Embracing the Journey to an Authentic You: As You Finance Your Travel

How would do you see travel? This is a question to ask yourself as you figure out the categories to mastering your waffle technique [read blog here] to determine where your spending plan is working for you. Travel can be one of those categories which might make it more than just a hobby. Travel can be much more than a want or a hobby— by being a priority that keeps you true to yourself. There are many aspects that travel helps with beyond your finances. View travel through the lens of how it helps your wellness and authentic self. Travel journeys stimulate neuroplasticity, enhancing emotional and cognitive growth through new environments, languages, and cultures. Research shows Gen Z (56%) and Millennials (49%) are leading in travel plans this year, while Gen X (39%) and Baby Boomers (29%) maintain their existing habits.

Now as we jump into our blog about financial travel and journey think about this…. What is a dream that your twelve-year-old self had, that you could make come true this year? As I prepare for my dream trip to Greece this October with my sister and mom—an aspiration inspired by “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”—it's clear that travel connects me to my authentic self. One way that I did this was launching into being a Pampered Chef® Consultant to fill my kitchen with some updated products but earn money along the way to support my trip in our financial square. Travel has been a line budget in my life since I moved away from home, so that I would have the freedom to fly across the country or around the world to continue a connection with myself of discovering the world.  There are lots of ways you can stay true to yourself in life and travel is one of those aspects for myself.  Now let’s dig into some ways to remain true to yourself while managing finances, align your travel plans with your core values, set a realistic budget, prioritize travel by cutting non-essentials, and use savings tools and rewards wisely. This approach ensures that you can pursue what matters most to you while staying financially responsible. To stay true to yourself while managing finances effectively, it’s crucial to align your travel plans with your core values and passions. Here’s how to do it:

Align Travel with Personal Values and Passions

• Choose destinations and experiences that resonate with your interests and values. If exploring new cultures or spending quality time with people you care about are important to you, let those priorities guide your travel choices.
• Incorporate activities that reflect who you are, whether that’s hiking in nature, visiting historical sites, participating in retreats or attending cultural festivals.

Set Realistic Financial Goals

• Establish a budget that reflects your travel aspirations while keeping your overall financial health in mind. This includes setting aside funds for travel and other important financial goals like savings, investments, and debt repayment. You can put money away for travel without a trip planned, just know that is an important category to you and be disciplined in placing money aside to travel. Can this be hard? Absolutely, but this is why having a laid-out spending plan is important.  
• Create a savings plan that works with your income and expenses, breaking down your travel goals into manageable steps. You can use the Money Date Template to help layout your goals and priorities in your funds.

Plan and Prioritize

• Prioritize travel in your budget by allocating specific funds for it and reducing non-essential spending. This might mean cutting back on dining out or other discretionary expenses to make room for your travel fund. Remember we all have basic needs and wants, but that is going to vary from spending plan to spending plan and that is perfectly okay.
• Use tools like high-yield savings accounts and budgeting to keep track of your savings progress and adjust as needed.

Be Flexible and Adaptable as You Travel

• During your trip you will always want to create a buffer zone that will allow for flexibility in your trip, so that you are able to make the trip one of the fullest you can have. Spontaneous opportunities or changes in circumstances can be less stressful when you have a buffer zone in your trip budget. There are lots of examples I can think of for this one, but the one that comes to mind is when my husband and I went to Universal Studios and Island of Adventure for one day (two parks is a lot to cover in one day!), but we had the absolute best time and got fast passes or rode in the single rider line. The fast pass was extra to our funds, but we had it in our budget and this gave us the ability to really experience both parks together and have an absolute blast! Just give yourself a budget and be willing to hold yourself accountable to what you want the budget to look like.
• Be prepared to adjust your plans based on what’s financially feasible while still staying true to your travel goals and interests. You only know what you can financially do if you have a spending plan and know what your financial situation is. This will allow you to budget based on your funds available and not based on credit.

Use Rewards and Discounts Wisely

• Take advantage of travel rewards and discounts to make your trips more affordable without sacrificing your experiences. Utilize credit card rewards, cash back offers, and promotional deals to enhance your travel budget. Though keep in mind that deals are only great if they work for you. Are you able to keep up with another credit card? If you are not able to do this then say no to the additional credit card, it is much better to stay within your budget rather than rack up multiple credit cards that you max out for this trip or that trip. Sometimes discounts can come in the form of which night you go out to eat on your trip!

Stay Motivated and Reflective

• Keep your travel dreams alive by visualizing your goals and tracking your progress. Reflect on why travel is important to you and how it aligns with your authentic self. This past January I went on a trip to Boca Raton, Florida on a Women’s Only Jiu Jitsu Event because I was excited to follow along of the journey to the first very woman’s only event. I found part of myself going to see a lighthouse and botanical gardens, to see what the area was like and explore. This trip also came with a spontaneous tattoo of an moon with an airplane flying around it! What this came to represent as a reminder for me is that exploring and traveling flows deep in my DNA to go and see what the world is like to always come back to what I call home, but it feeds my soul to not stay in one space but go and explore. What is your motivation? That is an important part of keeping the travel dream alive.
• Regularly review your budget and spending to ensure you’re staying on track and adjusting to maintain balance. You have to be willing to check in with yourself and give a real evaluation. I find that a monthly check-in, at a minimum, helps give you the space to see where you are financially.

By integrating your travel aspirations with thoughtful financial planning, you can stay authentic to yourself and your goals, ensuring that both your travel experiences and financial health are well-managed and fulfilling. Happy Travels! I cannot wait to hear about some of the travels that this inspires you to take on!