HOW TO SAVE MONEY FOR TRAVEL
Looking for ideas on how to save money for travel? I’m sharing a few of my side hustles I’ve picked up over the years. These have all helped to fund my love for being on the road.
The one question I get asked the most is HOW I afford to travel. Full disclosure, I have a full time job that pays quite well. It supports my life entirely. These side hustles provide me with a little extra “fun money” though.
Some of these won’t be applicable to every single person. But hopefully it can inspire you to start finding ideas to make extra money of your own!
PACK A LUNCH TO WORK
If you make a habit out of packing your lunch, it quickly turns into routine. Let me break down some numbers for you…
Let’s say on average I’m spending $3 a meal to prep at home vs. $10 a meal for take out (I work in downtown Chicago so it’s not cheap!) And let’s assume a 49 week work year (after PTO), that’s a yearly savings of $1,695! I’ll give up a few minutes to meal prep in exchange for an international trip each year.
SELLING MY CLOTHES
Thank goodness for modern day smart phone apps. What used to be hand-me-downs to my little cousins now turns into cash.
With apps like Poshmark and Mercari, it’s so easy to let go of old items while bringing in a few extra dollars. If you really need money for vacation, it won’t hurt that bad to let go of those old items.
I don’t make a full second income from these apps but it’s a nice supplement. Plus it declutters my closet at the same time. In my first year of using these apps I pulled in over $1,000.
RENTING OUT MY CAR
This is the most passive form of secondary income I have. The easiest way I explain this to people is that it’s like Air B&B but for your car. This obviously won’t work for everyone but I’m a car owner who also lives in a city with reliable public transit.
When I don’t need my car for weekend road trips, going back home to visit my parents or running errands around the city, I rent it out. And I make great money doing so.
The app I use is called Turo but there are other ones out there on the market. They offer a great insurance policy to keep your mind at ease.
In my first year using the app, I made over $4,500. This not only helps pay for insurance and maintenance but puts a ton of extra cash in my pocket with very little work.
LIQUOR PROMOTIONS
This is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. If you’ve ever gone to the grocery store and seen people pouring liquor samples out for customers, then you know what I’m talking about.
As my full time job has become more financially stable, I haven’t had to rely on working these events recently. However, the pay is great ($20-$30/hour), requires very little training and is simple work for the $$ return.
If you’re good at conversation with strangers and have an interest in the adult beverage industry, this may be a good fit for you! I suggest searching on Craigslist in your city for “liquor promotions” or “brand promotions.”
CASE STUDIES
No, this isn’t some unpredictable drug related testing like you see in the movies. These are simple studies that are ran by a 3rd party research firms who work with companies that want to collect consumer insights on their products.
Most of the ones I’ve attended have been food or personal care related but they also have studies for technology, finances, etc. You show up, trial the product they are collecting data on (either by eating it, using it or watching a commercial about it), and provide your honest feedback. There is no right or wrong answer.
It’s a very easy way to make money. Some that I have attended in the past paid up to $200 for 2 hours of my time.
MONETIZING MY INSTAGRAM
If you landed on this blog post, it’s probably because you follow me on Instagram. And if you follow me on Instagram, it’s likely that you’re also a travel blogger/influencer or aspiring to be! If that sounds like you, did you know you can monetize your Instagram too?
I landed my first brand collaboration 6 months into this journey with less than 10K followers. I then landed my first PAID collaboration 5 months later with less than 15K followers.
When it comes to brand collaborations, make sure it’s a brand you actually use or trust. You absolutely need to feel comfortable telling your followers to buy from the brand.
Also find ways to get creative about promoting them either through your actual content or through your caption. I wrote an entire blog post here about how to become an efficient content creator if you’re looking for more tips!
Hopefully this gives you more ideas on how you can save extra money for travel or other hobbies. Let’s achieve our financial goals together!
Love your blog ! Keep the good job Jen
Author
Thank you so much for reading and for the kind words Ivette!