Many travel websites will tell you that you can take advantage the travel industry with enough credit cards and points. While this is true to a degree, ultimately its up to you to be financially stable as you do so.
While this may or may not involve credit cards, there is one simple truth. You have to make travel a priority for you if you actually want it to happen.
Can you go into debt for a impulse trip to Miami? Sure, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Travel at its best is supposed to open your world, not close it for your future self.
To do this, I recommend identifying your travel values. Do you want to travel the world, exploring all the best cultural things to do and learn about at an affordable price point? (like me?) Or do you want to take a vacation at a resort occasionally to melt your stress away? None of these answers are likely to be right or wrong.
I’ll use myself as a example. I want to travel around France, Italy, Germany and Spain. My values are witnessing culture at an affordable price point. For me, affordable is about $50 per day. This number is not random since I researched how much backpacking through Western Europe costs on average.
After I calculate how much this trip will cost (and leave a couple hundred dollars as breathing room) I look at ways I can save and/or earn more money or at least make a plan with the money I have.
This looks different for everyone. For me, it means that I try my best to save on the big three expenses: housing, transportation and food**,** since these are the biggest expenses for most people. Instead of obsessing over every purchase, I minimize my basic costs and invest the remaining money in what I want.
I use the library and all of its free ebooks and movie services and other resources instead of buying something I’m only going to use once. Maybe if I love a book I’ll buy it, but for the most part I keep my costs low so I can spend on what I really value.
Jean MacBride 