Traveling has been a huge part of my life. It has always been a passion of mine. It's gotten to the point that instead of someone asking me how I'm doing, they'll ask me about my last trip or where I'm off to next.
Travel has truly been a gift that allowed me to better understand other people, by learning about their cultures and it has been a way for me to see the world from a different perspective. If you want to travel, but think it's expensive or not something possible, I'm here to teach you otherwise.
For the past 10 years, I have been to over 50 countries, and it was only possible to do so by being able to find different ways to fit it into my lifestyle. Below you will find some of the hacks, tips and tricks I've learned along the way and I hope that this guide can help you make your travel dreams come to life.
MAKE TIME FOR IT.
Make time for it. If it's something you love, make it a priority. If you only have limited vacation every year, find a way to make it work. One way you can do this is by adding your vacation days to long weekends. This way, you can extend the amount of time off you get. In some cases, it may fall in peak season, but that's not a problem, as peak season somewhere means it's off-season elsewhere!
In Canada, we get quite a few stat holidays throughout the year. Take advantage of these statutory holidays. For example, in some cases, in June, some workplaces offer St. Jean Baptiste Day (June 24) off, and because Canada Day (July 1) is short after, by taking your time off between those dates, you can easily get 2 weeks off. Another good one is Easter, since Friday and Monday could potentially be two extra days off that you get, you can simply add 2-4 extra days off, to get a weeklong vacation.
SAVE UP FOR IT.
You can have a travel fund or create a budget on how much you expect to spend, that way you already add it as part of your financial plan. Saving up for it will also bring more excitement, so that when it happens you'll appreciate the reward after doing all the hard work. If you are not good with savings, you can opt in for an automatic deposit into a savings account. For example, if you get a bi-weekly payment from work, you can set it up in a way that a certain amount from your pay (whether it's $50 or $300), goes directly into your savings account.
Another way you can save money for travel is by reducing your expenses. For example, we have cut cable at home and instead, we watch YouTube. It obviously has less options than regular cable, but I generally don't even have time to watch movies or much TV at home, so I limit my screen time to when I'm on the plane. I catch up on my movies/shows at that point. Another good way to save is to avoid going out and eat at home instead. I try to limit my spending out, though I love supporting the small businesses. With the wide variety of restaurants in town, it's hard to not go out often, but the way I look at it, why spend $10 on a croissant here when I can get a box of pastries for less than $5 in another country for similar or better quality?
DO YOUR RESEARCH.
Every destination offers unique experiences, exciting landmarks, new cultures and a wide variety of activities to choose from. Know what you want to do and find the ideal destination for you based on your interests (but don't be afraid to keep an open mind and try something new once in a while too).
No destination can ever be too expensive to reach, if you plan it well. You have to be willing to step out of your comfort zone and try new things. I never thought that I would be able to afford a trip to Antarctica (the number one spot on my bucket list for a long time, read why here) in my lifetime, so you can imagine the surprise when I came across a BOGO offer and paid a fraction of the price to get there and I still managed to cross off being able to step foot on the continent.
I knew that I could get to Antarctica in other ways for much cheaper, such as by going with a big cruise line, but by researching more about the destination, I found that you can't actually go out from the ship if you go with bigger cruise lines (I wrote a blog post about it here), hence why I knew I wanted the real adventure and I found it through Atlas Ocean Voyages. You can read about the experience here.
BE FLEXIBLE IN YOUR TRAVEL PLANS.
Being flexible is key. This has been my number one secret to making it to over 50 countries in the past 10 years. I do have a list of places I would love to visit, but they are in no particular order or timeline of when I need to accomplish it. I try to be flexible and go wherever works best in terms of budget, who I'm traveling with, etc.
You may come across seat sales offered by airlines, especially when they introduce new routes or last minute. Often times, you may come across deals for destinations that you may not be familiar with, but if you are willing to try something new, you may be surprised to find something that caters to your interests. I find that majority of destinations have quite a lot to offer, thus you will likely find something for you.
When Royal Air Maroc launched their new Toronto-Casablanca route in 2024, flights were going for as low as $700 and after posting about it on my Instagram story, I had a few DMs of people who booked with zero clue about Morocco. Just because the flight goes to Casablanca, doesn't mean you have to stay there! What I love about Morocco is that you can find mountains, cities, history and culture! It's a good mix and balance of modern and traditional, which means you can get the best of both worlds in one place.
DIVERSIFY YOUR INCOME.
Of course this is something much harder said than done, but it's not impossible. Going back to my university days and looking back now, I am so happy that I got to experience different jobs in different fields, as it gave me a good mix of experiences and skills. At some point, I was doing 4 part-time jobs while being a full-time student.
From working at an event venue setting up for parties and creating games, to tutoring students, to having another part-time gig on the side, these jobs have showed me the importance of not "putting all your eggs in one basket!"
When it comes to travel, there are different ways you can experience a place. You may come across certain places that you think you could never make it to, due to the cost associated with it, but did you know that you can work or volunteer abroad in exchange for a hosted stay? I have considered teaching English abroad to be able to experience a new country. Find the different ways that work for you (of course, for families, this may be harder and different). There is something out there for everyone! Look for whatever will work out for you. The hosted stays in exchange for your skills is not bad too, especially if you are not tight on time and you are okay with slow travel.
When I was laid off from my job during the pandemic, I got a summer a job at the stunning luxury wilderness Sonora Resort (a Relais and Châteaux property!) in British Columbia. The resort was remote and a unique experience that would have otherwise been outside of my budget if I ever wanted to visit, but being able to work there for the summer was one of the best decisions I made. It didn't feel like work at that point, instead I felt like I was on an extended vacation and living at a hotel for a few months was an experience I could never forget. Being able to work at a 5-star property has also taught me a lot about the hotel industry and has given me a greater appreciation for remote hotels, and a better understanding as to why this exclusive experience comes with a higher price tag.
So you want to travel more? Just go for it. Take the risk, do not stay back and just live a life of "What ifs?" Let your fears and anxieties go. Have some faith. It is possible to make travel part of your life. You just have to find what works best for you and go with that.
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