How To Afford To Travel In Your Twenties! The Ultimate Guide

how to afford to travel in your twenties
March 31, 2019 Jordan Meola 16 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read My Disclosure for more info.

 

There’s a lot of world out there to see. I mean… A LOT. I could spend hours just naming and describing every place in the world that I’ve seen, and every place I still need to visit.

 

The more you travel the world, the more of the world’s beauty you’ll get to see. Simple as that. I’ve seen people and places so beautiful they wrecked me, in the best possible way. I’ve also had my eyes opened, and my perspective widened, by the things that weren’t so beautiful. Hardship and grief. I’ve met children that lived in public parks, and begged for a living outside of tourist attractions. Sat in a gelato parlor with total strangers in Croatia and listened to their stories about living through the Balkan War. I’ve seen and heard things that diversified the way I saw the world.

 

how to afford to travel in your twenties

 

I adamantly believe that the healthiest lifestyle is one where you touch the world often, and not just the parts in your immediate bubble. Seeing new places frequently is good for the mind, and the soul. Learning from different people than the usual ones in your life is important.

 

Traveling the world can be a lot more than a bucket list experience. Grittier than a tourist dream. More meaningful than an Instagram show-and-tell.

 

That’s why when I hear people say they would be BORED IN RETIREMENT it absolutely blows my mind. I can’t even fathom it. I could retire right now at the ripe age of 24, and if I lived to be 110 years old I still couldn’t scratch the surface of the things I want to do. It fundamentally bothers me that I haven’t fed an elephant by hand or seen one in the wild. I haven’t ridden a 4-wheeler across a Nevada desert. Seen a wolf in the wild. Learned at least 3 languages fluently. It bothers me that I haven’t fully mastered the piano yet, or been in a musical.

 

how to afford to travel in your twenties

 

With all of the things that there are to do, the food there is to taste, the people there are to meet, to listen to, and to love… it KILLED me to not be out there in it.

 

If you’re in your twenties, with a lot of uncertain life ahead of you, you may relate to this really deeply. The biggest hangup tends to be the same for everyone. Sure there’s some fear, some apprehension, some uncertainty, health challenges… but for most of us the biggest question is how to afford to travel. 

 

With the cost of living, bills to pay, and a career to pursue (or so we’ve been taught), it’s hard to find travel as anything other than a pipe dream. How do all those Instagram personalities and YouTubers, or even just a lot of your friends, seem like they’re always traveling to new places?

 

It doesn’t have to be such an impossible dream. I’ll break down right here how you can afford to travel in your twenties! Check out the ultimate guide below:

 

 

Figure Out Your Money

 

how to afford to travel in your twenties

 

Yeah, this is easier said than done. I know it seems obvious, but your lifestyle needs to be shaped to be financially savvy. There are thousands of young people that have all the income they need to be set up financially, but they don’t know how to design their life to make it work. They end up living paycheck to paycheck.

 

If you’re living paycheck to paycheck, traveling is basically impossible without also being homeless.

 

So is being financially smart that hard? Do you have to live like a miser to make it work? Not exactly.

 

In almost every place in life, no matter how tight money is, there are ways to still save. My wife Renee lived in Buffalo, New York for a year on only $800 a month, and finished her AmeriCorp year there with thousands of dollars in savings.

 

Here’s how it works:

 

a. Actually Set Up A Budget

 

how to afford to travel in your twenties

 

If you want to be able to travel, you’ll need to know how to live with a budget and stick to it. Make sure you know exactly what income flow you have coming in, and then look at your expenses. Sometimes it takes brainstorming to remember every expense that you have (which may be a sign you have a few blindspots). Then set up an Excel spreadsheet, or if learning Excel is daunting, keep it simpler and just use a Google Doc, to set up a working budget.

 

There are also budgeting apps that make budgeting even easier! The Mint app, by Intuit, is the best known, free, and incredibly easy to use (or should I say, Intuitive?). It can link to your accounts and help you track your budget right within the app, including what you’re setting aside for travel. I highly recommend using this.

 

It might take some tweaking, but if you have a good idea of what your available funds are, and how they’re being spent, it will reduce a lot of stress. You’ll need to learn how to work with a budget when you travel, too, so this is an important start.

 

Now here’s where it gets cool. When you brainstorm all of your expenses, you will almost always find that there are a lot of blind spots that have been bleeding your money. Identifying those blind spots leads us into our next tip!

