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When it comes to travel, we all tend to have a ‘bucket list’… which, by definition is a list of all the things you want to do before you die.
The term itself comes from, or was at least made famous by, a 2007 movie called “The Bucket List” where Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson play characters that are both dying of cancer, and decide to create a bucket list of all things they wanted to do before they died – but never got around to; from race car driving… going on safari in Africa… to climbing mountains in Nepal!
The film goes on to show them fulfilling their bucket list dreams. Now, you don’t need to be terminally ill to take action on your bucket list. Indeed, many people today are giving up the old way of working – forty hours a week for forty years – and turning to remote freelance work to enable them to travel the world.
Now, if you’ve got a big bucket list, here are a few top tips on how to make your dream to travel the world a reality.
START SAVING
The most important resource you’re going to need is money. Some people take out a loan or search for 0 interest credit cards, which can be good if there’s an imminent deadline – but this isn’t the most sustainable or financially responsible way to travel.
In terms of saving for travel, there are two approaches; the first is that you start saving the money you currently spend (e.g. spend less on day-to-day living and syphon some of that cash into a savings account).
The second approach is to increase your income. Whether you get a second job, start selling things on eBay, set up a side hustle, or just do a few odd jobs around your current commitments, such as mowing lawns… this will all propel you into getting to where you want to be much faster than merely reducing the amount you spend day-to-day; however the most effective strategy is a combination of the two.
As mentioned above, the third approach, which is certainly the path of least resistance, is to put certain trip expenses on a credit card; particularly if you can get a good deal with air miles.
FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS
If you’re looking to travel internationally, flights can take a huge chunk of money from your travel fund. However, if you can be flexible with your flight dates then searching for cheap flights via comparison engines that compare hundreds of flights from almost every airline in the world to present you with the cheapest deals for the dates and destinations you are looking for this can save you a ton of cash.
The more flexible you can be in terms of time and location, the cheaper the flights you will be able to find.
In summary, we all tend to have quite extravagant bucket lists that require significant capital in order to turn our dreams into reality – but where there’s a will there’s a way in terms of getting the money necessary… and there are always cheap ways to travel; from getting bargain flights to last minute hotel deals. There’s a great saying which states the problem is never a lack of resources – it’s a lack of resourcefulness, which is a great skill to develop for your travels!
