, but I like being unreachable most of the time ;)
3. I don't get my hair cut or colored by a professional. I give myself a little trim once a year, just when it's starting to get pretty gnarly. It usually takes me a couple of days...I'll start out little by little until I get it just the way I want it. I even tried out bangs last year watching youtube videos...it's not rocket science. I know girls that spend $100+ a month on their hair...do you know what a girl like me can do with an extra $100 per month?! I also use whatever hair products are on sale, i.e. Suave. I worked at a salon in high school, and the stylists were convinced that a $25 bottle of shampoo could make or break your hair, but I really can't tell a difference. Maybe there is one, but it's not enough to matter to me. I really do like L'Oreal Elnett Hair Spray which is a bit of a splurge for me, but it really is a good product, in my opinion. Otherwise, I buy whatever is on sale for $3 a bottle.
4. I don't get my nails done. My hands take a beating, so a manicure wouldn't last long anyway. I'm also kind of anal about having them look nice, and the handful of times I've gotten them done, they look like crap right off the bat anyway. I've gotten gel manicures before, but my nails grow so fast, they start to grow out and I end up just peeling them off after about a week anyway. Fake nails aren't really my thing. I paint my own nails probably 5 times a year and that is just fine with me. As far as pedicures go, my feet are pretty gross. I probably should get one more often, but I just don't care that much. I like my toes painted all the time, and the nails grow really slowly, so it lasts months, usually. The only time it's annoying is when I have to wear bug spray and it kind of messes it up ;)
5. I drive an older, not fancy, dependable vehicle paid outright. It's 8 years old, has 68,000 miles on it, and doesn't really have any bells and whistles but ends up saving me a fortune in the long run: it's 4x4, high clearance, gets decent mileage, cheap registration and insurance, and I can basically live in it. Most of the little weekend trips that I take consist of my driving to the location and either camping or sleeping in the back of my car. The back seats fold down flat, I have protection from the elements and wildlife, and a level of safety that helps me sleep better at night. Plus, there's pretty much no set up. I get everything laid out before I even leave home and then just crawl into the back when I'm ready to hit the sack.
6. I don't drink alcohol. I'm convinced that it really saves me a small fortune. Just think, you go out for dinner a couple of times a week and have a couple of beers or a Rusty Nail, maybe a glass of wine in the evening...that adds up. I've talked to people that estimate that they spend $50-$75 per week on drinks...that's $200 a month! That's a plane ticket or a few nights at a motel! I try to just order water when I eat out...less for drinks, less tax, less tip. It all adds up, people. When I went to Europe in May, tap water was about $5 per glass at most of the restaurants, but beer was $2, so guess what? I drank beer.
7. I usually try to order one of the cheapest items on the menu. I enjoy eating out pretty often and I live in a small town, so there really isn't much else to do if you want to look pretty and go out. It's also a tourist town, so everything is marked up big time. I am asked often where I eat, considering I'm a local, and honestly, Chipotle is where it's at, lol. But if I want to go out for like, a date, I order a salad or a burger, enchiladas, etc. I'm not into seafood, so that helps out. I also try to only eat half of my meal and then I take the rest home and have it for lunch or dinner the next day. My boyfriend can grill up the perfect, juicy steak, so if I'm craving a nice cut and a hearty meal, we just grill at home and save a bundle. He does it better than any restaurant I've tried.
8. I try to enjoy activities that don't cost anything, like hiking, riding my bike, kayaking, camping, splashing around in the creek, and backpacking. These are things you can do all day, every day and don't cost a penny. Of course there is gas, but big deal. We got a big storm on Christmas day this last year, so I went snowboarding with my boyfriend and the tickets were $85. I have my own gear, but by the time we had lunch and dinner on the way home, I was out $200. I spent that much in 5 days in Colorado camping and hiking. A season pass would be worth while if I lived closer to the mountain, but I just can't justify spending that kind of money. Long story short, I'll save snowboarding for my birthday, when I can get a free ticket :) I don't shop for fun, have a gym membership, go to movies but once a year (and usually that's a matinee, which is cheaper), go to theme parks, etc. I'm easily entertained, so I can usually keep myself occupied without spending money.