 

b. Trimming Your Expenses

 

how to afford to travel in your twenties

 

Guys… I can’t emphasize this enough… there are so many ways to save money and trim your expenses it will blow your mind! I’ve done an absurd amount of research on this, and I’ve managed to keep literally thousands of extra dollars just by using a few of these hacks!

 

Want to know just a few of them?

 

I’ve written an extensive guide on ways that I save thousands of dollars on household expenses with a few simple things, which you can check out right HERE ==>  How To Save Thousands On Household Expenses (Barely Trying)

 

And another list of 13 free phone apps that make me $3,000 per year, which you can read about HERE. Yeah there’s some overlap, but these simple things put an extra $3,000 to $5,000 back in my pocket with almost no effort. That’s an overseas trip right there!

 

Here are 10 ideas for cost cutting that you may not have thought of.

 

– a non-mainstream phone carrier. Instead of using major companies like Verizon, which overcharge you for your phone plan, you can often get a significantly cheaper plan through companies like Consumer Cellular, Spectrum’s phone plan (for users of their internet service), or Mint Mobile. They usually use the same network as major carriers anyway, and they’ll save you a lot of cash!

 

– always use fuel rewards programs for your gas expenses. I joined the Shell Gold Rewards program, which is free, and doesn’t even require a card, and I get at least $0.05 off of every gallon. I often get $0.10 or $0.15 off per gallon. That saves me hundreds every year.

 

 

– Are you overpaying for groceries? If you’re not using Ibotta, then the answer is yes. I can get at least $20 in cash back from my groceries every month. It’s a simple app, that I just use to scan receipts, and I get money back, sometimes up to $2.50 for one item. There are some deals on Ibotta that actually renders the grocery item free. And I would have just paid full price if I didn’t bother to use the app. There are lots of other ways to save on groceries too (read my full break down here)! Grabbing coupons through Swagbucks/Coupons.com not only discounts your food, but also gets you cash from Swagbucks! If you’re a fan of organic products like me, you can avoid overpaying by using online options like Brandless which has stupid cheap, organic products.

 

Share services with friends. It may be a little complicated to figure out at first, but figure out a way to share your subscriptions with friends. Spotify radio, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime; all of these things can be shared between a few friends. Once it’s split up, the cost each of you next to nothing.

 

– Put in the extra effort to make sure you have the cheapest car insurance plan in your zip code. It varies from one zip code to another. Farmers Insurance may be the cheapest in one county, but Nationwide is the cheapest in the next. It’s worth putting in the extra effort of getting a bunch of different quotes so you can find the best price. It will save you hundreds.Check out Compare.com to compare your insurance rates fast!

 

– If you shop online, use Ebates. It’s simple as that. They give you cash back for stuff that you’re buying anyway, so you’re literally throwing money in a toilet and flushing it by refusing to use Ebates.

 

how to afford to travel in your twenties

 

– If you’re disciplined enough to not overspend, using a credit card is actually a very wise choice. This is because they usually have rewards programs that will pay you back. Some of them will give you bonuses towards flights, others will just give you cash back. Either way, I get $300+ back every year just by using my credit card for my expenses.

 

– speaking of disciplining yourself to not overspend… don’t overspend. You need to learn to live within your means if you’re serious about getting to travel. If you want to travel, then prioritize it! Drinks out with friends 3 times per week is not the only way to hang out. If you’re going out, check Groupon first to make sure you’re finding dirt cheap deals. Or better yet, find some free stuff to do for fun!

 

– break a few habits. The truth is, most of us have a few bad or unnecessary habits (read: borderline addictions), that are holding us back financially. It’s not bad to have hobbies, they can be good for mental health. But most people have a habit that if broken would save huge amounts of money. Do you spend too much money on video games? Makeup? Cigarettes? Cutting a few addictive habits can often save you a fortune. I know a few friends who started traveling after quitting smoking because… guess what… they suddenly had money.

 

– take your time when you pick housing. Finding reasonably priced housing takes a little time. Browse Realtor.com, Zillow, Facebook marketplace, or even your network of friends to find the best deal on your housing.

 

 

Rethink The Way You Make Your Living

 

 

If you’re reading this, than there’s a pretty good chance you’ve heard of this thing called the worldwide web. Some people call it the internet. I often call it a passive, money making machine.

