how do i get started? - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

ninjakendra · 11-19-2005, 10:18 PM

basically i'd like to know how do all you travelers and backpackers get around? how do you managed to have the money for it? i'm vastly interested in many cultures and traveling through them. i was supposed to go to thailand a while back, but that got cancelled due to my traveling companions deciding they didn't want to save up the money to go. i have a hard time saving myself... which is why i wanna know how you guys do it. and especially how people do it on a regular basis.

-ninjakendra

**weirdbeard** · 11-19-2005, 10:28 PM

Welcome to the boards!!! Like that Nike commercial once said... Just do it. If you want it badly you'll get it no matter what. I have had the same problems as you have in the past but I finally decided that if I wanted to get something done I wasn't going to wait for it to come to me. If you want to travel (and it can be expensive) figure out where you want to go, when and how much it will cost and start saving. Even if it takes 2 jobs it will ultimately be worth the blood and the sweat. There is sooo much info on this site and the people here are really friendly and helpful. It sounds like you're ready to take the leap if you've found the T-punks. That means you've been searching for info... and thats a good start.
Good luck with your travels!

**Tadpole** · 11-19-2005, 10:47 PM

Wlecome to the baords!

I had box type thing that I would put money in for the trip, wether it was 3 dollars or 300 dollars. When I made spare moeny I would put it in the box, i NEVER took out of the box until it was time for the trip. I didnt take anythign out, not for pizza or going to get a CD. Dont count it either. Just keep putting some in, here and there. If oyu find a dollar or so in your pants after the day is over just through ti in there. Before long you will have alot of money.

**Tadpole** · 11-19-2005, 10:49 PM

YOu cant save up for a trip that way but after awhile it will build up. THen before you trip take it out and count it. After about 6 months I had about 700 dollars for spending or extrra money. It helps loosen the budget before you go and puts you off on a good start.

foofiter · 11-20-2005, 12:07 AM

They are right. I found the best way is to treat your savings like a bill. Have a set amount each month/pay period go to savings. It will seem like a lot at first but you will adjust quickly. Anytime I get a gift or sell something on ebay or any sort of one-time income I will also add that to savings pretending it never happened. It will add up REALLY fast.

Bottom line is open a savings account, put a set amount every so often and stick to it. I have done this over and over with little trouble.

Finally, Welcome to the boards.

Foo

chelseafc05 · 11-20-2005, 12:49 AM

welcome

heres how i did and am doing it
money saved for first trip to vietnam cambodia in january as follows

-bout $500-$600 ebay sold every last peice of junk in the garage and my room i could find
-won around $1000 on greyhounds ...luck
-$2000 funded by relatives for birthday xmas presents etc
-saved from money id get from parents bout $700....id just finished school didnt have a job was only 18

upon my return in march 05

got part time didnt save a cent from march-july

since august i been savin a lil here and there and should have enough saved to go travellin again in febuary for 5- 7months in eastern europe or SEA. ill quit my job before i leave....then when i return who knows what ill do when i get back....

i think im in a different boat to many others but ..
- im only employed "casual "but they give me about 36 hr a week and ill just quit before i leave for my next trip and never go back...
-i dont have time restrictions on how long i could travel for coz i dont study and wont have job to go back to..unless i do decide to go back save some more then travel again and keep doin that till im 156 yrs old
-i crashed my car and dont wanna spend the money on buying a new one (dont waiste money on petrol, registration etc) ..i walk to work
-still live at home so easy to save

so anyway i guess it depends on what kind of situation you are in...

**kingcrazylegs** · 11-20-2005, 11:54 PM

Welcome

Saving is the key for me. Don't like spending money I don't have!

**bluepea** · 11-21-2005, 09:39 AM

Saving as well. We also get fairly large tax returns so we usually spend that on something smart. One small thing I do is have a change jar. I never give correct change, always use bills and put the rest in the jar. We saved over $80 in a couple of months doing that - not a whole lot, but it was something and we never thought of that as "real" money.

ninjakendra · 11-29-2005, 09:52 AM

awesome! thank you so much all of you. since i can be quite terrible with money at times, i think i may have to try a bit of everything in order to get my ass into another country. thanks again for all the advice.

**florencia9699** · 11-29-2005, 02:05 PM

Hope my advice doesnt come too late!!
The way I'm doing it is this way: I save about 40% of my salary, since my first pay check... so I've gotten used to living on less that I get... Its a lot easier for me to take this money at the begining of the moth rather than at the end.. as I tried this once, but didnt save much at all... I tried 50% but in the end i always break in the box for a little cash for clothes (I'm a girl after all...) but I still think I save a good deal. And so I dont get tempted any further, as soon as I have a good quantity I exchange it to Euros so I never spend it again...
So far it's working out!!

(Sorry guys I've been MIA lately... exmas week at university hit pretty hard... but I survived and I'm back!!

**benna2** · 11-29-2005, 02:30 PM

I am pretty meticulous about my money and have been for a very long time. I know no one wants to hear this, but saving money comes pretty naturally and easily after a while of doing it.

~Every pay period, I have my boss (ok...my dad!!) withold 25 hours of pay. Whenever I am ready for it, I just ask him for the cash and it is like an automatic savings account.

~And further savings from my paycheck, whatever the amount of it is (minus the 25 hours) I put 50% of it in a special travel savings account.

~I also have a change jar (that jamiepeaski is a smart girl!! more than just a pretty face) and the coins add up to quite a bit in Canada, as we have two and one dollar coins.

~It's much more convenient to eat out since shopping for one person is a pain in the butt....but I do try to limit my costly outings...the money just doesn't seem to disappear as much when I cook at home!

~A couple years ago, I opened a GIC (its like a savings that you build up automatically every month) and set it up so that $100 would come out of one account and into another for 2 years. I would make a bit of interest and I don't "really" miss a hundred bucks a month. But at the end of the two years I have access to $2400+whatever interest I made. I am cashing my next one in June, just in time for a vacation...

One good tip that I live by and it works well for me, is that I give myself a certain amount of money to spend every week. I put it all in my wallet and when it's gone, it's gone. I don't go to the bank and withdraw more. I simply learn to live by what I have allowed myself. Of course I am lucky these days because I don't have to pay rent (thanks daddy) or car payments because I just paid off my car. The money adds up though, so good luck with saving. Hope you got some good tips from me and others.