9. I shop around. Whether it be plane tickets, yoga pants, or a sleeping bag, if there is something I need to buy or an activity I'd like to participate in, I shop around for deals, look for promo codes, try to buy used, and try not to buy impulsively. If I see something I really want, I try to sleep on it for a few days, and if I'm still obsessed, I'll go for it. Usually, after a day or 2, I've lost interest and have began to obsess over something else. I also use a website called Ebates that gives you a percentage back on online purchases. Sometimes it's as much as 12% cash back and I use it for booking vacations, buying clothing, Amazon...anything I use. Since I buy 99% of anything I use online, it works out really nicely for me. They literally mail me a check every 3 months that I deposit in my savings account. The most I've had them send me was $93.00! Usually, it hovers around $10-20. Anytime you can get a check in the mail from a company it's a good thing. With flights and motels, I'll generally find the cheapest time to go and then plan my trip around it. I'll get a notification for a super cheap flight on a certain day and I'll make it work. Basically, I plan my trip around cheap tickets. I don't usually know when or where I want to go, I just see a good deal and grab it and then go from there. As far as gear goes, I usually don't splurge on the nicest thing right away...I'll start out with something middle of the road, and then decide what I really want and then I'll upgrade later, selling whatever I'm replacing on Ebay or Craigslist so I don't have hoards of old gear just collecting dust in storage. For example, I bought my mountain bike used from a friend. It's a $1200 bike and I paid $300 for it. After 4 years, it suits my needs perfectly, and I see no need for an upgrade. I bought my snowboard package when I was 13 years old. It was $300 for a board, binding, and boots. After a season or two, I decided I really needed nicer boots, so I shopped around a got a pair off of ebay for $100. Then came time to upgrade my bindings. The board, however, I still have...20 years later. It's some no-name old haggard board, but I wax it every season, and it works just fine, so I still use it. I have a $35 tent from Walmart that I've had for 5 years and is perfectly capable for what I use it for, but I really like Chaco sandals and wear them every day, so it's worth it for me to spend $100 on a pair every year. Everybody's different. This also means that I have to compromise and sacrifice certain things like renting a canoe on Emerald Lake because it costs $100 for an hour so that I can fork out $150 to go paragliding in the Swiss Alps.
I also try to figure out what times of year are best to buy something. For example, when shopping for our Swiss Passes for the rail system in Switzerland, I found out that buying right around the end of the year could save me over $100. I had to enter all of my information at the time, including my passport number, and then it e-mailed me an electronic ticket. Brian was still waiting to receive his passport, so we missed out on getting his until later and it was significantly more expensive.
10. When I travel, I'm usually flying solo. There are many benefits and drawbacks to this. The benefits include being able to set your own schedule. This means that, if I can't sleep at night and I'm restless, I can drive to my next location without having to worry about waking up my partner and switching plans around. I'm always amazed at how much I can see and do when I'm alone because I'm never having to wait for anybody else. If I'm not hungry, I don't have to stop to eat. If I've already hiked 12 miles and I want to keep going, I can without having to check with my partner, and if I've only gone a mile and don't feel like continuing, I don't have to feel like I'm letting the other person down by quitting. If I see something on the side of the road that catches my eye, I can stop and explore without inconveniencing someone else. I can do things on a whim that would probably annoy anyone else. When I road tripped around Northern California a few months ago, I had no intention of going to the coast. But, after hiking in the rain in Yosemite all morning, I really just wanted to see the Ocean. Sure, it was 4 hours out my way, but why shouldn't I? So I drove to Monterey and watched the sun set over the Pacific Ocean in a field of wildflowers while eating a Greek salad from Safeway and a Jamba Juice smoothie.
The drawbacks: you don't get to split expenses with somebody else. That's pretty much it. Sometimes I wish I had somebody to share the memories with down the line, but that's what pictures and this blog are for. I do remember sitting in my rental Jeep overlooking the ocean on the island of Oahu wishing that my (then) husband was with me to share the moment, but that's better than never having had that moment in the first place.
I think people worry about me more because I'm a girl, but there's not much that can happen to me that couldn't happen to a guy in the same situation. Being alone has made me stronger and more brave and independent and that's always a good thing. I go slower and am more aware of my surroundings and take my time because there's nobody around to help me out if I get lost or hurt or if a bear charges me out of the woods. That's not to say that nothing will ever happen to me, but you can't live your life worrying about what "might" happen.
11. I live a pretty simple life. I own 3 pairs of pants and still wear clothes that I bought in Middle School. I don't check luggage when I fly. I have a point-and-shoot waterproof digital camera that cost $200. I have one pair of sheets that I take off and wash and then put right back on afterwords. I could probably fit every single thing I own in (or on) my car at this point, and I like it that way. If I don't use something, I get rid of it. I'd rather take a trip to Canada for a week than own a new, top of the line phone and honestly, my last trip up north cost much less than that :)
I'm not saying that everybody needs to do things the way I do them, I'm just listing off the things that I believe make a difference for me. Again, everybody has things that they think are important and are willing to splurge on, and that's just fine. If you can't live without going to Starbucks every morning, then by all means. The point I'm trying to make is that, it requires sacrificing some of the luxuries in life, but I think anybody can travel often if they put their mind to it. It may take you out of your comfort zone, but that's what life is all about.