 

Here’s the thing; in the age of the internet there are several hundred ways to make a full-time living without working a typical 8-5 job in a brick and mortar location. And no, I don’t just mean those outrageous telemarketing jobs that pay $9 an hour. Many people working exclusively online, even in their twenties, are making 6 figure and 7 figure incomes.

 

So why would having a remote, or internet-based career help you travel? Well, you can work from anywhere in the world that has a reasonable internet connection. You can carry it with you. Instead of stressing about how you’re going to save up enough vacation time, or convince your employers/managers to give you some time-off, you just pack your things (laptop included), and go. And you don’t even need to stop making money while you do it!

 

So how do build a career online? There are bazillions of ways. It’s actually pretty overwhelming. How do you even pick one? A simple Google search, or a few minutes on Pinterest, will leave your brain fried with the different options that are out there.

 

Let’s check out a bunch of your options, and you can consider which ones are a good fit for you!

 

9 Ways To Make Money Online (And Other Flexible Ways To Earn Cash)

 

1. Freelancing

 

how to afford to travel in your twenties

 

One of the most common ways that people are making income from their laptops is by picking up freelancing gigs. If you have skills that can be accomplished online, like writing, logo/graphic design, website development, or social media management, then there are hundreds of freelance gigs out there for you.

 

The money that you can make through freelancing is entirely self driven. It takes a lot of effort at first, to consistently apply to gigs. It may take a BUNCH of tries before you land your first one (I know it took me to my 6th or 7th try). Don’t worry though, because it will get easier with time.

 

If you want a complete guide on how and where to find freelancing gigs online, you can read about it right here! – How To Find Freelance Jobs Online

 

Using a free, gig marketplace like Upwork, Fiverr, or Hubstaff Talent, you can find an endless number of opportunities to use your skills to make money. The more gigs you do, the more reviews, connections, and referrals you’ll generate. This results in more and more consistent income.

 

The amount a gig pays will vary, so don’t be afraid to push for decent compensation. My wife has landed art and logo designing gigs, and I have landed blog writing gigs, which have paid a rate of $120 per hour! Not too shabby, right? Maintain high standards for yourself, always put forth your best work, and you’ll be rewarded for it.

 

Just don’t quit your job before getting established. While there are many people making healthy full time livings off of freelancing, it will almost always start as a side job first.

 

This kind of work allows you to travel! Just this past week my wife and I made a new friend from Shanghai who was doing exactly that. She worked completely from her laptop, and decided to travel from China and just work from the United States for a month. Working online gave her the total freedom to travel.

 

2. Transcribing

 

how to afford to travel in your twenties

 

Transcribing, for those of you who don’t know, is essentially listening to audio files and copying down the words that are said. There are actually numerous websites, like Rev, where you can apply to be a freelance transcriber. On these sites, there is an endless list of transcribing jobs every single day. You just have to claim one, and start making money.

 

The website that I use to make money through transcribing, Rev, requires you to do a trial phase, where you do a practice transcription job. If you pass, they’ll let you start working immediately. The more transcribing work you successfully complete, the more opportunities they’ll send your way.

 

The pay is sent every Monday through PayPal. The amount you earn is mostly contingent on how fast you can listen, process what you’ve heard, and type. If you’re speedy you could manage $30 an hour doing this.

 

Transcribing can be tough. The audio files and video clips that you can transcribe are often garbled, and hard to hear, which makes writing down the words very tedious. Imagine listening to someone talk while chewing  on marbles covered in peanut butter, and you’ve got a pretty good picture of what Rev’s files often sound like.

 

But once you’ve sifted through your options, there’s almost always work to be found in transcribing. Click here to apply to Rev and start making money transcribing almost instantly! And as long as you’ve got a pair of headphones to plug into your laptop, you can do this kind of work just about anywhere in the world.

 

3. Blogging

 

 

Yes, blogging. You’ve probably heard this one a lot online, because everyone is trying to start a blog.

how to afford to travel in your twenties

 

The truth is, having your own blog can be one of the most lucrative and freeing ways to make income ever. There’s a reason that a lot of people are starting one. If you can get traffic to your blog, through Google ranking and marketing on social media, you can make money off of it. Find a topic that you’re super interested in, no matter how obscure… paintball, role playing video games, drone videography, weird card games… if there’s a decent sized group of enthusiasts for it you can blog about it.

 

There are hundreds of people that are making a fortune through blogs. Cynics will tell you that it’s a lucky few, and there are certainly more bloggers that fail than those who succeed. But there are hundreds of people in their 20’s and 30’s who are independently working from anywhere in the world as bloggers.

