How to Travel on a Tight Budget and Achieve Your Dreams This Year

Want to travel, but don’t think you have the time or money? 

Maybe you are a 20 something wanting to get out and meet new people or visit friends or family. Maybe you are a mom wanting to go see her siblings or friends in different places. Or possibly you are the man who wants a breath of fresh air. 

Wherever you are right now, something about travel attracted you to this article so I am going to make it worth your time. 

Being 20 isn't easy. I have dreams and goals and desires and all of these things trapped inside of my head, but usually not enough money. I am going to share with you how I am making dreams possible on a modest income and affordable budget. 

These are just a few sites I have used to find the best deals on transportation and places to stay. 

1. Travelzoo - I have found a flight from San Diego to Portland round trip for $108. They like to send the top 20 deals that they find as well as other local deals. Great way to find deals on flights in each season. 

2. Kayak - From them I found a one way flight to New York from LAX for $160 in March. They sort through prices for flights all over the internet and I have relied on them for most of my airline purchases. Whenever I go out and try to compare I realize they already did all the work for me. 

3. Couchsurfing - Free. That is all. Nuff said.  

4. AirBnB - To put it simply, a place for homeowners to list their room or entire home directly to the customer. I have found rooms in New York for $50 a night and an entire house I could rent for $70 per night. 

These are just some I have used personally. If you have used or know of any other please add to the list in the comments below :) 

How am I really going to make this happen? 

This is when we let our dreams crash, burn and dissolve into the wall of reality.

The reality is, if you really want it-you will make it happen. Allow me to show you how to make that dream trip (or trips) become your reality. 

I want to introduce you to Dreamlining. This applies timelines to your dreams. Some of you may have heard of it if you read Tim Ferriss' 4 Hour Work Week.  

Let me give you a couple of cautions to keep in mind before we jump into this activity. 

1. The more unrealistic the better. Your trip may seem impossible right now. Perfect. Start there are then move through the rest of the steps and you will start to believe it. 

2. Ask yourself: Where would I go if there was no way I could fail? Has someone else done this with less skills/education than me?  

3. Find out: 

• What is your biggest fear keeping you from going? Define it. The more clear the better.  
• What is the absolute worst that could happen if you go where you want instead of staying where you are? 
• What steps could you take to get things back to the way they were if the worst were to happen? 

• What are the benefits and outcomes of going where you want to go? 
• What are you waiting for? If it's only timing or finances you are living out of fear. 

Now, how do I accomplish dream trip?

BEWARE: You will be surprised at how possible it is. 

With this chart we will spell out where we want to go, what it will cost, and how much we will need each month in order to fund the trip(s). It can be one place you want to go this year or ten or twenty. It doesn't need to be a land faraway. I realized I really wanted to spend time with people I really love, but don't get to see as often as I'd like. If you want to go out of the country, by all means, make that your priority.

1. List the place(s) you want to go.

2. Research the cost for the time of year you will be going. Use your own ways of research or some suggested above.  

3. Use the given formula for your 12 Month Goal. Make a 3 or 6 Month Goal if you want to go more than one place. Use the total cost + 1.3 x your monthly expenses (if you don't know use this calculator to help) then you will have you your Total Monthly Income(TMI). Next, to find out what you will need to make each day to reach this goal divide the TMI by 30 to get the Total Daily Income(TDI) needed. (1.3 x Monthly Expenses is a 30% buffer for your monthly expenses)

This is what I did: 

A. Where do you want to go?	B.What is the cost?	C.TMI (Total Monthly Income) needed to go:
1.Northern California  2.Orange Country  3.New York  ...	1.$200  2.$50  3.$600  …  Total=$850	Total Cost+(1.3 x Monthly Expenses)  850+715= $1,565 TMI  TMI/30=TDI  $1,565/30= $52 TDI

Next, we will take the necessary steps in the next three days to bring us closer to making this happen. They should be simple, well-defined and able to be done in five minutes or less. Assign an action goal for each dream place. Start with the first one and have a step for today, tomorrow and the day after. Then, move on to the next one in order of priority. 

Here is mine: 

Steps Now(01/16/14):  1.Text/call Nor Cal friends/family for specific dates  2.  3.  ..

Tomorrow(01/17/14):  1.Put set dates in planner  2.  3.  ..

Day After(01/18/14):  1.Plan to set aside 30% of all incoming payments until trip is funded  2.  3.  ..

Repeat for each trip until all are finished. 

If you would like the blank worksheets I used above I made them available for you here.

Cheers to living out your dreams

**Hint: Dreamlining can be used for ALL dreams-not just traveling. Read more on Tim's blog**