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How To Pay For Travel If You're Poor

I know a lot of financial experts say to skip travel if you're poor.I totally disagree with that.Travel can open the door to business ideas and jobs.It also acts as a strong motivation to make more money.The very planning and saving for trips can lead to different opportunities.If you have kids,travel opens their eyes to careers they haven't thought of and colleges they might like to attend in the future. On top of all that, planning of trips brings happiness and of course travel is educational.

You might ask though,"How am I going to pay for this travel having only a very limited income?" Below, I'll tell you some of my current ideas and how I'm paying for travel in the future.I have tried to include examples that most people can easily do.This is just a sampling,but as you will see, even these small steps add up. I'll give the total amounts too for these steps. I didn't even include things like selling extra stuff on E-bay,couponing, and buying flights and hotels with frequent flier miles or points.I also didn't include working overtime or getting part time jobs outside the home.

Now, let me get to the specifics. I suggest opening up a travel savings account at the bank to be used only for travel.

I'll cover three main aspects of budget travel when you have a limited income.

1. Ways to cut back on expenses to save for your trips.

2. Earning extra money to pay for some of the travel.

3. Planning trips that are inexpensive.

1.Ways to cut back on expenses to save for your trips:
(My projected savings for these three things I listed are $1292.00)

Here are some recent things that I did to save money. First I canceled my cable provider ,Comcast, which I had both cable and internet with.They were costing me $85 a month.I switched to internet only from AT&T and regular free TV. AT&T costs me $23 a month now.Also, they sent me a credit to take care of the self installation fee,so switching was free. Savings- $744.00 a year . I'll put that $62 each month in my travel savings account.

Then, I'm getting Republic Wireless for my cell phone. Cost- $19 a month, including unlimited talk, text, and web.The last cell phone I had cost $50 a month.Savings $372 a year.So I'll put the $31 a month savings in the travel account.

I eat out at restaurants about twice a week.Most of the time it's an inexpensive meal like a hamburger or a sandwich.I'll order tap water and save $2 a meal , that I would of spent on a drink.Not only is it a healthier option, it's a painless way to pocket some savings.Savings - $176.00 a year.I'll put the $16 a month savings in the travel account.( I only counted the savings for 11 months, because I'll order drinks on trips)

If one has dependent children,consider saving part of the Earned Income Credit for travel.The amounts can be several thousands for people with limited incomes.I realize most people need to pay off bills too with the money,but the majority of people use at least part of it to buy things. Saving part of your tax money for travel ,is a great way to kick start your travel savings account.

2. Earning extra money to pay for some of the travel:
(My projected extra income is $1800.00) *This amount can go up to $6000

Since I no longer have cable TV,I spend more time on the internet.I have been doing small jobs on Amazon Mechanical Turk.They pay for small tasks or writing.Normally a very small amount ,but it can be fun and it's extra money. I'm making $150 a month for an hour or two a night so far. Projected earnings $1800.00 a year, Now, if a person gets qualified for top tier writing on Crowdsource,through Mechanical Turk,the income from that can easily go up. One can make $6000.00 a year for those couple of hours a day.

3.Planning trips that are inexpensive:
(Most of my domestic trips are under $600 total and my international trips are between $800-$1400 total)

One really needs to be flexible on dates and destinations to get great airfares. Check Airfarewatchdog or check flexible date searches on sites like Kayak, Google Flights, etc.Over the past decade ,almost all my airfares to Europe have been for under $500 rt total. Buy when you see a great price.The savings really do add up.

After buying your plane tickets,make sure you check hotel booking sites likebooking.com,Hotel combined,Room 77, AirBnb, etc. to see accommodation prices.Again ,book when you see a bargain. There are also free accommodation sites such as Couchsurfing,so research that more if you are interested in free stays.

Look into cheap forms of local transportation.An example would be buses in Europe like Eurolines or Megabus. Sometimes specials can be as little as a few dollars. Budget airlines like Easy Jet are also good for traveling between cities.And when you see a great price,buy.

Be sure to join forums,read online info, read guidebooks, and look at websites like Price of Travel to get more info on budgeting and other aspects of travel.And research trip Insurance to see if it's right for you. All those are also a valuable source for picking free or inexpensive sights for the places that you are traveling to.

I registered through American Airlines to a site called e-rewards.They offer rewards at various companies for taking surveys. When you get up to $20 ,you can get a $25 restaurant.com certificate.That will really cut down on your restaurant bills if you travel domestically. I average one or two certificates a month. You can also use the credit for other things,but I think right now the certificates to restaurant.com are the best deals.

Good luck! I hope some of these tips help.Be sure to share yours.