 

Here’s the #1 thing you need to know about blogging though. No matter what anyone tells you, it’s HARD. Anyone who tells you that creating a blog that will pay all your will is easy is trying to make a quick buck off of you, or sell you a false promise.

 

If you want to have a career as a blog owner you need to build from a solid foundation. I joined a community/program called Wealthy Affiliate so that I wouldn’t be floundering around in the dark. Many of Wealthy Affiliate users are amazing mentors, who are traveling the world while making livings from a blog. I would 100% recommend you invest in your success that way.

 

Affiliate marketing, and running advertisements through a blog, will let you work and earn in a way that lets you afford traveling. Remember, having control over your time is even more important than earning a good living. Money in of itself is meaningless, and it will probably not satisfy you. Money is only useful if it provides you the freedom and independence to pursue your passions, and engage with the world.

 

If you think you’re cut out to be a blogger, check out Wealthy Affiliate and connect with me there! I’ll give you plenty of tips!

 

 

4. Remote Employment

 

how to afford to travel in your twenties

Being an employee may be a little more restricting than working for yourself, but it’s also safer. We live in a day and age where working 100% remotely from a laptop is possible. It’s getting more and more common by the day.

 

People in their 20’s tend to be especially eligible for these kind of jobs. We usually have more familiarity with the internet, social media, and apps, which all come in handy for a plethora of internet based careers.

 

Finding a solid job that you can work anywhere with an internet connection is… well… challenging if you don’t know where to look. It’s actually terrifying. The scams you will find will actually take away your faith in humanity if you go into it blind.

 

I was offered a great job one time processing payments (hah) for a real estate company in Italy. The pay sounded a little to good, and the work a little too vague, so I decided to email the real estate company. To my surprise (not really), I got MULTIPLE urgent emails back, in both Italian and broken English, telling me the person who had offered me the job did not work for the company, and had nothing to do with them….

 

You get the picture. Be careful!

 

Luckily, there are a few good resources out there that are free to use, and will sift out the scams. Check out this free resource from The Penny Hoarder, which recommends you to all of the safe remote jobs you could want.

 

Social media management, voiceover gigs, customer service jobs, writing work, marketing, logistics – there’s no shortage of jobs to find. Please feel free to ignore the vast amount of appointment setting and cold calling jobs, $10 per hour ain’t worth your time, you’re worth more than that, and they don’t deserve you. Can they be stepping stones? Sure. Have I been in those positions? Sadly, yes…think Sorry To Bother You circles of telemarketing hell.

 

… Wait a second, let me un-cringe… Anyway, the career jobs, in contrast, are opportunities that can allow you to travel. These are jobs that you can just as easily do in a comfy chair in Brewhemia (a personal favorite coffee shop of mine in Edinburgh, Scotland), as in an office, so you may as well do it from Scotland. Or wherever else you want to travel.

 

how to afford travel in your twenties

 

 

5. Teaching English Online

 

 

One of the best ways that you can make money in a mobile, flexible way is to teach English online. There are many companies out there that you can apply to do this.

 

My wife teaches at one called VIPKid, and makes an extra $1,800 per month teaching part time online. VIPKid is one of the best options. They provide all of the lessons and slides for you, so there is minimal lesson planning required, and you can teach as much or as little as you want while at home, or traveling.

how to afford to travel in your twenties

 

Is teaching English to young Chinese kids something you feel like you can do? Keep in mind, landing these kinds of jobs and succeeding at them usually requires a basic college degree, lots of enthusiasm, and a willingness to get up earlier in the morning. So if you’re comfortable with a little caffeine dependency, and adorable little ones with limited English, teaching online can be a good fit for you.

 

This is a good option for a traveler because you’re not limited by location, and you can keep on earning to your heart’s content.

 

Click here to apply to VIPKid!  Or a variety of alternatives below:

 

VIPKid

QKids

iTutorGroup

GoGoKid

 

 

6. UserTesting

 

high paying part time jobs for college students

 

UserTesting is NOT a full replacement for a full time job. And it’s not a source of passive income either. UserTesting IS a nice way to make some extra cash while you’re traveling, or to start a travel fund that doesn’t come out of your regular paychecks.

 

This is basically how it works. There are tons of companies out there that are looking for people that will test out websites and apps, and speak their impressions of it out loud while using it. It’s like giving a live critique. You have to demonstrate how user friendly you find it to be, and don’t be afraid to be critical if need be.

