Riffling through your old notebooks, you came across a small doodle on its last page which said "Places I'll visit next summer". Many summers passed since then but still that trip is yet to be made. Well don't blame yourself, life hits hard everyone. But blame yourself if you still don't make way for this longed desire after reading this article.
It is hard to take on a journey on your own, managing a regular life with the aspirations of many others attached to it. But it is not impossible. The money you earn never seems enough for you to save even a bit while maintaining your lifestyle but with a few small tweaks for a period of time, you can actually save up enough for the vacation you want. It is not about the conventional "What you should not", but "What you should". Below are the steps you need to follow to save up the money you will need, and maybe even more.
Earn the trip!
For people who think travelling is just a way to gather pictures for their social media account, I don't think we can be friends. Each trip is an experience which adds a new chapter in your persona and makes your life more vibrant. So earn your way to the trip! Work hard at your job because you know this only will pay your bills at hotel booking websites. If you can overtime, do it. Get a side job? Say yes. More money earned, more to save. Before this you worked for a weekend at a club, now work for a weekend at a Desert Safari. If you really want to be somewhere, whether be a place or a state of mind, it needs dedication.
Seal the date, buy your tickets!
As soon as you reach to a significant figure of the money saved, buy the tickets for the destination you are craving to go. Set a date, maybe 3-4 months later from today, and grab a seat on the plane. This will be beneficial for you in two ways.
First, super cheap tickets! All the airlines will give you tickets at a rate they won't believe themselves, and no issue of availability too. Same goes for Railways that you can get a reservation easily.
Second, its a commitment! Now that you have invested in the tickets, you have committed to yourself and to people around you are going to make this happen. You NEED to save up now.
Make a budget of your trip!
Every penny, from the cab you'll take from the airport, to the day use hotels you will stay in waiting for your next bus, everything is an expense which you should know about. Make a list of the expenses and their individual amounts(you can keep inflation in mind while doing this) and then make a complete budget. So you will know the exact figure of the amount you need to save up. Plus keep a tab of miscellaneous expenditures added to the goal amount.
No impulse purchases!
That bag you saw at the mall, you don't need it. Those sneakers your favourite sportsperson wears, you don't need it. Even those pillow covers with Minions dressed as Batman, no matter how funny it looks, you don't need them. You will have to cut all the costs you can, from making a vow to yourself that every penny not spent, is a penny saved. Spend this money on an exotic dish while on the trip.
Put something in your piggy-bank daily!
It should be a daily practice of putting something in your savings each day. Even the spare change you got after shopping for groceries can be saved in a piggy-bank. Later the change collected can be transformed into currency notes from any bank. This way apart from your fixed monthly saving, you will also save extra bucks to cherish later. Who knows now you might be able to upgrade from hotels in madiwala to any of the hotels in koramangala?
Attitude matters!
Why am I saying this? Because if you are not passionate about this then it will not matter how much you earn, you won't be able to save. You should think about it the way you think about your life decisions.
Buy a pizza, or this could be a cab in Thailand?
Go to a cafe, or eat Chole bhature in Delhi?
Order those headphones, or it could be a ticket to Imagica in Mumbai?
It is your decision.
The money you will not spend!
Apart from everything else, also keep in mind the money you will not spend. For example, the milk packets you won't buy, or the suspended newspaper or drinking water service, while you'll be away on the vacation. Count in that money too, as it something people easily miss. And later these minimal costs sum up to be a larger amount. Chart out the last Saving vs Expense table after counting in these.
Just leave!
It is done. Tickets are booked. Money is stashed in your account. The people around you know about your plans. So what's left? The obvious.
Go, run and get a new experience, and live to tell its tales to others.