 

These sites will typically pay you $10 for every 20 minutes of user testing. This comes to a $30 per hour rate of pay, so it’s not a bad way to make extra cash and be paid a reasonable amount for your time!

 

There are many that you can sign up for, but some of the best are:

 

UserTesting

TryMyUI

Userlytics

UserTest.io

 

You’ll just need a decent microphone (even the one built into your laptop), and the ability to speak clearly and articulately. They’ll have you do a sample test, and if you pass you’re in! After that, they’ll email you whenever a testing opportunity becomes available. The only downside is that these don’t come in quite consistently enough to make a living.

 

As a side hustle though? This is one of the most fun, and better paying options to build up your travel budget.

 

7. Pursuing Passive Residual Income

 

Passive residual income is something you’ll hear about constantly, but it’s a little abstract, right? There are so many ways of generating it, but most of those ways are not easy to master.

 

The truth about passive residuals though is that it’s the key to both freedom, and wealth. Think about it, why would you spend your time doing work that only pays you once, if you can do work that’s going to pay you for years and years on auto-pilot?

 

If you have a flow of passive income that continues coming in you’re in a better position to travel than almost anyone. It’s the travelers dream. The freedom to wander the world, with the money you need.

 

So if there are so many ways to make passive cash, why aren’t more people doing it? Because it’s hard, and it takes discipline. 2 things that turn most people off.

 

For people willing to put in the effort, here are a bunch of great ways to generate passive income. You can’t do any of these things in a half-hearted, lazy way, so please don’t pursue them unless you’re willing to chase it until you own it. If it’s something you’re determined about… try these:

 

– Affiliate marketing through a blog. That one I’ve already mentioned, but the reality is that if you can land a bunch of blog posts on the first page of Google, you can make money passively. You can make it while you sleep, while you’re out at a cafe, playing soccer, riding your bike, playing video games – whatever it is – with a bunch of blog posts filled with popular keywords, a first page ranking can give you a cash flow.

 

– Buy a 2 family house early in life, and use the half you don’t live in to rent out, or keep as an AirBnB. Renting a place is a money pit. It’s not an investment. Rent is just a bottomless hole that you pour money into, and you can never make back, or sell it for cash back. Buying a house, if you’re financially responsible and budgeted, can actually be a source of passive cash flow for you.

 

how to afford to travel in your twenties

 

Obviously, you should never buy a house lightly. There’s credit to think about, extra variables and risks, home insurance, taxes, and you have to beat student debt before it can really make sense. My wife and I paid off $42,000 in student debt in less than 2 years so that we could pursue a house without debt. It’s been the better choice.

 

Once you obtain a house, even if it’s small, you can use it to generate some passive income. Most people who run a single AirBnB don’t make a full time living off of that alone, but even an extra $1,200 per month is enough to make travel possible for many people. If you want some proof of this, stay in some AirBnB’s! You’ll find a remarkable number of them are passionate travelers, and their traveling is sustained by… you guessed it… YOU! Guests who rent their spare space for a night or two.

 

– Get licensed to sell something like insurance or real estate on the side. Not only do these commission-based hustles give you some extra earning opportunities, but insurance in particular will pay you residual income. In other words, many policies that you sell will keep paying you commissions as long as the client keeps the policy.

 

That means that if you sell someone a home insurance policy as an independent agent, and they keep it for 20 years, you’ll keep making money on it for 20 years. The more of these sales you stack up, the more passive cash you’ll be making. This is great for a traveler!

 

8. Grow Your Money

 

how to afford to travel in your twenties

 

Believe it or not, one of the best ways you can make money without a job is to just grow the money you already have. Day trading penny stocks is one of the most effective (but volatile) ways to make this happen fast.

 

There are a lot of people that see day trading (or really any stock trading) is nothing more than gambling. Do your research though, and you’ll find that there are a lot of patterns and strategies you can use that make it much more predictable and workable. There’s always an element of risk, but with the right practices you can make enormous gains on your investments.

 

I have found that if I can pounce on a good penny stock at the right time I can ride the wave of its momentum for a day or two, or even just a couple of hours, and then sell it before it drops again. By buying and selling these short spikes I’ve grown lumps of my money by over 65% within a couple days.

 

While I HAVE lost money on a couple of badly timed trades in the past, I have gained far more than I’ve ever lost, and I’m not nearly as attentive as I should be. With focus, and a bit of research, you can make some enormous jumps in money in a very short amount of time.

 

Just bear a few things in mind:

 

1. You should never trade with more money than you can afford to lose. You shouldn’t be using money you need to pay bills. You shouldn’t even use your savings. Set aside a specific, extra dollar amount and work with that.

 

2. You can use limit orders and trailing stop loss orders to keep you from ever experiencing a big lost. This is a simple safety mechanism that overly ambitious or noobie traders foolishly ignore.

 

3. Read up on stocks through websites like The Motley Fool, Stockinvest, and Yahoo Finance. These will help you learn strategies and patterns (well… then again.. so will a study of basic human psychology because that plays a big part in this).

 

4. Be cautious around stock trade alerts. There are a lot of scams out there that will promise you that you can cut easy corners and just follow their alerts. Many of these are trying to pump and dump certain stocks, stealing information from you, or just getting their foot in the door to advertise. The best and safest I’ve found is Lion Stock Alerts. It’s a totally free newsletter, and they’ve made me a lot of money. I’ve found their predictions to be accurate over 90% of the time.

 

5. Don’t treat it like gambling. Use strategies, play it safe, set rules for yourself to keep you from diving into the wrong things and stick to them.

 

6. This will NOT replace a full time living right away. Don’t expect to hit the next Amazon or Bitcoin off of a penny stock and have it turn you into a millionaire over night with a $20 investment. It happens sometimes, but it’s not something to count on. Build it over time, though, and you can grow your money into a sizeable chunk of extra cash.

 

7. Use the Robinhood app for trading without fees. It’s super easy to use, and simple for someone who isn’t up on all the complex trading stuff (like me). It’s also one of the only free options to use. Just be aware, they don’t have a lot of penny stock options, so you may not always be able to use Robinhood.

 

If you’re interested in general, safer investing for longer term savings (like retirement), check out my list of the 10 best investments to start in your 20’s!!

 

 

9. Sell Physical Products Online

 

One last way to make money from home is to sell physical products online. Dropshipping, and other similar methods have made selling physical products MUCH easier than it used to be. And now with the evolution of Shopify, and marketplaces like Amazon, you can find suppliers and your own webstore with a few clicks of a button.

 

So is selling products online and making a fortune easy? Definitely not! But like affiliate marketing, the rewards of a successful Shopify store can be enormous.

 

My own Shopify store did over $500 within 10 hours of launching. Think about it! If you’ve got a good idea for a product, put them up online, and push it until you start making cash from anywhere in the world.

 

Know How To Find Travel Deals

 

how to afford to travel in your twenties

 

1. Volunteering and Exchange Hosts

 

This comes in a lot of different forms. There are, of course, thousands of ways that you can visit new parts of the world by donating your time and effort to help those in need. The need is always going to be there, and traveling for the purpose of helping and loving others is the best kind of traveling.

 

But it doesn’t have to be a charitable project. One of the most affordable ways to really see a new culture is to stay with a host family through websites like HelpX. Exchange hosts are everywhere, in every country in the world. HelpX and similar sites help to set you up with hosts where you can offer some help (they’re often farms, bed and breakfasts, hostels, ranches, etc.), in exchange for free or dirt cheap room and board.

 

Not only does this make an insanely affordable way for you to stay long-term in a different country, it also offers you the best cross cultural experience you can have. Instead of clinging to tourist traps and the common sites, you will also get to interact in a very personal way with the local people.

 

2. Exchange Or Not, Hostels Are A Cheap Way to Go

 

Don’t let sick horror movies or stereotypes scare you off of ever using hostiles. A quick Google search can help you find hundreds of hostels where you’re traveling, and by thoroughly consulting reviews/testimonies from other travelers you can get a good idea of how clean and safe each hostel is.

 

I stayed in many hostels while traveling through eastern Europe; Croatia, Serbia, Hungary, Montenegro, Bosnia, and Italy… all of my hostel experiences were good!

 

This is how to find affordable housing.

 

 

3. AirBnB

 

The cost for an AirBnB is a bit higher than a hostel, but you can still find AMAZING deals on beautiful locations through AirBnb. It will almost always beat the rates of the usual hotels in a city or province.

 

Take a look through AirBnB and see what I mean…. the prices are far more reasonable than hotels in the same parts of the world. And often more exotic.

 

Don’t forget to check AirBnB when you’re traveling!

 

One part of the world that is on my list of places to visit is Thailand and Cambodia. Video and photography that I’ve seen of these places are totally stunning. My wife spent some time living in Chang Mai, Thailand and longs to go back and be with the people again. Just take a look at the kind of AirBnB’s you can stay in for only $20 or $30 in these places! Tell me that doesn’t get you excited!

 

how to afford to travel in your twenties

That’s a shot of the Ta Prohm temple in Cambodia… truly awesome!

 

 

4. Find The Cheap Flights

Use a flight planning app or website whenever you’re planning to fly! Flight alert apps like SkyScanner, Google Flights, Airfare Watchdog, or Scott’s Cheap Flights, will help you to find the cheapest deals on where you want to fly. And if you’re flexible about when you travel, turn on notifications to find out when the cheapest flights come on a great sale or discount.

 

There are many lesser known companies, like Norweigen airlines, that offer absurdly low ticket prices which you can book directly. I’ve snagged some flights through Norwegian airlines from my local airport to Scotland that cost next to nothing. Just don’t expect all the coziness and perks of a fancier airline.

 

You may find yourself surprised about how cheap some flights are!

 

how to afford to travel in your 20's

 

 

5. Learn The Currency Exchange Rate Before Traveling

 

Before you go anywhere, make sure you study and learn the currency exchange rate. You’ll want to have a good grasp on this before you start paying for things.

 

When you’re forking over a currency you’re not familiar with, it’s easy to forget the actual amount that you’re spending. Don’t let this blindside you.

 

 

6. Consider Traveling In Some More Affordable Places!

 

Most Millennials with the bug to travel may think first of classic locations like Paris, or London. But these locations are outrageously expensive! Are they worth visiting? For sure. But consider some of the incredible, cheaper options when you’re first starting out traveling on a tighter budget.

 

how to afford travel in your twenties

 

Even in the most desirable destinations, there are cities and places that are incredibly beautiful, but overlooked because they aren’t famous or historically iconic. Those places are often WAY cheaper, and just as cool, as their better known counterparts. For countries that are SUPER cheap to travel in read up on Thailand, Cambodia, Bali, or even eastern European nations like Croatia. When I last shopped in Croatia, I found that my U.S. dollars went a lot farther than they do in the states. I was able to buy fashionable clothing there that I never could have back home!

 

In many of these countries you can see breathtaking sights and sensations that will stay with you your entire life. And for surprisingly tiny dollar amounts!

 

What Are Some Of Your Tips?

 

These are just a FEW of the many ways that you can make it possible to travel in your 20’s. So what are some of your tips? Where have you traveled to? Do you have some advice to share?

 

Let me know in the comments! And dream about seeing more of the world.

 

how to afford travel in

 

 

16 People reacted on this

  1. Thank you so much to the author who has written down this kind of such a beneficial article.  This article opened my mind to the fact that i can touch the world often and gain more insights while travelling. The wonderful tips you shared in this article are eye opener which i really gained alot from because i am presently in my twenties. Thanks for sharing.

  2. Of all the things listed in here, it is blogging that appeals much to me. Do you know the reason why? Because, in other methods listed here, you have to keep working at the command of someone else for you to continue earning much which then is required for traveling. In blogging, you have full control of your work, you can choose to blog or not to blog in a given day and still get paid on the ads and affiliate links in your blog. It’s like building an automatic water pump that makes flow of water continuous versus working very hard hauling buckets of water.

    1. Blogging is a great opportunity! I absolutely agree. It’s one of the most difficult online pursuits, but once you succeed it also grants you the best income potential, and the most control. 

  3. This article is really loaded with useful information on how to afford travelling in your twenties. You did a great job in putting this article together to share. It’s every young person’s dream to explore the world at a young age and I think this article is really informative. I agree that setting up a budget and trimming expenses are key factors to consider in being able to afford travelling. Also deciding in making a living too in area of blogging, freelancing are crucialaas well. I will bookmark this guide to revert to when planning my traveling. Thanks for sharing this article.

    1. Hey Brent, I’m glad you found it helpful! Yes, self awareness in the area of budgeting and trimming can go a LONG way for a lot of people. It’s amazing how easily we get blind spots in our financial strategies. 

      Cheers! 

  4. Thank you for sharing these tips! This is one of my favourite articles that I think can really help me with this kind of venture!

    I have been working as a Virtual Assistant on Upwork since 2015 and still living paycheck to paycheck. I don’t have any savings but I always wanted to travel the world and learn new languages. Late last year I felt that I am getting old, and my life is going nowhere (quarter life crisis maybe?). So I have come up with a new year’s resolution that I need to do something that I’m passionate about and should earn a passive income.

    Luckily, I came across WA and I just started my first ever blog site! I have zero knowledge about affiliate marketing and creating websites but I can say WA has everything a newbie needs to keep it going.

    After reading your article, I realized that I shouldn’t just depend on affiliate marketing only. I need more income! I got interested in teaching English online and will check out those platforms you have mentioned. I really am unaware that there’s so much to do on the internet that I can earn money from… or I can say I was just stuck in my comfort zone. But now, it’s different. I am stepping out of my comfort zone, earn the income I deserve and travel the world.

    Thank you so much for this article! This truly inspires me! Wish me luck on this venture 🙂

    1. Hey there!

      That’s so inspiring to hear, that totally made my day to read! You’ve got a great sense of urgency and motivation to improve your situation, and pursue a better life for yourself. Wealthy Affiliate is a really great launching point, and even though it takes a lot of work, the pay off can be spectacular! Teaching online is an awesome opportunity too. It’s brought a lot of freedom, joy, and extra income into our life ever since my wife joined VIPKid. 

      Don’t get discouraged if it takes some experimentation to figure out which pursuit is the right one for you. The number of different possibilities present you with good options. 

      Thanks for sharing some of your story! I wish you the best. 

  5. I must admit, traveling around the world seeing all the sites there is to see out there sounds like a fairytale to me. I’m currently 42 and I’ve spent my entire adult life raising children – 5 of them, oldest 24 and youngest 5 (with a grandchild on the way lol). I have always wanted to travel though and one day I know I’ll be able to – I just never imagined where the income would come for to allow me to do this. Your article has inspired me to take more of an active roll in planning for those “glory days” when my nest will be empty. Thank you so much for this information!

    1. Hey there! Hey, that’s an AWESOME achievement that you’ve had, in raising a family. Congratulations on the upcoming grandchild, that’s wonderful. Traveling is only one of many different adventures in life 🙂

  6. Before I read your article, I did search for “How to complete a trip in my 20s.”
    I really like to travel, and I keep trying to find opportunities and ways to travel young! Seeing the way you provide “10 ways”, this may be the answer I am looking for. What I want most is to be a freelancer, but I don’t know how to make it! I only understand that hard work makes money by labor. If there is a good chance, I am willing to try it! I look forward to giving you more tips and help! I will continue to follow you!

    1. Hello! 

      I’m glad that you found it helpful! Yes, freelancing can be an awesome career. It’s challenging to get it started, so I would definitely recommend using marketplaces like Fiverr, Upwork, Hubstaff Talent, and Freelancer.com when you’re first starting out. You can find hundreds of available gigs to apply to on there. 

      Eventually you may be able to move off of those marketplaces, if you build followings on social media, like Facebook. Until then… I suggest starting there! 

  7. This was a very thorough and useful complete guide to showing readers how they can afford to travel while in their twenties. It is obvious that you are writing this from the perspective of someone that has walked the walk rather than just talking about it.

    I think back to my twenties (I am 62 now) and compare all the great pointers and ideas that you have compiled here with my own experiences in that decade. The same wanderlust that drives young people to want to travel and see the world was there back then too.

    Rather than take some or all of the steps you have included in your guide, I joined the Army! I did see the world, but not in quite the way I had imagined it. Having said that, it was not a bad time or experience. In fact, I stuck with the military for over 25 years.

    In that time, I managed to see a great deal of the world, met some wonderful people, and had good times. But, my guess is that using the guide and tips that you have put together, young kids will be more likely to follow your suggestions over that path.

    I will say that there is no replacing the many experiences that you will have traveling and these days the internet and ways people work offer more chances to build such a lifestyle than when I was in my twenties. I urge everyone to read and heed this guide. Really enjoyed what you have put together here.

    1. Hey Dave, thanks for sharing!

      That’s totally cool. Thank you for your service. You were a part of the military for a long time, I can imagine that you saw a lot of the world that way. I’ve enjoyed hearing stories from a lot of veterans in my life, even some who were in active duty during the Vietnam War – many of these stories were incredible. 

      I wish you the best in your ventures! 

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